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 | Bi Polar disorder, depression | None really. Possible sexual dysfunction | Been on it a year now. I also take Prozac and Seroquel. I have found this combination to be the most effective of any I have ever had! I have struggled with depression my entire life. I have taken most antidepressants on the market, as well as Depacote for Bi Polar disorder. I am very pleased, I actually wake up a lot of mornings in an optimistic mood. That never used to happen. Sometimes I can't believe how good I feel and wonder if it's for real. If I don't take Lamictal, I experience a complete drop off in about 5 days, tired and not social at all. Once I get back on it, in about 4-5 days, I can really see the difference. NOTE to users: if you get a rash from this, you are supposed to discontinue this medication AT ONCE. Personally, I have no side effects. | M | 35 | 1 years | 10/8/2006 | 5 | Bipolar II | Occasional confusion regarding word selection, similar to non-medicated | This is a very effective medication for BPDII. I use as monotherapy. This is the first time I can remeber feeling normal, whatever that means. The mood stabilization offers me the opportunity to deal with other underlying issues in BPDII. As a patient, I strongly recommend for depressives now identified as having more than clinical depression. | M | 50 | 1.5 years | 7/27/2005 | 5 | Bipolar II | Occasional confusion regarding word selection, similar to non-medicated | This is a very effective medication for BPDII. I use as monotherapy. This is the first time I can remeber feeling normal, whatever that means. The mood stabilization offers me the opportunity to deal with other underlying issues in BPDII. As a patient, I strongly recommend for depressives now identified as having more than clinical depression. | M | 50 | 1.5 years | 7/27/2005 | 5 | Mood stabalizer / bipolar | feeling lethargic/exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, feeling in a mental "fog"/short-term memory loss. | ****ADVICE FOR ANYONE TAKING LAMICTAL**** There is a way to minimize side effects relating to mental functioning and memory, almost eliminating them, that I works very well for people other than myself. Try it!: Take the Lamictal only in the morning. Taking it in the evening seems to negatively effect memory. After you take your regular dosage, ***go back to sleep*** for a period of half an hour to an hour. When I took it on my way out the door, I was in a "fog" for a few hours and had similar problems with intellectual functioning that I've read about on this site. When I set an alarm to take the lamictal in the morning and go back to sleep (not just lie down), the negative cognative side effects are gone! I told my psychiatrist about this, and he reccomended to his other patients to try it, and it worked for them too!!! I would be happy to hear from others if this technique works for others too, and be in touch by email. Overall, This medication has completely saved | M | 26 | 5 years | 5/9/2007 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | Only good side effects - like feeling normal again | The drug has been a savior for me. It worked right away during the first few doses. I am still afraid I might plunge back into depression, but this is understandable since I have been down for so long. I wish all of you the best of luck. Oh, I take Depakote and Zyprexa too. | M | 30 | 3 months | 9/24/2007 | 5 | BP-II | Benefits: **Cancelled chronic depression** Strong vivid dreams (good for me) I'm now focused, disciplined, organized and taking care of myself physically (essential to long term management of my illness). Side effects: I may be having a slight problem with jumbled speech, but my thoughts are coherent, and I'm able to catch my mistakes and correct them (something you rarely do when in the grip of mania). Lamictal may also be causing me some insomnia, so I take the dose (500 mg) in the morning, and take a sleep aid at night. Possible interactions: Gabapenten tolerance excellent. Abilify caused extreme hypomania. I stopped Abilify after only one month. Seroquel (100-200mg) caused severe tardive kinesis, sluggish thought, impaired short term memory, and sleepiness. | I've been taking the drug since about 1999 with excellent results and minimal side effects. Mood stabilization is excellent. Anti depressive effects are excellent. In short, this drug is a god-send for me. | M | 35 | 8 years | 5/31/2007 | 5 | Diagnosed bipolar | Horrible rash that lasted for two weeks. I looked like a lobster and the rash turned my skin every shade from dark grey (around my crotch, nonetheless) to dark purple to crimson to pink. My skin began to flake. I racked up dermatology bills which included a biopsy that left a scar. This allergic reaction had a significant impact upon my life. People started asking questions at work and I spent a lot of money/insurance determining what was wrong with me. I was told that this reaction is extremeley rare. Even rarer was the fact that I didn't develop this reaction until after a year of very successful treatment. I was on a relatively small dose...50mg every morning combined with one 200mg (I think)Depakote in the morning and one at night. Fortunately, the rash went away when I stopped the meds and didn't develop into the dangerous Stephen Johnson syndrome. If you experience a rash of any sort, DISCONTINUE ASAP!!!!! and contact your doctor. I am now experimenting with Seroquel and I'm havi | The lamictal, in combination with the depakote, was a dream come true for me. I functioned wonderfully for well over a year on this combo. Unfortunately, my body rejected the lamictil and I had to stop the therapy. Depakote alone was not effective and caused weight gain. I suffered no ill sexual side effects from this medication. This drug really took away the depression! Wonderful! However, I'm very disparaged that I can no longer take it. | M | 28 | 1.5 years | 8/9/2007 | 5 | BP I | Fatigue, tiredness. I am a little more cranky than when I was on Prozac, but the crankiness may be due to the fatigue. ANy ideas in how to combat the fatique? I feel like I should own stock in Starbucks for the amount of caffiene I am ingesting! | Lamictal has picked up my sex life, but not in a manic-sort of way. I would recommend it to anyone. I've been on SSRI's for 13 years, and definitely am doing much better on Lamictal, without the SSRI | M | 49 | 2 months | 6/6/2007 | 5 | Bipolar 2 | I take a combination of drugs so to pin anyone side effect on lamictal would be difficult. I have vivid lucid (pleasant) dreams which could also be attributed to lamictal or Seroquel. I have a decreased libido, but I blame that on the Zoloft | I lived with anxiety Depression and OCD for 8 years. I take 200 MG's and this drug and it is a life saver. It stopped my uncontrollable outburst in public, my suicidal thoughts, and my nervous shaking hand. I can go outside and not feel like I am constantly under attack or like someone is going to punch me in the back of the head. For the most part I feel great and like a normalish person. I wouldn't write this drug off it has enormous benefits, the side effects are a little price to pay for greater good this drug does. | M | 26 | 2 years | 4/11/2007 | 5 | Moderate Bi-Polar/Cyclothymia | Dizziness and upset stomach, which has improved over time. Vivid dreams, but no nightmares, which someone else pointed out. In terms of speech problems, I've always mumbled and mixed up words, which has gotten better from taking my time when speaking, even if it is slower. The lamictal certainly hasn't helped with this. My ever-persistent insomnia has only gotten worse, as I have moderate bi-polar disorder and, according to my doctors, this seems to be the result of the medicine only treating the depression phases. | Lamictal is a wonderful drug. It has done wonders to help me function by taking away my depression, has improved my overall mood (not too much like an SSRI), and has helped me maintain order in my formerly messy lifestyle. Moreover, the side-effects have been minimal, and I have been able to deal with most of them. Finally, I've noticed a marked depression when I'm off my meds for only a few days time, end up sleeping in to ungodly hours, and can hardly focus or get work done. I'm thrilled that this med alone has helped me remarkably, and that I have yet to need any stronger meds after about 9 months on it. | M | 22 | 9 months | 10/18/2007 | 5 | Depression/GAD | Some itching, random pain but nothing lasting more than a few seconds. slight vision change, night sweats, no headaches this time. | This is the third time trying Lamictal but this time I am only on Ativan with it. It has worked wonders with both the depression and GAD. I was taking 2-3mg of Ativan a day and now just .5mg in the morning and 1mg at night. I am on 32.5mg of Lamictal, thats 25mg in the morning and 12.5 at night. The side effects are nothing compared to all the other meds I have tried over the past 4 years. I feel more alive and positive and I smile a lot more just because I feel good. | M | 43 | 1 months | 10/18/2007 | 5 | BiPolar II | Dry mouth, night sweats | After a recent suicide attempt I was finally diagnosed as BiPolar. It has been such a relief to have a name to put on this roller coaster of a life. So far the Lamictal has kept me level, which is such a relief. I feel like I can start putting my life back together. | M | 50 | 1 months | 5/24/2007 | 5 | Bipolar Disorder | none | This is the second time I have taken Lamictal. It worked the first time, but I stopped taking when I felt better - i.e. denial of Bipolar disorder. It seemed to work on the very first dose. It also seems to have prevented withdrawal symptoms I was expecting from Effexor XR. I am also on Zyprexa and Depakote. I hope I can do Lamictal long term. | M | 30 | 2 days | 9/24/2007 | 5 | Bi Polar 1 | Loss of words at first, but that's gotten better. Slightly, (very slightly) blurred vision on really small print. But then again, I'm 40 so... My view on relationships are less jealous and insecure than before I took it. I see things for what they really are, not some weird kind of feeling that my girlfriend is hiding something or cheating on me. | This is an update to a post I wrote on August 7. This medicine is really a Godsend. I've been at 200 mg for 4 months and it seems to really be working well. At first I said that the Euphoric feeling has subsided, but I feel "Really Good" most of the time. Work productivity is greatly increased and lots more consistant. I feel like I've got my life back. If you dont react with a rash, I'd recommend that you try it. The real effect for me started at 60 days after starting. My feelings moved between "good" and "fair". Now they've increased to "good" to "very good". | M | 40 | 75 days | 9/19/2007 | 5 | Bipolar I | not so bothersome: vivid dreams, weight loss, decreased appetite (compared to increased from Depakote, drastic improvement in menstrual pain/ it cured my dysmennorrea./// bothersome, but livable: slight word recall trouble/ speaking difficulties, some mental cloudiness and listlessness (but then again, i graduated magna cum laude on it), incredibly easy bruising, break through bleeding during ovulation which stopped after 10 months on it (but this could be due to stress) | A godsend. I was miserable on Depakote, which I was placed on during my first (and only) manic episode. I taped off Depakote and onto Lamictal. I lost 20 pounds and felt I had returned to normal. I felt/feel saner than ever. Mood improvement,it took the edge of my frequent spells of anxious depression and erased signs of mania. I excelled in school and personal life. hope it keeps working for me and I hope it causes no long term damage. anyway, it saved my life. the side effects do not interfere with my life. but if i miss a pill, my hands shake uncontrollably and i feel horrible. so dont miss doses. and do not go onto estrogen-containing contraceptives as they cause fluctuations in lamictal blood levels. try to use a progestin only mini pill. i am trying that now. i also feel that an increased libido is due to the general increase in well being that lamictal engenders. I am most bothered by the mental effects, but i get by just fine and am still known as highly verbal a | M | 22 | 11 months | 7/31/2007 | 5 | mood swings | dry mouth. | I am on the same cocktail as #6. It rocks. The fluoxetine takes away the anxiety. The wellbutrin addresses the resulting lethargy and lack of motivation. I was on those two for two years, then my mood swings got worse. The lamictal made me and my family much happier. The biggest change in cognition is that I can now remember 7-9 digit numbers again. That was a huge struggle on just the other two meds. | M | 42 | 2 years | 8/29/2007 | 5 | Bipolar | I have short term memory loss and some problems sleeping although the sleeplessness is generally treatable. I was getting more and more clumsy (I would be bending down, start to fall and could not stop myself) and on a checkup asked my internist about it. Her research into Lamictal showed clumsiness as a rare but noted side effect. Oh joy! | I take this in combination with Wellbutrin which I have taken now for some time. Switching to a new doctor really made a difference as he changed my diagnosis and life has been so different since then. We had some trouble getting started on Lamictal as a rash appeared early on but I was sure it was a topical allergic reaction. We stopped the Lamictal and then tried it again four months later with no problems. I have been increased and am on a fairly middle of the road dosage. At this point I don't see problems and I feel extremely better than those horrible "Low" periods which are unnverving. As much as I HATE taking medications, I really think this one is the answer to what goes on inside of me. I'm happy! And that... is what it's all about. | M | 56 | 1 years | 9/17/2007 | 5 | Major Depression | Blurred Vision, Bruising Easily, and Serious Weight Gain. | I was diagnosed with OCD and major depression. Have had these problems for as long as I can remember. However I did not seek treatment until 5 years ago. I have been prescribed almost every antidepressant out there. Most would start out working then stop. Finally I was prescribed the max dose of prozac (80mg) and it completly took care of the OCD. I just didn't care. However, depression and feeling exhausted was still an issue. So, my doc augmented the prozac with everything from provigil to adderall. Then not only was I depressed, but I was anxious. THEN, as I was about to give up on the whole medication thing, she gave me lamictal. Starts out really slow, but once I got above 100mg, it's been amazing. My entire preception on life has changed, I have energy, I have empathy, I feel connected to people. I do not coward away in social situations. I laugh and joke, have confidence and do not take things so seriously. I feel NORMAL! Try this drug and give it time to wor | M | 29 | 3 months | 4/19/2007 | 5 | Depression | Vivid Dreams at onset | Added Lamictal to Zoloft regimen 2 yrs. ago, then switched from Zoloft to Effexor XR a yr. ago. Now, I take 200 Lamictal + 187.5 Effexor XR, and things are much smoother. It's not a cure-all, but former life irritants (work, other people!) are now mild annoyances, if anything. Tried "weaning" myself to 175 mg a month ago, but noticed recurring irritability, depression. Went back to 200 mg. a week ago, and feel much better. I'm incredibly sensitive to most drugs. A question: I see some people take their doses once-a-day, and others twice. I take mine once, but what's the conventional wisdom on this? (I know it has a short half-life). | M | 38 | 2 years | 4/22/2007 | 5 | seizures | More energy and concentration, less mood swings | M | 32 | 3 years | 7/16/2007 |