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 | Bipolar II | At 300 mg, lingering side effects (after initial adjustment): dry mouth, slight weight gain, some slight memory problems, tiredness, inability to drink alcohol. I'm also taking lithium, so that could be responsible for some of these. | This med was terrible to start. It took me a month of feeling horrible, exhausted, and uncomfortable in my own skin before things started to get better. I did bump my dose up to 300 all at once (in a few weeks) instead of increasing and waiting and feeling icky over the course of several months. I would increase in this way again, though. I have tried so many drugs, and this been the most effective with the least side effects so far. It controls my highs and lows well, especially the lows. I am a little "fuzzier", but at least I am functional and going to work and school. I am quite pleased with it. | F | 23 | 2 years | 12/16/2007 | 5 | BI-POLAR | NONE | I'VE BEEN TAKING PAXIL AND GEODON AND HAVE GAINED 45 LBS. DOCTOR HAS STARTED ME ON LAMICTAL AND LEXAPRO AND PLANS TO DISCONTINUE THE LEXAPRO IN A FEW WEEKS. I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE HAIR LOSS THAT I'VE BEEN READING ABOUT. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF SOME OF YOU WITH HAIR LOSS WOULD EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW HOW THEY FIRST STARTED NOTICING IT AND IF IT WAS GRADUAL OR QUICK. I WOULD RATHER BE FAT THAN BALD. | F | 40 | 5 weeks | 12/17/2007 | 5 | bipolar II with depression | I crave sugar and chocolate. I have never felt better though. My depression is gone and I feel like I can handle life. the dark cloud has lifted and I feel hopeful all day long. Life is good again with no mania. | F | 50 | 2 months | 12/20/2007 | 5 | bi-polar I | None | I take 600mg daily and have done so for more than 2 yrs. It took a while to titrate my dosage up to present amount. I think that is the key to getting the most out to the drug. It has helped shorten my depressed states. I feel less sucidal on a daily basis. | F | 46 | 2 years | 1/3/2008 | 5 | Major depression Panic/anxiety | none that I can relate directly, without there being other explainations as well | I love it. After the hurricane my current med wasn't cutting it. For over a year I felt stuck in the panic,fear, and sever feelings of not feeling safe. I did every thing I could to feel safe again. I was in therapy, and having a history of extreme PTSD, I am use to fighting and doing everything possible to help myself, but nothing worked. My brain felt stuck. Lemectil released it. It didn't solve everything, but at least I'm battleing on flat ground. One thing I wish people would remember when they post. Just because the drug didn't work for you doesn't mean it sucks. I've taken numerous other meds that didn't help me, but have helped others. Bodies are different as is our responses to the med. | F | 32 | 1 years | 1/19/2008 | 5 | Petite mal seizures | acne, not being able to consintrate or find words(family gets a kick out of my new vocabulary) sleeplessness, blurred vision, definitely wished i had the weightloss | I started having seizures 18 years after I had brain surgery for an anuerysm. There is a metal clip in my head that eventually moved which I guess is normal for some people that have had the same surgery. I have had 4 seizures total in the 21/2 years I have been on Lamictal. The side effects are nothing to me, I can deal with them compared to the seizures. I am on 600mgs a day. They just upped my dosage 1wk ago do to a seizure. I had some really bad side effects the third day of taking the new dose. They were vertigo, dizziness, slurred speech,nausea,blurred vision,and moodswings. I had never experienced these side effects any other time that they upped my dose before. Very scary, but I'm glad that I am taking Lamictal it works for me. | F | 49 | 2 days | 1/24/2008 | 5 | Bipolar II | Titrated up to 250 mg (150 in am, 100 in pm)...also on Camila (progestin only) bc pill, so supposedly it's like i'm on a half dose, but I've gotten conflicting info about that. Also 75 mg Effexor. Extra sleepy, less bad side effects from drinking (although I've basically quit bc the med works SO much better when I'm alcohol-free), recently some of the large bumpy acne (bummer), maybe some difficulty w/ short term memory & coordination early on, but that's not seeming to be a problem now. I have a two year old daughter who I am gradually weaning off breastfeeding and she has had no adverse effects. | I love this med. Took me a long time to get comfortable with the dosage & its effects, but that may have been from drinking alcohol. I'm not sure about mixing it with caffeine (which I drink more of to counteract the sleepiness). If anyone has knowledge/experience, please email me? I used to have crazy rages and mood swings and the complete inability to react sanely even when i knew I was being irrational. My marriage and parenting are 100% better, I don't have resentful panic episodes around my in-laws, I can basically tolerate people who used to be very triggering, I am more patient and content and can find enthusiasm for simple pleasures (before,life was something to be endured, and the constant racing thoughts and worry were really miserable). The Effexor has made my depression pretty much nil over the years, but the hypomania has been miserable, and that has all but lifted. I am also a member of a twelve step program for compulsive overeating and bulimia. I can say t | F | 32 | 5.5 months | 1/24/2008 | 5 | PTSD | Inital headaches and itchy sensation (no rash) | After the first 3 weeks the side effects are non existant. I have found taking Lamictal 2 x 25mg per day and prozac 20mg that I feel as near to normal without PTSD or depression. It is trial and error with this meds - but this is a good mix for me. | F | 46 | 60 days | 1/29/2008 | 5 | depression, possible bipolar 2 | Dumbed down a bit with word recall | This is my third try with lamictal and I am very happy. I have been situational depressed for about 10 months and did terrible on effexor and cymbalta. The first time I tried lamictal, I had great relief with the 25 mg, then pdoc ramped up to 100 mg, giving me the most God awful muscle aches, so off I went. Second time was with in combination with effexor and it didn't help - now I realize it was the effexor I wasn't tolerating. So after I had my tubes tied and no longer have to take birth control pills - which messes with the efficacy of lamictal - I am back on at only 25 mg for about 2 weeks and I am not going any higher. I haven't felt this good in a long time. I am also going to talk therapy which I believe is helping too. | F | 33 | 14 days | 1/29/2008 | 5 | mood swings,rage, depression | little or no side effects | I am very satisfied with drug.. I wish I started it along time ago. I am happier, feel better, I don't yell and scream and get upset like I used to.. People around me have also noticed the difference, especially my husband! He wanted me to "thank" my doctor for this miracle pill, and I sure did. I will take this pill as long as I have to, and highly recommend it to anyone out there that has tried everything else like I did! | F | 30 | 21 days | 2/1/2008 | 5 | Bipolar II - rapid cycling | The first few months I had some issues with getting to sleep and vivid dreaming, but this was remedied by taking it in the morning. The first month I experienced some mild euphoria which occasionally bordered hypomania, and when I increased the dose I would often experience some hypomania for a short while (a day maybe). I had some difficulty in word recall and moments of "going blank," which would increase briefly each time I went up in dosage, but it's leveled off to fairly minimal, definitely manageable. I titrated slowly starting at 25mg (very important), and reached 200mg in a few months. I'm currently at 250/300 due to increased stress in my life, but 200mg worked fine normally. After a couple months, I really had no side effects at all except some continued difficulty in word recall. | This drug has been great in helping with stabilization of my moods, which often fluctuated a few times a day. And comparatively to the other mood stabilizers out there, the side effect profile is awesome. The word recall thing is annoying but it's better than feeling manically suicidal one hour and planning world domination the next. Some people get tired on it whereas others get insomnia if they take it at night, so experiment at first. Side effects are minimized if you start low (25mg) and titrate real slow, and you're less likely to have a bad reaction. I promise you, just stick with it for a couple months and the worst of it, if not all, will go away. Oh, and while I did get a little extra sensitive to certain cosmetic products at first, unless you get "THE" rash, keep with it (with approval of your doc of course) | F | 20 | 1.5 years | 2/1/2008 | 5 | Epilepsy | Slower thought processing, slight memory loss, bruise easily, weight loss, seizures during pregnancy. | This drug has been excellent in controlling my seizures with very little side effects compared to others I have taken such as Dilantin and Tegretal. The only time in 3 years that I have had a problem was when I had 4 seizures during the pregnancy (but probably due to changing blood levels and the need to increase medication more quickly). Also, I have noticed that the medication has made me think a little slower and more irrationally. I'm not positive that this is due to the medication but I have slowly noticed that I feel like my thought process has been slower - ie- forgetting things, not being able to find the right words when I talk, unable to recall dates and names, and overall just being slow to process information. I am usally a quick thinker, great at trivia and speaking, but since I have been on Lamictal I have a hard time with these things. | F | 30 | 3 years | 2/5/2005 | 5 | refractory bipolar depression | nothing because of the allergic reaction to stimulation of seratonin in my brain with all antidepressants and litium and cabazatine and depacote and mifepristone. all antidepressants are poison and caused me to have radiofrequncy catheter ablation on my heart. lithium is deadly and the rest of seizure meds causes psychosis | gave me energy made me feel normal and happy like i was before the excrutating illness that i had-no more suicide attempt which scared be physically and emotionally since the age of 15.life ends at 15 and begins again at 45 | F | 45 | 8 months | 2/9/2005 | 5 | bipolar 1 | some hairloss early on, resolved over time | Best yet. Stable for 2+ yrs. Wonderful that it helps with depression. Nice to only take one med. | F | 51 | 2 years | 2/11/2005 | 5 | depression and mild bypolar 2no | none | one day after taking it i felt much better it was ammazing | F | 63 | 4 days | 3/30/2005 | 5 | depression and mild bypolar 2no | none | one day after taking it i felt much better it was ammazing | F | 63 | 4 days | 3/30/2005 | 5 | anti-depression/bipolar | none. | i've been on this medication for almost 2 years. Its improved my life emensely. | F | 20 | 22 months | 3/25/2005 | 5 | bi-polar 2 or less | Have urgent diarrhea in AM. Now intestinal problem afternoon including gas.(Hope it's something elst) A little dizzy at first and sometimes sleepy. | On my 9th day at 25 mg. Cannot believe the difference!! No more racing thoughts. I can catch a negative thought before it fully forms and nix it. Happier, optomistic, much, much, more focused. Also have ADD. Ritalin may help with drowseyness. ALL SSRI's make me nuts! PZAC, WeLbutrin, Totally Manic. Lamictal is so far a life saver. | F | 47 | 9 days | 4/20/2005 | 5 | bipolar | very vivid dreams, | i was diagnosed last year, and since then have tried lithium and depakote.with lithium i was manic/giddy, with depakote i gained a lot of weight, and felt lifeless and depressed, but then i started taking lamictal, and i haven't felt this great in a realllly long time | F | 18 | 5 days | 4/22/2005 | 5 | bipolar | very vivid dreams, | i was diagnosed last year, and since then have tried lithium and depakote.with lithium i was manic/giddy, with depakote i gained a lot of weight, and felt lifeless and depressed, but then i started taking lamictal, and i haven't felt this great in a realllly long time | F | 18 | 5 months | 4/22/2005 |