Posted by SLS on September 13, 2016, at 16:18:37
In reply to Re: Best meds for Dysthymia 2016, posted by KarenRB53 on September 13, 2016, at 11:46:24
Hi.
> Can Lamictal be taken by itself with no other meds for depression or bipolar?
Early studies using Lamictal by itself at a dosage of 200 mg/day was deemed effective for bipolar depression. I don't know of any studies of unipolar depression or dysthymia. One strategy is to combine Wellbutrin with Lamictal. If there has been bipolarity at any time in your history, it would be helpful to consider yourself as having a bipolar diathesis (underlying biology), and tailoring your treatments as if you indeed have a bipolar spectrum illness. I have bipolar depression for which low dosages of lithium (300-600 mg/day) exert an antidepressant effect.
> Definitely feeling depressed again and have appt with my pdoc. I know he will ask what I want to do so was wondering about Lamictal. Don't want to take Gabapentin.
Despite an initial explosion in the use of gabapentin as a mood stabilizer beginning 15 years ago, it never fulfilled its promise as a treatment for depression or mania. It seems to help with anxiety, though.
If you do try Lamictal, it really is important to use the starter pack so that you can increase the dosage gradually. This is done so that you don't develop any rashes and avoid a rare type of skin reaction called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The sweet-spot for Lamictal seems to be 200 mg/day with a range of 150-300 mg/day. The sweet-spot for Wellbutrin is 300 mg/day with a range of 150-450 mg/day.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
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