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 |
| 4 | rapid cycling bipolar | I have been taking 100mg of lamictal with 225mg of effexor. I added the lamictal 2years ago. Even though the dosage hasn't changed, over the last 6-9 months the side effects have become horrible. Daily I notice my memory getting worse. The ataxia is getting worse also, with tipping into things becoming common. I didn't realize how significant the hair loss had become, until I noticed it all growing back. I'm scared to stop the medication because it has been so effective at stopping the racing thoughts. However, I am becoming afraid to even drive. | F | 44 | 2 years | 12/28/2007 | 4 | mood stablizer | seems to help more effectively against depressin than other mood stabilizers | M | 66 | 2 years | 6/30/2009 | 4 | bipolar disorder | unsure / put on 3 other medications at the same time | it's really bitter. | M | 24 | 2 years | 5/9/2009 | 4 | bipolar | groggy, burning sensation in skin, short term memory loss, lackluster hair, appetite loss, increased body odor | M | 57 | 2 years | 5/24/2008 | 4 | Hypo-Manic (Bi Polar) | At first, massive weight loss (medication killed appetite, made me feel sck) I lost about 25 pounds in 2 months. Since then, RAPID weight gain - Up about 45 pounds total. Has helped, makes me tired (Have been from 25mg to 200mg, now at 100mg) So that may have to do with weight gain. | I feel very spacy, I am also treated for ADHD though. I loved it at first, now it's almost love hate. No symptoms, but no sex drive, no appetitte but weight gain do to constant fatigue. | F | 22 | 2 years | 3/1/2009 | 4 | Depression, Anxiety & OCD | Hair loss, mild insomnia | I could have stayed on this drug except for the hair loss... I am so frustrated about it because for me, Lamictal was wonderful. All the static in my brain relaxed, I was able to think clearly, I felt more positive about my life... None of the other medications I have been on ever did this. However. The hair loss became so bad that the anxiety about my hair made it impossible to continue. Really unfortunate. However, I would highly recommend this drug. It worked SO WELL for me. It's my issue that I can't deal with the hair loss and it might not happen to you. | F | 41 | 2 years | 3/19/2009 | 4 | bipolar II | Acne! This drug gave me terrible acne, which is now sort of under control with clindamycin and tretnoin. I still constantly have at least one cystic zit on my face though. And I am 42 years old. Yuck. | Other than the acne, I have no complaints about this drug. I take 150 mga day, and it helps control the depression/mania cycling quite well in conjunction with 75mg of seroquel I take every day, along with 10 mg of Namenda twice a day. I took part in a lamictal/namenda clinical study (the hypothesis is that lamictal and namenda work synergistically with one and other) and I felt my entire quality of life improve. I live a completely normal life now, and I am *very* careful to take my meds every day to ensure that it stays that way! | F | 42 | 2 years | 9/30/2009 | 4 | epilepsy | had side effects when I took the generic form, but the doctor put me on the other and now I am almost seizure-free. I still have those facial seizures and sometimes a memory lapse, but it beats being afraid to go out because you might pass out. I seem to have more of those seizures when I take ANY other medication (even aspirin) into my blood stream. I simply take herbs - have doctor check them out first | it works best when taken around the same time daily. | F | 60 | 2 years 200 1X day | 12/7/2014 | 3 | Seizures | I was previously on topamax but my seizures were getting worse. My doctor thought i should try lamotrigine and in the beginning it felt like i was given a new lease on life but in the last year ive been acting really crazy, i cant stop laughing or smiling all day everyday. People look at me and think im being way too friendly when i look at them with my creepy smile. My favorite sport is boxing and ive been doing it since i was 15. The last time i practised it was about a year ago but while i was training i think it helped me keep sane because in order to stay motivated i had to put bad thoughts in my head so it evened the meds good and bad side effects. I learned that i have to listen to my consciouss more in order to function because the lamotrigine worked better compared to topamax which made me feel unmotivated, good luck to all. | M | 29 | 2 years 150 | 9/23/2014 | 3 | mood stabilizer | Severe blurred vision, blisters, feet, genital, hives, immune suppression, viral infections, weight loss, dry mouth, gum disease and cavities, also hair loss. it did help my mood but the side effects were greater than the benefit I had to stop the lamictal. | F | 45 | 2 years 200 | 10/27/2014 | 3 | Bipolar | hair loss, foggy brain at times, weight gain | I loved Lamictal actually. But as soon as I found out it made my hair fall out, I stopped taking it because THAT was making me depressed too...now I'm on Abilify - I miss Lamictal...not feeling too well off of it...pretty worried I might get worst | F | 24 | 2 years | 11/13/2009 | 3 | Bipolar II | Fatigue, nausea, periodic vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea weekly, dry itchy skin with bumpy red rash, fatigued or insomiac, lack of concentration and short term memory, irritable with a depression that spirals into hopelessness, acid reflux developed leading to Barrett's Esophagus now on a regimen of Nexium and periodic endoscopies. And, last, but not least, extreme weight gain 30-40 lbs. since I began Lamictal 2.5 years ago. Very frustrated. | The psychiatrist who prescribed Lamictal in 2006, along with my present physician, disregard the side effects I am experiencing. They've even increased the drug dosage when I'm experiencing increased depression/hopelessness without regard for my continuing side effects. Since taking this drug, I have been unable to continue my career as a college English professor, been deemed total/permanently disabled by Social Security and financially challenged. Very frustrated! | F | 62 | 2 years | 6/26/2009 | 3 | Bipolar II | Horrible Rash!!! I have been on Lamictal for two years and about 3 months ago I increased the dose from 100mg to 200mg. The doctors tell you to watch for any skin changes when you first take it but for almost two years I had none. So I forgot about it when I increased the dose. | Aside from the rash I didn't really have any side effects. It seemed to work well, although I also took it with Effexor XR (Great medicine if your looking for an anti-depressant that won't make you gain weight). I believe at this point the medicines are counter acting each other or something because not only do I have the rash but I'm having horrible mania and depression back to back! I think I'm gonna try and switch to Geodon. I've been on medicine since I was 12 and finding a new medicine sucks sooooooooo much! If anyone has ANY advice for me please send me an email, it would be much appreciated! | F | 24 | 2 years | 8/21/2008 | 3 | Bipolar II/Panic Disorder | I'm taking 100mgs and so far I've experienced fatigue, vivid dreams and my arms feel like they're on fire. I'm still having some mood swings, but not as bad as before. I also take Zoloft 100mgs, Ativan .5 mgs twice a day, Remeron 15mgs at night. | F | 41 | 2 years | 12/5/2007 | 3 | Bi-Polar II | I cannot remember anything short term. My scalp itches. I have no balance and can trip and fall over air. I seem to be more manic and get the shakes on the inside when I drink caffeine. And I can't see worth anything. My vision is so blurry that I have to really focus, which is a problem because I can't focus!! AAARRRGGGHHH! | Until I found this web-site I was going to be tested for early on-set Alzheimers Disease. I thought I was going crazy. My forgetfullness is going to cost me my job if I can't begin remerbering to do things my boss asked me to do. I can't put a sentence together. I used to be the intelligent "go-to" person and now I'm just a dumb stuttering person that can't remember a conversation we had yesterday. I am going back to my doctor to see what can be done, but until then I'm backing down from 300 mg to 200 mg myself. I had my hairdresser check me for lice because my head itched so badly. I have to do something to make this better. | F | 39 | 2 years | 10/30/2008 | 3 | seizures - but very few | I did not realize that acne could be caused by Lamictal and I am kind of glad to see that it is not just me. I also have concentration and memory problems, but it is hard to pin down to Lamictal. | I stopped taking lamictal without the doctor's knowledge. I had no withdrawl symptoms that I noticed, but I had a seizure a couple of months later. Then I started taking the last prescribed dose, knowing that there could be problems. They were much worse than I expected. I had nausea, blurred vision, extreme fatigue, vertigo... I went back to the neurologist after that and worked up to the normal dose. Please be ware of starting lamictal by yourself after going off of it. Another note - the nuerologist will not admit that tegretal and lamictal have given me an irregular heart beat, but the cardiologist and my endocrinologist agree that it must be. It is not concerning enough to treat though, so I guess benefits outweigh the costs. | F | 34 | 2 years | 10/29/2007 | 3 | manic-depressionperiods | I can only take 150 mg, if I take more I get in a very anxious state | I´m not sure if it have any good effects. I got in a depressed peiod for 6 months anyway. After startin to take Lyrica the depression and the anxiosness got away. | F | 55 | 2 years | 11/23/2007 | 3 | Bipolar depression | Tempted to rate it a 2 due to the side effects: weight gain, fatigue, stiff neck, disrupted sleep, change in voice, constant yawning. | Worked by stabilizing my manic episodes. Bit researched side effects and weight gain was my most feared one, as I had always been overweight, but over the past decade I had lost almost 80 lbs, even considered myself athletic. I had gained tiny amounts back prior to med, but it shot up 50+ lbs in the time I've been on it. I had taken welbutrin in the beginning with it, but had psychotic episodes, so came off that. Lamotrigine is only one I'm on now, and I'm fatigued all the time, with food control and cravings thru the roof. Now I'm reading so many comments on here that say they've had weight gain, even tho my Dr assured me this was very uncommon. Maybe they need to do a new study on symptoms then. Could my wt gain have been exasperated while in this med because of my preexisting eating disorder? Sadly,now the wt gain has made me even more depressed. I think my manic episodes are controlled now, but I miss those days because I was able to go nuts in my workouts and get my house cleaned, get my groceries... Now afraid to go off med because of poss withdrawal possibilities. A co-worker show father tried Lamotrigine for his BP almost died from the Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Had to be treated as a burn victim because his skin essentially sloughed off,including his insides. Made a miraculous recovery, but made me realize the power of this med. | F | 34 | 2 years 400 mg | 7/12/2015 | 3 | Sleep seizures | Restlessness during sleep (toss and turn and wake up often) -Constant spots/ papules on neck and face (these went when medicine was stopped 23.4.2022) -Severe heartbeat roughly every 4-5 weeks. Any time of day from no cause, up to 190 bpm lasting 10min to 6 hours. The waiting time to see a cardiologist is about 8 months. -Cherry angiomas (red spots, freckles/ moles) appearing on my legs, torso and scalp. -thinning hair. Im 44 and my hair has reduced so I can see my scalp through the hair. -anxiety/ panic attacks (not in my nature to be anxious). They are more like moments of brain fog, confusion then panic. -Issues are exaggerated before menses. Sleep is especially affected. -I am always tired and feel unrested. -also moments of severe depression (also not in my nature) especially around or during menses. | Action I would like: -Smaller dosage tablets, down to 2.5mg. -more to be done to stop the initial cause of the medical problem / seizures. -more mindful resources prescribed instead of brain altering drugs. -more research, even medical trials using actual doctors so they can fully understand how this drug affects the brain and body. | F | 44 | 2 years 12.5 1X day | 9/18/2022 | 3 | For depression | Severe long and short term memory loss. Difficulty finding words to express a concept. Depression breakthrough. WEIGHT GAIN - 60 lbs in 2 years. Increased anxiety attacks. | In 2 years I gained 60 pounds. That was the worst side affect for me. I have ALWAYS been between 130-140 lbs my whole life. The weight crept on. I was originally on Lexapro and Lamictal. I weened myself off Lexapro for the same reason, and it has been difficult in losing the weight, but after 2 months, my metabolism is evening out and I'm losing - but VERY slowly. I have to work twice as hard for every pound. I watch everything I eat, I work out 4-5 times a week, etc. Now, I'm weeing off of Lamictal for similar reasons. Plus, I'm getting breakthrough depression anyways. It has helped some in the way of mood balance, but I'm' never really happy, always forgetful, and as an engineer in my days before Lamictal I had fantastic recall. Now, my memory is shot, and I've had to take a job at my family's business because they know they have to repeat things to me. It is embarrasing. However, I am working hard on that as well. If I knew this medication was going to rob me of my memory and pack on the lbs that would be so difficult to lose, I would have NEVER taken this medicine. My doctor NEVER warned me of these side effects. My old doctor put me on this with the misdiagnosis that I was bipolar, my new doctor read all of my history, and said I was misdiagnosed. So, I'm weeing myself off this drug as well and substituting it with the overwhelming research on the anti-depression characteristics of Fish Oil. I'm taking a combo of Fish oil and and Primrose oil 1 tablespoon | F | 39 | 2 years 200 1X day | 4/20/2011 |