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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fluffy on April 23, 2003, at 12:38:55
I am taking 75 mg lamictal and dosing up to 100 mg in a couple of days. (for bipolar II)
The depression is definitely gone--almost 2 weeks of no depression!! YAY!! Problem is, I'm having lots of trouble sleeping and feeling anxious and panicky now. Is this normal? Does the hypomanic part go away after being on the proper dose? I need some advice. I'm in a study for lamictal, so I can't take another mood stabilizer unless I drop out of the study. But I'd like some sleep some day.Anyone with experience in this matter, please respond!!
Thanks,
Katy
Posted by HenryO on April 28, 2003, at 5:05:36
In reply to Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go away?, posted by fluffy on April 23, 2003, at 12:38:55
I am taking Lamictal, 200mg daily. I think if your depression is gone and you are getting a negative side effect. Cut back, just a bit. Take control of your dose. Its your head. There is no magic in 100mg a day. Take what works for you. Stay at the new dose and see what happens. You can up the dose later, if you decide. If you do, you will know if its the Lamictal making you anxious. I have felt the racing thoughts from it on some days. You have to go slow. After I had been on it awhile someone on this site told me that if you don't take your dose in halves every twelve hours you get a headache at the 19 hour mark. Maybe you already knew. The doctor or the pharmacist never mentioned anything to me. They don't take it, they know what we tell them. Good luck.
Posted by BaxterMckay on August 24, 2003, at 17:55:47
In reply to Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go away?, posted by fluffy on April 23, 2003, at 12:38:55
> I am taking 75 mg lamictal and dosing up to 100 mg in a couple of days. (for bipolar II)
> The depression is definitely gone--almost 2 weeks of no depression!! YAY!! Problem is, I'm having lots of trouble sleeping and feeling anxious and panicky now. Is this normal? Does the hypomanic part go away after being on the proper dose? I need some advice. I'm in a study for lamictal, so I can't take another mood stabilizer unless I drop out of the study. But I'd like some sleep some day.
>
> Anyone with experience in this matter, please respond!!
>
> Thanks,
> Katy
I know this is kind of a late posting, but I am taking Lamictal for bipolar II also. I've been ramping up to 100mg over 4 weeks and have been at that dose for now for about 1 week. I started having some anxiety/panic about 1 week into the ramp-up schedule. I called my psychiatrist and he said keep taking it. I kept upping the dose according to the schedule ( +25mg a week )until I was at a 100mg with intense anxiety/panicy feelings growing as the dose increased. Some nights I have woke up out of a dead sleep several times in the night with panicy feelings or anxiety. I kept telling myself that it's just in my head and that it's not the lamictal, but the panic/anxiety has continued. I finally have decided to start ramping down because the panicy feelings were getting very intense. It is helpful to hear that someone else has had these same side effects on Lamictal. I'm not sure that I can ask this, but are you still taking Lamictal or have you found a mood-stabilizer that doesn't have anxiety/panicy feelings as a side effect. According to the Lamictal web site a person should ramp down 50% per week. Does anyone know if this is correct?
Posted by BarbaraCat on August 25, 2003, at 12:10:45
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a, posted by HenryO on April 28, 2003, at 5:05:36
**Doesn't everyone take lamictal in halves? My pharmacist stressed this very strongly. I take 125mg split 75mg in am and 50mg in pm. I tried it all at once for a short time and felt like I was crawling out of my skin. I was told very emphatically that 12.5mg per week is the fastest one should ramp UP and 25mg week ramp DOWN. Ramping back down from 150 to 125mg stopped my panic attacks and itchies.
>> After I had been on it awhile someone on this site told me that if you don't take your dose in halves every twelve hours you get a headache at the 19 hour mark. Maybe you already knew. The doctor or the pharmacist never mentioned anything to me. They don't take it, they know what we tell them. Good luck.
Posted by BaxterMckay on August 25, 2003, at 15:56:29
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a » HenryO, posted by BarbaraCat on August 25, 2003, at 12:10:45
My therapist kept telling me that it was all in my head as a I progressivly had more and more panic attacks and nervous crawling while ramping up 25mg per week until I was 100mg. I kept saying to myself that they know what's best. Finally, I decided that maybe I needed to do something different and go off the Lamictal just to find out if that was the problem. I ramped down to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) for a day and then tried to stop completely.( big mistake! ) I felt so depressed I couldn't hardly move. I've never had depression like that in my life before, ever. I went back up to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) and haven't had panic or depression since I did that. That was really fun. I think I will stay at this dose for a while and see how things go. With hindsight I should have insisted on a much lower ramping schedule and dosage when I first started having trouble.
Posted by BarbaraCat on August 26, 2003, at 12:47:30
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a, posted by BaxterMckay on August 25, 2003, at 15:56:29
If I were you, I would run like hell to another pdoc. Ramping up at 25mg per week is criminal. All in your head! Of COURSE it's in your head! The nervous crawling especially should have given it away that you were going up MUCH too fast. Has he/she ever heard of 'the rash'? At early stages, no more than 12.5mg a week should ever be attempted, and even at later stages you should stay at 25mg for at least 2 weeks. I stayed at 50mg for quite a while after 75mg was too much. I slowly got up to 150mg and that was too much with the panic attacks and skin itchies. My pdoc for once jumped up with alarm and told me to go down 25mg IMMEDIATELY because any skin reaction is cause for concern. Ramped down to 125mg and I'm a happy camper. Really, your therapist sounds a little dicey, IMHO. Lamictal is NOT a med too fool around with.
> My therapist kept telling me that it was all in my head as a I progressivly had more and more panic attacks and nervous crawling while ramping up 25mg per week until I was 100mg. I kept saying to myself that they know what's best. Finally, I decided that maybe I needed to do something different and go off the Lamictal just to find out if that was the problem. I ramped down to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) for a day and then tried to stop completely.( big mistake! ) I felt so depressed I couldn't hardly move. I've never had depression like that in my life before, ever. I went back up to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) and haven't had panic or depression since I did that. That was really fun. I think I will stay at this dose for a while and see how things go. With hindsight I should have insisted on a much lower ramping schedule and dosage when I first started having trouble.
Posted by galkeepinon on August 28, 2003, at 0:22:09
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a » HenryO, posted by BarbaraCat on August 25, 2003, at 12:10:45
Hi Barbara, this is interesting. I just started 50mg of Lamictal after 4 weeks of titrating up v e r y slowly. I think instead of taking all 50mg at night (which is what I'm doing) I may take 25 in the morning and 25 at night-sounds reasonable.
Thanks for this idea:-) I don't like the sound of crawling out of my skin. LOL
> **Doesn't everyone take lamictal in halves? My pharmacist stressed this very strongly. I take 125mg split 75mg in am and 50mg in pm. I tried it all at once for a short time and felt like I was crawling out of my skin. I was told very emphatically that 12.5mg per week is the fastest one should ramp UP and 25mg week ramp DOWN. Ramping back down from 150 to 125mg stopped my panic attacks and itchies.
>
> >> After I had been on it awhile someone on this site told me that if you don't take your dose in halves every twelve hours you get a headache at the 19 hour mark. Maybe you already knew. The doctor or the pharmacist never mentioned anything to me. They don't take it, they know what we tell them. Good luck.
>
>
Posted by galkeepinon on August 28, 2003, at 0:27:03
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a » BaxterMckay, posted by BarbaraCat on August 26, 2003, at 12:47:30
Barbara, you're really helping me here-thanks! When I reached 200mg on Topamax I had that skin reaction-the itchies BAD! So now I take 50mg only. I never got the 'rash' on Lamictal when I took it a few years ago, but I was also being increased on it too fast back then also. This time I am going to go slow and your posts help to remind me of that.
Thanks bunches!!!:-)> If I were you, I would run like hell to another pdoc. Ramping up at 25mg per week is criminal. All in your head! Of COURSE it's in your head! The nervous crawling especially should have given it away that you were going up MUCH too fast. Has he/she ever heard of 'the rash'? At early stages, no more than 12.5mg a week should ever be attempted, and even at later stages you should stay at 25mg for at least 2 weeks. I stayed at 50mg for quite a while after 75mg was too much. I slowly got up to 150mg and that was too much with the panic attacks and skin itchies. My pdoc for once jumped up with alarm and told me to go down 25mg IMMEDIATELY because any skin reaction is cause for concern. Ramped down to 125mg and I'm a happy camper. Really, your therapist sounds a little dicey, IMHO. Lamictal is NOT a med too fool around with.
>
> > My therapist kept telling me that it was all in my head as a I progressivly had more and more panic attacks and nervous crawling while ramping up 25mg per week until I was 100mg. I kept saying to myself that they know what's best. Finally, I decided that maybe I needed to do something different and go off the Lamictal just to find out if that was the problem. I ramped down to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) for a day and then tried to stop completely.( big mistake! ) I felt so depressed I couldn't hardly move. I've never had depression like that in my life before, ever. I went back up to 50mg ( 25mg 12 hours apart ) and haven't had panic or depression since I did that. That was really fun. I think I will stay at this dose for a while and see how things go. With hindsight I should have insisted on a much lower ramping schedule and dosage when I first started having trouble.
>
>
Posted by BaxterMckay on August 28, 2003, at 9:15:58
In reply to Re: Lamictal Anxiety /sleep problems--does it go a » BaxterMckay, posted by BarbaraCat on August 26, 2003, at 12:47:30
Gosh! It's really good to hear someone else who's had trouble on Lamictal. I was up to 100mg in 4 weeks and having tremendous anxiety/panic. ( I've always has tremendous sensitivity to medications/caffeine ) and some small rashes, but I was being told that I should keep going by both my therapist and my psych. He even suggested that I should go up on a higher dose to help with the panic. Since last Saturday I've went back to 50mg and I'm still having some panic. I want to go down to 25mg, but I'm having lots of trouble sleeping since I've ramped down to 50mg. I also feel like I'm wired all day long, which makes sense because I felt extremely subdued when I started taking it. I remember the first day I started taking it I sat in 3 hours of traffic and just stared in a complete daze. I felt like I could look at a brick wall for hours and find it absolutely entertaining. I've NEVER felt like that in my life. I've been taking Xanax to try and sleep, but I just feel wired since ramping down wired last Friday. I want to go down ( or possibly quit ) to eliminate the panic, but I would like to be able to sleep and not feel like a grasshopper in small fish tank. I wonder if I should stay at this dose and see if the panic goes away or if should cut down to 25mg and hope that I sleep again someday. I really appreciate your comments/suggestions. At least I don't think I'm alone in this mess.
The silver lining is that I'm as losing weight which I've wanted to do for several years.
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