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 |
| 3 | Bi Polar and Borderline PD | I've had excruciating migraines, severe lower back pain, sleeping problems, the first few weeks I had loss of coordination, fuzzy head, felt like i was drugged- like i couldnt get out of bed. It was very hard to get accustomed to. So after about 6 weeks my doctor prescribed 200mg a day. So now after a week and a couple days on this doseage I feel a little like a zombie- I am still irritable, impatient, loss of memory and the migraines and back pain are still present.Still don't know if its working.. I'll get back to you in a couple weeks..lol | I've got almost 2 months invested into this medication and supposedly its the only mood stabilizer that is "weight neutral" supposedly anyway, I personally haven't noticed any change in weight. The weight thing is a huge issue for me so I'm really hoping this medication will begin to work for me. | F | 36 | 7 weeks 200mg 1X day | 10/5/2010 | 3 | Bipolar II/Soft Bipolar | At first nothing specific, at 25 mg once a day. Now have been on 50 mg for about 5 days and am getting excruciating pain in the back left side of my head. When I bumped up to 50 mg the first day I did have some dizziness and "brain zaps" but only on first day. | I thought the head pain was from a previous neck issue, but after reading some of the comments on this site, I'm wondering if it's the drug. I will be calling my doctor in the morning and dropping my dose down tonight when I'm due to take it. Overall it seems to be making me feel more even keeled, but not worth the pain at this point. | F | 34 | 20 days 50 mg 1X day | 11/7/2010 | 3 | Bipolar I | Constepation, insomnia, acne, terrible memory, weight gain, hair loss, red bumps on chest, headaches | It's okay. I mean, I still feel the shifts in my bipolar. But I'm probably not as crazy as I would be without it so yeah, it's chill, fo' sho'. | F | 16 | 3 years 200mg 1X day | 5/17/2010 | 3 | bi-polar | I was on 100mg and all I would do is eat. I would wake up in the night to get food. I ended up gaining 40 pounds and was so depressed I didn't leave the house for months. The solution I came up with was to cut the dosage in half, not eat junk food and exercise often. | F | 38 | 2 years 50 1X day | 7/2/2010 | 3 | Bipolar | I feel dizzy, not energetic, monotone, my memory is not so sharp and I have trouble focusing. Over all it has kept me very stable and worked but I do not want to deal with these side affects for my whole life. Everyone is different though. | F | 19 | 3 years 100mg 1X day | 7/21/2010 | 3 | mood / depression | originally better sleep; over time, major weight gain; sluggishness | Originally worked my way up to 300 mg / day .. .this helped tremendously to stabilize my mood as well allow me to get restorative sleep that helped with other issues with joint and connective tissue disease. After several months realized that i had gained weight and my toned stomach and legs turned to jelly. Typically, I've always been a thin person and this felt like it really changed my personna and made me feel sluggish. Couldn't get the energy to work out, etc. Ended up cutting back to 100 / 200 depending. Now, I don't get the restorative sleep but some of the weight has started to come off. I also went back on my 40 mg/prozac a day. Cumulatively, the lamictal just made me feel more depressed. | F | 53 | 4 months 100 2X day | 7/25/2010 | 3 | bipolar | Weight gain,very short term memory Ok, within a few hours, but words get mixed up, like I am dyslexic. Inability to remember short term events. It helped well, initially, but I require an increase in dose and became MORE agitated and my liver enzymes went sky high. | This helped, more than any other med I have taken, however, I have found that I am not nearly as creative or sentient to my environment as I was previously. | F | 45 | 3 years 200 mg 1X day | 3/5/2010 | 3 | depression | severe headaches, each day nightmares | I had no mood swings during taking this med, no depressions. | F | 29 | 6 months 250 mg 2X day | 3/6/2010 | 3 | Bipolar Depression | HORRIBLE Memory Loss, forgetfulness, can't concentrate. | While it's definitely helped with the depression, the amount that it has affected my memory and concentration has made going back to college and into the medical field, difficult and scary for me. | F | 25 | 1.5 years 150mg 1X day | 3/13/2010 | 3 | Bipolar II/Rapid Cycling | Serious difficulty focusing my eyes when reading or typing. I’m in grad school and enjoy reading but the constant struggle to see made reading miserable. Drug worked well to soften the depressive parts of the cycle and it took the edge off of the manic peaks, but did nothing for reduce anxiety. I was tense ALL the time and had difficulty falling asleep. Usually I can get up and out the door quickly but since taking the drug getting out of bed in the morning is EXTREMELY difficult. My body just doesn’t cooperate the first time around. | Worst side-effect is WEIGHT GAIN. I am very active, work-out 4-5 times a week and eat a super healthy diet. I never had trouble managing weight before so when my weight started to creep up as soon as I got on the drug I was worried. Ironically I had a lot more energy to exercise, but despite an even more rigorous routine I still couldn’t lose a single pound, no matter what I did. Before if I gain a little weight over the holidays I was always able to easily shed it in a few weeks. Since September 2009 I gained 13pounds! I’m off the drug now and looking for other alternatives. Overall I was happy with this med, but constant weight gain is a deal breaker for me. | F | 26 | 6 months 100 1X day | 3/31/2010 | 3 | Mood swings, depression, anxiety | short term memory loss, nervousness, stumbling over words, trouble recalling words, loss of train of thought, hair loss, acne, became intoxicated very easily | Initially I thought this drug was helping me but after about 6 months I returned to writing and found it extremely hard to concentrate, recall words and hold conversations with people. I felt very dumb compared to my old self. Would get hiper sometimes out of nowhere. Got a new pimple every day and never before this had I experienced acne. You cannot drink on this drug and it is very expensive if you don't have insurance. Cons outweigh benefits. | F | 26 | 11 months 300 MG 1X day | 4/6/2010 | 3 | major depression/bipolar | first 16 months on 150mg, felt great then suicidal,stopped it for a few months, now on 200mg for the last six weeks, I have very significant pins and needles in my hands and wrists whenever I lay down or watch TV in a comfortable position, it is a disturbing feeling even as I am typing now I have pins and needles in my fourth toe. Other than that no noticeable physical side effects. | The first time I was given Lamictal in hospital it seemed to be very effective almost immediately I was stable and functionning well for over a year ( except since that time I started to smoke like a chimney, I was a little smoker previously) then came stressful events and I went down very quickly, suicidal I stopped everything except Seroquel 100mg at night, I got better without medicine against my doctor's advice. Then nine months ago, I was very panicky and fearful, again i was prescribed Lamictal 150mg and I picked up a bit (with Seroquel and Pristic) now I am low again I have been increased to 200mg and 400mg Seroquel 100mg Pristic; I have anxiety, I am self centered and preoccupied, I am now trying to convince myself that I always had a personality disorder I also gained 10 pounds( maybe Seroquel), I want to be lethargic all day and forget the things I need to do, just want to read and watch late night movies, almost scared to venture in the fresh air. I have been treated since 21 years and have been on many things so many I can't recall them including Lithium for a long time. I have almost lost faith in psychiatric drugs, I believe now that they become ineffective after a while (up to a year), then they get lost in the washing cycle of the brain. Naturally I am only speaking for myself, perhaps what I experience is another experience of normality only very twisted as some vegetals in nature can be and this is not a illness. | F | 53 | 9 months 100MG 2X day | 4/8/2010 | 3 | Depression/anxiety | F | 55 | 50 1X day | 2/7/2011 Patient History | 3 | Bipolar 1 | Irritability!!!! Im an all around nice person, but this medication has made me miss. pissy pants! I also have had some paranoia, and really HIGH highs. I told my Dr. right away, and he said that its called hypo mania. Well I have been diagnosed with bipolar 1 for almost 12 years, and let me tell ya, I have never had a manic episode like that before. I am going to give it a chance, because honestly that the only way you can truly rule out a medication...speaking for myself. | F | 24 | 11 days 50mg 1X day | 2/15/2011 | 3 | Bipolar 11 & Depression | Jerking of Limbs, Memory Loss, Weight Gain ?? | Not Sure about this, also taking Seroquel 50 at night to help with sleep. Finding now I am slightly teary most days with no reason not up as previously were and most days now I feel just flat, irritable, irrational , angry with life in general and just fed up totally. Memory is a disaster. Can only sleep with the Seroquel added, Have to go to 200mg of Lamictal and I am on 125mg now. No rashes but headaches on and off. I am not really sure if this is doing anything really as have suffered from " Major Depressive Disorder??" since the age of 12 and after being assessed recently diagnosed with Bipolar 2. I tried Lexipro which gave me the most realistic horrid nightmares I have ever had, Zoloft, Luvox, Prozac you name it, just came of Effexor after many years. So will hang in there for a while and see how this goes. Though the energy level is nil and the memory is crap and I still feel miserable most days but will hang out to the 200mg level and see how its goes from there. | F | 49 | 5 months 125mg 1X day | 3/17/2011 | 3 | Bipolar 1 | Spleepy. I passed out the first night taking 400mg. I still had nightmares and extremem paranoia. I decided to play just before it kicked in and i fell asleep that i would play the "Silva Method" that my dad teaches in his self enhancement course. When i woke up i felt like i could run a marathon. i was so happy i bounced around the house till my father told me to shut up lol. I do believe that lamictal open the sub-conscience. I dream-pt of marriage and love and happiness. Of course i will never meet this man but its strange. Other than that people have reported the same feeling. Its over whelming and i havnt felt depression at all. not even the urge to kill myself like the days passed. | Lamictal and positive energy around you can help. Don't rely on the drug alone. Make an effort to be happy and outgoing. One drug alone can not work a miracle. You must put you foot in the door and say i am leave the room of depression. Carpe Diem | F | 21 | 2 months 400mg 1X day | 4/8/2011 | 3 | For depression | Severe long and short term memory loss. Difficulty finding words to express a concept. Depression breakthrough. WEIGHT GAIN - 60 lbs in 2 years. Increased anxiety attacks. | In 2 years I gained 60 pounds. That was the worst side affect for me. I have ALWAYS been between 130-140 lbs my whole life. The weight crept on. I was originally on Lexapro and Lamictal. I weened myself off Lexapro for the same reason, and it has been difficult in losing the weight, but after 2 months, my metabolism is evening out and I'm losing - but VERY slowly. I have to work twice as hard for every pound. I watch everything I eat, I work out 4-5 times a week, etc. Now, I'm weeing off of Lamictal for similar reasons. Plus, I'm getting breakthrough depression anyways. It has helped some in the way of mood balance, but I'm' never really happy, always forgetful, and as an engineer in my days before Lamictal I had fantastic recall. Now, my memory is shot, and I've had to take a job at my family's business because they know they have to repeat things to me. It is embarrasing. However, I am working hard on that as well. If I knew this medication was going to rob me of my memory and pack on the lbs that would be so difficult to lose, I would have NEVER taken this medicine. My doctor NEVER warned me of these side effects. My old doctor put me on this with the misdiagnosis that I was bipolar, my new doctor read all of my history, and said I was misdiagnosed. So, I'm weeing myself off this drug as well and substituting it with the overwhelming research on the anti-depression characteristics of Fish Oil. I'm taking a combo of Fish oil and and Primrose oil 1 tablespoon | F | 39 | 2 years 200 1X day | 4/20/2011 | 3 | seizure | Memory loss--some long term but mostly short term--lots of trouble with names. Trouble concentrating and reasoning sometimes. Numbness in my face and confusion when I forget a dose. It feels like anesthetic has been injected and the skin on my face is sagging. Low tolerance for stress compared to before I started the med. My job performance has definitely been affected. | The side effects are intermittant--some good days and some not so good. Menopause and stress complicate things. In fact STRESS is a huge factor. I have regained some ability to concentrate since my dad passed away after 6 years of taking care of him. Meditation, exercising, not overscheduling myself, and eating right help. This is literally the only medication I have ever taken, and it has completely stopped my seizures which started three years ago. So I guess the side effects are better than having seizures. Still, I am very worried about not being able to work at some point. Right now I depend quite a bit on friends and my students to help me on the bad days. I guess I would give up driving if I could have my brain power back. But I don't know what it would be like to live with seizures. I have a benign brain tumor which is apparently the cause of those. There are risks if I have brain surgery, principally that the tumor is near my speech center. And, I am told there is no guarantee the seizures would go away after the tumor is removed. | F | 56 | 3 years 200 MG 2X day | 7/8/2011 | 3 | Mood disorder | Headache, nausea, vivid dreams, forgetfulness, confusion, incoordination, sleepiness | I have some sort of mood disorder according to my doctor who said its not BPD because it changes too frequently and I dont do anything super bad like spend all my money or lose my job. Anyways weirdly enough I am fine on 25mg, it makes me more stable and able to focus, quiets my racing mind and makes me much less irritable and able to let things go. On 25mg I still get the dreams but I like them. However, when I went to 50mg, I got bad headaches every day, nausea and was so tired at my job that no matter how much coffee I drank I could not stay awake. I am a PhD candidate and teach and I became so forgetful it was embarrasing. I am normally very quick and I could not continue to take it at that dose so I actually went off it first but I became a nervous wreck so now I"m back on 25mg and doing ok. | F | 34 | 1 months 50 mg 1X day | 7/26/2011 | 3 | Bipolar 1 | Tingling in back of throat, restlessness, a bit hyper, insomnia first few days after that I slept but woke often, vivid dreams (good ones), yawning, tingling in eyeballs. | The side effects were minimal. Didn't like the hyper feeling. Got a lot of work done though. Felt less depressed right away! | F | 58 | 12 days 100mg 1X day | 8/25/2011 |