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 length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. 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 |
| 1 | Bipolar buturns out wrong diagnosis | Initially: lots of muscle cramps, mild headaches, bumping into things, tingling in hands/feet, trouble remembering what I did a minute before. Permanently: short-term memory loss, trouble finding words to express, myself, eyes dart back and forth at rapid speeds once in a while, blurry vision, generally feel dumber and nothing sticks when I read. | I'm so angry that I was on this medication for so long at such a high dosage. My doc admitted 2 years into it that I was not really bipolar. I feel like I was used as a guinea pig. I don't understand why anyone who DOES NOT suffer from seizures should take this drug. It makes you two levels dumber. I used to be very good at expressing myself verbally and now I have trouble with it. I started this medication three years before law school and ended it right around the time I started school. I am just finishing law school and could definitely tell the difference in my memory problems when I started studying. For those of you who say the memory loss/trouble finding words is not a problem--just wait, at some point it will be. Then, you will realize what you traded for the calming/numbing feeling of Lamictal. I didn't think it was a problem at first because my life was not very demanding at the time. However, now, I'm horrified at the thought that the memory problems are permanent. What's even more infuriating is I stopped the drug very abruptly and nothing happened. I was not depressed, anxious, scared...etc I was actually completely NORMAL!!! What a damn waste of brain cells. Be careful people!!! This drug is for people who suffer from seizures...it is supposed to decrease the activity in your brain. Just because it makes people with bipolar feel better doesn't make it the right drug if the trade off is your intelligence. I'm sure there is a better drug out there f | F | 29 | 2.5 years 150 2X day | 4/22/2011 | 1 | temperol lobe seizures/depression | no appetite tormenting dreams, bordering on what i imagine would be a good way to brainwash or "expertly interrogate" someone loss of emotion/feeling aches/loss of balance | this drug has denied me much of my ability to perform basic acts of survival as a human being. My appetite is horrible, even if i havent eaten for a day and my stomach hurts i can never get the drive to eat something, and in consequence meals simply become a fairly aggravating chore. sleep is the worst part, at first this drug was what my system needed but then it turned everything to hell. I have woken up feeling out of my mind or completely suicidal from some of the horrific scenes ive witnessed while dreaming while taking lamictol. more often than not i find myself literally terrified at the prospect of going to sleep, on a level below but to me comparable to those friday the 13th movies. also, i cant feel much in the way of emotion any more which just depresses me further because im unable to deal with any emotional issues ive had/am having. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG, ITS BEEN KILLING ME FOR FAR TOO LONG OF MY OWN LIFE, NOT TO MENTION HAS IN MANY CASES DROVE ME TO ALMOST KILL MYSELF. luckily im weening slowly down off this drug but at whatever dose i know it still effects me. its because of this drug i have no trust in the fda to look out for its nations citizens, and ive begun to contemplate whether a life dedicated to shaming into bankruptcy/ doing anything within my power to hurt the fda and the company that manufactures this drug could be worth it | M | 17 | 2.5 years 50 2X day | 6/18/2011 | 1 | Mood Level, Anxiety, Depression | Short term memory problems. Weepiness. "Cloudy" type fatigue. Desire to sleep all day long. | Psych insists I stay on this med. I am about to put my foot down and insist that I come off it. It is not doing me any good, in fact I believe it is causing the previously mentioned undesirable side effects. The best it is doing is producing expensive urine. It certainly is not leveling off my mood swings. if it works for you I am very happy for you, for me, I'm wasting some very hard earned money. | M | 55 | 2.5 years 200 2X day | 11/22/2013 | 5 | bipolar disorder | fatigue, lack of appetite | changed my life. Feel like I'm the person I was meant to be | F | 45 | 2 years | 8/23/2009 | 5 | Bipolar type 2 | None. | This medication was a Godsent. | F | 23 | 2 years | 3/25/2009 | 5 | Bipolar II | Initially hypomanic, which was a huge improvement from the suicidal depression I was experiencing, but I never felt totally out of control. This lasted quite a while. Have had some issues with memory and balance - not too severe though. In the past 8 months, I have noticed an increased appetite from 8 to 10 at night (I take Lamictal @ 6); it's a true hunger, not emotional eating. Also, someone mentioned breast size increase -ditto for me. | Actually, have felt truly "normal" for the most prolonged period of my life which is why this gets a 5 for me. I do take it with mirtazapine. I do work out regularly and try to make good food choices in order to combat the 10 lbs I've gained. | F | 49 | 2 years | 8/11/2008 | 5 | Bipolar type II | Nausea | F | 40 | 2 years | 8/13/2008 | 5 | manic depression | I experience significant body temperate swings, to the extent that I must sit outside or in front of a high-speed fan to try to cool down enough to stop dripping sweat. For example, I had to stop blow drying my hair as it takes about an hour to cool down enough to put on clothing or lotion; my husband is going nuts because I want the house at 65F all the time. I take 300mg/day (150 2x/day). | Barring the temperature swings, Lamictal has been a fantastic medication and regulates my mood wonderfully. Benefits include decreased anxiey, mood regulation, patience, and I can now sleep. | F | 37 | 2 years | 8/19/2008 | 5 | bi-polar; depression | I have had none that I'm aware of. | For the first 50 or so years of my life I was swinging wildly from out of control to lethargic. Since I have been on Lamictal I look back on those years and am aware of how ill I was. Many bad life-changing decisions could have probably been avoided had I understood the problem, and had I had a miracle drug like Lamictal. | M | 64 | 2 years | 9/17/2008 | 5 | Migraines | Hair loss. | I suffered from migraines every day. This medicine has been my life saver!! I have not had a migraine in two years, but now I am experiencing hair loss. I am concerned. | F | 45 | 2 years | 9/29/2008 | 5 | bipolar II | weight loss, nausea, fogetfulness, tremors | Lamictal truly has done wonders for me; it brought me out of a terrible depression about two years ago, and since then has completely stabilized all of my mood swings. I liked the weight loss side effect; not so much the tremors, which have not stopped. I seriously was worried that I could have early-onset Parkinson's for a while - has anyone else had that side effect? | F | 19 | 2 years | 6/12/2009 | 5 | Mood swings,PTSD,ADHA | Terrible Headaches and slight vertigo the first month. No other physical or emotional side effects. | This drug really changed my life!I had tried so many things with little success and I was so tired of everyone saying that I wasn't myself or I seemed so different. I knew they were right but didn't know what to do!I have taken Paxil (evil Drug),zoloft,wellbutrin XL & Lexapro. All made me functional but not level. After a month on Lamictal, the fog lifted and I was pretty angry about the haze I had been living in for 6 yrs! For the first time, It was a GOOD angry! Family and friends were amazed. 100mg Lamictal with 20mg Adderall XR was my magic cocktail! I am focused,level and still have a very normal range of emotion. No more zombie! The first month I had Terrible headaches but they subsided after I started taking the pill in the morning.I also consumed as much Gatorade as I could hold and the headaches stopped. Hormone flux still triggers the headaches from time to time but very rarely. My doc and I worked hard to find this mix and I couldn't be more happy. Seriously,I'm happy, for the first time in a long time! No more freaking out,crying for no reason,hopelessness or dread about the future. This medicine gave me my life back where the others made it barely tolerable. I know my side effects were mild but if you have tried the "basics" and mood swings are your trouble, this might be worth a try. Good luck! | F | 35 | 2 years | 6/16/2009 | 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 | floating things in vision, skin sensitivity-more prone to rashes than normal IE itchy sweater results in a minor rash that Hydrocortisone gets rid of. Memory loss. | I am taking 100 MG 2x/day and it has helped to bring me back to a more normal state. I dont seem to have the severe highs and lows anymore. The side effects are well worth it in my opinion. | M | 30 | 2 years | 12/27/2007 | 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 | Bi-Polar I | Memory re-call; slight "dumming down" | This is a WONDER DRUG!!! It has saved my life! After trying a number of anti-depressants I was convinced I was just incapable of properly functioning in our society. Unfortunately I started the drug too late to save my marriage but it helped me get through my divorce with aplomb. It has also helped me not only deal with but be happy about single motherhood. The only downside is that I miss some of the emotional highs I could be feeling about my daughter, but that is such a slight downside compared to all the benefits. | F | 33 | 2 years | 3/7/2008 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Memory problems, affected physical coordination, sleep interruption - long one night, periodic the next night, blurred vision, involuntary limb movement | This med saved my life, marriage, family. Worth the side effects. Two years without any extended mood disorder. A regular loss of cognitive ability equal to about twenty-five IQ points. Luckily, I've tested very high to begin with. Of course, my mother could drop dead in front of me and I'd shrug my shoulders and keep doing whatever I was doing. Perhaps this has absolutely nothing to do with the drug ;) | M | 45 | 2 years | 2/25/2008 | 5 | Manic Depressive (Bipolar) | slight weight loss | LAMICTAL GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK! Until 2 years ago, the only "normal" life I remember was as a child. I have been hospitalized twice (once for 3 months) & have been treated with various antidepressants over the years. Some worked a bit. Others did not. NOTHING came close to helping me as does Lamictal. I have actually written the company to thank them. I would LOVE to meet with any scientist who worked to help "cure" me. My chart, tho inches thick I'm sure, honestly now states "IN REMISSION" | F | 50 | 2 years | 10/29/2008 | 5 | Bipolar | At first, I experienced dizziness, clumbsiness, weird vision (black and spotty), also made the room spin. These all went away. The side effects that still stick around are: some numbness, definitely increased libido, difficulty concentrating and focusing, some nausea, maybe some hair loss, and I'm tired and lack motivation more often. I'd take these side effects any day in comparison to the symptoms of my bi-polar episodes. | I've been taking Lamictal in conjunction with zoloft for 1 year and 9 months. The dosage of zoloft has steady remained at 100mg and definately helps with my depressive moods...but aggravates manic episodes to a dangerous degree. That's were lamictal comes in to the picture. I began taking lamictal at a small dose and titrated up slowly as reccomended. Currently, I am prescribed 400mg of lamictil (plus the zoloft) and it seems to be the perfect coctail of medications for me. Right now, I feel better than I ever have. The medication isn't exactly a miracle drug, but it has enabled me to escape the destructive lifesyle choices of a reckless street addict, homeless commen criminal. Well, the medication and a year long rehab. My psychiatrist, who specializes in addiction, prescribed me the lamictal and the zoloft and so far, so good. My life is normal...job, house, school, car. I've been on other things in the past including wellbutrin, effexor, celexa, seroquel, but the lamictal | F | 32 | 2 years | 11/6/2007 | 5 | Bipolar II | None | In conjuction with Abilify, worked with for my Bipolar II | F | 22 | 2 years | 12/16/2008 |