Posted by polarbear206 on March 19, 2010, at 15:14:09
In reply to Lamictal: Bipolar II dosing difficulties, posted by MistressJes on March 19, 2010, at 3:03:37
> Hi,
> I am a 24 year old female recently diagnosed with Bipolar II after years od being treated for depression and anxiety unsuccessfully. My psychiatrist started me on Lamictal, and when I hit 50 mg, it was like somebody turned on my "normal" switch. I felt better than I had in years (minus those awesome hypomanic days).
> Then, he increased the dose to 100mg, and everything spiraled straight to hell again. In fact, I'm cycling harder and faster, it seems. He said it is okay to go back down to 50mg, but everything I read says that the target dose is 200mg. Also, I am worried that going back down after being at 100mg is going to make things worse. And now I am doubting myself, wondering if those two weeks of normality on the 50 mg were just part of the cycle and NOT relief from the medication.
> Has anybody else had similar issues with Lamictal? Has anybody had any changes when they take 50 mg twice a day as opposed to 100mg once a day? What did you do with your dosage?
>
> I'm seriously losing hope here. I'm tired of feeling good for a little while and being teased by the medication, thinking it might actually work this time. It is to the point where I hope that if they can't fix me soon, they can just put me on something that will zombify me so that I can just function without feeling and stop hurting people I love.
>
> Jes
>You didn't include in your above post if you are taking another drug with the Lamictal. Do you have more hypomania than depressions? If you are on an AD, the Lamictal will give the AD a boost. This can contribute to your cycling. It does cause an increase in anxiety when you start. Did he raise your dose too fast from 50 to 100? Keep in mind that if you are on an AD and the dose is too high with the addition of Lamictal, you may need to back off very slowly while titrating the Lamictal.
poster:polarbear206
thread:940027
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100318/msgs/940075.html