LAMICTAL Reviews (LAMOTRIGINE)Average Rating: 3.4 (1917 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LAMICTAL with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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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.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 |
More on LAMICTAL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LAMICTAL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | Depression/ anxiety | It has saved my life ! | After many many years of being in and out of hospitals and being so afraid, not being able to get out of bed for weeks on end. I missed out alot when my kids were little. I finally have a life I have never known. THANK YOU LAMICTAL | F | 3 years | 4/8/2009 | 5 | Bulimia, ADHD, Anxiety, Bipolar | So far, none at all. I had been taking Ritalin (a generic) for ADHD. Somewhere along the line, it was decided that the ADHD contributed to the Bulimia. I do know that without the Ritalin, I can't focus on anything at all and the binge/purge cycles are definitely far more frequent and intense. After many failures with anti-depressants, the need to address severe occasional depression, as well as some fairly intense anxiety, my psychDoc decided to focus on the dx of bipolar. He ordered me to stop taking the ritalin and start the lamictal at 25 mg, doubling the dosage every week until I reached 200 mg. I am now at 50 mg. His stopping the ritalin is how I know I can't stop the ritalin. So, I'm back on the Ritalin, per his advice. | As for the Lamictal: I had no idea how paranoid I was until this morning when I woke up. I always sensed that people at work thought I was weird and that my boss hated me and wanted to get rid of me. To me, this was almost as real and unquestionable as the sun rises in the east; I just 'knew' it was the truth. I also wasn't pleasant to myself…I mean that I always berated myself for the lack of strength to do better, eat better, please people, be nice, be happy, be successful. I had no idea how emotionally crippled I have been. This caused me to work at home almost always and gain a lot of weight - although to be fair, I am now 45 and stopped working out years ago. I actually was able to stop at Henry's yesterday after work - I actually went into the office; that's rare - to pick up some healthy stuff to eat. And, last night for dinner, I ate some and I also ate some for breakfast this morning. I didn't go through the binge purge situation, way too much wine and half a pack of cigarettes like I would normally in the evening. I am not sure if this is a fluke or if the Lamictal has actually been key in this 2 day success story. I do know that I like the person I woke up as this morning and that is something very different. I will update at this site with further comment in a few weeks after I have more time and have increased the dose. | F | 45 | 12 days | 4/16/2009 | 5 | anti-epileptic seziures&depression | brain fog, itchy skin & scalp, short term memory loss, dizzy, not sure footed, forget way too much, tired more then I would like, spelling errors. | No seziures! But I have only had 2 in the last 6 months. Knock on wood...Sleeping great when I had insomina, anxiety decresed, depression cured, amazing! I feel better then I have in years, but the side effects are frustrating. Now that I found this site, I feel that I'm not crazy. The pharmacy information does not do this med any justice. Education is so important! I have yet to see a neurologist and my dose will be incresed for sure. The ER Dr. was who prescribed the med. I was very scared, but didn't want anymore seziures! Hope I don't have any more side effects, when they increse my dosage. Only on 25mg at the moment. Good Luck to all! | F | 37 | 1 months | 4/28/2009 | 5 | bipolar II | none | i am taking 150mg/day for extreme hypomanic episodes. i was also on 25mg zoloft and 10mg ambien but i got pulled off the zoloft b/c i was having extreme mood swings. off the zoloft i am feeling better but i am still manic. the ambien is to help me sleep b/c when i am manic i stay up 48 hrs + at a time. my psychiatrist is going to bump me to 200mg this week. hopefully it can help level out my manic/depressive phases and get me back to some equilibrium. i find that i take a certain dosage for a while that helps and then it suddenly doesnt work so i have to bump the dosage up. | F | 31 | 4 months | 4/29/2009 | 5 | Bipolar NOS | insomnia and very mild acne | My daughter (10) has been on Lamictal for just over a month. We have definitely noticed improvement in her moods and ability to cope with change and stress. She began at the 25mg dose, went to 50 after 2 weeks, and just started the 75mg in week 4. After a couple of weeks on that she will be at her target dose of 100mg. One thing I have noticed is that while she still gets angry and can be rude, she is not out of control in the way she used to be. She is a good kid and we always knew she did not want to lash out or break things when she got upset; she just couldn't control her anger. Now she seems to have a fighting chance at self-control. The only side effects we have seen are a couple of pimples on her chin and some trouble falling asleep at night. | F | 10 | 1 months | 5/5/2009 | 5 | bipolar | none | I love this med! I have had no side effects with this medication, which is amazing because I usually am very sensitive to meds. I have taken it for a long time, and have tried to ween off of it due to the cost. I was unable to do so as it always sent me into a deep depression. Staying on it has been the solution to the ugly depression side of the bipolar. | F | 37 | 10 years | 5/6/2009 | 5 | PTSD | Overheated, dehydrated, mild ringing in ears, vivid realistic dreams, mild lower g.i. discomfort, occasional sensation that ants are crawling up arms or legs, irritated scalp, decreased flexibility (hard to stand up straight after sitting because hip muscles are so sore) | Although I'm on the lowest dose (25), this has given me back much of my former, happy-go-lucky personality after twelve years of suicidal impulses, partial dissociation, and inability to get anything done or to enjoy anything. The only other thing I take is Paxil and this counteracts the sleepy stupor from that, too. Although I get jolted awake from intense dreams in the morning, I'm not groggy with racing thoughts for the first time that I can remember and the usual triggers don't give me flashbacks. My thoughts are in sync with my feelings instead of being separate. I hope I don't get "the rash" or lose my hair over this because it's a miracle drug for me although I'm apprehensive about possible liver damage from it. The side effects are discouraging reminders of what I've been through, but they're worth it to be able to have normal moods and handle things like cooking and laundry again without a huge effort. | F | 47 | 3 weeks | 7/27/2008 | 5 | Bipolar II | Initially hypomanic, which was a huge improvement from the suicidal depression I was experiencing, but I never felt totally out of control. This lasted quite a while. Have had some issues with memory and balance - not too severe though. In the past 8 months, I have noticed an increased appetite from 8 to 10 at night (I take Lamictal @ 6); it's a true hunger, not emotional eating. Also, someone mentioned breast size increase -ditto for me. | Actually, have felt truly "normal" for the most prolonged period of my life which is why this gets a 5 for me. I do take it with mirtazapine. I do work out regularly and try to make good food choices in order to combat the 10 lbs I've gained. | F | 49 | 2 years | 8/11/2008 | 5 | Bipolar type II | Nausea | F | 40 | 2 years | 8/13/2008 | 5 | manic depression | I experience significant body temperate swings, to the extent that I must sit outside or in front of a high-speed fan to try to cool down enough to stop dripping sweat. For example, I had to stop blow drying my hair as it takes about an hour to cool down enough to put on clothing or lotion; my husband is going nuts because I want the house at 65F all the time. I take 300mg/day (150 2x/day). | Barring the temperature swings, Lamictal has been a fantastic medication and regulates my mood wonderfully. Benefits include decreased anxiey, mood regulation, patience, and I can now sleep. | F | 37 | 2 years | 8/19/2008 | 5 | epilepsy | nothing bad - lost some weight, feel much more grounded, NO seizures or even partial seizures at ALL (Neurontin is like nothing now that I see how much better Lamictal works). I'm very grateful for it. I take 300 mg right now. My typing is messed up and I do mix up words sometimes. Minor compared to loosing my drivers license because of epilepsy. | DO NOT EVER TAKE MORE THAN YOUR DOSE!!!!!!! I was at the airport the other day, threw up this huge starbucks coffee. I figured, well I must have thrown up my lamictal because I had just taken it. So I took another 300 MG. within 20 minutes I was knocked out and could barely see, had to be taken off the plane in a wheelchair and (not to sound tacky,) it was like the worst psychedellic bad trip I could possibly imagine. My short term memory is now shot. I hope it didn't cause any damage to my brain I won't stop taking it though, because it sure helps my seizures. | F | 38 | 5 months | 8/19/2008 | 5 | Help with mood swings | Weight Gain, Dizziness if missed | It is so expensive if you do not have health insurance. It really will help you if you are not using drugs or drinking with it. The only way these medications will work is if you allow them to. Getting off of it is suppose to be difficult. | F | 19 | 3 years | 8/20/2008 | 5 | F | 31 | 1.5 years | 8/23/2008 | 5 | Bipolar I | Memory deficits in certain areas (remembering names/activities/dates, but my doctor told me that this may be a result of my manic/depressed episodes), body acne. When I forget to take a dose, I become manic, so I have to use an add on to bring me back to baseline. | Lamictal is a wonderful medication and has probably saved my life. I had an eating disorder when I was younger and thoroughly researched all the different meds because I refused to be placed on anything that made me gain any weight. Lamictal was weight neutral for me with very few side effects. Follow your doctor's orders though and increase your dose slowly. I went off it once and tried to put myself back on it quickly and got the rash on my face. It made me learn my lesson. When used properly, it's a wonderful maintenance med. For the body acne, there are different ways to treat it. Honestly, I am so forgetful that it is partially my fault that it hasn't gone away. | F | 25 | 2.5 years | 9/15/2008 | 5 | Migraines | Hair loss. | I suffered from migraines every day. This medicine has been my life saver!! I have not had a migraine in two years, but now I am experiencing hair loss. I am concerned. | F | 45 | 2 years | 9/29/2008 | 5 | Bipolar II | Sore muscles (went away). Memory problems- really bad at first, but has gotten much better. Still a little absentminded, but I'm okay with that. More forgetful especially when tired. Insomnia- but I have always had it, so I don't know if this makes it worse or not. Acne-unfortunately, that hasn't cleared up- now I see a dermatologist. | Like someone said earlier- it has saved my life. I wasn't able to really see just how sick I was before until I had taken Lamictal (and I did feel it fairly soon after I started- maybe a week to 10 days). I've been pretty stable on it for the most part, except for during my period- I doesn't work as well during that time and that sucks.I currently take 300 mg per day and have for about a year and a half. It hasn't felt as effective for the past couple of months, but I see my p-doc today and she might titrate me up (she says there is room to do that)or add something. On the whole- sooooo worth it ! | F | 39 | 1 years | 9/30/2008 | 5 | Mood swings,PTSD,ADHA | Terrible Headaches and slight vertigo the first month. No other physical or emotional side effects. | This drug really changed my life!I had tried so many things with little success and I was so tired of everyone saying that I wasn't myself or I seemed so different. I knew they were right but didn't know what to do!I have taken Paxil (evil Drug),zoloft,wellbutrin XL & Lexapro. All made me functional but not level. After a month on Lamictal, the fog lifted and I was pretty angry about the haze I had been living in for 6 yrs! For the first time, It was a GOOD angry! Family and friends were amazed. 100mg Lamictal with 20mg Adderall XR was my magic cocktail! I am focused,level and still have a very normal range of emotion. No more zombie! The first month I had Terrible headaches but they subsided after I started taking the pill in the morning.I also consumed as much Gatorade as I could hold and the headaches stopped. Hormone flux still triggers the headaches from time to time but very rarely. My doc and I worked hard to find this mix and I couldn't be more happy. Seriously,I'm happy, for the first time in a long time! No more freaking out,crying for no reason,hopelessness or dread about the future. This medicine gave me my life back where the others made it barely tolerable. I know my side effects were mild but if you have tried the "basics" and mood swings are your trouble, this might be worth a try. Good luck! | F | 35 | 2 years | 6/16/2009 | 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 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | WEight gain | very helpful; gave me complete stability; prevented manic episodes | F | 37 | 3 years | 8/11/2009 | 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 |