Posted by Chloe on July 16, 2001, at 8:01:13
In reply to CHLOE: Thanks and MORE (incl. question):, posted by Janelle on July 15, 2001, at 20:54:05
I started on 12.5 (half a 25 mg pill) every other day. My experience was: the first day I took it, I felt nothing. The second day, I felt headachy, blah and uncoordinated. I read the pdr, and asked my pdoc for the 5 mgs. When I took 5mgs every other day, I felt ok, but I started to get really speedy, irritable and couldn't sleep.
I too was angry that I couldn't go up faster on Lamictal. I thought why do I have to start every other day. That seemed ridiculously slow. But as I increased to every day, I got so racy, edgy and couldn't sleep. I just didn't like the feel of the drug, and felt only the AD effect. Not the mood stabilizer effect. I probably should have given it more time, staying at every other day. I may have adjusted to the speediness. But I hated the fact that I had to avoid the sun like the plague and that I only needed 4 hours sleep. I like to sleep. And with Lamictal, it seemed like there was little use for sleep!
What dose are you on now? And how are you tolerating it? Patience is a virtue on Lamictal. I know how you want to be at the right dose NOW! But honestly there is no rush esp. when you might have to stop this drug if you get an adverse reaction!
Take care,
Chloe> Chloe - thanks again for your further response. Wow, you take "only" 1 and 1/2 mgs of Celexa and feel good on that amount - neat! You sure are sensitive to the meds! I titrated up on Celexa from 10-20-30-40, and got mostly side effects (headache, foggy-heavy headed, detached feeling) which did NOT dissipate and only slight lift from the depression.
>
> So I got off that and am now on EffexorXR (which I'll be changing from - this trial/error process is so frustrating) because as I titrated up on that from 37.5 to 75 and eventually to the therapeutic 150 mg, I got racy, edgy, etc.
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> My pdoc backed me down to half (75 mg/day) but it still makes me too energized and I get the shakes, that feeling of being caffeinated (and I stopped drinking coffee for the time being!). It is too stimulating and activating for awhile, then when that wears off I feel fatigued. Yuck. Effexor is NOT the a-d for me!
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> As for Lamictal, because of my sensitivity and the rash issue, my doc started me at what she called a "Pediatric" and what you so aptly referred to as a MICRODOSE - 4 mg! It would have been 5mg, but all she had left of samples were 2mg, so I'm taking 2 of those/day. I'm frustrated that I'm having to start so slowly on this med, but everything I read indicates that "LOW & SLOW" is the way to go! (hey, that rhymes!)
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> I have a feeling that if/when Lamictal kicks in, I will be one of those people who needs a relatively "low" dose (like 50 mg or maybe a wee bit more) to feel good. I sure hope so.
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> What dose did you START on Lamictal that after "only" two days, it hit you hard? I'm guessing maybe 25 mg?
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> My pdoc said the SAME thing you did - Lamictal is a perk-you-UP med (which I need, but I have to be careful not to go too high and get hyper from it).
> Thanks for mentioning the sun reaction you got while on Lamictal because I live in an area where the sun is INTENSE year round. If I get that red prickly rash as I titrate up on the Lamictal (and thanks for giving the name of it - "actinic"), at least I'll know what it is.
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> Where I used to live there were 4 seasons, and I was NOT on ANY meds, but would get a red prickly rash the first couple weeks of summer heat and sun, which always cleared up on its own (I guess my sensitive skin got acclimated to the stronger summer sun).
poster:Chloe
thread:70133
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010714/msgs/70299.html