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 Satisfaction lowest to highest. 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 |
| 2 | depression/gad | made me very "emotional", teary eyed, etc. | made no noticeable difference in my severe depression | M | 49 | 7 months 1X day | 3/7/2011 | 2 | Bipolar 1 | rash, hair loss | The hair loss was extreme. Clumps of hair were falling out from the very first day I took it. After a week on it I got a rash on my back so my doctor told me to stop taking it. I would have insisted I got off it despite the rash because of how much hair I was losing. | F | 31 | 7 days 25 MG 2X day | 2/27/2011 | 2 | MAJOR Mood swings.Anxious,Angry,extreme sadness/depression.Often lethargic,scattered in thoughts.Short term memory definately effected.My eyesights goes wacky at times.Dizzy spells. | This weekend was the final straw for my stint with lamictal.I was just weaned off of effexor & started wellbutrin XL.My doctor started me on Lamictal as well, testing a theory that I may have Bi-Polar 2 (keeping my wellbutrin dose the same).With every increase of Lamictal( & Im not on a high dose compared to alot of you) I got a little more manic. I would burst into tears & actually feel so much sadness it felt like someone I loved had died,or on the flipside I would feel extreme angst,irritability & anger.I am currently attending college fulltime & my short term memory problems have really messed with my test taking.I understand concepts, but no matter how much I study the words escape me.Prior to Lamictal my abilty to remember things may not have been perfect but at least it was there.I lose things constantly ,forget appointments,many times I dont remember having told someone something or if they have told me something.I have dizzy spells & alot of the time I feel like Im in a fog..definately not for me... | F | 45 | 3 months 100 mg 1X day | 2/21/2011 | 2 | Bipolar II | Spaciness, involuntary muscle jerks-esp in neck at night more but also during the day, coordination issues/bumping into things, extreme night sweats, worsening of PMS symptoms both physical and emotional, short term memory loss, fidgety, major sleep issues-can't sleep for more than 3 hrs at a time, vivid dreams/same dream feels like it goes on all night, breakouts of acne (mild), possible weight gain, brain "zaps". (I should add that I am on the generic form.) | I recently started Seroquel as well and have noticed the weight gain more since taking that, so not sure about the Lamictal causing that. I was recently diagnosed as Bipolar II after a bout of fairly bad depression for the first time so I'm also not used to these meds. The side effects concern me, especially the muscle jerks because I have read they can become permanent. I'm actually considering tapering off both the Lamictal and Seroquel myself and just taking my chances. | F | 40 | 3 months 150mg 1X day | 2/2/2011 | 2 | bipolar type 2 | can't focus, don't want to do anything, sex drive increased exponentially to the point in which it actually interferes with my work and life. Excessive hair throughout my body, ACNE as in a bad case of, can't sleep, I think it took my soul away. | This drug did not work for me, I'm considering going off of meds altogether. The one thing it has helped me with is to control anger, I don't snap at my children like I used to and I'm not as suicidal as before. The improvements I've experienced do not compensate for the side effects. | F | 35 | 10 months 200 mg 1X day | 1/6/2011 | 2 | Panic disorder; bipolar I; PTSD | I developed the "life-threatening" rash. A rash on the body caused by Lamictal can somehow spread to your internal organs. | I really liked Lamictal. I thought I finally found a drug to take with Lithium that would make me feel good inside my skin. When I developed the rash, I was told how serious it was, and I was taken off of Lamictal. Am now taking Seroquel and I hate it. | F | 57 | 4 months 400 MG 1X day | 8/24/2010 | 2 | Bipolar/PTSD | At 300mg: dry patches on skin, HAIR LOSS, mild/moderate vaginal irritation, itchy scalp and face, dizzy "buzz" when taken, weird, random tingles in hands, throbbing eyeball. Down At 200mg: just dry patches on skin, mild/moderate vaginal irritation, and HAIR LOSS. Down at 100mg/day: too soon to tell | Lamictal DID HELP my mental state markedly, but I am scared by the side effects. BTW, pdoc suggested using "Nioxin" shampoo etc. to help stop hair loss; too soon to say if it helps. Only other med I take is xanax. | F | 26 | 1.5 months 300mg 1X day | 7/28/2010 | 2 | Bi-Polar II | "Running hot", extreme sensitivity to being hot (though it is the summer, may be less tolerant than others), poor concentration, re-occurrence of bad memories upon going to sleep or rising, smelly farts (I can deal with...sort of), some bladder problems. | Trying Lamictal as a replacement for 750 mg Depakote once daily in the evening. Was trying to get rid of weight gain. Was at 168 lbs and the extra weight was causing a slight borderline increase in liver enzymes. Proper weight should be around 155 lbs. When I discontinued Depakote, I lost weight down to a fluctuating 155 to 158 lbs. Also taking now, as before, 200 mg Wellbutrin once daily in the morning. | M | 43 | 21 days 100 mg 1X day | 6/27/2010 | 2 | partial seizers | Sever yeast infections. I am a forty year old women that has never had a yeast infection until I started taking lamictal. Short term memory loss, can't think of what im going to say, cant think of peoples names, vived dreams, want to cry all the time and I get mad easly. I fell like I am lossing my mind. | I want to go off this medication and try a different one as soon as possible. I am scared to try a new drug, because I am afraid that my seizers will get worse. I had a seizer while I was driving with my son in the car. I had to wait three months before I could drive again. I have a huge fear of it happening agian. I work full time as a teachers aid, I am scared the side effects are going to effect my job, and or have a seizer at school. I don't know if I will be able to drive if I try a new medication. I have partial seizers when I am sleeping, and I have had two where my whole body seizes. | F | 40 | 4 months 150mg 1X day | 6/20/2010 | 2 | Bipolar/depression | Extremely suicidal, very itchy when I,m trying to relax, NO sex drive!, extremely irritable, can't focus, leg muscles very sore, major weight gain, increased appetite, lightening in my head constantly | I have only been taking Lamictal 6 weeks or so and I don't know if I haven't given it enough time or if it just isn't working. I was taking 200mg of Zoloft and sleeping my life away. Now I'm awake but I'm constantly thinking about suicide. I started out at 50mg daily, then went to 100 mg daily and now I've toned it back to 50mg daily. I'm going to try and take myself off of all medications and see if I even remember who I was to begin with. The lightening bolts going off in my head is too much for me to handle. I have a wonderful daughter and she is helping through all of this. At one time every female in my family was taking some kind of anti-depressant medication. Now the only one left is me. I just want to feel like a person again. Will not take any more drugs to make me FEEL better!! | F | 47 | 6 weeks 50mg 1X day | 6/16/2010 | 2 | Bipolar | I've taken Lamictal for 9 yrs and have experienced: weight gain (50 pounds), memory loss, sleeplessness, anxiety, phobias, and continued depression. Why do doctors think it's better to give up mania but they don't care about depression, weight gain and memory loss? I never miss taking my meds - however, I'm demanding they change me to something else. I have tried combinations including: Cymbalta, Effexor, Abilify, Depokote, Wellbutrin and a ton of others I can't remember or spell! Again, no memory! | I've been taking Lamical for 9 years and over the past three years things have started to go bad - especially my memory. Can't remember names or how to spell simple words. Big loss in concentration. I feel like I'm floating and at times I feel a heaviness to my body. WEIGHT GAIN! I've gained over 50 pounds since I started taking Lamictal. If that doesn't make a person depressed, nothing will. BTW, 200 mg of Selenium for 3 weeks will stop hair loss. 1000/2000 mg of Omega 3 will stop dry eye and dry skin (won't hurt you, check it out). Now I'm becoming phobic. At times I'm afraid to drive, look in mirrors and leave my house. In case you're wondering, my shrink doesn't think this is bad enough to take me off or change meds. I have a hard time falling asleep and when I do I sleep only a few hours and have very vivid dreams. I've taken 10 to 20 mg of Ambien every night for 10 years (doctor ordered)! So, here's my suggestion: For a week or two, keep a journal of your habits, thoughts, mood, memory loss - times of day you experience these - whatever you want to measure, read over it every now and then to see if you're getting better or worse. Use it as your own gage to your mental health and talk with your doctor, family and friends to see if they are seeing the same behavior. Without a journal it'll be difficult to remember what you want to talk with your doctor about. Doing this has helped me build a case to stop taking Lamictal and become an active participant in my care. | F | 49 | 9 years 400 mg 2X day | 4/16/2010 | 2 | bipolar depression | i started this medication right after my son was born. i had hairloss happend about 4 months later but that was excused for the postpardom symptoms. my hair stopped falling out about 3 months after it started. six months later it started again-BAD! iv been to my pcp 5 times over the last 6 months, dozens of blood tests later theres no explanation for the hair loss. i already have bald spots that i have to take extra time in the morning to try and cover up. the first 2 years on the med i had extreme weight loss, no complaints, ate watever i wanted, hardly any exercise. over the last 4 months i have gained ten pounds, no change to my diet. no matter what i do i cant seem to lose it. i have absolutly no short term memmory left. im a college student and i cant even join in the class discusions because i forget what im trying to say in the middle of my sentences. i feel like an idiot when this happends, last semester it wasnt this bad. i cant even remember what cloths i put on my son when h | F | 26 | 2.5 years 200 1X day | 3/11/2010 | 2 | Depression, Mood Stabilizer, Anxiet | Substantial short term memory loss, constant migraine headaches and nausea. | I began their starter pack of 25 mg per day, but after increasing to 50mg I had migraine headaches 24/7. Nausea was also a problem, so I began taking Prilosec & Maalox. The short term memory loss was so awful, I didn't feel like I could have a conversation with anyone without appearing like an idiot. I am pleased this medication has worked for some people and really appreciate everyone that shared their results on this site. | F | 41 | 3 weeks 50mg 1X day | 2/6/2010 | 2 | for OCD augmentation | block of muscle, disorientation, complete short memory loss. | it seems a wonder drug at the beginning. after a week, seems to be in the hell. before taking it, OCD was very strong, and after seems to be more under my control. but i did remember the friend's name neither! be careful! | M | 23 | 2 weeks | 2/3/2010 | 2 | Psychiatrist *suspects* bipolar | Headaches, dry eyes, and a sunburn like full body rash. | I felt no change in my mood and was looking up length of time it takes for this med to kick in when I inadvertently discovered all the memory and cognitive problems this med causes, which are unacceptable to me. I write, teach, and edit for a living, so the infliction of brain damage is a problem. This may be a good drug for the retired, the institutionalized, people too bipolar to work, or the wealthy. For those of us who need our minds to make a buck, no way. I REALLY wish these side effects were listed on the product insert as they are so prevalent and serious. See Burns's book *Feeling Good* for more details about unacceptable side effects associated with Lamictal. And thanks to all the people who shared and enlightened me before I did something dangerous and irreversible to my mind! | F | 40 | 5 weeks | 1/5/2010 | 2 | depression/ slight bipolar | Memory loss, weight gain, no longer as anxious but more depressed, constant fatigue, muscle aches, feelings of anger | I am currently weening myself off of this drug VERY safely and gradual. Mainly because I don't feel as though the pros outweigh the cons. Weight gain and memory loss are two deal breakers for me. I have gained 15 lbs in the past year. I can't remember ANYTHING to the point of embarrassment. People think I dont listen or am drunk because I literally cannot remember yesterday. And this is only fueled by my depression and excessive sleeping. I no longer feel a constant sense of dread and guilt (i.e. anxiety) however, that feeling has been replaced with depression, complicity and isolation. My perpetually sore muscles also make moan and groan like an old woman! I am also immensely anger all the time for no particular reason. | F | 24 | 1 years | 12/17/2009 | 2 | supposedly Bipolar depression | Hair loss and memory impairment, taken care of with lots of zinc-rich foods. Didn't do much for depression. The zinc took care of the hair loss, memory impairment, and acne. | Switched to Zoloft and have been well. | F | 35 | 1 months | 11/27/2009 | 2 | bipolar 2 | Constant nausea. | Absolutely not worth taking because my upset stomach was so severe. With food, without food, made no difference. You couldn't pay me to take this again. | F | 32 | 7 months | 11/19/2009 | 2 | Type II Bipolar Disorder/Depression | Facial itching, an odd uptight feeling. | I can't really comment on whether the medication was effective; I experienced facial itching after three doses and became concerned with the rare possibility of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. I was immediately taken off of the drug. | M | 18 | 3 days | 11/16/2009 | 2 | nerve pain | increased nerve pain, more sites. facial pain at site of previous bell's palsy. weight gain, increased appetite | This is in no way helping any of my nerve pain,it is just getting worse. I am being told to wait till you get to a level. Five weeks of increasing dose is a long time to wait when you are in so much pain. I am on 50mg now and am adding it to lyrica 800mg/day | F | 44 | 3 weeks | 11/6/2009 |