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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by adamie on November 17, 2001, at 17:41:34
hi. I am hoping to try Lamictal or some other mood stabilizer for my severe depression which may have atypical features (sleeping too much). Is it true that Lamictal absolutely never makes anyone's depression worse? I have heard how people who are bipolar could be made worse by anti depressants. Well I dunno if I am bipolar, I guess somehow it could be a possibility but I have been made worse by almost every anti depressant I've tried. Some have made my depression worse to the point of constant mind torture and I have once ended up in a hospital.
Is it possible to be made worse by Lamictal? How about other mood stabilizers? I understand that Lamictal has an anti depressant effect. Is this effect similar to anti depressants? I dunno but maybe it's possible that this "anti depressant" effect is what has been bad for me. Something those anti depressants do just makes me much much worse. So I hope that wouldn't be the case with Lamictal.
And aside from Lamictal, do the other Mood stabilizers ever make anyone's depression worse? thanks for reading.
Posted by SLS on November 18, 2001, at 19:46:28
In reply to Lamictal absolutely never has a worsening effect?, posted by adamie on November 17, 2001, at 17:41:34
> hi. I am hoping to try Lamictal or some other mood stabilizer for my severe depression which may have atypical features (sleeping too much). Is it true that Lamictal absolutely never makes anyone's depression worse? I have heard how people who are bipolar could be made worse by anti depressants. Well I dunno if I am bipolar, I guess somehow it could be a possibility but I have been made worse by almost every anti depressant I've tried. Some have made my depression worse to the point of constant mind torture and I have once ended up in a hospital.
>
> Is it possible to be made worse by Lamictal? How about other mood stabilizers? I understand that Lamictal has an anti depressant effect. Is this effect similar to anti depressants? I dunno but maybe it's possible that this "anti depressant" effect is what has been bad for me. Something those anti depressants do just makes me much much worse. So I hope that wouldn't be the case with Lamictal.
>
> And aside from Lamictal, do the other Mood stabilizers ever make anyone's depression worse? thanks for reading.
Hi.I just got done replying to one of your posts along a different thread. I suggested that you look at Lamictal. I see that you already have.
Lamictal seems to be significantly less likely to worsen depression as some of the other mood-stabilizers. I think it is important to take the perspective that, like antidepressants, each anticonvulsant mood-stabilizer be treated as an individual drug to be applied to an individual case. I have seen every putative mood-stabilizer help treat a certain percentage of people's depression, although they are usually used in conjunction with other medications and usually in bipolar disorder. Many of these drugs are also known to cause or worsen depression in a percentage of people. I have had this happen with Depakote. You won't know unless you try.
I think it is fair to say that Lamictal has some antidepressant properties that are separate and in addition to its mood-stabilizing properties. Combining two or more mood-stabilizers is sometimes necessary for bipolar disorder. Lithium is usually one of them. A group of investigators at the NIH has been combining Lamictal and Neurontin with some success.
If you haven't yet tried an atypical neuroleptic like Risperdal, Zyprexa, or Geodon, you might want to look into it. It seems to me that Zyprexa is the one most likely to be helpful for depression, although I know of people who have done well using the other two.
- Scott
Posted by Cecilia on November 19, 2001, at 2:16:08
In reply to Lamictal absolutely never has a worsening effect?, posted by adamie on November 17, 2001, at 17:41:34
Depression is listed in the PDR as a potential side effect of Lamictal.
Posted by JohnX2 on November 19, 2001, at 13:17:42
In reply to Re: Lamictal absolutely never has a worsening effect?, posted by Cecilia on November 19, 2001, at 2:16:08
Every medication lists what it is treating as
a side effect. There is a simple explanation for
this, if the medicine doesn't work, then the
person is still depressed. Doesn't mean the
medicine caused the depression. Does the PDR
list the depression rate caused by lamictal to
be substantially higher than that for a placebo?-john
>
>
> Depression is listed in the PDR as a potential side effect of Lamictal.
>
Posted by Cecilia on November 20, 2001, at 3:31:27
In reply to Re: Lamictal absolutely never has a worsening effect? » Cecilia, posted by JohnX2 on November 19, 2001, at 13:17:42
>
> Every medication lists what it is treating as
> a side effect. There is a simple explanation for
> this, if the medicine doesn't work, then the
> person is still depressed. Doesn't mean the
> medicine caused the depression. Does the PDR
> list the depression rate caused by lamictal to
> be substantially higher than that for a placebo?
>
> -john
I don`t think Lamictal has been FDA approved for depression, all the studies have been on it`s use for seizure disorders. I don`t think the odds of it worsening depression are high, just pointing out that it`s possible. Some people here have posted very positive results with it, so I`ve been thinking about giving it a try. (Though probably not til after New Year`s, the holidays are horrible enough for me without battling side efects from yet another drug trial.)
Posted by JohnX2 on November 20, 2001, at 17:15:20
In reply to Re: Lamictal absolutely never has a worsening effect?, posted by Cecilia on November 20, 2001, at 3:31:27
You bring up a good point about official FDA
approval. And the clinical trials were for
epilepsy. From what I recall it was a crummy
stand-alone anti-epileptic, which I guees could
make someone with epilepsy depressed.But I believe someone else on this news thread posted that while
only a minor fraction of the patients received
complete relief from epilepsy 2/3 continued to
take the medication (they felt happier). Someone
correct me if I'm wrong on this.-john
> >
> > Every medication lists what it is treating as
> > a side effect. There is a simple explanation for
> > this, if the medicine doesn't work, then the
> > person is still depressed. Doesn't mean the
> > medicine caused the depression. Does the PDR
> > list the depression rate caused by lamictal to
> > be substantially higher than that for a placebo?
> >
> > -john
> I don`t think Lamictal has been FDA approved for depression, all the studies have been on it`s use for seizure disorders. I don`t think the odds of it worsening depression are high, just pointing out that it`s possible. Some people here have posted very positive results with it, so I`ve been thinking about giving it a try. (Though probably not til after New Year`s, the holidays are horrible enough for me without battling side efects from yet another drug trial.)
This is the end of the thread.
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