Lamictal

[x_150_x]

I've been thinking about how much I want to change my medications, and I plan to bring it up with my p.doc on Friday when I go to see him, but I don't know how to go about it. I mean, I don't know how to explain why I want to change it. I always get really anxious when I have to bring stuff up like that, like I feel like they're going to think I

Comments

[the_living_end]

i take lamictal and really like it. i have ultra-ultra rapid cycles and it works very well for that. i also tend to have very bad depression that tends to last longer than my mania and be more dangerous and life threatening. the lamictal also works well for this. i do not take an anti-depressant with it

[lelah]

I didn't have any side-effects from Lamictal except some weight gain and really bad cystic acne (that's just me though). But it's really not a bad drug at all. I agree with the 1st poster, saying you want to go on something else because it has less risks is a very valid reason. I was put on Lithium for about a week, and had horrible side effects (I got a drug rash!! It was awful!), so they put me on this and Abilify.

[x_150_x]

I know they don't have a generic brand in the US, but they do in Canada, and I believe this drug is covered by the drug plan I'm on through social assistance.

[cut_piece]

it doesn't make the pill less effective though, the pill (potentially) makes it less effective

[ak_blackcap]

Actually, they make each other less effective. (At least that's what the medical report my doctor gave me said.)

[cut_piece]

I'm not telling you this so that you won't try it, because I believe in trying any of these drugs because you never know how they will affect you. That said, at first, I thought Lamictal was a miracle. I now know it was a parasite. I took it for 4 years. It was the first drug prescribed to me, after being diagnosed with ultra rapid cycling Bipolar I. It stabilized my moods, I was finally able to function again. My initial side effects were practically nonexistant, other than losing my appetite for a few months, which was fine with me, I lost ten pounds and then it went back to normal. However, as time went on, I realized that the embarassing short term memory loss I was experiencing was from Lamictal. It got worse, and worse, and worse over the years. It made college even more difficult than my illness already did, because it was so incredibly difficult to retain what I was learning in my classes (I'm a history student). I would often try to say a word and say something completely different, I lost everything, I often forgot the

[cut_piece]

oh ps before I started taking it I had a super sharp memory

[cut_piece]

oh and acne! acne, acne, acne
that side effect didn't let up at all, but proactiv mostly took care of it

[the_living_end]

oh yeah- everything affects it.
to the o.p.-
if you smoke be sure to keep smoking the same amount, if you drink caffeine keep drinking the same amount. it can screw up birth control so use condoms if that is an issue. and it can mess with your period because it interacts with hormones. wait- i didn't even check if you are a woman so maybe this doesn't apply! i do have some memory issues but i have extra neurological problems so i can't say for sure what causes it.

[bloodedblossom]

I have been on Lamictal since I was diagnosed. Almost a year after going on it, Seroquel was thrown into the mix. So, while I can't say how it compares to other mood stabilizers because I've only taken it in conjunction with another one, I can say that it has made a more radical change in my life than I could have ever imagined before going on it. I swear by the stuff. My memory went from occasionally photographic, but otherwise sharp, to average. I still have bizarre bursts of a decent memory, but overall it's not what it was. My long-term memory, so far as I can tell, remains intact.

I break out a little more, and have not experienced weight gain. My eating disordered history is part of why I was initially prescribed Lamictal, as it's known for generally being weight neutral. Good luck to you :).