LAMICTAL Reviews (LAMOTRIGINE)

Average Rating: 3.4 (1917 Ratings)

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 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

LAMICTAL  (LAMOTRIGINE):  Lamotrigine is used alone or with other medications to prevent and control seizures. It may also be used to help prevent the extreme mood swings of bipolar disorder in adults. Lamotrigine is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug. It is thought to work by restoring the balance of certain natural substances in the brain. This drug is not approved for use in children younger than 2 years due to an increased risk of side effects (such as infections).   FDA Approval Date: 1994-12-27 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken longest to shortest.

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on LAMICTAL: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR LAMICTALCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  Seizures None This is the only medication I have ever taken for my seizures, and when I was taking little doses at first, I would still have a few seizures, but I'm now taking 400mg per day, and I don't have any at all. F 22 3 years
9/8/2004
 5  Bipolar II None It's a good drug. I was taking Lithium carbonate for about 20 years, when my doctor suggested the switch to Lamictal in conjunction with a new prescription for Lexapro. Sometimes I've taken just Lexapro without Lamictal (when I've run out of Lamictal) for a few days, and felt fine. I think Lamictal is supposed to have fewer sexual side effects than Lithium -- i.e., not suppress your libido -- which is one reason my doc switched me. I got married around the time of the switch. But I haven't noticed any improvement there, since I also went through menopause around the same time. Personally, I don't think some doctors take into account the role that hormones play in mixing with these drugs. F 52 3 years
12/4/2006
 5  Bipolar mood stabilizor I haven't noticed many at all. When I canged from Deopakote to Lamictal I lost 25kgs. I do dream and have bladder issues, but I take a coctail of medications so it's hard to blame a particular one. Before Lamictal I had at least 1 inpatient admission for depression every year, I have been out now for 17 months. My moods still fluctuate but the lows are not as deep and disabling as before, I still remain functional. It has been a revelation to me. M 50 3 years
4/16/2007
 5  treatment resistant depression at higher doses, light sensitivity and headaches; makes me sleepy so take at night (but that's a benefit) This drug has really changed my life. Prior to this, was trying just about everything and was diagnosed w/ everything under the sky; nothing worked. I went from working as a secretary hospitalized 2x or so a year to being a third year law student looking forward to a challenging career. I still have major ups and downs, but this drug has really made it possible to live my life. Will note too that still trying to get off of seroquel etc., and taking prozac; I think that lamictal and prozac together will be the optimal combo for me (crossing fingers). F 35 3 years
10/6/2008
 5  Bipolar/Cycling Mood disorder Feeling drowsy in the morning, but side effect lifted after a few weeks. Lost about 30 lbs. throughout course of treatment. This is a definited plus because many medications used for mental health purposes have the weight gain effect. Before I started taking Lamictal 3 years ago, I had always had bouts of slight depression and mild manic phases (usually more manic phases than depressive states). My doctor brought me back down to a "normal" state with Zyprexa (an antipsychotic), and then put me on Lamictal (100 mg twice a day) to help stabilize my mood and keep it there. For the first time in my life, I felt completely comfortable with myself; that is, all my panicky feelings, paranoia, depression, etc. were gone because Lamictal stabilized my mood. I could function like a normal human without anxiety attacks getting in the way, for example. About 3 months ago, I had my first relapse and was, unknowingly, in a major manic state for about 3 weeks straight. I did not know it was a manic phase at the time because I was only feeling severe PHYSICAL symptoms (i.e. severe back and chest pain that led me to getting an MRI). When the general practitioners/back specialists couldn't figure out what was wrong, I F 20 3 years
10/25/2008
 5  JME with Complex Partial seizures None....FINALLY SOMETHING THAT WORKS Lamictal has worked great for me,verse all the other medications Iv'e tried in the past(Depkene,Depkote,Depkote er and Topamax).It has reduced my seizures tremedously.I now only have around 3-6 a year,which isint really that bad as before I was having them all the time.Morning,noon and night.Mostly they only occur when Im around my triggers which are[photosensitivity to **flashes of a camera,strobes and flourescent lighting**one of my biggest triggers],low blood surgar,stress/in the beginning of getting a bug or virus,emotional stress,not enough sleep,and hormonal fluncuations.For when they do only occur out of no where I usually get aroud 2-4. F 18 3 years
8/25/2009
 5  Bipolar Disorder WEight gain very helpful; gave me complete stability; prevented manic episodes F 37 3 years
8/11/2009
 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  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  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  Bipolar II Mental "fog" Lamictal has been great for me. I actually feel like "myself" when I take it, but without the wild mood swings. What I like best, however, is that I actually feel emotions, and do have "normal" (i.e. not life-threatening and not rapidly changing) ups and downs. I have definitely experienced the mental fog - started bothering me about a year in - but I have found that ACCUPUNCTURE works wonders for this. I highly recommend trying it if you are having this side effect (I stumbled upon it by accident when going to the accupuncturist for allergies- didn't have much luck with the allergies, but still go whenever I start feeling "foggy"- the effect lasts a good few months, particularly if I am taking care of myself diet and exercise-wise). F 30 3 years
5/12/2009
 5  bipolar II Increased mucuos/nasal drainage Lamictal has helped me tremendously. None of the other meds that I have taken in the past have ever helped like Lamictal has, and I have taken many antidepressants/mood stabilizers. F 55 3 years
6/10/2008
 5  Bipolar/ptsd/borderline psnalty d/o The benefits far outweigh the negatives for me. It does, however, cause me to be a total klutz, get very easily distracted, (i can be talking about something and then do a total switch-around mid-sentence into an entirely different topic. my poor friends and family!), and i have trouble remembering things sometimes. But...I can pinpoint this drug and say that for a fact this is the one that saved my life. I am now up to 450 mg. and my doc will not go any higher because i'm not using it for an anti-epileptic, only for a mental health med. Now i'm getting a bit nervous about the next time i need an increase and what we'll do. I'm also on Topamax, Wellbutrin, Ativan for PRN, and Abilify (which sucks and I am d/c'ing it asap d/t major side effects). I have tried just about every drug out there over the years and in different combinations, too. This is the only one that got my rump out of bed and helped me to feel like I wanted to stay alive, work, and start going out again. F 37 3 years
8/10/2008
 5  bipolar symptoms No significant side effects Lamictal helped me turn my life around. Prior to taking it, my emotions and actions were all over the map. I was a wreck. Now I'm relaxed, happy, optimistic, social, thoughtful ... everyone that's known me before and after can attest to the positive, significant impact Lamictal has had in my life. My only warning: do not miss a dose. I can't stress that enough. F 28 3 years
1/26/2009
 5  bipolar disorder mild short-term memory problems i think lamictal is great. it didn't "cure" anything 100% but it narrowed the up and down swing. honestly, i'm surprised at how many unfortunate experiences some of you have had with it. i really hope things calibrate with time and are better. M 25 3 years
5/29/2008
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 5  seizure disorder / hypomania I take a huge dosage (700 mg/day) to control my seizures. My neurologist wanted me off phenobarbital and thought that Lamictal could help stabilize my moods-especially my problems with anger. After three years these are the main side effects. Current: insomnia, increased sun sensitivity, extreme short term memory loss and disorginization, new: heightened PMS, (crying spells) terrible night sweats -- but only if my dosing is off, metallic taste in mouth when manic. Stopped: my hair loss stopped after about two years. Side effects are always a tough call -- is it me, or is it medicine? Still have hypomanic symptoms, but they are much more managable for the first time in my life - even my racing thoughts and talking too quickly. MY MONTHLY DOSAGE WAS $725.00!!! THERE IS A PROGRAM CALLED BRIDGES TO ACCESS. FOUND OUT ABOUT IT ON GLASKO SMITH-KLINE WEBSITE. MD FILLS OUT FORMS, SOMEONE IN OFFICE IS YOUR ADVOCATE. THREE MONTH SUPPLY DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME FOR FREEEE! I couldn't have switched without it and I am glad I did. Lamictal has helped me tremendously. F 39 3 years
4/21/2008
 5  Bipolar II Double vision 60 3 years
200 1X day
3/11/2022
 5  Bipolar II with psychosis Drowsiness, stiff neck, occasional itching, constipation, weight gain. This medication has been the only one that consistently has worked for me since I have been diagnosed. I have had to add other medications at times when I was going through seasonal mood changes, but overall this has been enough. My biggest complaint would have been the drowsiness. But after sometime my doctor decided since it was hard for me to wake up and take it in the morning and not be drowsy, I take my entire dose at night before I go to sleep. That way I sleep through it and it helps me fall asleep. I have always had a bad back, but this medication definitely increased the pain. Sometimes it feel like it is too much to bare so I am looking into getting a massage therapist still. Constipation I have struggled with too most of my life and this medication increased that also. I would have to take a laxative once a week to have a bowel movement. Now that I changed my diet, I started juicing veggies and I take stool softeners, it is almost regular again. I cut out dairy products too. The weight gain was really hard to deal with. From when I started taking the medication, I gained about 25 lbs. my weight fluxiates quite a bit. I am only 15 lbs over my starting weight right now. It just makes me feel hungry all the time. Even if my stomach feels like it is going to burst I still want to eat. It has been hard trying to overcome that. But you just have to look at it this way, is it better to be medicated, feel almost normal and have side effects, or live being ridiculously emo F 22 3 years
300mg
2/18/2015
Email
 5  Bipolar II Drymouth If you're bipolar - why are you on Lithium on first diagnosis without trying this treatment first? It took me a few years to figure this out. Bottom line is... It's my mood stabilizer. It may not be for everyone, but in ten years of treatment for seven straight it has been my foundation. Of course, everyone's chemistry is different, but this is it. I use an anti-psychotic before sleep called Seroquel, and take Lamictal first thing in the morning. Folks, life couldn't be more manageable. Where I used to look up and see rafters from which to hang myself from, I walk along and recognize some cool beams that might accent an awesome living space. But enough exaggeration, the fact is that I notice when I skip this treatment.To you, out there, recognize that it's good enough, it's not toxic enough (like Lithium), and dog-gone it, this just might work for you after a 90-day trial! M 37 3 years
300 1X day
4/7/2015
 5  Mood Stabilizer Muscle aches in the beginning which lasted approximately 4 weeks. Photosensitivity that has increasingly become more bothersome. I have experienced periods of depression for as long as I can remember even as a child. However, I was not treated for it until my 20s when I was diagnosed with postpartum depression after my 3rd child. My OB prescribed welbutrin which did absolutely nothing. Overtime the symptoms went away (or either I just dealt with it). I was in a toxic marriage that ended in a nasty divorce and my depression was accompanied with extreme mood swings and short periods of manic episodes. My PCP prescribed me Xanax which helped a lot but became addictive and I began making bad decisions while taking it. It made me feel like "I just don't care" which was much better than feeling out if control at the time but just didn't work for me because I had small children to take care of so I stopped taking it. I felt out of control for years and the people I loved the most walked on eggshells because they never knew what type of mood I was going to be in. Then I discovered "weed" in my late 20s early 30s. It was a miracle drug. I functioned better in high stressed situations, including at work and I was actually a pleasant person to be around. I smoked marijuana in the morning before my kids woke up, on my lunch break and before I went to bed. I finally felt like a normal human being until I accepted a higher paying position in my company that required random drug testing because I was working with people who operated heavy equipment. I made the decision to stop smoking weed because F 36 3 years
100mg
4/6/2016

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