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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 SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 18:32:20
I am trying Lamictil (again), but this time my doc has me starting a tiny dose of just 5mg to ease my way up. The other time I tried it I had the starter pack (I don't know what dose it starts at) and I had problems around day 10 or 12 (again, I can't remember the dose on the starter pack on those days).
The reason I stopped it was because it made my mouth/gums feel weird. I am hoping by starting a really tiny dose it may help to keep the weird side effects away.
Anyone ever start this small of a dose?
Anyone ever have the weird mouth/gum feelings I had?
Thanks for any info.
I am also taking Seroquel and Klonopin.
Posted by emme on July 22, 2009, at 19:29:31
In reply to Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 18:32:20
> I am trying Lamictil (again), but this time my doc has me starting a tiny dose of just 5mg to ease my way up. The other time I tried it I had the starter pack (I don't know what dose it starts at) and I had problems around day 10 or 12 (again, I can't remember the dose on the starter pack on those days).
>
> The reason I stopped it was because it made my mouth/gums feel weird. I am hoping by starting a really tiny dose it may help to keep the weird side effects away.
>
> Anyone ever start this small of a dose?
>
> Anyone ever have the weird mouth/gum feelings I had?
>
> Thanks for any info.
>
> I am also taking Seroquel and Klonopin.
I started Lamictal at 2 mg. It was a retrial - I had gotten a rash during my first attempt, in which I started at 12.5 mg.I have not had the gums/mouth problem, although I did feel fluish and had tight muscles for the first few weeks during the titration.
Good luck.
emme
Posted by bleauberry on July 22, 2009, at 19:31:27
In reply to Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 18:32:20
I don't know about the side effects you mentioned. I did want to let you know that some people do start on extremely small doses of meds, and sometimes end up with tiny doses being therapeutic. My doctor sees that all the time.
When I tried lamictal, I cut 12.5mg into quarters and even those were pretty powerful.
There exists a minority of the population that do not need normal doses to feel profound effects or bizarre side effects.
It should be considered that there may be something about lamictal in particular that is just not right for you.
Whatever the case, extremely low doses in the face of weird side effects is justified in my book, and it doesn't surprise me when someone accidentally finds a small dose to be pleasantly therapeutic. That may or may not happen, but I think your strategy is wise. If nothing else, know that you are not alone when it comes to taking tiny doses. I could share with you plenty of cases where tiny unheard-of doses did wonders for certain people.
Posted by JayBTV2 on July 22, 2009, at 20:24:30
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by bleauberry on July 22, 2009, at 19:31:27
Lamictal is the corner-stone of my med regime. I too had problems with it the first trial. Not teeth/gum issues but skin redness. I was lucky though in that a different doctor I saw later on suggested I try it again using a slower titration.
Dosages ~100mg are fantastic for my depressive symptoms....
-Jay
Posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 20:35:43
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil? » SheilaC, posted by emme on July 22, 2009, at 19:29:31
> > I am trying Lamictil (again), but this time my doc has me starting a tiny dose of just 5mg to ease my way up. The other time I tried it I had the starter pack (I don't know what dose it starts at) and I had problems around day 10 or 12 (again, I can't remember the dose on the starter pack on those days).
> >
> > The reason I stopped it was because it made my mouth/gums feel weird. I am hoping by starting a really tiny dose it may help to keep the weird side effects away.
> >
> > Anyone ever start this small of a dose?
> >
> > Anyone ever have the weird mouth/gum feelings I had?
> >
> > Thanks for any info.
> >
> > I am also taking Seroquel and Klonopin.
>
>
> I started Lamictal at 2 mg. It was a retrial - I had gotten a rash during my first attempt, in which I started at 12.5 mg.
>
> I have not had the gums/mouth problem, although I did feel fluish and had tight muscles for the first few weeks during the titration.
>
> Good luck.
>
> emme
>
Emme, what dose are you up to now? How long did you take at the 2mg, 5mg etc.? How long did it take you to get to your standard dose without side effects? Thanks for the info.
Posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 20:38:52
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by JayBTV2 on July 22, 2009, at 20:24:30
> Lamictal is the corner-stone of my med regime. I too had problems with it the first trial. Not teeth/gum issues but skin redness. I was lucky though in that a different doctor I saw later on suggested I try it again using a slower titration.
>
> Dosages ~100mg are fantastic for my depressive symptoms....
>
> -JayMy doc gave me 5mg to start. I took it today and I'm afraid its not going to work. My face is red and hot and my gums feel weird. Maybe I need to skip a day and cut the 5mg in half?
How long dose it stay in your body? Also, Jay, how long did it take you to ease up to your current dose? What low dose did you start at?
Posted by Phillipa on July 22, 2009, at 20:54:51
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 20:38:52
I also tried lamictal got to 50mg on the starter pack which mine started with 25mg. Strange side effect for me was such excessive salivation I couldn't stop spitting out mucous it seemed to just keep coming so got off it. It's listed as an uncommon side effect. I didnt have anxiety from it did have anger. Phillipa
Posted by emme on July 22, 2009, at 21:13:32
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 20:35:43
Hi. It was a few years back, so I don't recall my exact titration schedule. I think I upped it by a couple of mg every 4 or 5 days to start, and then was able to increase it faster as I reached higher doses. It probably took a couple of months to hit a useful dose. Of course you won't know what your therapeutic dose is until you get there. It may be 50 mg, or it may be 200.
This is one drug that requires patience.
My standard dose has varied. I've been up as high as 350, although that was ultimately no more helpful than 100 mg. I spent a long time at 100 mg, but in the last 6 months or so, I've been able to decrease to 50 mg with good results. At 50 mg, I still have benefit but have lost the cognitive issues I had at higher doses.
I should say, though, that Lamictal alone doesn't cut it. The key was finding the right augmenting agent, which turned out to be Abilify. With this combination, I've been able to keep doses of both drugs low and minimize side effects.
> > I started Lamictal at 2 mg. It was a retrial - I had gotten a rash during my first attempt, in which I started at 12.5 mg.
> >
> > I have not had the gums/mouth problem, although I did feel fluish and had tight muscles for the first few weeks during the titration.
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> > emme
> >
>
>
> Emme, what dose are you up to now? How long did you take at the 2mg, 5mg etc.? How long did it take you to get to your standard dose without side effects? Thanks for the info.
Posted by Zyprexa on July 23, 2009, at 2:51:06
In reply to Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 18:32:20
I didn't like lamictal that much. I had better results from it at low doses. I never went higher than 100mg. Thats the end of the starter pack. I liked it best at 50mg thats the 2 small pills. You probably liked it at 1 small pill, 25mg. Don't remember exactly how the pack went.
Didn't find the lamictal did much for me in any way. Just that it made me feel stupid. Like I was bumping into things. I quit taking it after 3-6 months.
Posted by bleauberry on July 23, 2009, at 5:15:44
In reply to Re: Tiny dose of Lamictil?, posted by SheilaC on July 22, 2009, at 20:38:52
>
> My doc gave me 5mg to start. I took it today and I'm afraid its not going to work. My face is red and hot and my gums feel weird. Maybe I need to skip a day and cut the 5mg in half?
>
Yeah, I would be worried too. Those are not garden variety side effects. Very strange. Could some kind of allergic reaction or rejection by your biochemistry.If you really want to go forward, you will probably have to lower it to 2.5mg once every other day, work up to 2.5mg every day, and then see where you are before making any further decisions.
This is the end of the thread.
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