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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Natsky on March 2, 2005, at 13:49:14
I am a 21 year old woman with bipolar and anxiety disorders. Six months ago I started to feel "great" so I took myself off meds. A couple months ago in a moment of clarity I decided I needed to be back on meds beofore I found myself at another point of crisis, and back in the hospital. My doctor started me on Lamictal. All of the sudden I am feeling very psychotic. Very very loopy, paranoid, child like thoughts and fears. I'm not sleeping even though I'm taking a lot of seroquel at night, which used to make me drowsy but is not any more. I get very panicky in public and am having a hard time completing small daily tasks (taking a shower is sometimes scary). My thoughts are scary and do not make sense. I suffered very much in highschool from psychotic features to my bipolar, but it seemed like I "grew out of it". Is anyone else suffering from similar side effects/symtoms on Lamictal? Help!
Posted by Spriggy on March 2, 2005, at 14:04:22
In reply to Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by Natsky on March 2, 2005, at 13:49:14
How much Lamictal are you on?
I have read that if you are on too high a dose, it can cause anxiety.
Posted by anastasia56 on March 2, 2005, at 14:24:34
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by Spriggy on March 2, 2005, at 14:04:22
i had all those symptoms and more when i was on a 325mg dose of lamictal. when i came down to 100mg that stopped. even if you aren't at such a high dose you may be ultra sensitive to it and get he same reaction at a much lower dose.
good luck, it can be very scarey.
ana
Posted by shoebox on March 2, 2005, at 16:22:31
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by anastasia56 on March 2, 2005, at 14:24:34
Sounds to me like either you're on the wrong med or you're not on *enough* of it. Hard to tell sometimes! So many people I talk to decide a med they have started "isn't working" because they haven't been taking it long enough to reach a therapeutic level, and they are feeling "crazy" because it hasn't kicked in yet, not because it is "making them crazy." Hey, man, we're alREADY crazy! Give the stuff a chance!
Anyway, how much/how long? I have been on Lamictal for going on 4 years now and it has been a terrific blessing for me. (I'm BPII, supplementing the lamictal with ADs.) Don't give up yet!
Posted by Spriggy on March 2, 2005, at 18:43:56
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy? (nm), posted by Phillipa on March 2, 2005, at 17:10:40
I wouldn't be so sure to assume that it's that Natsky is not taking ENOUGH because from all that I've read from psych sites, it could be that it is TOO high a dosage.
Lamictal can be activating if it's too much for you.
But until we know what dose you are on, it's hard for any of us to know for certain.
Posted by shoebox on March 3, 2005, at 5:56:26
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by Spriggy on March 2, 2005, at 18:43:56
> I wouldn't be so sure to assume that it's that Natsky is not taking ENOUGH because from all that I've read from psych sites, it could be that it is TOO high a dosage.
>Oh, absolutely--not assuming anything, just tossing out possibilities based on personal observations. For myself, I guess I have a high tolerance for Lamictal, because it didn't start to fully kick in until I was on 400 mg. Didn't make me "energized" either, gave me a "calm" feeling I hadn't had in years.
Posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 17:38:04
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by shoebox on March 3, 2005, at 5:56:26
What I've read in many places about Lamictal is that it's effective for Bipolar DEPRESSION, but not necessarily for mania. Meaning it might not be the best mood stabilizer, especially on its own.
Posted by shoebox on March 3, 2005, at 18:19:03
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy?, posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 17:38:04
> What I've read in many places about Lamictal is that it's effective for Bipolar DEPRESSION, but not necessarily for mania. Meaning it might not be the best mood stabilizer, especially on its own.
True, Lamictal is an anticonvulsant, not a mania treatment, but for people like me, who are BP2 but primarily suffer from depression, it's an excellent mood stabilizer. (No weight gain, no shaking, diarrhea, etc., as with Lithium.) I wouldn't take it without the addition of an AD, though. I think Lamictal's "antidepressant effects" are overrated.
Posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 18:30:06
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy? » MM, posted by shoebox on March 3, 2005, at 18:19:03
Ya, I think I read you probably need an AD with it, too, and if you suffer primarily from depression it's good, but I read that it's not a good idea for someone with clear hypomania/mania to just be on Lamictal.
Posted by shoebox on March 3, 2005, at 18:40:39
In reply to Re: Lamictal for Bipolar: Is it making me crazy? » shoebox, posted by MM on March 3, 2005, at 18:30:06
> Ya, I think I read you probably need an AD with it, too, and if you suffer primarily from depression it's good, but I read that it's not a good idea for someone with clear hypomania/mania to just be on Lamictal.
Absolutely right. Lamictal does *not* treat mania. Not much does, come to think of it! :-/
My husband takes Lithium *with* Lamictal (and also 40 mg of Prozac), and the combo is good for him--keeps his liver in good shape and removes that dopey feeling that Lithium can sometimes give if you're on a higher dose.
This is the end of the thread.
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