Posted by colin wallace on April 13, 2003, at 13:57:39
In reply to Colin- your lamictal, posted by Peter S. on April 11, 2003, at 15:21:42
> Hi Colin,.
>
> You and I seem to be in similar boats. I'm currently taking Lamictal (50 mg) and Prozac (occasionally). I'm also taking 300mg of Neurontin which seems to curb the irritability related to the Lamictal and may act synergistically. I've been up and down on the Lam (highest dose was 600mg. Honestly sometimes I think a lower dose works better than a higher dose. I still haven't figured out the Prozac piece. It seems to cycle for me, but then sometimes I think it is helpful in small doses.
>
> Last weekend I took a med vacation because the effect had faded out to a large degree. I took 4 days off and restarted the LAM and Neurontin and the effect kicked in much better. One thing about Lam is that I notice effects about an hour after taking- great increase in energy and good improvement in mood. The only problem is that the effect fades in the afternoon. After my med vacation the effect has not been fading as much.
>
> Have you tried taking small vacations? I'm think that I might take 2 days off per week (maybe when I can afford to be in a lousy mood)
>
> Love to hear how things go for you and trade experiences.
>
> Peter
>
>Hi there Pete,
Yeah, we seem to be tinkering with much the same meds and zigzagging down (up?) the same path!
I liked Neurontin too, but I found that I was experiencing some wierd effects from it- irritability the following day, and some dissociative stuff too, so I binned it.Too risky for me.
Lamictal is a strange ol' med though, I'd agree.Total lifesaver, but so hard to fathom.
I'm back at 250mg now, and the effects are more consistent with Prozac, which I can now tolerate at 20mg on alternate days, with zero side-effects!!That much is true of Lamictal at least.
I think that Lamictal basically needs to be augmented, full-stop.It is prone to fading, but it seems to perform much better with a little outside help.
Gonna try adding lithium soon, as they seem to complement one another-for some.Next in line would be a small dose of Valproate, or maybe Trileptal, whilst keeping the Prozac in the mix.
I'm prepared to mess around with a few AD's if necessary, as they're much easier to tolerate with Lamictal.Will keep you posted.Keep well, and keep us informed.
Col.
ps...med vacations don't work for me at all, unfortunately.
poster:colin wallace
thread:215282
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030411/msgs/219016.html