Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1094535

Shown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 17:39:46

What are anyone's thoughts on giving lamictal a try? Does it give a robust antidepressant effect? I would seriously like to try an ssri like prozac but it might be destabiling for bipolar. Any thoughts about lamictal?
Mark

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by baseball55 on August 20, 2017, at 18:08:50

In reply to Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 17:39:46

Lamictal isn't really and anti-depressant. It's a mood stabilizer especially effective for the "downs" in bipolar. It didn't really alleviate depression for me, but it did keep me at a baseline (albeit at a depressed baseline), which was important given how fast I could sink into suicidal, agitated depression, then recover somewhat, then sink again.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 18:15:47

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by baseball55 on August 20, 2017, at 18:08:50

So what takes care of the depression? Having said what you said...do you recommend lamictal?
Mark

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by linkadge on August 20, 2017, at 18:27:32

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 18:15:47

Lamictal can be effective for depression in some patients with bipolar. It is mainly a sodium channel blocker (like lithium) but has some additional effects on monoamine receptors.

For bipolar depression, you might want to look into folic acid, omega 3, zinc, magnesium, lamictal, Seroquel or abilify. Antidepressants don't always induce mania / rapid cycling. There are some studies suggesting they can actually help stabilize mood in some bipolars.

Selecting a strategy likely depends on your core symptoms (i.e. insomnia, anxiety, apathy etc).

Wellbutrin is an antidepressant with (supposedly) a lower incidence of inducing mania.

Prozac would be an option, but a risk is that (with a longer half life) the induction of mania might be harder to control.

I am currently taking nortriptyline. I find (surprisingly) that it causes much less agitation than amitriptyline.

Linkadge



 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by PeterMartin on August 21, 2017, at 2:15:41

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 18:15:47

I'm bp1 and have taken Lamictal since 2007. Definitely recommend it over an SSRI. It will help your depression just make sure you get brand or Teva generic. Sounds dumb but a lot of the generic Lamictal are ineffective (yes I know the FDA requirements but personal experience / lengthy threads if you Google).

Side effects (sexual / weight) have never been an issue w me w Lamictal either. That was the main reason I gave it a go originally. Best AD for me. If you're not aware you have to titrate up really slow though so it takes about 5weeks to hit the dose whete you really start to get the good AD effect (~100mg or a bit above).

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 21, 2017, at 5:45:19

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by PeterMartin on August 21, 2017, at 2:15:41

Are you also taking lithium?

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by PeterMartin on August 21, 2017, at 9:55:46

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 21, 2017, at 5:45:19

> Are you also taking lithium?

Not at the moment. I have taken it with Lamictal a couple times for about a yr each. It's a good combo but it really flattened/fatigued me once I started getting to 900mg+ (barely the min .06 level). My bp mania is usually psychotic when it gets unmanageable and the episodes (at least in my view) have usually coincided w heavy stress periods or recreational drug use (quit everything in 2010 and have only had 1 bad episode since when I tried to come off meds + add a weight loss drug).

I'd prob still be on lithium (was on it for year after my 2015 episode/hospitalization) but it was causing my blood pressure to skyrocket since I take Marplan (maoi). Other people take it w an maoi w.o. issue but after months of thinking I was just getting old/needed a better diet I got off Like and my body went from ~160/110 aveage to ~115/65. Glad I figured that out and haven't had any I'll effects in the yr or so I've been off it. Doc approved obv.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell

Posted by beckett2 on August 21, 2017, at 16:51:53

In reply to Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 17:39:46

Lamictal really helps me with BPll depression, but it's a bit of a deferred result at about 3-6 months out for a fuller effect.

The synergy between it and lithium have been shown in studies

http://bipolarnews.org/?p=3563

But Abilify has faster onset.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 21, 2017, at 17:43:11

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell, posted by beckett2 on August 21, 2017, at 16:51:53

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm having such a difficult time with depression and I know it takes a long time to titrate to effective dose on lamictal. I hope it works. I don't feel like doing anything and I'm usually a fun person...I hope that part of me returns.
Mark

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell

Posted by baseball55 on August 21, 2017, at 18:28:53

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 18:15:47

> So what takes care of the depression? Having said what you said...do you recommend lamictal?
> Mark

I take parnate. I'm not sure about lamictal. There's no question I'm more stable, but that may be due to parnate or therapy or just getting better, My doc is a big advocate and, for me, it has no side effects whatsoever, so I stay on it

As someone said, takes a while to work. Due to (rare but serious) possibility of Johnson-Stevens syndrome, it is usually ramped up very slowly to reach the typical dose of 200mg/day.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell

Posted by beckett2 on August 24, 2017, at 14:28:09

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 21, 2017, at 17:43:11

Good luck. Glad you have a wellness benchmark to refer to. That helps win the fight.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 24, 2017, at 14:51:21

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell, posted by beckett2 on August 24, 2017, at 14:28:09

I just started the lamictal and I'm at 1200 mgs lithium. My mood is very flat and I have no interest in anything currently. I'm not sure lithium is for me...coming up on 2 weeks of lithium.
Mark

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell

Posted by beckett2 on August 24, 2017, at 15:08:10

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 24, 2017, at 14:51:21

> I just started the lamictal and I'm at 1200 mgs lithium. My mood is very flat and I have no interest in anything currently. I'm not sure lithium is for me...coming up on 2 weeks of lithium.
> Mark

What is your blood serum level? I was once on too high a dose and felt like sh*t. But I have bpii and likely don't need that much mood management.

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by Markwell on August 24, 2017, at 15:27:36

In reply to Re: Lithium and lamictal » Markwell, posted by beckett2 on August 24, 2017, at 15:08:10

It was .5 and the dr wants it between .6 and .8. She bumped me from 900 mgs to 1200mg. Maybe my body will adjust?
Mark

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by rjlockhart37 on August 25, 2017, at 21:30:45

In reply to Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 17:39:46

lamictal is good for preventing depressive epsiode from bipolar disorder, and lithium is more for treatment of the mania phase, preventing them, i've heard many times, they used to use lithium for depression, it does have a like good effect on mood, but i heard usally if you go over 300mg its not really so much benefical for mood, but being on lithium to prevent manic episoides shouold still kept there, but.....you could give lamictal a try, i would suggest you ask your doctor lower the lithium somewhat, and increase lamotragine, i'm on 200mg, i was on 400mg and i realized it did make me not depressed but i was .... everything juts felt dulled out, too flat, like i was just doing basic things like eating and watching tv, didnt really get a big euphoria from doing things i wanted to do......at that dose, yet thats only me, but yes lithium can do that also, because it kinda makes a ceiling for levels of nuerotransmitters. Try to work with the doses between those two

 

Re: Lithium and lamictal

Posted by phidippus on October 7, 2017, at 16:17:04

In reply to Lithium and lamictal, posted by Markwell on August 20, 2017, at 17:39:46

Lamictal made me manic. It can have some strong antidepressant effects.

Eric


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