LAMICTAL Reviews (LAMOTRIGINE)Average Rating: 3.4 (1917 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LAMICTAL with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on LAMICTAL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LAMICTAL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | complex seizures | I was on Tegretol and Depakote - I was very tired most of the time. Much tripping. I also began having neuropathy. I assume due to the depakote. | very hot as I'm in bed at night...almost sweating. uncoordinated due to dizziness sometimes. I've also noticed a weakness in my grip. I'm taking 400mg/day. | F | 49 | 9 months | 2/1/2005 | 5 | Bipolar II | Some aching in my legs about 2 months after starting them, lasting for 5 days. Some "verbal dyslexia" (switching my words around in a sentence). | I was really nervous to start this medication, given all the side effects I read about prior. But I am SOOOOO glad I took them! They have helped so much!! I have only had 3 bouts of depression in the entire time I have taken them, none of which have been longer than 4 days. It has saved my marriage, my relationships with my kids, my friends and family, my job, and most importantly my health and sanity! As far as I'm concerned this is a wonder drug!! | 27 | 9 months | 9/4/2007 | 5 | Bipolar 1 | Hair loss, vision impairment, short term memory loss, hands shake, spelling problems | After being on Depakote-Effexor mix for three years and quitting cold turkey I took 5 months free of meds to give my body a little time to detox from them before trying anything else. Started taking Lamictal in Feb. along with Wellbutrin. I have regained my life and lost 70 pounds that i gained from the Depakote-Effexor mix. I can not stress enough to others that when you go off one or two meds to start a new one give your body time to detox from the other drugs and to let the new ones take full effect. And whatever you do be active in your treatment and educate yourselves to how your meds work together and all the side effects not just the ones doctors tell you about. I also studied about bipolar and the treatments out there for it. I can get a wig for the hair loss, I have glasses now, I carry a notebook for the memory problem and I just don't carry glass that much anymore, the spelling well there is spellcheck and a dictionary....things I can not fix death, lost years to the illne | F | 38 | 9 months | 9/28/2007 | 5 | migraines/psych reasons | none | Lamictal has been a Godsend. from migraines, it helps and works better than topamax. also take for instability for borderline personality disorder. i finally feel comfortable in my skin & that everything might end up ok | M | 36 | 9 months | 10/23/2008 | 5 | Bipolar 2 | At first I ramped up as I was told to, which turned out to be too fast for my system. As a result I had a significant rash and very swollen lymph nodes. I went off of it for 2 weeks, then back on DOUBLING the ramp up time. This was a long period of feeling unwell, but now I am alright, no rash or lymph node problems | The trick to avoiding side effects is a VERY slow ramp up. It is otherwise a great medication. I am on 150 MG/day because I am very thin and the Dr. says I tend to respond to lower doses than most of his other patients. He has it broken down into 75 MG AM and 75 MG PM. I also take Seroquel at night. Don't get discouraged...it takes time but it really did wonders for me once I reached the "therapeutic dose" which varies by patient. | M | 30 | 9 months | 10/13/2007 | 5 | Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy | Started off with no side effects but as dosage has increased considerable hair loss and terrible acne, also insomnia, takes a sleeping aid almost nightly to help sleep. Symptoms (arm jerks) definitely worse if not enough sleep. May also have slight memory problems. | I wrote earlier about my daughter's condition but wanted to add increased side effects. She is taking 200 mg 2x/day (400 mg daily) of Lamotrigine and 25 mg 2x/day (50 mg daily) of Topamax. She's been pretty stable at this amount for the past month so hopefully we won't have to do another increase. Her doc may want to take her off Topamax eventually. I hope as her body adjusts to this level her hair loss will stop and acne clear up. Her dermatologist has tried everything to help her. We are now looking into laser treatments. Still, she hasn't had a seizure since March so hard to complain. Was told by her Dr. she "may" outgrow this. Everything I've read is to the contrary however. | F | 13 | 9 months | 11/15/2006 | 4 | bipolar II disorder | Some weight gain, some nausea, NO RASH | Although I have only been taking Lamictal for about nine months, it has been a godsend for my mood swings. I am able to experience true happiness and real joy again. | F | 36 | 9 months | 7/27/2007 | 4 | bi polar | a little dizzeness and clumsy when changed to a higher dose...but this does not last long out of all the mood stabilzers i have tried this is by far the best.....with nurontin being the worst | 41 | 9 months | 5/18/2004 | 4 | Seizures and Bi Polar Disorder | Insomnia mostly, occasional itching but not bothersome | Taking 100mg and have been for almost 9 months now - It is a 2 for 1 drug for me as I need it for both. I have had (almost) 4 seizures since I started taking it, the last was the worst as I was driving! The insomnia problem was fixed by taking the meds at 7:30p.m. because it generally keeps me awake for about 5 hrs after and that puts me out around 12:30 I still cycle sometimes but "the highs and lows" are more managable except for extreme "triggers" (death, loss, Katrina... etc) | M | 44 | 9 months | 8/12/2006 | 4 | bipolar spectrum disorder | hair loss, mental fuzziness | I wasn't sure I was bipolar until I stopped taking Lamictal and all the symptoms came back - anger, irritability, anxiety, mild OCD, hopelessness, insomnia. I wanted to blame Lamictal for these symptoms, but then my therapist asked me if I could explain why they came on full force when I stopped the Lamictal - good question. I'm back up to 300mg per day and all of the above symptoms are greatly diminished. | F | 37 | 9 months | 1/16/2006 | 4 | Epilepsy | The side effect that I noticed right away is that I have the most outrageous smelling farts and can clear a room with he horrible smell. That is the only one thing that I absolutely cannot stand. | Lamictal 200Mg I have been suffering from Epileptic seizures from the age of 14. I woke up in the ambulance not knowing anything about this condition. Doctors cannot give me an absolute answer to why this has happen too me. I took Dilantin 300Mg for 17 years. During my time on Dilantin I was able to control my episodes and had seizures years apart. Over time my doctor would attempt to lower my dosage and was unsuccessful. I have been on lamictal since March of 2008. I went through a six month transition from changing from dilantin to lamitcal. I was advised to change to a newer more up to date medication for years. I was scared to do so being that I was seizure free taking the dilantin and making sure my levels were consistent. After changing to lamictal I have been seizure free and feeling better about myself and better about life. I am glad that I changed. I do not suffer from the dragging effects of dilantin and feel very clear and motivated to do things that I ejoy and was no | M | 35 | 9 months | 12/14/2008 | 4 | Bi-Polar / Depression | I had not noticed any side effects that were really strong, just mild. Include weight gain, nightmares, forgetfullness - I am not totally convinced these effects are from the Lamictal though.. It might be the Ambien CR.. The Lamicatal (and the Ambien for that matter)are very expensive as my insurance will not pay for it... I am willing to make some sacrafices each month to pay for it though. | I honestly think this med has helped me. I have tried them all (SSRI's) over the years. I also suffer from migraines and this seems to have helped with those as well. I still get angry quickly over silly stuff. I think though this has mellowed me out some (I am very manic /hyper). I would like to try something in addition to help my mood swings.. talking to my dr next week. | F | 37 | 9 months | 6/22/2008 | 4 | anxiety, depression | The following side effects were experienced when starting the medication. They went away as I adjusted to the medication: Blurred Vision, Itching, slight water retention, tired feeling just after taking med. | After living with anxiety for several years, I developed a bad case of depression last year. I tried just about every SSRI and could not adjust. The initial side effects were impossible. I tried Zyprexa and it helped however it caused major weight gain (30 lbs) I was then placed on Lyrica and that worked except I developed a painful pimple type rash over a period of a month. Lyrica also caused weight gain. Even with daily cardio and healthy eating I still put on weight. I started Lamictal and I was able to adjust to the med very easy compared to all of the other meds. The worst side effects which went away as I tapered up was itching, blurred vision, tired feeling and slight water retention in face. I was concerened about the rash everyone talks about and was almost paranoid whenever I saw the slightest red bump or pimple. These went away quickly unlike the reaction from Lyrica which took months. My overall opinion is Lamictal is that if you stay with it for a month or so and put up with the temporary side effects, it will prove to be an excellent med. My severe depression has lifted and I am able to function after a year of hell trying just about every medication available. | M | 45 | 9 months | 12/14/2009 | 3 | Mood Stabalizer | Weight Gain, Irritabilty/Depression when I miss a dose | Lamictal by far has been the best mood stabalizer for me, however I am stuggling with the weight gain. Since February its been about 15 lbs. I'm thinking about switching meds because I delt with extreme weight gain before with Depakote and I don't want to go through that again. This is just my experience with the medicine... I know some people loose weight on it. | F | 24 | 9 months | 12/19/2008 | 3 | Treatment resistent depression | Decreased appetite. Possible increased hair shedding (only noticed recently), insomnia (probably only partially responsible). Hard to tell due to # of current prescribed meds | I thought it was working. It may still be helping, but the response is insufficient to me. Have tried many, many, many other drugs. Mostly SSRI's. The side effects have seemed really mild over all. I am currently on 100mg morning & 200mg night. | F | 33 | 9 months | 4/21/2008 | 3 | Bi Polar 2 | I posted 2 months ago. I have had a dosage increase to 75 MG in the AM and 100 MG in the PM. I now have random flu-like symptoms but a bit more painful in the muscles with no stuffy head. The benefits of the medication are so great for me that I just try to slug through it...since it only tends to last a few days. | I am on on Seroquel as well, but was having these side effects before adding Seroquel. Email me if you have any questions. | M | 30 | 9 months | 11/19/2007 | 3 | treatment resistant depression | Flu-like dizzyness and nausea when I missed a dose. Not much else that I can tell. I take it at night, 200mg. | Am taking it with Wellbutrin for treatment-resistant depression, mild OCD, and anxiety. Doctor prescribed it to replace Zyprexa, which has potentially dangerous side effects. Not as good as Zyprexa, but I suppose it must be doing something. So long as you aren't allergic to it, this seems to be a safe long-term treatment option. I'm not convinced it is doing much for me, but I am not taking it for BPD. Prescribed for me because multiple SSRIs did nothing for me. | F | 29 | 9 months | 8/25/2006 | 3 | Bipolar II Disorder | Lamictal made me hypomanic. The higher the dose, the more agressively irritable. | I really had high hopes for Lamictal, and I didn't really have any side physical side effects. My one side effect was a deal breaker--it made me hypomanic. I was nervous, anxious, and irritable. | F | 37 | 9 months | 3/14/2006 | 3 | major depression/bipolar | first 16 months on 150mg, felt great then suicidal,stopped it for a few months, now on 200mg for the last six weeks, I have very significant pins and needles in my hands and wrists whenever I lay down or watch TV in a comfortable position, it is a disturbing feeling even as I am typing now I have pins and needles in my fourth toe. Other than that no noticeable physical side effects. | The first time I was given Lamictal in hospital it seemed to be very effective almost immediately I was stable and functionning well for over a year ( except since that time I started to smoke like a chimney, I was a little smoker previously) then came stressful events and I went down very quickly, suicidal I stopped everything except Seroquel 100mg at night, I got better without medicine against my doctor's advice. Then nine months ago, I was very panicky and fearful, again i was prescribed Lamictal 150mg and I picked up a bit (with Seroquel and Pristic) now I am low again I have been increased to 200mg and 400mg Seroquel 100mg Pristic; I have anxiety, I am self centered and preoccupied, I am now trying to convince myself that I always had a personality disorder I also gained 10 pounds( maybe Seroquel), I want to be lethargic all day and forget the things I need to do, just want to read and watch late night movies, almost scared to venture in the fresh air. I have been treated since 21 years and have been on many things so many I can't recall them including Lithium for a long time. I have almost lost faith in psychiatric drugs, I believe now that they become ineffective after a while (up to a year), then they get lost in the washing cycle of the brain. Naturally I am only speaking for myself, perhaps what I experience is another experience of normality only very twisted as some vegetals in nature can be and this is not a illness. | F | 53 | 9 months 100MG 2X day | 4/8/2010 | 3 | Bipolar II | I have suffered from depression my whole life and after countless attempts to find the right meds a new doctor informed me that he thought I had Bipolar II and should try Lamictal. I started slowly and worked my way up to 200 mg. I was warned about the rash but never about ACNE. I have never had acne and did not put two and two together when I started developing hard, red painful cyst-like bumps on my face that would not "pop" and would take weeks to go away. In December my dosage was gradually increased from 125 to 200. My face exploded. This medication made me feel better but the painful, ugly acne on my face made me upset and depressed. After going to the dermatologist, spending lots of money and being put on topical antibiotics and other meds, my acne continued. We could not solve the mystery! Finally, one day I typed in Lamictal and acne in google and VOILA! mystery solved. I took myself off this medication (I know it's not so smart) about a week and a half ago and the a | BEWARE OF PAINFUL CYSTIC ACNE!!!!! | F | 26 | 9 months | 3/15/2007 |