Posted by Bonnie_CA on July 6, 2007, at 9:39:47
In reply to Re: Lamictal and female hormones, posted by chiron on July 5, 2007, at 23:30:00
> (looks like a familiar post, but you did add to mine last week :))
Yeah, I remember, but I guess I wanted to have a heading that was specific to this issue.
> I wish the medical community would get this figured out. There has got to be some connection. I was feeling better for 2 weeks, and then right before, during, and right after my period I was in hell. I am starting to go back up again (I hope). Plus it gives me more acne (hormones).
>I can't believe that I haven't had horrible acne. I have struggled with acne my entire life, and when I saw that this med can cause acne, I was like "OH NO!" So far I've been lucky. In fact, I think it was instrumental in finally clearing up the folliclitis on my upper arms. Weird. I don't know how it helped, but it's been resolved. However, I've noticed that it's been hard for me to really tan this summer. Does it have an effect on melanin? I can't find anything about that. The only thing I've noticed is that when I do get a zit (and a zit with me is always nodular), it takes a long time to heal.
> I think it was mentioned in the other post that on Crazymeds it does say: "Where other anticonvulsants can mess with your girly hormones, your girly hormones are more likely to mess with Lamictal" But exactly how? Did I feel worse when my hormones changed because I had less or more Lamictal, did Lamictal affect my hormones, or is it even related? And I can't find any documentation anywhere about it.
>I think I found some other documentation on that issue, I'll try to see if I can find it again and I'll link it to this thread. Basically, the BCP binds to plasma in such a way that the Lamictal can't bind as well. So when you're not taking the hormones, the Lamictal can suddenly bind the way it should and it causes the levels of Lamictal in your blood to be higher. So it seems possible to OD on Lamictal by just taking your normal dose on the "off" week. I dunno. The article I found said that by the end of that week, levels of Lamictal can double. This is why I think maybe I should take less during that week. But, I need to talk to my pdoc about it.
> There are also posts in the posting section of crazymeds where other women have found some issues.
>
> I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next Thursday and am hoping they will help figure out my mood cycling vs. hormone cycling issues. I am not currently on the pill, but have some samples that I am going to talk to the endocrinologist about trying.
>
> Regarding your sleep, have you tried Ambien? Maybe you can just take it for that week.
>I've thought about that, I haven't asked for a prescription. I'm a little scared of those hypnotics because of the horror stories I hear about getting up in the middle of the night. Plus, I have a friend who has taken it, and he has woken up the next morning with a changed AOL password and having bought something that was on TV. (He sent that back.)
> Also, for my own curiosity, what dose of Lamictal are you on? What was your experience on increasing it and how has it helped? Did you have mood cycling throughout the month before the either? Has the pill helped with your pms & which pill are you taking?
I'm on 200 mg of Lamictal, so 100 mg twice a day. I'm also taking 10 mg of Lexapro, although I think I need more of that or a different SSRI. I tapered up slowly and had no problems. The first couple weeks Lamictal made me sleepy, I long for those days again LOL. About 50 mg it helped my depression, and 75 mg it helped the cycling. I'm taking Levlen for BCP, and I've taken that for many years (since I was 17). The first two periods after starting Lamictal, it really messed things up. I barely menstruated, it did it for a long time, and I had no pain (which is highly unusual for me, I've always had painful periods). This month, my period is back to normal, but I had really bad PMS. Not bad in the psychological way, but a LOT of bloating and gas, discomfort. I was SO happy to finally start. I don't usually have such bad PMS, usually don't have it at all, and I can only figure it has something to do with the meds.
> My mood can vary day to day (from kinda down to really down), or within the same day. I definitely have pms & hormone issues, but I don't know if hormones are the whole story. But mood stabilizers make me worse. As I look back, Lamictal is worth giving another try.
>Hormones matter, but I think being on the BCP helps with those fluctuations. Lamictal has really helped me with the cycling, especially since mine is fairly rapid. Maybe you should give it another shot, and work with the pdoc and the endocrinologist. Definitely don't start the BCP without talking to them though.
Hope that helps!
-Bonnie
poster:Bonnie_CA
thread:767799
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070630/msgs/768039.html