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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 12:40:06
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this combination. I am basically GAD/bipolar with some slighty psychoid tendencies as well. I have been on many SSRI's over the years and none have had any effect whatsoever. My last psychiatrist put me on Seroquel, with Lamictal as a supplement. The Seroquel side-effects were too strong so I had to kick it(i would get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and have to lay down in the floor before I could make it back to the bed). Now I've kept the Lamictal and added Buspar. I also still take Xanax for acute episodes of anxiety. And the main thing I want is to find something that makes me less dependant on that.
Posted by Tony P on February 7, 2008, at 15:29:50
In reply to buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 12:40:06
I tried this combination a while back and found the buspar ineffective, at least at the doses that used to work for me.
History: I was on Serzone 300 mg/day and Buspar 20 mg/day for several years and found it an ideal combination. Unlike some people, I got very beneficial results from the Buspar, mainly mood-brightening and extra energy, plus a decrease in stress-related anger followed by depression crash.
After Serzone was withdrawn (and trying a few other ADs), I was on Lamictal and getting only a mild anti-depressant effect. I tried adding up to 20-30 mg Buspar, and it was like I was taking nothing. Possibly larger doses would have worked, but I never pursued it. I suspect (but have no evidence) that lamictal somehow suppresses the effect of Buspar.
But take my experience with a large grain of, um, salt. Peoples' reaction to Buspar varies more than almost anything else -- some swear by it, others find it has zero effect on them. YMMV as usual. The only thing I'm reasonably sure of is that trying it would be harmless; Buspar has quite a wide therapeutic range, so if you experiment, ask your pdoc to let go up to the max dose if you're not getting an effect within a week or so. Actually you'd probably know even sooner than that; although the lit. says Buspar takes 1-2 weeks to have its max. A/D effect, I always found there was an immediate stress-reducing effect within a a couple of hours as well.
Tony
Posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 15:36:43
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal? » toolman, posted by Tony P on February 7, 2008, at 15:29:50
Interesting. I have found a big discrepancy from what my psych told me, basically that it is a drug that often takes over a month to have any effect, and what I've been discovering in my internet research - that most people seem to feel the effects much sooner.
Posted by truckin on February 11, 2008, at 3:59:43
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 15:36:43
I am on the Lamictal-Buspar combo as well. It's working pretty well for me; it has certainly made life more livable, and my man issues were anxiety and depression.
I cannot contradict Tony's P comment that he suspects Lamictal may suppress the effects of Buspar, because I was put on Lamictal first and then Buspar to go with it later, so that's the only way I have known Buspar. Maybe it does.
Even if the effects of Buspar are lessened by the Lamictal, it did help my anxiety somewhat - and I would also agree with the posts that I felt the effects quicker than a month or even a few weeks when I started. I was the same way with the Lamictal as well, and even now if I am to miss a couple days of taking it, I can already feel the positive effects slipping away. Once I take it again, it takes a day or so and then I feel back to normal again.
I would of course be interested to hear anyone's further experiences with this combination, or either of these drugs in general, and would be happy to contribute more.
God bless.
Posted by Justherself54 on February 13, 2008, at 10:35:55
In reply to buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 12:40:06
> Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this combination. I am basically GAD/bipolar with some slighty psychoid tendencies as well. I have been on many SSRI's over the years and none have had any effect whatsoever. My last psychiatrist put me on Seroquel, with Lamictal as a supplement. The Seroquel side-effects were too strong so I had to kick it(i would get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and have to lay down in the floor before I could make it back to the bed). Now I've kept the Lamictal and added Buspar. I also still take Xanax for acute episodes of anxiety. And the main thing I want is to find something that makes me less dependant on that.
First of all, welcome to Babble! It's always nice to see a new poster..I'm sure you'll get the answers to your questions here..there are many informed posters..
How much seroquel were you taking..were you taking it during the day or for sleep? I've never taken it during the day but it sure is magic for insomnia, for me anyway..
Keep posting..there are people here who can help and also whom you can help too..there are many boards, so feel free to roam around them and jump in..
Posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 12:38:14
In reply to buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 7, 2008, at 12:40:06
As for the Seroquel I was taking 400mg right before bed. At first, I would take it 30 minutes or so before bed, wait for it to hit me, and then go to bed. I soon realized this didn't work too well though, because by waiting I would get hit with side effects before getting to sleep. Some of the oddest were badly restless legs while lying in bed, some slight trouble swallowing, and as strange as this one sounds, the feeling of needing to urinate, getting up to use the restroom, and then not being able to - making me all the more uncomfortable in bed.
So after this I adjusted, taking the dosage and then going straight to sleep, and avoiding these side effects for the most part. And as long as I got 8 hours I wasn't too drowsy in the morning. But after a couple of occasions of waking up in the night needing to use the restroom, and having trouble getting to the bathroom and back without falling down, I decided it was definitely too strong for me.
Basically, Seroquel kicked my *ss!
Posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 12:43:01
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 12:38:14
Oh and as one more add-on, since my first post I'm finding I am actually doing pretty well with the Buspar. I have noticed my mood has just been generally better this week, which makes my wife happier and in turn makes me happier.
I am still taking the Xanax, but I'm down to the point I can take just 1 mg early in the morning(when my anxiety is typically at its highest), which eases my anxiety and sets me on a good mental course, and I don't need to take anymore that day. This is actually less than I'm prescribed so I will be proud to report this to my doctor on my next visit.
Posted by Justherself54 on February 13, 2008, at 13:01:50
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 12:43:01
Glad to hear you're feeling better. Maybe your seroquel dose was too high? I only take 50 mg at bed and before Nardil I was only taking 25..works great for me for sleep..
Posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 13:05:04
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by Justherself54 on February 13, 2008, at 13:01:50
You're probably right about the dosage, I think my last psychiatrist was a little overzealous. He started me at 300. Just a month later I told him I wasn't really feeling any major effects from it one way or the other, and he immediately decided to bump me to 400. I get the feeling if I had kept saying it wasn't doing anything he would have had me up to 2000mg in a few months :p
Posted by Phillipa on February 13, 2008, at 18:57:24
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by truckin on February 11, 2008, at 3:59:43
Hi truckin welcome to babble as you've already experienced a great deal of support is provided here and your support as well if much appreciated. Welcome Again Phillipa
Posted by Tony P on February 13, 2008, at 20:38:47
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal? » truckin, posted by Phillipa on February 13, 2008, at 18:57:24
I've noticed the same tendency on occasion with my previous pdoc -- if something _might_ be working, keep pushing the dose up. It has a certain logic, but I find it can be uncomfortable, and for the time being it shuts off considering other meds. I was either up to 600 mg / day Lamictal at the end of that phase, or he was pushing me to go to that level from 400. I didn't feel any benefit, and got another pdoc to cut me back a bit.
I eventually switched under my original pdoc to a few other things (Effexor, which he also wanted to keep increasing although I was having crippling anxiety from it, Tianeptine, Cipralex/LexaPro, Remeron, Requip & most recently low-dose selegeline as an add-on). Not all of the above at once!
I have been concidering asking my new pdoc about going back on Lamictal and trying fairly high doses of Buspar with it.
As an alternative, my (very helpful) pharmacist phoned today to say that Cymbalta has just been released in Canada, so I want to do some more research on that before I see my new pdoc in March. I'm sure there are plenty of threads here once I start looking, however, if anyone wants to direct me to a particularly good discussion, I would appreciate it.
Tony
Posted by toolman on February 14, 2008, at 10:11:39
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal? + Cymbalta??, posted by Tony P on February 13, 2008, at 20:38:47
Hi Tony,
I've been on a lot of SSRI's before the Buspar, including some of the one's you mentioned, and had similar experiences. And as I said earlier I am feeling like the Buspar is doing more and more for me everyday right now. So if our chemistry is anything similar, and it might be, since we've had the same effects from the sri's, definitely try the Buspar! Hope you have some good effects from it.
Posted by truckin on February 14, 2008, at 12:15:14
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal? + Cymbalta??, posted by toolman on February 14, 2008, at 10:11:39
Cymbalta may be a good call, Tony P, since it is an SNRI as opposed to the SSRI's; definitely worth trying if you've never tried one, in my opinion. For me personally, I tried basically all of the SSRI's, and then a couple SNRI's, and since I still wasn't responding well to anything (everything was actually giving me increased jitteriness except for Paxil, which pretty much remained neutral), we finally tried Lamictal, which finally made me feel brighter, and then threw in the Buspar which helped the anxiety.That was in the fall of 2005, and that combo still seems to work for me today (though I still have a long way to go). A friend struggling with similar issues once told me, "The key to fighting this disease is doing things that make you feel good about yourself." And I really think that is the biggest part of it, though I'd love to think the medication can just take care of this on its own. If I do little things like making a grocery list, or going for a run, or writing a long-overdue email, etc. - basically just staying active, I tend to build up more positive energy, though the medication does play a role in this I believe. If I sleep the day away, I can take the same dose of medication, and still feel like crap and find myself mentally and emotionally in a dark place.
I have a question: I am on 300 mg Lamictal now, and 30 mg Buspar. I used to be on Buspar 60 mg, and lowered it to 30 mg basically because I wanted to see if things were still okay, and in general I theoretically like the idea of being on less medication if possible. I'm going to ask my doctor to bump it back to 60 mg because I think that worked better, but I was wondering what doses people are on who are taking Buspar. Lamictal too. And finally, has anyone experienced any acne from Lamictal? It may just be in my head, I dunno, and frequent uses of different facewashes are keeping the problem in check decently, but I feel like since I've been on Lamictal I've experienced more. Just wondering.
Posted by Tony P on February 15, 2008, at 21:24:41
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal? + Cymbalta??, posted by truckin on February 14, 2008, at 12:15:14
> ... A friend struggling with similar issues once told me, "The key to fighting this disease is doing things that make you feel good about yourself." And I really think that is the biggest part of it, though I'd love to think the medication can just take care of this on its own....
>
How true! One of the most frustrating aspects of this disease is that my mind tells me to do all the things that only make me more depressed and avoid doing the things that make me feel better. And you're right, the little things really count -- making my bed, personal hygeine, spending an hour making music, making a plan for the day (and sticking to it)....> ... And finally, has anyone experienced any acne from Lamictal? It may just be in my head, I dunno, and frequent uses of different facewashes are keeping the problem in check decently, but I feel like since I've been on Lamictal I've experienced more. Just wondering.
I had the same impression when I was on Lamictal, no dangerous rash, but anywhere I typically got pimples or blackheads was just a little worse than usual.
Posted by bobbiedobbs on February 25, 2008, at 10:36:53
In reply to Re: buspar + lamictal?, posted by toolman on February 13, 2008, at 12:38:14
Long-term MAOI user, switched to Lamictal even though not bipolar, just depressed. Like to hear experience from former MAOI users who might have tried this and whether it has caused any of the above side effects.
This is the end of the thread.
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