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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by theo on December 2, 2004, at 13:51:11
I'm taking Lamictal once daily (100mg) at night and am thinking about stopping it, but before I did I was wondering if morning dosing versus night dosing can make any difference in effectiveness?
If you are taking once daily dosing, is it more commonly taken morning or bedtime. I've looked at prescribing info and it just says "once daily" and doesn't suggest morning or night.
I did find some info suggesting taking it at night to sleep through gastrointestinal problems and tiredness that could occur from Lamictal.
Any info from user experience would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by ghost on December 2, 2004, at 15:24:51
In reply to Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by theo on December 2, 2004, at 13:51:11
lamictal tends to lower one's blood pressure, and this can cause sleepiness or fatigue, so it's best taken at night, before bed. (also because lying down, the drop in blood pressure won't be so dramatic.)
ghost
Posted by Sebastian on December 2, 2004, at 19:10:12
In reply to Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by theo on December 2, 2004, at 13:51:11
I like the morning dose Much better.
Posted by Maximus on December 2, 2004, at 21:56:39
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night?? » theo, posted by ghost on December 2, 2004, at 15:24:51
> lamictal tends to lower one's blood pressure,
Low blood pressure is NOT a side effect of Lamictal.
Posted by catmint on December 3, 2004, at 0:44:13
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night?? » ghost, posted by Maximus on December 2, 2004, at 21:56:39
> > lamictal tends to lower one's blood pressure,
>
> Low blood pressure is NOT a side effect of Lamictal.
>
>
I agree.
Also, I've been on it for 2 years and have never had fatigue from it, in fact it is just the opposite. Your fatigue is probably a side-effect of another med your on, or any number of other reasons.
Posted by ghost on December 3, 2004, at 6:17:47
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by catmint on December 3, 2004, at 0:44:13
odd that
a) my doctor said this
b) my bp dropped 10 pts with every 50mg i took (no other med/diet/lifestyle changes)
c) PI sheets state this (try a google search)
ghost
Posted by clarinette on December 3, 2004, at 8:59:59
In reply to Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by theo on December 2, 2004, at 13:51:11
I've been aking (and gradually increasing the dose of ) Lamictal for a couple of months now.
On the prescription the doctor ( reknown specialist in France ) specifically marked to be taken in the morning.
I take two mood regulators, Lamictal and Rivotril (and Depakine as well, but it's being gradually replaced by the Rivotril) . The Rivotril is at night because it calms the highs more than the lows. I get racing thougts at bedtime which causes terrible insomnia. Lamictal rduces the depressive episodes, maybe that is why he told me to take it in the morning.
Bises,
Claraps, I might just add that according to all that I've been able to find on the net, medecin leaflets, from my docter, the only real side effect of Lamictal is the skin rash, which must be immediately reported to your doctor.
Posted by catmint on December 4, 2004, at 1:49:46
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night?? » catmint, posted by ghost on December 3, 2004, at 6:17:47
> odd that
>
> a) my doctor said this
> b) my bp dropped 10 pts with every 50mg i took (no other med/diet/lifestyle changes)
> c) PI sheets state this (try a google search)
>
>
> ghost
Hey ghost,
I didn't know that about low blood pressure from Lamictal. Is low blood pressure a bad thing?
Posted by ghost on December 4, 2004, at 22:14:56
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by catmint on December 4, 2004, at 1:49:46
> Hey ghost,
> I didn't know that about low blood pressure from Lamictal. Is low blood pressure a bad thing?if it gets too low, you can pass out. but it's gotta get pretty low for that. one of the other things my doctor mentioned was to be careful standing up, with orthostatic hypotension (your bp dropping when you stand up). i had problems with dizziness, but never passed out. my bp didn't get any lower than 110/70 (i ran a little high when i started.)
Posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 12:31:01
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night??, posted by ghost on December 4, 2004, at 22:14:56
Do you have any study or link to back it up? I'm curious. Thanks.
Posted by ghost on December 5, 2004, at 14:05:25
In reply to Re: Proof please! » ghost, posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 12:31:01
> Do you have any study or link to back it up? I'm curious. Thanks.
Link to low blood pressure info:http://my.webmd.com/content/article/54/61512.htm
Link to Lamictal side effects:
Posted by cache-monkey on December 5, 2004, at 16:05:00
In reply to Re: Proof please! » Maximus, posted by ghost on December 5, 2004, at 14:05:25
Hi,
So, I was just started on Lamictal for possibly Bipolar II/cyclothymia with a strong depressive component. Seems like a good med, but I was worrid about the low blood pressure issue. (Part of my cycling involves blood pressure: low when I'm low, and vice versa.)
I looked at the side effects from the PI (as given at rxlist.com). I looks like hypertension and postural hypotension are both "infrequent" (i.e. occuring with <1% likelihood) side effects.
I took my first dose (25mg) of Lamictal today and felt sort of like I dipped into hypotension for a few hours afterwards. Felt tired, a little unsteady, cold. Hope this goes away as I acclimatize to the med!
*cache-monkey
> > Do you have any study or link to back it up? I'm curious. Thanks.
>
>
> Link to low blood pressure info:
>
> http://my.webmd.com/content/article/54/61512.htm
>
> Link to Lamictal side effects:
>
> http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine_ad.htm
Posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 16:09:47
In reply to Re: Proof please! » Maximus, posted by ghost on December 5, 2004, at 14:05:25
> > Do you have any study or link to back it up? I'm curious. Thanks.
>
> Link to Lamictal side effects:
>http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine_ad.htmThere is still no mention about "low blood pressure or hypotension". Probably anecdotal... Fatigue and dizziness don't mean necessarily "hypotension.
Anyway thanks for trying.
Posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 16:17:46
In reply to Re: Proof please! » Maximus, posted by ghost on December 5, 2004, at 14:05:25
My attention is not very good. Might be another side effect of lamotrigine;-)
Posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 16:32:08
In reply to Re: Proof please!, posted by cache-monkey on December 5, 2004, at 16:05:00
> So, I was just started on Lamictal for possibly Bipolar II/cyclothymia with a strong depressive component. Seems like a good med, but I was worrid about the low blood pressure issue. (Part of my cycling involves blood pressure: low when I'm low, and vice versa.)
When i'm depressed i feel cold too: cold hands and feet and vice et versa.
Posted by Sebastian on December 5, 2004, at 20:10:20
In reply to Re: Lamictal once daily, morning or night?? » theo, posted by ghost on December 2, 2004, at 15:24:51
Which tends to lower anxiety.
Posted by cache-monkey on December 7, 2004, at 15:57:05
In reply to Re: Same here. » cache-monkey, posted by Maximus on December 5, 2004, at 16:32:08
> When i'm depressed i feel cold too: cold hands and feet and vice et versa.I think you might have read this in another thread, but I started fish oil last week, and I feel like that has made some difference in keeping temperature/BP/pulse regulated and up.
At the same time, the experiment is confounded by two other factors for me: 1) I started going to the gym again a couple of days before starting the fish oil; and 2) I also made a vow to resume eating regular meals. I'd been doing neither of these very well in recent months.
That being said, I felt better within about 2 hours of taking the fish oil, and notice a little perk up every time I take a dose.
Right now, I'm actually feeling alright, so whatever it is seems to be working. (Unless it's just that I'm in the up portion of a cycle.)
Good luck,
cache-monkey
Posted by Maximus on December 7, 2004, at 17:59:37
In reply to Re: Same here., posted by cache-monkey on December 7, 2004, at 15:57:05
> > When i'm depressed i feel cold too: cold hands and feet and vice et versa.
>
> I think you might have read this in another thread, but I started fish oil last week, and I feel like that has made some difference in keeping temperature/BP/pulse regulated and up.I'm glad it works for you. For me the omegas 3 have been a pure plecebo. Nothing good or bad.
Ginseng has been the answer for me. Low blood pressure, cold hands and feet, dizziness and fatigue are very very often related to adrenal fatigue which comes with depression, stress or hypothyroidia.
The compound is an adaptogen. "The main active ingredients of ginseng are the more than 25 saponin triterpenoid glycosides called "ginsenosides. These steroid-like ingredients provide the adaptogenic properties that enable ginseng to balance and counter the effects of stress. The glycosides appear to act on the adrenal glands, helping to prevent adrenal hypertrophy and excess corticosteroid production in response to physical, chemical or biological stress".
Personally i suspect that adrenal exhaustion happens very very often in the atypical depression (bipolar or uni).
This is the end of the thread.
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