Posted by macandme on September 7, 2007, at 18:23:35
In reply to Re: Lamictal cause rage, irritability rapid cycli » Phillipa, posted by blippitybloo on August 13, 2006, at 0:06:03
> Thank you for saying someone else has experienced the rage / irritability / aggression side effect with Lamictal so I don't think I'm going crazy.
>
> Today alone I have done the following:
>
> 1. Screamed at my 16-1/2-year-old cat for not wanting to eat her food (normal for her and I never usually get upset; I am very patient with her)
>
> 2. Screamed at my 14-year-old cat for a (normal for him) problem with the litter box (which I usually do not ever get upset about; I am very patient with him)
>
> 3. Locked my 7-year-old cat in a room because she was meowing too much (!)
>
> 4. Cursed extremely in my yard over a small issue that I raised to extreme levels and apparently I did not care who heard me, even the young children next door
>
> 5. Left a message for my insurance company peppered with curse words including the F word; something I would never do
>
> 6. Tore open a carton of frozen vegetables violently because I could not get them open faster; then stabbed them violently with a fork twice just to "pierce" them; but this wasn't a normal dinner preparation; in fact the package was so mutilated I kept it as something to show my doctor.
>
> None of these things I would normally have done. I am leaving out a few people I got pissed off at on the phone today.
>
> I don't want to disturb my doctor on the weekend, but I may make the decision to go to 50mg as I do not want to put my cats in danger.
>
> I may even skip my dosage entirely tonight.
>
> The benefits of Lamictal are that the other day, my first two days on 75 mg I felt like cleaning out my closets, the first time in 7 years. For two days I felt up to doing that. This was a *major* improvement for me.
>
> Other benefits are I have lost a bit of weight, although it seems to be coming back due to suddenly unexplainable carb/sugar cravings. Originally on Lamictal I had no appetite, but now my appetite appears to bounce around to the extreme; sometimes I am very hungry and sometimes not at all.
>
> Also for some reason Lamictal has partially relieved the nasal congestion I experience with the Seroquel I take. (Seroquel causes both weight gain and nasal congestion in me.)
>
> In addition to the rage, which is a totally unacceptable side effect, Lamictal when I increase the dosage, such as from 50 mg to 75 mg, makes me incredibly sleepy and lethargic during the day and I feel completely unable to get anything done. This is a debilitating side effect. The only way around it I have found is to increase the dosage by only 5 mg or 10 mg.
>
> For some reason, the dose increase on this med tends to hit me immediately, instead of a few days later. I do not know why this is.
>
> Since I really want to do things like clean out closets, it might be worth it to stick out the "rage" issue for awhile if I thought it would pass. But it feels dangerous and like something I need to stop immediately, especially since I share my life with animals whom I do not want to endanger or harm in any way, not even verbally.
>
>Hi there,
I just boosted my dosage of lamictal up to 50 mg from 25mg last week. I also take aderall 20 mg. I read your post and ever since i uped my dosage to 50 mg, ive also had major fits of rage!! One minute i feel happy, the next 20 minutes im full of energy, then i feel depressed and anxious or mad as hell for no good reason!
I called the pharmacy because i wanted to see if the two drugs were interactable and they are. The pharmacist recommended not taking any drugs together. Seperate them by two or three hours or more if you can. She said sometimes one will out weigh the other and you will not get the same effects or adverse effects in some cases.
I think im going to take the lamictal at night from now on. If it makes me sleepless which i dont think it will because i pretty sure it has a peak time, i will just take ambien which works great for me.
Please let me know if your rageing effects have subsided any.
Thanks!
poster:macandme
thread:669643
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070831/msgs/781479.html