| Key to ratings for lamictal: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
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| 2 | Depression, Mood Stabilizer, Anxiet | Substantial short term memory loss, constant migraine headaches and nausea. | I began their starter pack of 25 mg per day, but after increasing to 50mg I had migraine headaches 24/7. Nausea was also a problem, so I began taking Prilosec & Maalox. The short term memory loss was so awful, I didn't feel like I could have a conversation with anyone without appearing like an idiot. I am pleased this medication has worked for some people and really appreciate everyone that shared their results on this site. | F | 41 | 3 weeks | 2/6/2010 | 4 | BP 2 , Borderline | Initially : cold.from the inside and out-mentally tired,not sleepy-I just had to hide for an hour or so to go on again. Dry facial skin,but thats taken care of using zinc/selenium xtras,and a fatty cream. | Major change in regards of depressive symptoms! I`m experiencing a feeling of being "normal" in my reactions-for the first time since age twelve :)! Slight increase in hypo reactions,but without "going bonkers".. Time to look at my borderlinethoughts and adjust my thinking instead of exploding- HURRAY !! | M | 44 | 30 days | 2/5/2010 | 4 | BPD II, depression, insomnia, mood | Perhaps some fatigue but difficult to tell since I am on narcotics for a car accident. Some severe headaches but am a migraine sufferer. | Recently diagnosed w/ BPD II w/episodes of mania and rapid cycles, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Went untreated for yrs and managed it with other substances. Was very hesitant about taking this because it felt like I was admitting something was "wrong" with me. Once I started, what a difference! Started on 100mg -initially it really curbed very severe mood swings, agitation, anxiety, and irritability. I would seriously want to choke someone for spilled water and this has helped tremendously. Don't think I had many side effects but it is difficult to tell b/c was on soma 250mg, and currently take flexiril 5-10mg, vicodin 500/5mg as needed for car accident. Hence the Lamictal. Dr said I should stop taking soma b/c it caused headaches (which I had) and the Lamictal would help w/that. I felt great, felt more like my old self and happier. After a month, bipolar and depression cycles not as frequent, less severe but still there. Was still really snappy and irritable w/crying episodes. Currently titrating up to 200mg of Lamictal and am on 150mg right now. Also take Seroquel at night, after Ambien 10mg stopped working, and that has helped me so much. Feel less anxiety and feel much happier! I am joking and laughing again, more carefree, and just feel amazing. I am exercising again after not having the motivation for about 3 yrs, and used to be very athletic. This drug obviously doesn't work for all people, but it really works for me. | F | 25 | 2 months | 2/4/2010 | 2 | for OCD augmentation | block of muscle, disorientation, complete short memory loss. | it seems a wonder drug at the beginning. after a week, seems to be in the hell. before taking it, OCD was very strong, and after seems to be more under my control. but i did remember the friend's name neither! be careful! | M | 23 | 2 weeks | 2/3/2010 | 4 | Bipolar disorder | Drowsiness was mainly the only side effect I experienced so far. Been on this medication for a while, but honestly cannot say anymore about side effects due to the fact the I am on other medication. | After taking this medication for sometime every morning when I take it I feel better....gives me a feeling of happiness, but goes away in about 30 min. | F | 20 | 8 months | 1/23/2010 | 5 | mood stabilizer, anti-convulsant | None really...at least not really noticeable. | I am taking a combination of: cymbalta (for depression), lamictal, as a mood stabilizer/anti-convulsant, and keppra, stictly for grand-mal seizures of the photosensitive-sort. I also have a mood-disorder, and think my depression is genetic. This is the best I've ever felt in my life thus far with all of my trials with several different med. combinations! I have tried about them all! Lamictal in regards to balancing out my mood has stopped my problem with psychosis. I feel better, and have happy days most of the time, but today seems to be lethargic, and not such a good day, but most of them are! I am very satisfied with my results...take 60mg of cymbalta per day, 150mg twice a day with lamictal, and take 500mg twice daily in regards to keppra. I no longer have rapid eye-blinks, and function without seizure activity in the sun. Maybe I'll be able to drive again. I want to see how I do in the sun during this spring/summer 2010. Cymbalta was the first drug to ever work for my depression. Keppra worked fairly well for my seizure-disorder, however I knew I needed more seizure control. Before lamictal my moods were rapidly cycling, or so it seemed, and I was very sleepy, unenergetic, and my memory was not as great as I remember it to be when I was a straight A student. Now, I finally feel healed of all my major health issues! I am very pleased, blessed, and grateful to all those that helped me get here. It took twenty years, or so of searching for answers, but final | F | 35 | 8 weeks | 1/21/2010 | 5 | Bipolar | I'm a little more forgetful, but not enough to be a big issue. | YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!! I struggled with mood swings for 7 years before my doctor figured out it was probably bipolar, not depression. And then another couple years trying to find something that managed the mood swings without making me sleep constantly or driving me nuts with the side effects. This finally, finally really helps. I'm a little more forgetful, but I do okay, and it's totally worth it. I spent years struggling to keep my life from falling apart while feeling awful and waiting for the all-too-short periods when my moods were okay. And now "okay" is the norm. This makes such a difference. I take it with Wellbutrin, which also has no major side effects for me. | F | 24 | 9 months | 1/21/2010 | 5 | Mild/Moderate Bi-Polar | Just sort of a thick kind of feeling, like a thickness in my head. Also a good deal of general lethargy. I also have IBS, but that could be from anything. However, much milder side effects than anything else I've taken, and I was on 300 mg for 5 years. | I'm surprised by the side effects people are reporting, such as hair loss, muscle soreness, weight gain, etc. From an athletic perspective, I was able to compete competitively in tennis while taking lamictal. I found it to be very mentally balancing, no depression or mania at 300 mg. However, I am tired of not having enough energy, and have reached a new spiritual level, so I have been tapering off. I am down to 150 mg, but won't go lower for a long time, as I have noticed a resurgence in depression. In regards to hair loss, which I wouldn't necessarily attribute to this, I would recommend taking propecia. It's expensive, but works unbelievably well, and they have it for women as well. | M | 32 | 6 years | 1/17/2010 | 4 | Bipolar (type II) | Memory problems, fatigue, possible decreased sexual interest. | When at the right dosage, lamictal has helped me to be able to function at a normal level. Has anyone else had a decrease in sexual interested while on lamictal?? | F | 21 | 1.5 years | 1/16/2010 | 5 | bi-polar & night sweats | night sweats | F | 60 | 3 months | 1/13/2010 | 3 | bipolar | dry mouth could not think properly stuttered alot vivid dreams sweat at night dry hair | works oka for a while but will change for wellbutrin | M | 41 | 360 days | 1/11/2010 | 2 | Psychiatrist *suspects* bipolar | Headaches, dry eyes, and a sunburn like full body rash. | I felt no change in my mood and was looking up length of time it takes for this med to kick in when I inadvertently discovered all the memory and cognitive problems this med causes, which are unacceptable to me. I write, teach, and edit for a living, so the infliction of brain damage is a problem. This may be a good drug for the retired, the institutionalized, people too bipolar to work, or the wealthy. For those of us who need our minds to make a buck, no way. I REALLY wish these side effects were listed on the product insert as they are so prevalent and serious. See Burns's book *Feeling Good* for more details about unacceptable side effects associated with Lamictal. And thanks to all the people who shared and enlightened me before I did something dangerous and irreversible to my mind! | F | 40 | 5 weeks | 1/5/2010 | 5 | F | 20 | 4 years | 1/3/2010 | 5 | severe bipolar disorder | bit of drowsiness the first few weeks or so but it went away. My psychiatrist told me to watch for rash and i didn't get one. | After the drowsiness went away, I found this medication to be extremely helpful. I really like the peaceful feeling it makes me feel. It's like a mellow, quiet feeling. Like all is well with the world. First medication that I have tried that has even come close to doing anything helpful after playing medication switcharoo for 9 years straight. When I forget to take though, oh boy do people around me notice. Snappiness all around. but when I am on it and it's working, it just works. Tip for other patients--take it with a bit of food. it starts working faster if you take it that way. | F | 23 | 14 months | 12/29/2009 | 4 | Bipolar II | slight difficulty with word loss or inability to find correct word - but not anything really bad. | This medicine has a strong effect on making feeling and thoughts related to depression - go away - almost totally. I also take Prozac 40 mg 1x /day | M | 45 | 2 weeks | 12/26/2009 | 4 | bipolar 2 | Makes me kind of stupid sometimes, stuttering, forgetful. Inability to get up in the morning. Luckily I work for myself so not an issue. | This medicine changed my life. Before I was completely obsessive and could stay awake for days, then would go into a state where I couldn't move for days. always had a sense of anxiety and foreboding. After years on 100mg I am generally used to the side effects, some days I feel none. My excersie regimen helps (I am an avid distance runner) with the lethargy. I can function and I would say that it makes me a more effective person. If I forgert to take it boy you feel it. Makes me feel like I am made of rubber. | M | 40 | 5 years | 12/17/2009 | 2 | depression/ slight bipolar | Memory loss, weight gain, no longer as anxious but more depressed, constant fatigue, muscle aches, feelings of anger | I am currently weening myself off of this drug VERY safely and gradual. Mainly because I don't feel as though the pros outweigh the cons. Weight gain and memory loss are two deal breakers for me. I have gained 15 lbs in the past year. I can't remember ANYTHING to the point of embarrassment. People think I dont listen or am drunk because I literally cannot remember yesterday. And this is only fueled by my depression and excessive sleeping. I no longer feel a constant sense of dread and guilt (i.e. anxiety) however, that feeling has been replaced with depression, complicity and isolation. My perpetually sore muscles also make moan and groan like an old woman! I am also immensely anger all the time for no particular reason. | F | 24 | 1 years | 12/17/2009 | 4 | anxiety, depression | The following side effects were experienced when starting the medication. They went away as I adjusted to the medication: Blurred Vision, Itching, slight water retention, tired feeling just after taking med. | After living with anxiety for several years, I developed a bad case of depression last year. I tried just about every SSRI and could not adjust. The initial side effects were impossible. I tried Zyprexa and it helped however it caused major weight gain (30 lbs) I was then placed on Lyrica and that worked except I developed a painful pimple type rash over a period of a month. Lyrica also caused weight gain. Even with daily cardio and healthy eating I still put on weight. I started Lamictal and I was able to adjust to the med very easy compared to all of the other meds. The worst side effects which went away as I tapered up was itching, blurred vision, tired feeling and slight water retention in face. I was concerened about the rash everyone talks about and was almost paranoid whenever I saw the slightest red bump or pimple. These went away quickly unlike the reaction from Lyrica which took months. My overall opinion is Lamictal is that if you stay with it for a month or so and put up with the temporary side effects, it will prove to be an excellent med. My severe depression has lifted and I am able to function after a year of hell trying just about every medication available. | M | 45 | 9 months | 12/14/2009 | 1 | Mood Stabilizer - OH MY GOSH....After 3 days on RX, huge HAIR loss, SORE throat, puke puke puke, SEVERE, CHRONIC migraine type HA. WEIGHT GAIN, TREMORS, VISION DECREASE, Dry Skin, HELL on the teeth, Sore areas inside mouth, RASH, OH MY GOSH, HUGE, RED, HOT, Appears as area is BURNED, MEMORY decreasem dysphagia, WEIGHT GAIN, 2+ EDEMA :Lower Extremeties, 10 fold Increase, SEVERE back pain, Hell, this RX alone would cause SA in the most healthy of individuals. Drugs, can't live with em, can't live without them! Entire OVERALL body discomfort, feel like I have what LockJaw is perceived to feel.. TRASH this RX, feels like entire body is toxic and poisoned. Good job research, think this one was rigged! this is after 3 days starter pack initiation. GOOD GRIEF. | Only for those with an immediate death wish. GOSH. YEAH it rocked if one loves total misery!! | F | 50 | 3 days | 12/14/2009 | 5 | Mild Bipolar | Weight gain, light headedness, problems with word recall | I have been on 100 mg for 1 year. So far, so good. Make sure you gradually get up to your desired dose and keep your appointments! | F | 26 | 1 years | 12/11/2009 | 3 | Bi-Polar and Depression | Runny Nose (Rhinitis), slight sore throat, itchy skin, cough, knife stabbing headache, trouble concentrating and finding the right word, increased irritability, sleeping 10 - 12 hours, groggy in the morning | I did find, as one of the readers said, that the longer I took it, the more used to it I got. I was willing to give it a bit longer but my pdoc said if I had this many side effects after 2 weeks, we should try something else. It made it hard for me to concentrate when reading, I couldn't think of the right word, I was spacier. I didn't like that at all. It also made me sleep too much (I already do) so I took it at night. | F | 54 | 11 days | 12/11/2009 | 4 | Bi-Polar Disorder | Aches and pains resembling severe carpal tunnel in my hands and arthritis in my ankles...also nausea in the morning when I take the medication and an ibuprofen-resistant headache each afternoon... | I am feeling great. I am NICER...I was mean before and getting more and moreso each day...I have 3 children and all I'd do was yell at them and tell them to be quiet every day...seriously, ALL day! But now I am able to focus on everyday tasks and my house is getting back in order, I have the energy to handle deep-cleaning...I am a neat freak so here I am feeling very comfortable in my own skin right now...I am a better mom because of this medication combined with abilify and I've only been on it a short time. | F | 29 | 12/9/2009 | 5 | Bipolar | In the first month of taking this medication I experienced even more mood swings than before, which i never thought to be possible, and the swings were more severe. This went away after the first month/month and a half. I was at the doctor's office recently and they noted a 20lb weight gain in 2 years. My first year taking it I did not experience a great amount of weight gain, only about 5lbs. In the past year or so, I have experienced hair loss, and I still am now. When I first began taking Lamictal I was feeling more anxious and paranoid than I had been in the past, but like my other side effects, these side effects subsided. | I am very pleased with my results from taking Lamictal. I am taking 300mg a day-150 in the morning and 150 at night. I had suffered from bipolar from the age of about 12, but it was thought to be hormones. When I was diagnosed bipolar and began taking this medication at 15 years old, my life turned around. Grades started improving greatly, I got into a great college and program, my social life improved, my relationship with my family went back to the way it was, I stopped snapping at every little thing, etc. Before Lamictal, I would literally have 8-11 severe mood swings an hour. I was even at the point of attempting suicide three times and just hated life in general. After starting Lamictal, these swings have stopped. I am living a happy life which I am very grateful for. If I miss either my morning or night dose, I have these swings again, but they are not as severe or often (goes down to about 2-4 swings an hour). Lamictal is a life changer and I would recommend this drug to anyone in a heartbeat. You just have to make it past the first month or two and be willing to deal with the side effects, because other than that, this drug is amazing. | F | 18 | 3.5 years | 12/8/2009 | 4 | depression | swollen glands everywhere, painful. fever. acne. | at exactly 2 weeks it made me feel wonderful just had the painfull huuuge glands in my neck head and groin. had to go to er and d/c medication even tho it cured my depression | F | 24 | 2 weeks | 12/8/2009 | 5 | Manic depressive Bipolar disorder | None. But alcohol does affect the purpose of drug. | I take 100 mg every morning along with Wellbutrin 150 mg SR. I have been progressing in my life. This was the answer to opening my future. | M | 25 | 8 months | 12/7/2009 | 5 | bipolar II | Clear skin and larger bra size. | I think this drug is amazing. I feel more myself then ever before. No more mood swings and dealing with anxiety is so much better. I take 200 mg a day (100mg in the morning and 100mg at night). I'm worried about what everyone else is reporting, but its been a blessing for me. | F | 25 | 7 months | 12/7/2009 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder | extreme short term memory loss, trouble remembering words, often can't form mental connections, slight loss of fine motor skills, speech impediments (slight stuttering, often slurring words). slight weight gain. bad headaches at first, but went away. | the first few months on lamictal were crazy for me, i was like, all over the place in my mood, and it was throwing me from one mood to the next. started rapid cycling and then i just got really dark and depressed. however after four months (my doctor insisted i stay on it) it finally started to kick in and i've been on it for eight months now and i've never been happier. i still have really uncontrollable bursts of energy. other than the inability to speak correctly and major memory loss, i haven't had any major side effects. but the memory loss is really annoying. it doesn't mix well with caffeine, though. | F | 15 | 8 months | 12/7/2009 | 4 | resistant depression | short memory impairment, blocking of thoughts, headache. | it is a wonderful mood stabilizer with antidepressant propetries. i've some memory loss at relatively high dosage ( 50 mg ), but it get slow my mind and helped a lot with OCD. it incereased my joy for life and sexual interest because of less intrusive thoughts. i'm on 25 mg a day in combination with original Prozac, 40 mg a day. | M | 23 | 2 months | 12/6/2009 | 5 | Epilepsy-complex partial seizures | no significant side effects noted | Completely stopped seizures when I reached therapuetic dose. I had taken depakote,keppra,trileptal and zonegran. Only trileptal worked and I was allergic so it was stopped. Zonegran was horrible, and caused a horrible depression. | M | 12 | 18 months | 12/2/2009 | 3 | Grand Mal Seizure | August 2009 while in the ER due to a 4 to 5 minute seizure (1st ever) my husband was given the loaded dose of Dilantin (in addition to morphine and Ativan). We saw our Neuro a few days after discharged from Hosp and she gave us a schedule to taper off Dilantin and start Lamictal XR 50mg and increase over 5 weeks to mtce dosage of 200mg. He's been taking 200mg of Lamictal for about 3 months now; some hair loss, dry scalp, has had several styes in one eye, more significant hand tremor (which was much less pronounced prior to Lamictal). His appetite did seem to increase initially, but he did not gain any weight. He's had cognitive decline for almost 6 years so not sure if Lamictal is adversely affecting memory. I don't like the fact he may have to be on anti-seizure medication forever, but don't want him to experience another seizure either. | M | 65 | 3 months | 11/29/2009 | 4 | epilepsy | For the most part, this medication is helping me. After taking Dilantin, I realized how bad that drug was for me, and once they changed me over to Lamictal, I experienced better results. I would not say that my side effects are dramatic. I get headaches, which the doctors say are normal and have nothing to do with my brain tumor, and I am recently experiencing increased, but tolerable chest pain. Everyone is different, so don't take this to mean that these are the side effects you will have, but if you do, consult your physician; it may be nothing to worry about. | I've been taking Lamictal for about 5 months. | F | 22 | 11/27/2009 | 2 | supposedly Bipolar depression | Hair loss and memory impairment, taken care of with lots of zinc-rich foods. Didn't do much for depression. The zinc took care of the hair loss, memory impairment, and acne. | Switched to Zoloft and have been well. | F | 35 | 1 months | 11/27/2009 | 1 | Bipolar II | continued effects from last post | now my hair is falling out, I have wrinkles that are getting worse under my eyes (I'm 20), acne and dry skin, and nails that are literally so weak they break when I fluff pillows. I'm having to get fake nails because they are starting to break off below the nail bed even though I have them trimmed very short. I also gained weight, despite monitoring my food intake. This drug was like a poison to my body!! No one could pay me enough money to take this drug again. Very scary experience. On top of all the side effects it did NOTHING for my depression or anxiety or anything else for that matter. Currently working down on the dose as quickly as is possible while still being safe. HR continues to stay high. EKG and all other tests were normal. I can just hope it didn't do any lasting damage. | F | 20 | 3 months | 11/21/2009 | 1 | Biploar II | HIGH anxiety, increased heart rate, constant chest pains though the day, back pain, ice pick headaches (some lasting hours), lower abdominal pain, muscle aches, constipation, constant indigestion/heart burn, feeling like I can't get full or feeling like I'm starving after I eat a meal, worsened nerve pain (I have FM), hot flashes and chills, dry mouth, dehydration, deteriorating nails hair and skin condition, weight gain | Apparently this drug is a miracle drug for some. For me it was poison. Couldn't pay me to take it again. I had the worst anxiety I've had in years- I rarely take my xanax but ever since being on this med. I've had to take it almost every day, sometimes several times a day. The most disturbing side effect:It increased my heart rate greatly- never below 80pbm, mostly hangs around 100bmp, resting average 96bpm, 115-120+ if I get a little exited, and 150+ when doing light activities or walking leisurely. Pulse wakes me up, can feel it pounding through my entire body or at least my torso and neck. I also experienced more chest pains than usual for much longer, that would also wake me up in my sleep. Ended up in the ER because of such a high HR. I had back pain that pain killers couldn't touch, ice pick headaches that were severe and sometimes lasted for hours, intense lower abdominal pain, random muscle aches, constipation, constant indigestion and heart burn- didn't matter what I ate, I never felt full and would even feel like I was starving after meals so I had to watch my food intake, worsened my nerve pain from my FM, I get hot flashes as well as chills with violent chills and am still cold after I get warm enough to stop shaking, dry mouth no matter how much water I drank, very stubborn dehydration that didn't go way no matter how much I drank and even after I got IV fluids. My hair skin and nails are now extremely weak (started when I started meds)- now my hair is falli | F | 20 | 3 months | 11/21/2009 | 2 | bipolar 2 | Constant nausea. | Absolutely not worth taking because my upset stomach was so severe. With food, without food, made no difference. You couldn't pay me to take this again. | F | 32 | 7 months | 11/19/2009 | 3 | Newly diagnosed bi-polar | I haven't started this drug yet and am very apprehensive. I am afraid of hair loss and weight gain...however, I don't want to live depressed either. What to do??? | F | 54 | 0 days | 11/18/2009 | 4 | Bipolar I | Constant sleepiness, some disorientation/clumsiness | It seems that no matter how much I sleep, I'm always tired. If I miss a day, it actually goes away.. I'm very satisfied with its ability to suppress my mania but always being tired has really gotten in my way. My grades aren't too good because I fall asleep as soon as I get home, I can't go out to the movies because staying up late is too difficult, but what can I do? Go off of effective medication? I've had worse side effects on others so I'm kind of stuck here. | F | 19 | 4 years | 11/16/2009 | 2 | Type II Bipolar Disorder/Depression | Facial itching, an odd uptight feeling. | I can't really comment on whether the medication was effective; I experienced facial itching after three doses and became concerned with the rare possibility of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. I was immediately taken off of the drug. | M | 18 | 3 days | 11/16/2009 | 3 | flu like feeling, congestion, foggy memory, vivid dreams, anger | I have been on several meds for PTSD, celexa, wellbutrin, cymbalta and now lamictal has been added. I am scared it will change me, I am afraid of angry outbursts while overcoming side effects, if anyone can help with advice let me know--i just want my confidence energy entusiasm and hope back--i feel stupid thinking i can get that from a pill. Am i just lazy? I am also in recovery, 12 years clean and sober. please offer advice | M | 57 | 6 weeks | 11/15/2009 | 3 | Bipolar | hair loss, foggy brain at times, weight gain | I loved Lamictal actually. But as soon as I found out it made my hair fall out, I stopped taking it because THAT was making me depressed too...now I'm on Abilify - I miss Lamictal...not feeling too well off of it...pretty worried I might get worst | F | 24 | 2 years | 11/13/2009 | 4 | depression | a little blurry vision, forgetfulness. Definitely more energy and a little weight loss, which is a good thing. | I am on 100 mg. Moods are much more stable. Don't get as emotional about situations anymore. I was at 200 mg and had terrible insomnia. Dr reduced it to 100 mg. I think it needs to be increased maybe to 150 mg. | F | 50 | 18 months | 11/12/2009 | 1 | epilepsy | mouth sores, sore throat, rash, muscle aches, agitation, irratibility, hyperness- mind racing, heart paliptiations/racing | These are rare side effects that dont effect everyone, but i wouldnt recomment this medicine to anyond | F | 25 | 2 weeks | 11/12/2009 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder II | The first month was very rough. I had extreme headaches, muscle pain, depressive and anxious fits, and terrible short term memory problems, and mixing up words. It was difficult to remember anything long enough to hold a conversation. There was also what I considered to be emotional deadening. | I promise, if you hang in there long enough to get up to the theraputic dose, it will change your life. I had been living with undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder for twelve years. I have never felt more like myself. It's like I have a good day almost everyday. This isn't to say I don't have bad days or episodes but they are few and far inbetween. I highly recommend it. I managed to lose all of my baby weight and more. I don't sleep all the time or have fits of rage anymore. I am actually well enough to have a 30-35 hour work week, take care of my home and my family and go to school full time. There are hardly any emotional extremes anymore. However, I am still experiencing a little anxiety. | F | 24 | 4 months | 11/11/2009 | 2 | nerve pain | increased nerve pain, more sites. facial pain at site of previous bell's palsy. weight gain, increased appetite | This is in no way helping any of my nerve pain,it is just getting worse. I am being told to wait till you get to a level. Five weeks of increasing dose is a long time to wait when you are in so much pain. I am on 50mg now and am adding it to lyrica 800mg/day | F | 44 | 3 weeks | 11/6/2009 | 2 | Bipolar II | I didn't think I was experiencing side effects until realizing it was causing my tremors. the drug however seemed to be working. However, since cutting way back with Dr.'s advice I'm experiencing all of the side effects people are having that are just starting the drug: loss of memory, limited vocab., no present recall ability, chronic muscle aches, body of a 70 yr. old, burning eyes, "why bother" feeling, muddy brain, bruising, word loss, worse eyesight AND to top it off BPII symptoms are returning! Any comments?! | F | 48 | 7 years | 11/5/2009 | 1 | migraines | Vaginal itching after one dose. After two doses the itching turned to burning and soreness in the pubic region. Was taking at bedtime. Upon awakening after the third dose I had blisters on the outer labia. I had continued soreness in the vaginal area and increased chills that day. While on an hour+ drive home the third night I became very ill, severe headache, severe low backache, chills, and body aches like the flu. I was praying for my life so I could continue to raise my children, even though I do not believe in god! It is the next evening and the blister continue to worsen, the pain and soreness in my entire public region continues to worsen, and I have developed a good size lump under my skin on both sides of the pubic area, like the bikini line. The one on the left is about golf ball size and the one on the right is about quarter size, right now. You can physically see the entire area swollen from the lump on the left. My entire pubic region is extremely tender and painf | My neurologist that prescribed the med, told me to see my primary gyn if symptoms are not gone one week after discontinued use. Isn't that nice! Hell my symptoms continue to worsen after almost two days of discontinuation. I live in a rural town over an hour from a gyn and don't have an established gyn right now so I'm sure it would be over a month and more like two months to get an appointment. Not a good situation! I'm no doctor, but I strongly urge any female taking this med to discontinue use IMMEDIATELY if you have and gyn changes or disturbances, no matter how small you may think they are! I only took this drug for three days! BEWARE!!! | F | 44 | 3 days | 11/2/2009 | 4 | chronic depression with anxiety | short term memory loss, possibly some hair problems | has anyone experienced increased and more masculine hair growth on arms and side of face? | F | 70 | 3 years | 10/31/2009 | 2 | BIPOLAR | EXTREME HAIR LOSS-------SO AWFUL----I CAN'T STAND IT. ALSO CONSTIPATION. ALSO 'MUDDY BRAIN SYNDROME'----CAN'T THINK OF SIMPLE WORDS. | TOO BAD THIS CRAP DOES WORK. DEPRESSION AND MOOD SWINGS, PARANOIA MUCH LESS NOW. BUT WHAT GOOD IS THAT WHEN I AM GOING BALD?????? ALSO, IF YOU CAN'T POOP---LIFE IS BAD. | F | 53 | 3 months | 10/28/2009 | 1 | Depression | I have been on Lamictal for four years or so, taking 200 mg each day. I have most of the symptons described below: loss of memory, limited vocabulary, almost feel as if my I have no "present" recall ability. I see and hear, but can't summarize verbally without sounding like a fool. I am beginning to experience chronic muscle aches (almost flu like symptons), headaches, face and jaw pain, feeling as if I have the body of a 70 year old. The symptons come and go, but the pain is increasing enough that I've become suspect of this drug. I experience severe chills throughout my whole body; can't warm up. Hands and feet always cold. If I forget to take the lamictal, I have increased bouts of irritability and become paranoid or abnormally obsessed. I have also felt "confused". I would like to slowly get off Lamictal and try to survive the depression with increasing exercise and therapy. My next question is whether going off the drug will reverse these side affects | F | 53 | 4 years | 10/27/2009 | 4 | difficult to treat depression | weight gain, clumsiness, problems with word recall, blurred vision, drowsiness and morning grogginess, intermittent but severe insomnia, headaches, vivid dreams, hot flashes. | Overall, I am very happy with this medication. It was added to Effexor, which I had already been taking for about three years. I no longer over-react to change or uncomfortable situations, Im less emotional, less anxious. I've developed the ability to be cheerful. I no longer expect the worst. I have a little more motivation than I used to, and I'm comfortable trying new activities and being around people I don't know. My relationship has improved a great deal. Side effects: I gained about 18% of my body weight, after weighing the same for 25 years. I hate it. But I have cleavage for the first time in my life, so there's the silver lining. The headaches were awful for a while, but they have greatly improved. The insomnia can persist for weeks sometimes, but then it will go away for a while. I already had age-related far-sightedness developing, but it seemed to get a little worse overnight. When hiking or bouldering I've found I don't have the balance I used to, and I can get a little vertigo sometimes. And I'm definitely clumsy now - motor coordination not so good. (Oh, the coffee I've spilled...) Dreams continue, not so much insomnia now. Hot flashes have almost disappeared, but I'm left with an overall tendency to over-heat, where I used to be cold all the time. The word recall problem could just be due to getting older. | F | 45 | 18 months | 10/26/2009 | 5 | Cyclothymia- Mostly Depressive | Short term memory loss! I'd forget to go to routine appointments I've had for years, and forget to turn in assignments. I forget everything. Also, I believe I have a major case of ADD because my attention span is basically gone. I got really bad acne, but that might be because I had to get off the pill (which helps with acne). Finally, my speech and grammar get messed up- especially with tenses. It's all really embarrassing for me because I'm an outstanding student at an ivy league school and the side effects are changing how I view myself. | I'm on 50mg, and the side effects I mentioned are only getting worse as the dose increases. What's ironic is that I don't care about the side effects as much as I should because I see how well its working for me. My mood is better than ever. I was terrified of this drug before I started taking it. If the side effects weren't ruining my grades and relationships I'd go so far as to call it a miracle drug. | F | 20 | 1 months | 10/18/2009 | 1 | Bipolar II - rapid cycler | Burning eyes, "why bother" feeling. Huge sense of urgency to do something in the middle of the night. Insomnia, Very very dark thoughts. I want off this med. | I have never had the kind of thougths I am currently having. I know it has to be the lamictal. I keep having thoughts about the world ending and nothing matters because we are all doomed to die anyway. When I have these thougts I am absolutely certain it is the truth and that I (and everyone else) is just wasting time living. I have to fight to get that thought out of my head. I am also waking up knowing I have to do a certain task, like look up something on the internet or call someone. I am most certain that it has to be done at that moment. It makes perfect sense to me at the time. I don't do it because there is still a part of my brain that stops me. I have been on Trileptal for years but my circle thoughts were coming back and it was causing me to lose my concentration. My psychiatrist put me on this (100mgs sid) to help-thinking it might get rid of depression and thus help me focus (can't take adderall for too long-screws me up big time) but it hasn't helped at all. I can't wait to be finished with it. I'll take my lack of concentration and rapid thoughts over this any day. It actually seems to make them worse! I need to find a med that works well with the trileptal (my miracle med-this drug is the reason I can hold a steady job)and helps me focus as well. Tried concerta and strattera, but upset my stomach way too much. Adderall made me an emotional wreck. Thanks to this site, I know I am even more certain it is the med and I am not going into a bad place again. | F | 41 | 3 months | 10/18/2009 | 1 | Temporal Lobe Epilepsy | Weight gain, extreme irritability, tremor, loss of sex drive, wild mood swings, stomach pain, insomnia. | HORRIBLE. I've been on numerous AED's, and besides Zonegran, this is the worst one. Does next to nothing for seizure control. | M | 33 | 2 years | 10/14/2009 | 3 | Bipolar II | Cognitive impairment | It is a curse knowing that you no longer know what you used to know. I take 200mg/day, and it has effectively dulled my mind to the point where I can only halfway function in my field. It seems also to have decreased my ability to play musical instruments. My mood is stable, but I am starting to wonder if it us worth what I have lost: I have two Master's degrees and I am only about fit to work in fast food. | M | 39 | 4 years | 10/11/2009 | 4 | JME (Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy) | "Wearing-off effect" in the evening when second half of dose is due. Possible "OCD" tendencies? Possible depression/anxiety? There are other factors in my life that could be causing those. | I was on Valproic Acid for 4 years after I got diagnosed which controlled my jerks & seizures just about perfectly, then I switched to Lamotrigine when I got married in case I get pregnant because it is safer for a baby. It does not control the jerks nearly as well. I have been on it for about 4 years now and it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore. I am getting more jerks and I am feeling the "wearing-off effect" on and off all day instead of just in the evening. | F | 27 | 4 years | 10/8/2009 | 4 | bipolar II | Acne! This drug gave me terrible acne, which is now sort of under control with clindamycin and tretnoin. I still constantly have at least one cystic zit on my face though. And I am 42 years old. Yuck. | Other than the acne, I have no complaints about this drug. I take 150 mga day, and it helps control the depression/mania cycling quite well in conjunction with 75mg of seroquel I take every day, along with 10 mg of Namenda twice a day. I took part in a lamictal/namenda clinical study (the hypothesis is that lamictal and namenda work synergistically with one and other) and I felt my entire quality of life improve. I live a completely normal life now, and I am *very* careful to take my meds every day to ensure that it stays that way! | F | 42 | 2 years | 9/30/2009 | 4 | depression, mood stablizer | I am glad I thought to search this. I too have suddenly lost an enormous amount of hair in the last several months. I was placed on Lamictal in March, after losing my Mom to pancreatic cancer, losing my job, and getting divorce all within a matter of about 9 months. It has been increased several times. From 25mg morning and night, to 25mg morning and 50 night, and now 50 morning and 50 night. I noticed about two months ago (when it was last increased) that I was shedding A LOT! I now have a very noticable bald spot that I am having a hard time covering no matter how I style it. I am a 28 year old female with red hair...this is part of my physical identity! I think this could be the cause. I originally thought it may be post super stress reaction or caused by hormone levels being out of wack due to PCOS but my obgyn doens't think it's the PCOS. Just hope it's something that can be fixed and that my hair can grow back! | The lamictal greatly helped my mood, but for me, if it is causing my hair loss, I would rather be on something else and keep my hair. The hair loss is very embarrassing and making me overly self conscience | F | 28 | 6 months | 9/28/2009 | 1 | Seizures | HAIR LOSS IS MY MAIN CONCERN ON THIS POST I AM TAKING 200 MG 2X'S A DAY FOR A SEIZURE DISORDER MY SEIZURES ONLY HAPPEN @ NIGHT WHEN I SLEEP. I HAVE ONLY HAD MAYBE 10 SEIZURES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.............. I HAVE BEEN ON LAMICTAL FOR 5 YEARS | I HAVE A POST HERE ALREADY ABOUT MY ISSUES WITH LAMICTAL. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THEIR HAIR AND SKIN ???? MY HAIR IS "SHEDDING" AWAY. I AM LOSING IT BAD. IF ANYONE ELSE HAS EXPERIENCED THIS I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AND POSSIBLY EXCHANGE PHOTOS OF YOUR HAIR LOSS AND SEE IF THE PATTERNS ARE SIMULAR. I KNOW IT'S FROM THE LAMICTAL BUT MY DOCTORS ARE NOT IN AGREEMENT. | F | 40 | 5 years | 9/26/2009 | 5 | Lamicitin | Over the last 10 years I have gained weight, suffer from chronic insomnia, loss of libido, blurred vision, poor concentration, sleepy during the day, short tempered, hair loss, bad skin. I always believed my doctor when he told me that there were no side effects. I am releived to find other people who are experiencing what I am. So I am not crazy ! I am going to reduce my dosage and hopefully the side effects will reduce too. | I have been taking Lamictin for 10 years, I thought it was a miracle drug. It cured my mood swings, and all other symptoms that I suffer from as a result of right frontal lobe brain damage,caused by a motor vehicle accident. My doctor has always said there are no side effects, but now I realise that there are many side effects and many other people are experiencing them too. I am taking 300mg per day, but have decided to reduce my dosage to 200mg. After reading everyones, comments it seems to me that on 200mg the side effects will be greatly reduced. | F | 46 | 10 years | 9/25/2009 | 3 | unipolar depression | word loss, short-term memory loss,confusion slight paranoia, fatigue mid-afternoon, mild headache and jaw-ache, dry mouth and constipation, vivid sometimes sexy dreams, increased libido, feel like I'm feverish sometimes. | Even though I am experiencing some neg side effects, my mood has improved. I am less irritable, less screaming at family, mood is stabilizing somewhat. Took 8 weeks to go from 25 mg to 100mg due to my sensitivity to some meds. I will continue at 100mg dose for a while -- I don't want to increase dose to 150MG yet (which is supposed to be the therapeutic dose). I think it may actually be helping. Except for memory loss/forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating, the other side effects are tolerable. Hoping the forgetfulness goes away | F | 50 | 8 weeks | 9/22/2009 | 3 | bipolar depression | light headed, anxiety, hunger | F | 3 | 5 years | 9/22/2009 | 4 | mood instability, seizures | constipation (Went away after a few weeks), sleepiness, dropping trains of thought | The poor side effects of this drug went away quickly for me, and I've been happy with it since then. Since it makes me sleepy, I take it near bedtime to counteract insomnia. I don't think I'm taking enough to actually affect seizure risk, but my mood is very even. | F | 27 | 6 months | 9/20/2009 | 3 | bipolar II | initially, some nausea and loose stools, but that went away. HAIR LOSS at 5 weeks. | I was on generic lamictal (lamotrigine) at 25mg up to 50mg. At 5 weeks i noticed a big "shedding" of my hair and suddenly my hair on top was thinning. I have NEVER had this happen before and I am healthy with no other issues that could cause this. I did some research and found that anticonvulsants block absorption of certain minerals and vitamins including folate and others. If you are missing folate it affects your hair (that's why pregnant women are encouraged to take it during pregnancy to avoid this). I wish my doctor had told me "hey, take a multivitamin with selenium and zinc and biotin" because this could have possibly been avoided. I am also researching into whether being on brand name could have prevented this. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it doesn't hurt to take preventative measures. Just be aware, folks. | F | 41 | 6 weeks | 9/17/2009 | 2 | depression | extreme weight gain, severe itchy scalp and neck, felt like bugs under my scalp | F | 44 | 60 days | 9/16/2009 | 2 | Bipolar Disorder | One MAJOR side-effect -- and I do mean major -- was an increased sex-drive. While some may think, what's the problem with that, let me submit that for the 8 months I've been using this medication I've racked up close to $3,000 in internet porn fees, i.e., memberships, dvds, and so forth. Sorta kinda think that's overkill. The good news is I'll now be weaning off the med: Lamictal was prescribed to me to get me through 6 months of Interferon/Ribivarin treatment for the Hep-C I'd contacted. Well, the treatment was a success -- thank God, and I no longer "need" nor do I want this med in my body anymore. My bipolar stuff ain't gonna kill me; it may be handled sans meds. | Let the prescribee decide. | M | 66 | 8 months | 9/16/2009 | 5 | Bipolar II | fatigue, blurred vision for small print, short-term memory loss, confusion, loss of coordination (vertigo), dry mouth, mild stomach issues, hair loss, weight loss, possible back/body pains, causes BC to be less effective... | When I was 17 I went on zoloft for "situational" depression. I went to college and was def. "life of the party". Something TOTALLY out of my character but didn't notice because I thought I was acting like the typical college freshman. Sophomore year I moved into an apartment with 3 girls. After we started classes (Aug) I started feeling different. I went to my fam doc and was put on welbutrin along with the zoloft. I eventually stopped going to class and at one period I didn't shower or brush my teeth for 3 days in a row. That's when I knew I needed help so I withdrew from school (Nov). I went to a psychiatrist and he diagnosed me with BPII. I was put on lamictal, along with the antidepressants. I worked my way up to 100mg of lamictal. I noticed by the 2nd week I started feeling better. However, my anxiety was REALLY bad still. He put me on 0.5mg of klonopin (up to 3 times a day). I felt relaxed but was VERY sleepy. Then it took a turn and I began to get restless, and my mind wouldn't shut up to let me fall asleep. My psych put me on 25mg of seroquel to help me sleep. That definitely worked. THEN, my life took another turn junior year. My boyfriend broke up with me and I was devastated. He bumped me up to 200mg of lamictal. Anyway, the main thing I still struggle with is grogginess and feeling out of it. I will still sleep 12+ hours sometimes. But, no matter what side effects I STILL have, it's so much better than the dark place I was a year ago. | F | 20 | 10 months | 9/13/2009 | 5 | Bipolar 2, with PTSD | Bad jaw, and teeth pain, bleeding gums, sweats/chills,totally weird dreams,total loss of word recall, cognition difficulties, bad muscular aches in entire body 24/7 (including neck/back/gluts/legs) that pain pills did not help,loss of libido,twitches in legs/arms,eye scratchiness,irritated, acne breakouts daily, water retention,constipation,forgot what I had read,hair loss,feels like my scalp is open,loquacious,non-stop talking,not able to connect with my higher self,.... | With all my side effects,I was on the "Generic", not the Brand, Dr told me that the pharmaceutical company only had to put in 60% of the med. He spoke to my coverage carrier, got the meds, from 700.00$, down to 200.00$ a month, and as SOON as I began taking it(I am now taking 50mg Extended Release), most of my pain, sleepiness, irritation,painful eyes,and jaw pain, went away!!!If you are experiencing all these side effects, and are taking the "Generic" brand, you may be as sensitive as I was, to the fillers, that they put in it. Attempt to go on the BRAND NAME. I cannot believe, what a difference that it makes. I am also taking Seroquel, 150mg, at nighttime, and I need a sleeping pill to fall asleep. The Dr also added an anti inflammatory drug, since my discs are leaning against my spine. I probably need something added to my "cocktail", and for right now, I am so grateful that I do not have suicadal/homicidal ideation, as I had before the Lamictal. For this, I am happy. I want to Thank Everyone, who has posted their experiences with this medication, so that I could see, that these side effects really do exist, even though the DR may not be convinced. We need to listen to our bodies, and trust ourselves. | F | 54 | 3 months | 9/12/2009 | 1 | Cyclothemia | I took this for a year and the following occured: rashes, blurred vision, insomnia, anxiety (extreme), combative comments with co-workers and people in general and to top it off at times I honestlt thought I was going to go crazy. | This drug is overrated and nonsense. I needed a mood stabilizer, not some hybrid version of an antidepressant. It's an anticonvulsant yes, but it does nothing CONSISTENTLY for anxiety and mania. I suggest people who like this drug to take 300mg of Dilantin daily. It costs nothing and acts the same way, calm one minute, crazy the next. I would give it a minus if I could. I took it for a year and gave it it's chance. I am on something else now with a fraction of the side effects. How I managed to keep my job I'll never know. | M | 29 | 1 years | 9/11/2009 | 3 | Depression/Anxiety | Insomnia, initial dry mouth, vertigo/dizziness, nausea, headaches, hair loss, possibly caused back and chest acne, which I hadn't had previously, fatigue (possibly caused by higher dose of sleeping medication to deal with insomnia). | This medicine originally worked well for me (worked up to 100mg). The initial dry mouth went away after two weeks. The side effects have been more noticeable recently. I have been suffering from bad insomnia for the past week, I had to take 200mg of Trazadone as well as 50mg of Vistaril one night, whereas 25mg of Trazadone used to put me out. Recently noticed the hair loss, probably lost a quarter of my hair. Also, this may be related to the side effect of lowered estrogen levels coupled with the fact that I'm a teen, but I have lost a cup size since on Lamictal. | F | 15 | 4 months | 9/7/2009 | 3 | seizure disorder | weight gain; fatigue; lack of focus; bruise easily and sunburn easily; excessive sweating (possibly because my doctor has combined Lamictal with a mild dose of Tegretol); vivid dreams | On the one hand, I have some side effects I really don't like, especially the weight gain (my diet hasn't changed, but I don't have the energy to exercise like I should). On the other hand,Lamictal has been one of the few drugs (together with a mild dose of Tegretol) that has been successful in my seizure control - taking me from about 2 or 3 a week to one mild middle-of-the-night seizure about every 3 months. As long as I stay away from my triggers (caffeine, aspartame, wheat products), the only things that sets me off are getting sick or having a bad time with monthly hormone levels. | F | 39 | 4 years | 9/2/2009 | 1 | TBI,possible seizures,now bipolar? | Short term memory loss, dislexia, word loss, agitation, angry outbursts, craving alcohol or benzo's. At first great mood then week long lasting swings - depression to hypomania, (never had any form of mania) difficulty concentrating, shaking, general feeling of out control of both body and mind...I have had to proofread this to ensure I have not repeated myself or switched letters in words. | Once I began the starter pack I had great hopes of assistance getting through a traumatic brain injury and the mood issues that accompanied it. I fell down 12 stairs while out of town attempting to get to the bathroom. I was taken to a hospital and released without a CT scan. Walked around with blood on my brain for 5 days until reporting to my doctor what happened and how I had neck pain. I was told to immediately go to the hospital and I did. CT scan showed 3 brain contusions and an intracranial hemmorage. I was then transported to another hospital with a neurosurgeon on standby to operate. They presume I had a seizure after the fall, since that is what the witness stated (my boyfriend). I was referred to a seizure specialist. EEg came back abnormal. Tried several anticonvulsants to keep my driver's liscence. Mild side effects causing me to switch to others then there was carbazazapam (horrible), now the lamictal nightmare...literally. Horrid vivd dreams, while in a weird half awake sleep. My short term memory was improving from my injury until this medication which has made it as bad as when I first fell! My seizure "guru" claims I need this medication, and it is not the lamictal but I am experiencing post traumatic psychosis??? I am a social worker by trade, I am NOT psychotic. He wants me taking 200mg BID, another doctor said I could break them in half, 100mg BID. It helped in the beggining, what went so wrong? This medication. I would value a | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 9/2/2009 | 1 | mood stabilizer | Alarming memory loss and impaired thinking | BRAIN SCANS TO DOCUMENT HARMFUL EFFECTS | F | 53 | 2 years | 9/2/2009 | 5 | ocd and bipolar II | starting rashes just gone away, costipation, vivid dreams. | this drug has been a great discover. it helps me a lot with impulsiveness, with intrusive thoughts, and compulsion. he avoids in me panic attacks, anxiety and phobias. it helps also in depression, better that other mood stabilizerrs in combo with antidepressant. | M | 23 | 2 months | 9/1/2009 | 5 | BiPolar II | groggy in the morning, slight word recall problems | wow. I feel like I've never lived a normal life until now. I'd long suffered from severe "overreactions" to things, if i had a problem at work, i'd be tortured by it, if i had a bad date, I'd be CRUSHED, if someone pissed me off, I'd spend HOURS ruminating on it and writing extremely thorough emails to them. I was STUCK in whatever emotion was happening, and I couldn't think straight. Lamictal is a drug to treat seizures, and it makes sense that this drug would help me. What happened to me was like an electrical storm in my brain of emotions. But Lamictal turns that off. Now, if something that used to set me off happens, I feel a "twinge" but that's as far as it goes. I'm able to see situations clearly and deal with them rationally. I've been able in the last two months to really see patterns of behavior that I could never deal with before. In the past I'd tried almost every antidepressant there was, but they never did anything for me (except a few made me feel "dead.") I still feel like me, except a better me. I do miss the torrent of creative ideas that I used to have, but I realize now that was a sort of mania, and I'll gladly take the slowed down version if it means I can deal with people better. Wish I'd found this years ago! | F | 41 | 2 months | 8/29/2009 | 5 | Epilepsy | None. | Excellent medication. I have complex partial seizure disorder. I was on tegretol for many years and it was a horrible medication for me. With tegretol, I always felt like I was "on the edge" and seizures seemed to come at any random time. Lamictal was first started as a supplementary medication and I almost instantly noticed the change. Within a few months, my neurologist stopped the tegretol altogether and my seizures are a thing of the past. | M | 42 | 9 years | 8/29/2009 | 5 | Bi-Polar | Stiff neck, blurry vision | Once I was on the full dose of 200mg the side effects went away, although I had to get my eyeglass prescription changed... Works fabulous. Gives me a sense of calm and that all is right with the world. Bad neckache if I skip a dose. | F | 46 | 10 years | 8/28/2009 | 1 | For mood stabilization of bipolar | The dreams/nightmares are HORRIBLE! I was doing well on 100mg dosage, but went up to 200mg and that's when the vivid, bizarre dreams began. Losing people and things close to me, being haunted by a demon, sleeping but in an awake state and people at work who I dislike tormenting and scaring me. It goes on and on. My PsychDoc asked me to take it up to 250mg which I did for 1 night and the dreams turned into real nightmares. That was it for me. I switched to taking the Lamictal from night to morning and dropped the dosage to 150mg. I plan on dropping it in a couple of days to my original 100 mg dose. | Lamictal and almost ALL the Psych meds I have been on since 1994 have really been terrible. I cannot get any peace with any of these meds and yes I am angry. I know the manufacturers are trying to make money and MAYBE trying to help the mentally ill, but without the proper trials (which I have read the doctor's instructions online for every script I have taken)are not done because the pharmaceuticals are rushing to beat each other to the punchline. And the FDA condones this behavior - not sure what the standard is or the reasons why. Yes, I am angry. I am almost through with taking any meds as I have had my chin up everytime my PsychDoc asked for me to try something new with me not knowing what side effects will manifest themselves in me. Don't want to sound suicidal, but I am 47 years old now and have been battling my depression and manic episodes, making decisions one minute and changing my mind by going another way the next. This causes extreme stress which adds another med to my list because I cannot control my agitation and anxiety. I say now, I have lived my life and now it's time for me to go. It's of my opinion that most people in this world are so caught up in their own doings that they don't care for their own children nevertheless care for some stranger like me. It breaks my heart to feel that I want to leave this world, but I am of sound mind and body right now and would like to move on. | F | 47 | 3 months | 8/27/2009 | 5 | bi-polar | My 72 year old mother suffered greatly...severly depressed almost catatonic for 2 months, manic 2 months, somewhat normal 2 months..this cycle repeated itself for 2 years ! | My 72 year old mother was put on lamictal starting out at 25 mgs twice a day...after 3 months she is taking 125 mg once a day and doing wonderful! I feel like I have my mother back...I highly recommend this medication but recommend starting out in small doses... | F | 72 | 3 months | 8/25/2009 | 5 | JME with Complex Partial seizures | None....FINALLY SOMETHING THAT WORKS | Lamictal has worked great for me,verse all the other medications Iv'e tried in the past(Depkene,Depkote,Depkote er and Topamax).It has reduced my seizures tremedously.I now only have around 3-6 a year,which isint really that bad as before I was having them all the time.Morning,noon and night.Mostly they only occur when Im around my triggers which are[photosensitivity to **flashes of a camera,strobes and flourescent lighting**one of my biggest triggers],low blood surgar,stress/in the beginning of getting a bug or virus,emotional stress,not enough sleep,and hormonal fluncuations.For when they do only occur out of no where I usually get aroud 2-4. | F | 18 | 3 years | 8/25/2009 | 5 | seizure | None | stoped seizure right away. A miricale pill. Expensive,but woth it. I had grand male and parciale seizures. Took 4 differant meds befour lamictal. They didn't help. I had side effects from all 4. | F | 61 | 15 years | 8/23/2009 | 5 | bipolar disorder | fatigue, lack of appetite | changed my life. Feel like I'm the person I was meant to be | F | 45 | 2 years | 8/23/2009 | 4 | overwhelming feelings/ups & downs | First of all, I have to say after finding this forum, I am very relieved and thankful I am not alone. After 2 years of dealing with some major things happening in my life I finally decided to take an AD. My Dr prescribed Zoloft. After taking it for 2 months... nothing. I don't think it helped at all, but that's not what I needed. I had ups and downs, but I don't think I'm depressed, I'm just overwhelmed. Yes sometimes I get depressed and feel there's no hope, but the next day I'm cleaning the house and getting things done. It's been exhausting! I just started taking the generic Lamictal, but I'm so relieved to know how well it's working for everyone. I feel like I finally have hope. I will give an update after it's been a few weeks, but for now I feel like my prayers have been answered and I thank you all for sharing your experience! | F | 36 | 2 days | 8/23/2009 | 3 | type II BPD | Inability to focus vision on fine details, some discoordination with fine motor tasks, abnormal liver functions, high triglycerides and cholesterol, and CRIPPLING BACK PAIN | I was excited to try this med as, like many people with BPD, I have a hard time taking SSRIs. It's claimed to be more effective against depressive episodes than more regularly prescribed BPD meds like Lithium, and it was. However, I gradually developed back pain during the slow dose increase used to start this medication. It started as a slight stiffness in my back, and I assumed I was just out of shape. Then it became painful, and I assumed I had hurt my back somehow, but didn't think the Lamictal had anything to do with it. By the time I got to 200mg, I was basically crippled and wondered each time I bent over whether that would be the time I wouldn't be able to stand back up- at 37 and fairly healthy, I knew something was wrong. In spite of pointing this out to various doctors and nurses, none of them seemed to make the connection, and it wasn't until I did my own research that I found that a VERY HIGH NUMBER of people have similar complaints, something like 1 in 12. At 200mg I had my blood checked, which revealed abnormal liver functioning, and high triglycerides and cholesterol. The doctors (all psych trained) didn't find that odd either. I have stopped taking the med and hope that sometime in the next month or so my back will recover and that the damage isn't permanent. So PLEASE recognize that your doctors are not all-knowing gods, and that the side effects of this med can creep up on you VERY slowly. | M | 37 | 3 months | 8/23/2009 | 1 | Bipolar Type 2 | EXTREME moodiness. My kids think I am a "mean mom" and my boyfriend is considering leaving me for how much I put him through over the weekend: paranoid, irritable, anxious, sleepliness. I have been more labile than I have ever been. Stopped it last night...good riddens! | F | 39 | 7 days | 8/23/2009 | 1 | Bipolar | Stevens Jonhson Symdrome | It almost killed me in just two days | F | 52 | 1 days | 8/23/2009 | 3 | Bipolar Disorder I or II | At first I was rapid cycling as they slowly increased the dose...irritability, anger, rage, exhaustion and crying within a few hours. Then it became like a placebo to me. No known side effects except for maybe increased energy day and night and a headache threatening to form sometimes a half to an hour before my nightly dose. | I was feeling terrible, sleeping depressed while on the low does as it was being vamped up, but I attribute that to Seroquel, which I came off of on my own and since then I've been in a manic insomnia, elevated state (3 weeks now) and I'm up to 150mg. So I don't know if Lamictal is making me hyper, but it sure beats depression. I have to take a sleep aid just so I can get a few hours at night. Don't feel like I need sleep any more. I take Wellbutrin in AM and Lamictal in PM plus the sleep aids. | F | 30 | 7 weeks | 8/22/2009 | 3 | Bipolar I | Serious short term memory problems and difficulty finding the right words. Some mild acne, possibly decrease in appetite. | I found it to be OK as a mood stabilizer, but not as effective as a Depakote or Trileptal. I didn't have any major mood swings while taking it, but the memory problems were too serious so I had to stop. I was taking 100mg | F | 34 | 4 months | 8/22/2009 | 5 | Rapid Cycle Bipolar | Brief periods of hypomania with any increase in dose. Slight fatigue, along with some clumsiness and minor memory issues. I have noticed what some call 'emotional flatness'; a better term for it is MOOD STABILIZATION. | This is BY FAR the best medication I have been given. It has been a fantastic mood stabilizer for me; from the very first dose of 25mg. It does a great job of stopping my rapid cycle down swings; it has is very effective in relieveing my depression. There are side effects, but they are far fewer and far less intense that other medications; and I have been on a few. The only issue I have had with lamictal is it's interaction with my Celexa. I had to cut down on my Celexa dose once I reached 100mgs of Lamictal because 20mgs of Celexa kicked me into a full blown manic phase. The day I upped to 100mgs of Lamictal, I took my dose of Celexa and had the first full manic episode I'd had in months. But, cutting back on the Celexa was a necessary part of the process anyway. Also take the warnings about the rash seriously; if you develop one, go into see a doctor. | M | 2 months | 8/16/2009 | 5 | Depression, mood instability | Hair loss, acne, sometimes twinges in my muscles, irritability when I increase dosage - for a few days, vivid unpleasant dreams, change in sleep patterns | Lamictal is a miracle for me. I haven't tried a lot of AD's - just Wellbutrin, which was terrible for me. I have very unstable moods (but no mania or hypomania), which is why I think Lamictal works when Wellbutrin didn't. Wellbutrin gave me terrible anxiety. Lamictal makes me feel normal. Maybe I have a little bit of memory problems and I wonder if it has affected my eyesight, but I'm not completely sure on either of those, so obviously it's not too bad. I tried the generic, and it made me terribly sleepy and fatigued. | F | 38 | 4 months | 8/14/2009 | 3 | Siezure control | New user | M | 53 | 2 days | 8/14/2009 | 5 | OCD/ Anxiety | when i first started the medication i was on a very low dose that didn't help....then i took a bigger dose which caused me to have more anxiety, nausea and dizziness and headaches. Once my correct dosage was determined i had slight headaches and light nausea for a few days, but it went away. | I have tried so many different meds and this is the only one that has been able to stabilize my condition. I can tell a tremendous difference in my complusive behavior especially. My mind seems more clear and focused, and I know it works because when i DON'T take it, i have serious anxiety and get shakey and lightheaded. | F | 28 | 6 months | 8/13/2009 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | WEight gain | very helpful; gave me complete stability; prevented manic episodes | F | 37 | 3 years | 8/11/2009 | 1 | Binge Eating, Depression, Bipolar 2 | Extreme Appetite Decrease, Lost 30 lbs in 2 months, Listlessness, Trouble With Memory and Concentration, and the worst 2 - Frequent Peeing (Every 10 min) and BAD HAIR LOSS | It evened my moods out but then turned me into a zombie. I couldn't feel properly happy or sad or angry or anything. It zapped my creativity and made me not want to do anything. It allowed me to lose weight too quickly because it suppressed hunger so severely. I didn't realize I was basically in starvation mode and robbing my body of nutrients. I had to pee constantly and my parents spent a lot of money on tests to see what was causing this after my doctor said Lamictal couldn't be the culprit. This IS IN FACT a side effect of Lamictal - a quick Google search shows this. My doctor also denies that my devastating hair loss is a result of this medication and insists it is purely the weight loss. I am quitting it completely despite their wishes. I am an 18 yr old girl with long amazingly red hair which I love and is a big part of me. I have received compliments on it every day of my life. I've lost maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of it in the last 2 months. Nothing has ever caused me so much anxiety and depression as this...this med is NOT worth it. IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HAIR, STAY AWAY FROM LAMICTAL. If you must take it, don't let yourself lose weight too fast. You'll have to eat when you don't feel like it. Thankfully I had thick hair to begin with, but now I'm doing everything I can to save it - Maxi Hair supplements, a really healthy high protein diet, Head and Shoulders Shampoo, putting olive oil in my hair every other night, and of course quitting this medication. | F | 18 | 5 months | 8/7/2009 | 3 | Epilepsy | Fatigue, mild loss of concentration | This medication didn't fully control my seizures at first so I am taking Keppra along with it. It makes me pretty tired but I have been taking it for 12 years and have learned to adapt to the fatigue and live a pretty normal life. | F | 24 | 12 years | 8/5/2009 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Minor fatigue early on, body pains in the beginning and at each dose increase - if you have a minor backache the dose increase will cause it to be a major backache, but only for a few days. | Works very well for me. For about 8 years I was on Seroquel and Depakote and gained tons of weight - either extremely hungry or tired. On Lamictal I have been able to adjust to a very healthy lifestyle and have lost over 100lbs. With Lamictal I have attained the most stability I've ever enjoyed. | M | 38 | 1 years | 8/2/2009 | 3 | Epilepsy (JME) | Terrible agitation, irritability, easily frustrated, some crazy intense rage. I will be fine when I wake up, do my morning routine, then when I take it within 1/2 hour am so jittery and full of nervous energy I can barely stand to be in my own skin. Night sweats, more thirst--minimum 5 liters of water a day, but these aren't important, it is the intense edginess and extreme internal unrest that is so terrible, and the illogical and yet apparently uncontrollable way in which I take things out on my poor husband that worries me, if I can stick with it or not. Some insomnia, difficulty getting 7 hours per night where I used to need 9 minimum... | Depokate was doing a great job of controlling my epilepsy with minimal side effects, just a bit of flatlining of my personality and sloooowed metabolism. But with planning for a family, the decision to switch was made. I'm not even up to full dose yet and I am just hoping my body will become accustomed to the drug and this awful intense nervous energy/irritability/internal unrest will stop. Like my blood is on fire, all my nerves on hypersensitive gaurd. If it continues I'm just going to have to go back to Depakote...this is intolerable. | F | 34 | 2.5 months | 8/2/2009 | 3 | Bipolar 2-depression | Sweating profusely, feel burning of skin, bruising, and in the last 3 days, incredable jaw pain, and bleeding gums, receding gum line,( which very few people have experienced,it seems)and the feeling of my eyes bugging out of the sockets, had bad headaches at first, then that stopped. Lots of dreams, which I don't mind(were really bad at first, not any more), went to ER today, because of pain with mouth(not willing to wait till it goes away) too busy, came home. Will cut dosage in 1/2 until I see a doctor. Do not want to lose my teeth. | At first, with the starter pack,25 mg,then 50mg a day. Ended up in the ER, for the 1st time in my life, for crying uncontrollably, feeling suicidal/homicidal( my Psych Dr wrote me a note for the ER) told me she can no longer help me!) and the ER sent me to "Four Winds" hospital, in a stretcher. Out in 2 days, no longer felt suicidal, or homicdal,( could not deal with being watched every 15 minutes) DR there, raised the dosage to 5omg 2x a day, and that's when I felt the bad jaw pain that I didn't focus on, till it was getting worse, within 2 days,also get the chills, and sweats a lot. My face feels a little swollen too. Won't let me sleep, so Dr gave me Seroquel, 150 mg, which helps, and then I'm out for 12-15 hours...Also asked for Prozac, 20mg, (which was a life saver for me 15 years ago), until it didn't work any more..I'm so tired of being "treatment resistant", and feeling so out of control, crying , anger for no reason. This illness , the emotional pain, is so debilitating. I am trying to find the right "cocktail", so that I could make it the next few hours, while others live their life....weeks, and months at a time.... Also, I stopped smoking at the same time, as I had the dark episode. My Dr. said, that the change in chemistry could have sent me there. So, beware of that.... | F | 54 | 4 weeks | 7/31/2009 | 2 | BP II | short term memory loss, loss of words and thought, sense of humor gone, fogginess/numbed out, joint aches and complete loss of labido. | I have been on 200mg for 9 months and have begun titrating off. I don't find any value in the drug that makes it worth living with the side effects. At this moment, I am struggling to form coherent sentences. This has been typical for the 9 months that I've been on the drug but atypical prior to that. The only other drug I take is 50mg of Pristiq. I am currently down to 125mg; tritating down by 25mg every 7 days. Going from 200mg to 150mg was very easy. My last reduction to 125mg has been rough. I have felt car sick every day, been catatonic and have had a mild headache. I take the drug at night and notice that I wake up ok but then the symptoms start around 10am and last until night time. I am counting the days until I am off of Lamictal. | M | 47 | 9 months | 7/31/2009 | 5 | JME (juvenile myoclonic epilepsy) | light sensitivity w/ headaches, night sweats and vivid dreams, feeling jittery if I'm late taking it (even by a couple of hours), somewhat slower cognitive and motor skills | This drug has kept me seizure free and I can function again without fear of having a seizure. Side effects increase if I'm sleep deprived or stressed out but are manageable. My neurologist said I may be able to try going off of it next year, but I'm not sure I will as the benefits outweigh the side effects by a long shot | F | 24 | 3 years | 7/23/2009 | 3 | Trying to get off Lithium | Just stopped it after 4 days. It gave me a boost of energy and kept me from Binge eating. But I was saying things at work that I normally wouldn't say (negative) and I started to seem more irritable to my wife. THese are too very bad side effects that I cant have. I told my Dr. and he instructed me to stop it for 1 week to see if it was the Lamictal or other triggers. Does anyone have any advice on how I should handle the irritability? Lithobid sucks and I need something to replace it. | M | 42 | 4 days | 7/22/2009 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |