LAMICTAL Reviews (LAMOTRIGINE)

Average Rating: 3.4 (1917 Ratings)

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 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

LAMICTAL  (LAMOTRIGINE):  Lamotrigine is used alone or with other medications to prevent and control seizures. It may also be used to help prevent the extreme mood swings of bipolar disorder in adults. Lamotrigine is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug. It is thought to work by restoring the balance of certain natural substances in the brain. This drug is not approved for use in children younger than 2 years due to an increased risk of side effects (such as infections).   FDA Approval Date: 1994-12-27 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females).

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on LAMICTAL: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR LAMICTALCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  treatment resistant depression at higher doses, light sensitivity and headaches; makes me sleepy so take at night (but that's a benefit) This drug has really changed my life. Prior to this, was trying just about everything and was diagnosed w/ everything under the sky; nothing worked. I went from working as a secretary hospitalized 2x or so a year to being a third year law student looking forward to a challenging career. I still have major ups and downs, but this drug has really made it possible to live my life. Will note too that still trying to get off of seroquel etc., and taking prozac; I think that lamictal and prozac together will be the optimal combo for me (crossing fingers). F 35 3 years
10/6/2008
 5  complicated migraine and BPII Difficulty finding the right words, short-term memory loss, transient hair loss, mild acne, petechiae, some clumsiness and balance problems. I have been taking Lamictal for almost 2 years now. Prior to this, I was taking Depakote and in less than a few months began the typical Depakote weight gain and displayed signs of polycystic ovary syndrome. Lamictal is nearly as effective as Depakote in treating my migraines (symptoms include facial numbness, negative visual aura, and loss of coordination of right arm). About once a month, I have some mild neurological symptoms associated with migraine but they last less than a day. I have found on occasion that I am hypomanic while on the Lamictal, but it has also helped me with mild depression. Despite the clumsiness, memory and word issues, and hair loss, I would recommend this medication above any other I have tried (lithium, tegretol, and depakote). F 25 2 years
8/1/2006
 5  trtmt resistant depression/bipolar no side effects, possible weight loss of 10 pounds--maybe it curbs my appetite? have been on various antidepressants for 18 years for a disabling treatment resistant depression. nothing helped until i found effexor--but then that stopped working as well. Am currently on 150 mg of lamictal and 150 mg of effexor and feel perfectly normal every day. Thank goodness for modern medicine. F 39 1 years
10/18/2008
 5  epilepsy none F 20 11 months
7/21/2005
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 5  Bipolar Mixed Acne (take medication to keep it under control)and muscle aches (much better but still experience aches after 2 years). I can think clearly. The first few weeks I was on the medication I thought I was going to die from diarrhea. I couldn't leave the house it was so bad. The muscle aches were horrible as well. I find that if I exercise regularly the aches almost disappear. When I stop exercising they come back. I have tried many other meds and this one is worth taking. I will deal with the aches and the acne because I feel F 34 2 years
7/22/2005
 5  Bipolar Type II - Mood Stablizer Feeling of urgency to urinate Miracle drug! I think it's wonderful. I tried something else when I was a drug rep because I was impressed by the data I was sharing with docs... Then, after everything fell to pieces, I went back to Lamictal (happy to pay the copay). Recently, I titrated the dose from 150 mg to 300 mg a day over a few weeks and noticed I FEEL like I have urinate, but in reality, I don't. I guess it's a super-rare side-effect... It's not painful or too annoying so I'm sticking with the same dose and wait for my body to adapt. F 25 2.5 years
2/9/2006
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 5  complex partial seizures difficulties finding words, memory loss - short term and some long term, difficulty concentrating, slower mental processing, reduced coordination This medication is great despite the side effects. It really controls my seizures brilliantly. Other medications haven't helped at all and tegretol even made my seizures worse. I'm on 600mg a day which is very high and may contribute to the side effects but it's certainly worth it as it has given me my life back - having seizures makes me very tired and confused. F 27 18 months
4/23/2006
 5  bipolar 1 AWFUL short term memory loss and constantly searching for words . The first 2 weeks were difficult, rapid cycling and hypomania but evened out at week 3. Hair breakage, but my fingernails are hard as rocks. Loss of appetite for the first 3 months, back to normal now. I was misdiagnosed with depression 1 for over 13 years and went through every SSRI known to man until I was prescribed effexor. I became a veritable zombie, gained 30 pounds, sustained liver damage and withdrew from the world. I have a BS and psych and eventually the light bulb went on and I took the Goldburg's depression scale. I brought the results to a psychiatrist and she agreed with my self diagnosis. I began at 50 mg of Lamictal and am now at 125. The memory loss is incredibly bothersome but it's saved my life in more ways than one so I'll continue until the disease progresses. Hope this helps and good luck. F 31 7 months
10/26/2006
 5  Complex Partial Seizure In the beginning - short term memory loss, excess saliva, slurred or forgotten words. After 1.5 yrs - starting to get tingling sensations in my feet. I still have forgetfulness but it is better. I also can't stand the taste of soda anymore - it tastes flat. I have heard this with Topomax but not Lamictal so am confused. Lamictal is my only med. I am on a high dose of 400 MG per day, with during my menstrual cycle 400-500 MG per day (I get increased myoclonus during that time and is a risk for me to get another seizure which I will do anything to avoid that.) F 38 1 years
11/24/2006
 5  bipolar disorder I experienced some sleepiness, which was eliminated by switching to taking it at night before bed. Hair loss. Difficulty recalling words and difficulty with short-term memory. I have been taking Lamictal for well over a year and have recently noticed twitchiness in my neck and hands. Side effects are worsened by caffeine intake and/or lack of sleep. Lamictal is nothing short of miraculous. Like many others on this site, I was misdiagnosed with depression for many years. I had horrible, debilitating depressions. I didn't know I was bipolar until a manic episode landed me in the hospital. A few months later a gifted psychiatrist recommended lamictal and it changed my life. I used to cry at the drop of a hat; now I have much more normal emotional responses. For the first several months I noticed no negative side effects whatsoever. F 32 1 years
11/22/2006
 5  Bipolar Disorder Some anxiety, racing heart, thirstiness, loss of appetite. So far, I really like it. The loss of moodiness waaaay outweigh the side effects, although they are acute (especially the loss of appetite, perhaps due to a slight nausea). I get a kind of constricted feeling in my chest as well, which is kind of scary (does anyone else get this? it might just be self-induced anxiety...). And I was wondering whether most people took lamictal at night or in the morning? I've been taking mine in the AM for fear of sleeplessness....let me know anything about the drug you'd like to share!! [email protected] F 20 5 days
7/3/2006
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 5  Bipolar Rapid Cycling Hair loss, tender gums, anxiety, memory loss, problems articulating my thoughts, joint pain, swelling in extremities, vivid dreams, more frequent urination, dehydration, bruise easily, came off for 4 days and instantly sunk back into horrible depression This is a fantastic drug. I have tried many others and have had no luck finding something to stabilize my moods. There are quite a few side effects, but well worth tolerating them. The anxiety is a bit annoying, but I am told that if I start on welbutrin that that should subside. F 24 8 months
6/23/2006
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 5  depression/bpd Feeling a little anxious and forgetful I started taking yesterday and i feel like a new person already -no lie. I got out of bed at 8:30 instead of noon like usual. I did the dishes that have ben in my sink for 3 weeks because i was too tired and depressed to do them. I played with my daughter outside a couple times when usually I would curl up on the couch and let her play by herself and feel sad all day. I mailed some pics to my bro I have been promising him for months! Wow!!!! I hope this keeps on going because I can live with this!! F 34 1 days
6/27/2006
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 5  Bipolar II weight loss, lack of ability to concentrate After gaining 100 lbs on Lithium and 25 on VALPROIC ACID. I changed medications to Lamictal. I have lost 30lbs. As sad as it may sound I'll take the concentration issues if it means I'll lose the weight I gained from the other 2 drugs. F 21 6 months
10/20/2005
 5  moodswings and anxiety As far as working out, I seem to have more energy than before. No other workout changes so far. F 50 37 days
2/25/2007
 5  Depression - as a mood stabilizer Sleepiness, which I have mitigated by taking it before bed. It has worked very well, combined with Lexapro at treating my depression/anxiety. F 23 3 months
7/9/2005
 5  bipolar 1, anxiety almost none Oops, forgot to add; after moving from 200mg, to 250 and now to 300, the anxiety is pretty much gone! F 31 4 times
8/18/2005
 5  bipolar 1, anxiety Some mild memory loss at first ( it gradually tapers off)and shedding of hair , not sure if it's due to lamictal or my hair just being badly damaged and in need of a trim! Fantastic drug almost no side effects. It has saved my life, I'm able to sleep and get up, instead of sleep 12-16 hours a day on geodon, and I'm not a zombie . I feel like a normal person again.No mania, rage or depression, just a few bad days once a month from pms. This stuff is fantastic!! F 31 4 months
8/18/2005
 5  bp Short term memory loss (most times people will ask me if I remember something and I will say no but them after thinking about it a while I remember.) headache's, trouble sleeping, involuntary muscle tremor's in arms...not often. looses my train of thought in the middle of a sentence, sometimes I zone out. my bp cocktail is... 200 mg lamictal, 300 mg of wellbutrin, 10 mg of paxil and 3 mg lunesta Lamictal saved my life and my family. I almost lost everything. I didn't want to admitt that I was bp, but about 2 yrs ago I hit rock bottom. All side effects are worth my mental, emotional and mood stabilization. Everyone has seen the "before and after" lamictal and hands down they prefer me now. I thought everyone loved me when I was on a bp high I didn't realize how wreckless I was, my judgment was very poor. Now I don't have compulsive actions and I feel "in control" of things. F 37 2 years
3/1/2007
 5  anxiety and depression none that I'v noticed before I started taking it I use to have panic attacks and scream and freak out and I was very suicidal...I tried many pills but they made it worse. This was the first one to help I take 200Mg every morning It's probably changed my life. My highschool gpa was 2.46 and now that I can concentrate on school and not on how depressed I am my gpa is 3.6. It's really changed my life! F 17 1 days
4/9/2007

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