Posted by Lizzle on September 10, 2009, at 21:44:16
Okay, I've been seriously baffled and frustrated since last December.
In Dec, I took two ten milligram pills of Parnate, two days in a row. That's all. For the following 4 1/2 months, I had incredibly annoying side effects that I kept expecting to disappear. But they didn't until said months later.
Every day, I would just beg God to get the damn stuff out of my system. The side effects were so potent that they really made life TOUGH--sudden headaches, sex headaches, absolutely ravenous appetite, lack of focus, inability to exercise, incoherent speaking, nervousness, flat effect, fuzzy brain, etc. I couldn't believe that these effects were not lessening after a month or so.
Finally they DID lessen, and my life seemed to be getting back on track. My mind felt more or less clear, I was using Xanax and caffeine to combat the organic mild depression/anxiety. The headaches ceased and I was getting out more, having...fun, something I didn't experience with the Parnate side effects.
Well, I still had an appointment set up for my psychiatrist, so I went. I decided I didn't like the idea of having to take Xanax (even though I was only one .25 mg/day), so I asked about Lamictal, something my psych had talked about before. I thought it might banish anxiety similarly to Xanax.
So, I took a 25 mg pill of Lamictal in April. I fell asleep 2 hours later, something I normally wouldn't have done. I woke up and felt slightly optimistic...I felt a little different, in a good way. The rest of the day was productive.
So the next day, I popped another 25 mg Lamictal. BIG MISTAKE. By the time night rolled around, I was feeling strange, depressed, anxious...something in me told me NOT to take another Lamictal again. The next day I did an overnight at my work. That night, I felt like I had to physically cry, but couldn't. I was so scared, because what I was feeling inside of me was real, and I knew that this wasn't going to be just a quick round of side effects that would dissipate within a couple days. No, I knew in the back of my mind that it would likely take at least 3 months for this new host of side effects to leave, although I didn't want to believe it.
It was like a nightmare. I had just started feeling like my life was gaining some balance, but I had to take a couple pills to screw it all up AGAIN. At first I thought, "ahhh, so this must be what bipolar illness feels like" due to the strange shaky mood swings. My stomach suddenly ballooned up and I had strange stomach feelings. My appetite got all out of whack, craving sweets and fats this time. A week after taking the Lamictal, I noticed a persistent sore throat and a slight, itchy rash on my hands accompanied by flushing of the skin after physical activity. My menstrual period was nonexistent. I was much more self-conscious and depressed in a drugged-up way (hah, I don't know how to describe it). The side effects have been cyclical, meaning there would be periods of time where I ate everything in sight and just sat there, as well as periods where I was more active and energetic. But overall, I was mostly tired/foggy headed/unmotivated. My muscles ached as well, and I had stomach cramps.
After the first month or so of lingering side effects, I went to GNC and bought a full 7 day body cleanse out of desperation. Used it, and it didn't seem to help. I tried a detox diet. Didn't help. Bought some milk thistle. Didn't help. Now, after exactly five months since taking those two little tablets, I'm STILL feeling some of these side effects.
One not-so-bad thing about the Lamictal, however, was increased feeling during sex--I had taken SSRIs for a while before, so they pretty much caused long-lasting anesthesia down there.
Note that Xanax really didn't help at all while experiencing these Lamictal side effects, and it still doesn't do much, I have to take it in a larger dose to feel anything. Alcohol--I don't even get a buzz with what would have normally been an amount that would get me tipsy or even drunk.So, has anyone else out there in the world experienced anything similar? Taking a couple low-dose pills and then enduring potent side effects for the next few months? If so, I'd love to hear from you, because I feel alone and in need of a little validation of my experiences that even I doubt from time to time--how could 50 mg of Lamictal taken FIVE MONTHS ago still be wreaking havoc on my body? Does all the peanut butter I eat stick to my liver and grab the medication, preventing breaking down of the med and detoxification? hah :P
I've taken Prozac, Cymbalta, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Celexa, Buspar, Zoloft, etc. without the lingering effects from a couple doses.
I'm so confused and frustrated. I'm hoping/thinking that the Lamictal side effects will clear up soon. I'm going to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL next time I take a med that isn't short-acting. What if something stuck around for a year? Who knows when a med will leave the system...who knows.Thank you all for reading, all and any input is appreciated. :)
poster:Lizzle
thread:916445
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090902/msgs/916445.html