Posted by morgan miller on January 18, 2011, at 16:38:21
In reply to Re: Generic Lamictal (lamotrigine) experiences? » morgan miller, posted by BetweenDreams81 on January 18, 2011, at 15:19:29
Hey BD,
The worst side effect I experienced with lamictal was my brain feeling as if it just simply was not functioning at a high level. I remember after about 6 weeks on lamictal and being at 150 mg, it took me 2 hours to clean my friend's very small 1 bedroom apartment kitchen. I just could not get my motor going. At somewhere between 75 and 125 mg, I experienced a feeling of not wanting to talk and having some difficulty doing so as well. In my experience of taking antidepressants and mood stabilizers, no medication seemed to negatively affect my neurological function as much as Lamictal, with the exception of maybe Zyprexa.
Lamictal has been shown to possibly negatively impact Long Term Potentiation, which I believe has something to do with synaptic communication/plasticity that impacts memory formation. This might explain many complaints of cognitive impairment with Lamictal.
I don't think Lamictal has the ability to impair neurological function in the long run and I do think it is something you will recover from if you do experience such impairment, but as with any of these drugs, there is always some risk that someone may experience long term issues.
What makes you surprised it was the first plan of action?
I guess I am not really surprised as much as I do not agree with it. I think there are other medications out there that are less likely to be as invasive. I have a hard time believing that lamotrigine's potential for therapeutic benefit is the best fit for you. I would personally prefer to try a low dose of a few SSRIs as I do not think the potential for harm is as great. Also, lamotrigine is an anti-epileptic, it was developed specifically for this use, not for depression, anxiety, or mood issues.
I am all for the medication that is most likely to make someone feel good in a way that makes it easier for them to behave in a more productive fashion, with the least potential for harm and side effects. I took Zoloft for years and would still be on it had I not stopped. But if most psychiatrists knew I was bipolar(I did not at the time) they likely would have wanted me to try to get off Zoloft and transition to a new class of drugs. Why not stick with a drug that helps me feel good and normal much of the time and has been shown over and over again to not have a negative impact on someone's cognitive ability/neurological function for a large part of the population of people that try it. All you have to do is search the internet. You will not find the kinds of complaints about drugs like Zoloft that you find with drugs like Lamictal. I understand many doctors are worried about making someone feel manic with SSRIs so they try a drug like lamotrigine instead. I also understand that lamotrigine has helped many people. I am all for keeping lamotrigine in the toolbox of psychiatrists as a potential therapy for their patients. I just think that lamotrigine is still going through this honeymoon/drug du jur phase and this is influencing doctors to prescribe it more than it should be for patients that would be better off on other medications in the long run.
Lamotrigine is a heavy heavy duty medication, one that I believe is much more so than medications like SSRIs. IMHO, more caution should be used when prescribing it.All that said, I do not want to discourage you from trying something that might end up being a very good treatment for you. I'm sorry if I have discouraged you or instilled any fear in you.
Morgan
poster:morgan miller
thread:977183
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110115/msgs/977333.html