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 | Bipolar I | Anything over 200 mgs causes serious cognitive side effects for me. Higher analytical powers are intact but short term memory and basic common sense and comprehension go down the drain. | Excellent for me as a mood stabilizer. The best one. I give it a four- and not a five-star rating because over 200mgs daily caused me such cognitive distress that I failed a very important exam and lost a job partly because of it. I am still picking up the pieces. My psych. wouldn't believe me when I reported this side effect at 400 mgs/day. It is rare, but there. MORAL OF THE STORY: NEVER second-guess your own feelings about how your body is reacting to a drug simply because your doctor says a given side effect doesn't usually happen. I won't let anyone put me on more than 200 mgs of Lamictal again. Still have those bad memories. | F | 41 | 6 years | 7/3/2009 | 4 | bipolar depression, absence seizure | Nausea, worsening of chronic migraines and cluster headaches | F | 34 | 6 years 400 mg | 6/5/2016 | 3 | Epilepsy | F | 33 | 6 years 100 2X day | 9/27/2020 | 3 | Depression | Nap attacks, night sweats, acne all over, hair loss, itchy scalp, eye twitching, severe constipation, anxiety. | 100 mg twice a day. It is useful -- but the side-affects never receded. Ever. I wasted all those years and all that money going to dermatologists, etc. Not one physician in any field I went to knew anything comprehensive or definitive about the physical side affects. | F | 49 | 6 years | 1/19/2009 | 2 | anxiety/ mood disorder NOS | Extreme brain fog, fatigue, depersonalization/derealization. Irritability, worsened anxiety, intrusive obsessive thoughts, behavioral concerns, low mood. Cognitive impairment, including problems with attention, memory, processing speed, etc that significantly affect ability to function and carry out ordinary life tasks. I feel after coming off the cognitive impairment may be longterm. Seemed the main effect was to feel separated from one's emotions while still simultaneously experiencing them. | Note: In comparison to other anticonvulsant and "mood stabilizer" options, lamictal is usually tolerated better and viewed as less extreme. For example, fatigue from lamictal was less extreme that fatigue from gabapentin. | F | 20 | 6 years 150 mg 1X day | 10/6/2021 | 2 | seizures | Hair loss, tired no energy, nose stopped up.Just feel crappy most days.Beats having a seizure. Doctor will change my medicine soon.Worse thing about seizures, you can have sudden death. So take your medicine on time and do not sleep on your stomach.Get plenty of sleep. Has anyone had thrush with this medicine? | F | 75 | 6 years 400 | 5/3/2018 | 5 | Epilepsy | A little "fog", decreased cognition,occasional hand shaking. | It has been a great drug and has kept and is keeping me seizure free. I'm trying to switch medications because I don't tolerate generic and brand name is stupid expensive. | F | 27 | 5 years 600Mg | 11/2/2017 | 5 | Bipolar | Headaches for about a month when first started, then none. | This drug has been a lifesaver for me. I had a hypomanic episode that lasted for months followed by a period of deep, deep depression. I didn't see a doctor during that time, when I finally did she put me on maniacal (generic). No real weight gain, I've had two small hypomanic episodes lasting only days and it helped and those were in five years. Like I said, no side effects but you have to watch for a rash. The change wasn't INSTANT but nothing is, I saw results after a month and we titrated slowly. It also has some antidepressant qualities. It is not for treatment of current manic states, you have to take other stuff for that but it won't leave you feeling drugged. | F | 37 | 5 years 300 | 7/1/2017 | 5 | Am taking Lamictal for bi-polar 2. | No side effects. | I am on a large dosage but it works wonders. No more rage episodes. My family can now live with me without fear of s hole getting punched in a wall or me hurting myself out of anger | F | 57 | 5 years 200 mg | 6/9/2016 | 5 | Bipolar I | weight gain | Very happy. Less side effects than all the other meds I'm on or have been on. | F | 44 | 5 years 200mg 2X day | 3/29/2016 | 5 | Bipolar 2 | I've had anxiety disorder all my life, 3 major depressions and was finally diagnosed with BP2 after coming to pdoc in very hypomanic state. Started Lamictal, stayed at 200mg/day for 5 years, with NO side effects until now? I developed severe clogged pores out of the blue, with very oily skin and hair. | Idk for sure if Lamictal can cause acne after 5 years on it with no problems? I am shocked! My skin has gotten SO BAD now, after 5 years! No other issues, except sometimes feeling very stupid! Overall, I have been happy with it and I believe it has helped my mood stabilize, but if this horrible acne ends up being from the Lamictal, I'm off it! Just so weird to appear suddenly after 5 years on it!? | F | 66 | 5 years 100mg 2X day | 5/15/2022 | 5 | Bipolar I | Small pimples on back, increased body odor | I was suicidal before taking Lamictal. It has totally saved my life. I found ways to battle the pimples and the body odor. Totally worth it. I have no idea what I'd do without this drug. | F | 26 | 5 years | 4/18/2008 | 5 | Partial complex seizures | First year Great energy boost, sleeping problems (stay awake all night sometimes),slight dizziness. After 5 years blurred vision,body twitching,itching,short term memory loss,rash at times on chest,clumsiness,increase of urination at night and now I have no problems sleeping. I have problems getting out of bed. Too lazy at times,loss of sexual drive. | No seizures !My life changed alot after taking lamictal the first 6 months. I used too take dilantin and was fighting a drinking problem which caused depression problems. After the 6 months I felt good and had lots of energy. No seizures just feeling good. My drinking problems gone away and I felt good about myself.I didn't need drinking to feel good. At one time before i was taking dilantin and was working in a factory and always was asked to be a foreman but I never accept. ( too many Problems I thought). Now with lamictal I feel i could run the whole factory myself.Long term I believe after feeling great my body has gotten used to lamictal that I sometimes think I don't need it.But,deep inside I know I would never want to stop taking lamictal. Even with the problem with side affects I would recommend using Lamictal. | M | 39 | 5 years | 12/14/2006 | 5 | Nocturnal Epilepsy | Loss of memory, slower thought (well I'm getting older as well but I think lamictal plays its part). Sensitivity to sun. | I have been taking valproic acid for 10 years and were having about 3 - 4 seisures a year (nocturnal). Changed to Lamictal 5 years ago when we decided to make a family, as it was supposed to be safer for my pregnancy. It took more than 6 months for it to show results but I am 3 years completely free of nocturnal seizures. It also stopped tremor side effect of valproic acid. I'm happy for the end of the seisures. I also have two very healthy children now. My 4 year son has a speech problem - is there a chance it's because of lamictal during pregnancy? More important: after changing to lamictal, I have started experience "jerk" movements of my hand during the day. Is there a chance it's because of the medicine? | F | 37 | 5 years | 3/15/2007 | 5 | Nocturnal Epilepsy | As my earlier comment of 3/15/2007. | As my earlier comment of 3/15/2007. And another note: might the side effect be due to high dosage and might they be controled by changing it? | F | 37 | 5 years | 3/15/2007 | 5 | Bipolar II Depressive Episode | when titrating the initial the dose up, i noticed strange facial tics around my mouth and experienced excessive drowsiness. this stopped within a couple of weeks. after about 3 months my mood lifted and i am fine since my first break in 2000, that fortunately was my only break and i swear i am going to take Lamictal till the day i die! no jokes i don't want to go thru the hell of hospitalization and all the baaaaaaaaaad things that happened ever again if it can be hepled by me | current dose: 75mg AM 100mg noon 50mg pm. no problems with any rash. but i do find that it disturbs my sleep so i take the smallest dose at bedtime | F | 45 | 5 years | 6/8/2005 | 5 | Petit mal seizues | NO SIDE EFFECTS AT ALL | Lamictal is undoubtably the best anti-epilepsy drug. I had been on Dilantin/Depokote/Phenobarbital for 30+ years & my neurologist discovered that this combo was not working as it should.As a matter of fact,in 1999, my WBC had dropped so low,due to the depokote that she thought that I might need a bone marrow biopsy to see what was happening. My neurologist recommended getting off of the Dilantin/Depokote & trying the Lamictal/Phenobarbital combination to see how that would work & to see if that would bring my white blood count back to normal. I started the Lamictal in 1999 & I have had fantastic results with this particular drug.I had to get off of the Dilantin/Depokote combo first & that was a very unpleasant experience. But since I started taking 25mg of Lamictal twice a day, I have had NO petit-mal seizure problems since. | M | 38 | 5 years | 4/5/2005 | 5 | Epilepsy | I was suprised to read all of the side effects you guys have experienced, I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 7 and was unable to find any drug at all that could control it until I started taking lamictal. I was having up to ten petit mal seizures a day and sparatic grand mal seizures a year...since I started taking lamictal 5 1/5 years ago I have only had two seizures. Only because of a concussion. The only side effects mentioned which I have experienced is slight hair loss, vivid dreams, and hives. I actually lost ten lbs when I was tapered off depakote and onto lamictal. | Considering I was able to finally get my drivers license and be seizure free for so long, I can definitly deal with occasional itchyness and bad dreams. I was also monitored by my dr who slowly increased my dosage when I first started to prevent the rash. I am wondering if the people who experienced the rash were prescribed too high of a dose immediately. | F | 25 | 5 years | 6/20/2007 | 5 | Mood stabalizer / bipolar | feeling lethargic/exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, feeling in a mental "fog"/short-term memory loss. | ****ADVICE FOR ANYONE TAKING LAMICTAL**** There is a way to minimize side effects relating to mental functioning and memory, almost eliminating them, that I works very well for people other than myself. Try it!: Take the Lamictal only in the morning. Taking it in the evening seems to negatively effect memory. After you take your regular dosage, ***go back to sleep*** for a period of half an hour to an hour. When I took it on my way out the door, I was in a "fog" for a few hours and had similar problems with intellectual functioning that I've read about on this site. When I set an alarm to take the lamictal in the morning and go back to sleep (not just lie down), the negative cognative side effects are gone! I told my psychiatrist about this, and he reccomended to his other patients to try it, and it worked for them too!!! I would be happy to hear from others if this technique works for others too, and be in touch by email. Overall, This medication has completely saved | M | 26 | 5 years | 5/9/2007 | 5 | Bipolar | Loss of coordination. This medicine has worked wonders! I take it at night and do not wake up in the morning feeling hungover. | F | 34 | 5 years 300 MG | 5/21/2013 |