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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 happee_place on June 19, 2008, at 1:06:21
Just read something on this board that made me wonder of something.
I have felt the energy downer of lamictal and dont like it - then again i have just been taken off wellbutrin which in my opinion is a energy adder so maybe it has nothing to do with lamictal at all.
I also miss the anti-depresent aspect of wellb so much. I feel quite a balance in my mood from lamictal but still super depressed. THEN i read here tonight that there is a window of an antidepresent effect for lamictal? I TAKE IT AT NIGHT?? Thinking that would help the sleepyness aspect? So im sleeping off the anti-depresent goodness?
Should i take it in the a.m. or will that make me feel even more sleepy? But will give me a anti-deperesent factor? I see one might be worth the other but was just wondering the facts before i decide.
Any suggestions?
Posted by SLS on June 19, 2008, at 5:42:35
In reply to Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by happee_place on June 19, 2008, at 1:06:21
Lamictal should be administered in divided doses: morning and evening.
- Scott
Posted by blueboy on June 19, 2008, at 8:12:31
In reply to Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by happee_place on June 19, 2008, at 1:06:21
> I have felt the energy downer of lamictal and dont like it - then again i have just been taken off wellbutrin which in my opinion is a energy adder so maybe it has nothing to do with lamictal at all.
>Wow. Very much the opposite of my experience and my understanding of the literature.
For me, it has been "activating" if anything. A bit of a stimulant. AFAIK this is the general effect it has. The pdocs told me it is most effective to prevent Bipolar depressive cycles and is preferentially prescribed to Bipolar II patients whose primary symptom or complaint is depressive.
> I also miss the anti-depresent aspect of wellb so much. I feel quite a balance in my mood from lamictal but still super depressed. THEN i read here tonight that there is a window of an antidepresent effect for lamictal?
I don't know of any short term window. I can say two things. First, for me, the effects are almost entirely long-term. Second -- this may be the "window" you are talking about -- it is not considered effective to stop a depressive cycle in a bipolar patient, but rather, is used to prevent the cycle from starting.
I don't think I know everything about it though, LOL.
> I TAKE IT AT NIGHT?? Thinking that would help the sleepyness aspect? So im sleeping off the anti-depresent goodness?
>Nah. I don't think it works like that.
I am actually a bit surprised that it would be prescribed to someone who had responded to Wellbutrin. I could be completely out of bounds here, so realize that this is just my thought and based largely on my own experience. With that major caveat, I thought that Wellbutrin was almost never successful for Bipolar conditions, whereas Lamictal is prescribed only for Bipolar depression.
> Should i take it in the a.m. or will that make me feel even more sleepy? But will give me a anti-deperesent factor? I see one might be worth the other but was just wondering the facts before i decide.
>
> Any suggestions?I take mine half and half, half when I wake up and half sometime in the afternoon. But as I stated, it seems to have decreased my drowsiness.
Posted by dbc on June 19, 2008, at 13:44:15
In reply to Re: Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by blueboy on June 19, 2008, at 8:12:31
> I am actually a bit surprised that it would be prescribed to someone who had responded to Wellbutrin. I could be completely out of bounds here, so realize that this is just my thought and based largely on my own experience. With that major caveat,
>Its being prescribed for non bi polar patients these days.
Posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 2:17:11
In reply to Re: Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by blueboy on June 19, 2008, at 8:12:31
when i got home to read the pamphlet and learned it is perscribed to bipolar patients you can imagine i was confused too? No one has EVER diagnosed me as bipolar just how did they say it clinical depresion whatever that means? I was sortof concerned wondering if they might think i am but didnt want me to worry about antoher thing. But arent they so careful with bipolar ? Dont they measure the levels of your chemicals by takinb blood? I was very confused as well.
And the well b DID work for me great for about 5 months and then i got worse and worse so i think my pdoc figured it had stopped working he said it happends sometimes. Now that i dont have the wellb in my system though i can see the possitive s it did have and i want to add it back i just dont want it alone i was super aggitated bitch it was horrible.
Posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 2:18:04
In reply to Re: Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by dbc on June 19, 2008, at 13:44:15
> > I am actually a bit surprised that it would be prescribed to someone who had responded to Wellbutrin. I could be completely out of bounds here, so realize that this is just my thought and based largely on my own experience. With that major caveat,
> >
>
> Its being prescribed for non bi polar patients these days.oh
Posted by SLS on June 20, 2008, at 4:44:12
In reply to Re: Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 2:17:11
Lamictal is also being used for unipolar depression.
- Scott
Posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 12:48:14
In reply to Re: Is Lamictal an a.m. med? » happee_place, posted by SLS on June 20, 2008, at 4:44:12
ive never heard of that before?
Posted by SLS on June 20, 2008, at 13:21:44
In reply to what is unipolar?, posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 12:48:14
> ive never heard of that before?
The term "unipolar affective disorder" is used interchangeably with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This is to help distinguish between MDD and bipolar disorder. The distinction between diagnoses is important because it helps to choose the treatments that are best suited to the disorder.
- Scott
Posted by blueboy on June 20, 2008, at 13:26:07
In reply to what is unipolar?, posted by happee_place on June 20, 2008, at 12:48:14
Unipolar means that you get depressed, either all the time or in periods that alternate with feeling normal or only slightly depressed.
Bipolar means that you have alternating periods of depression and unhealthy excitement.
In Bipolar I (formerly and more aptly called "manic depressive") the excited periods, called "mania", reach the level of psychosis. Manics run around the streets naked, try to buy ridiculously expensive things, can't hold a rational conversation, talk like machine guns, have sex with a lot of inappropriate people, and/or other bizarre behavior. There is difficulty sometimes differentiating between manic and schizophrenic symptoms.
In bipolar II, the manic episodes are called (confusingly) "hypomania", which does not mean that you are insufficiently manic, but that you have symptoms of mania which don't reach the level of psychosis. You can still do a lot of silly stuff. It's like mania but not as outrageous and can even be a period of extremely high productivity and energy.
One typical pattern of Bipolar II patients is periods of high achievement followed by periods of failure. Like, I was a partner in a big law firm and had a "nervous breakdown" where all I could do was watch tv for six months.
A lot of successful writers and artists are Bipolar II (or even Bipolar I, like Van Gogh). But it's very hard to hold a steady job, get through school, be married, or other stuff where you need to have a long period of reasonably consistent behavior. Also, it's one of most suicide-prone mental conditions.
Posted by yxibow on June 23, 2008, at 15:41:13
In reply to Is Lamictal an a.m. med?, posted by happee_place on June 19, 2008, at 1:06:21
Actually, at least in my case if you're only taking 200, I take it in the morning. It can be more activating for some. Just a personal experience, I can't say it is one way or the the other but it would cover the day.
This is the end of the thread.
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