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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by morningsbloom on November 28, 2007, at 14:23:40
I took Lamictal for just 7 days at 25 mg for mood stabilization and experienced DEFINITE side effects that absolutely required me to discontinue its use. What surprises me is that only one of these side effects was mentioned by my psychiatrist when I inquried about the medication, and the other side effects were dismissed by my pharmacist as something they knew nothing about. Also, online research on drug profile sites (not personal accounts) did not list one of the worst of these side effects (severe body aches).
Prior to taking Lamictal I had been on NO antidepressant for approximately two months, so my system was clear. The first night I took Lamictal 25 mg I slept like a baby. The second time I took it I woke up with all-over body aches and pains, so bad in the neck and shoulder area that it triggered a severe migraine attack. Migraines are not new to me, so I didn't think much of it at the time. For the remaining 5 days I stayed on Lamictal, the aches and pains worsened each morning I awoke (and continiued throughout the day) and each day I woke up with an excrutiating migraine. In addition, I felt constant anxiety, as though I had consumed several cups of coffee. I took my usual Klonopin and it didn't even seem to work, so my psych told me to up it a bit temporarily. Even that didn't touch the anxiety.
I could tell something was seriously up, so I did something I rarely do and paged my psychiatrist. I was told they really hadn't heard of those side effects (apart from a simple headache), but each person is different so perhaps it was best to stop. I didn't need to taper because I was on a low dose and only took it 7 days.
One day later I was a new person--I thought it would take a few days to recover, but it only took one day. I did, however, have to take a special medication to break the migraine cycle, as it was very resistant to any normal treatment. All in all, it was the week from hell.
Thinking perhaps all of this was a fluke and wanting Lamictal to work, last night I foolishly took it again. The very same thing happened again, but this time "just" bodily aches and pains.
It wasn't until I visited this forum and also read other personal accounts online that I read multiple personal accounts of bodily aches and pains and many other similar symptoms that I experienced during the short time I took Lamictal.
Apparently severe bodily aches and pains are more common than widely reported with Lamictal. I'm not saying everyone would have these side effects, but I am saying I absolutely KNOW Lamictal caused them and they were horrrendous. Why do we always have to find out these things by personal account and they're listed as "rare" in the literature, but when you research them online many people say they're experiencing these side effects?
Posted by stargazer2 on November 28, 2007, at 17:23:06
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects, posted by morningsbloom on November 28, 2007, at 14:23:40
That's one of my main concerns with medications...after the drug is released, who keeps track of side effects? Anyone? There's no way the published list of side effects are the only ones that occur with the meds. Most of them continue after the drug has been released but it doesn't seem that anyone tracks this once the drug is released. It must be a voluntary thing and I bet that most patients do not do this anyway and if they do, how does this information get reported to the end users? There are numbers to call in to make a complaint but who really does that? No one if you ask me.
So when a doctor gives you the reported side effects of a drug he is only reporting the published ones or the most common ones. I believe it's only the side effects that occur at a certain % that get reported at all.
Surely it is the drug company's goal to hide the side effects, so even if you call in to report a side effect I wonder what gets done with that data.
Just remember, you are the only one who can report how a medication makes you feel and whether or not it is listed as a side effect, it is real for you. No doctor should try and minimize this either.
stargazer
Posted by stargazer2 on November 28, 2007, at 17:23:26
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects, posted by morningsbloom on November 28, 2007, at 14:23:40
That's one of my main concerns with medications...after the drug is released, who keeps track of side effects? Anyone? There's no way the published list of side effects are the only ones that occur with the meds. Most of them continue after the drug has been released but it doesn't seem that anyone tracks this once the drug is released. It must be a voluntary thing and I bet that most patients do not do this anyway and if they do, how does this information get reported to the end users? There are numbers to call in to make a complaint but who really does that? No one if you ask me.
So when a doctor gives you the reported side effects of a drug he is only reporting the published ones or the most common ones. I believe it's only the side effects that occur at a certain % that get reported at all.
Surely it is the drug company's goal to hide the side effects, so even if you call in to report a side effect I wonder what gets done with that data.
Just remember, you are the only one who can report how a medication makes you feel and whether or not it is listed as a side effect, it is real for you. No doctor should try and minimize this either.
stargazer
Posted by Phillipa on November 28, 2007, at 22:28:38
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects, posted by stargazer2 on November 28, 2007, at 17:23:26
Stargazer good point. lamictal at 50mg only made me salivate and spit constantly so had to stop it. it is listed as a rare side effect. Phillipa could sleep but did get assertive probably a good thing but did throw a plastic bottle on the grocery store brick outside
Posted by Bonnie_CA on November 30, 2007, at 0:55:36
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects, posted by morningsbloom on November 28, 2007, at 14:23:40
I have had those same pains to a lesser degree, and it seems like something has to trigger it, such as very little sleep, exercise, or alcohol. It's hard to explain why I need to go home from work when my body hurts. If there was a pain killer that would work on those aches, I'd take it.
I don't know if it's really worth the problems to take Lamictal. It's really helped my mood and continues to do so, but I'm not so certain about a drug that causes unexplained aches.
-Bonnie
Posted by yxibow on December 1, 2007, at 3:41:48
In reply to Re: Lamictal Side Effects, posted by stargazer2 on November 28, 2007, at 17:23:06
> That's one of my main concerns with medications...after the drug is released, who keeps track of side effects? Anyone?
Nothing is perfect but its known as post-Phase IV.
Adverse reporting is continuously fed to the FDA to post-market monitor drugs.Individuals can report through MedWatch at
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm
Also drug information is monitored by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at FDA
Posted by Phillipa on December 1, 2007, at 17:47:31
In reply to Re: Continued side effect monitoring. » stargazer2, posted by yxibow on December 1, 2007, at 3:41:48
Jay is there nothing you don't know? Seriously you are so up on things. Phillipa
Posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 18:16:29
In reply to Re: Continued side effect monitoring. » stargazer2, posted by yxibow on December 1, 2007, at 3:41:48
How can the adverse effects in Phase 4 be accessed
before deciding to use a drug. Is this something that is available to see? Too bad the reporting is not mandatory since most people would never submit their side effects, so is hard to know what percentage of side effects are ever reported to the FDA. That is the most important thing to know about a drug once the masses are using them.If the side effects are not reported, it's as it the drug is side effect free which we know is far from the truth.
stargazer
Posted by yxibow on December 3, 2007, at 0:19:20
In reply to Re: Continued side effect monitoring./yxibow, posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 18:16:29
> How can the adverse effects in Phase 4 be accessed
> before deciding to use a drug. Is this something that is available to see? Too bad the reporting is not mandatory since most people would never submit their side effects, so is hard to know what percentage of side effects are ever reported to the FDA. That is the most important thing to know about a drug once the masses are using them.
>
> If the side effects are not reported, it's as it the drug is side effect free which we know is far from the truth.
>
> stargazer
Adverse reports for specific agents can be found at CDER inpodcasts
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/podcast/default.htm
active safety alerts
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/DrugSafety/DrugIndex.htm
quarterlies
http://www.fda.gov/cder/dsn/default.htm
And I'm sure poking around the FDA would turn up something else.
Posted by stargazer2 on December 3, 2007, at 9:11:13
In reply to Re: Continued side effect monitoring./yxibow » stargazer2, posted by yxibow on December 3, 2007, at 0:19:20
I'm trying to find reported side effects for nardil and can't get to a place where those are listed. Do you have a link to that?
Thanks for all your help. I was trying to do this last night and I thought Nardil would definately have reported adverse effects based on the formula released in 2003, but I'm not able to find anything "out" there.
If you know how to get to those SE's, let me know how it is done.
Thanks again for all you help. What I'm seeing is that the FDA does not provide a user friendly link to find out what drug has what side effects post marketing. Clear as mud for us to see.
Stargazer
Posted by 4WD on December 3, 2007, at 20:19:09
In reply to Lamictal Side Effects, posted by morningsbloom on November 28, 2007, at 14:23:40
Hi,
My pdoc seemed to think my side effects symptoms were unusual but apparently not.
I had aches and pains, too. Sharp shooting pains in various parts of my body almost like "growing pains." I had only mild headaches, I believe, but one day I had an incident where a muscle or muscles in my upper back and neck went into spasm almost as severe as a cramp. There was just this drawing up and extremely painful tension. It lasted a oouple of days. It was helping me so I tried to live with it. But the aches and pains continued and then finally the pain settled into my front bottom teeth so that I had a constant toothache. At that point I gave up.
Marsha
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