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 | Bipolar II | Splitting headaches whenever I change the dosage, but just until my body gets used to it, about 3-5 days. It has been a wonderful med for my bipolar depression, I used to take Seroquel but I sleep with my baby now and being knocked out was not an option, Lamictal was the perfect solution. I feel wonderful and have zero side effects now! | F | 33 | 2 months 50 mg 1X day | 6/9/2012 | 5 | Bipolar I I , with mixed features. | The most noticeable was a swelling or edema of the feet.But the benefits are more than worth it for me personally. I would also notice the begining of a headache, but by the time I thought of reaching for an asprin, it started to dissapear. | I have tried alot of different antidepressants over twenty years but I have to say I noticed within a month a real difference in my mood. Probably the first time in my life. I was even tempted to write gsk and praise them,as well as tell them that I was going to buy their stock. | M | 49 | 2 months | 9/1/2004 | 5 | Atypical Depression | At 100mg was told to expect some irritability. Whoa...way past irritability. Took a week off to let it pass. Psyc says 10 years of antidepressants when misdiagnosed are making the reaction more intense, but says it's a finite thing that I can ride out. No hair loss, headaches, rash or any of that other stuff. | Are you guys seeing psychiatrists or just general MDs? I came off general MD prescribed Zoloft (wow, that was HORRIBLE withdrawl, worse than anything I've experienced!) and went on Lamictal. This was the first time I'd ever felt I needed a psyc, but am SO GLAD I DID! It made me realize that there was a reason I couldn't pull myself up by my bootstraps ... I had none. I love this drug, it treats my neurons, not my chemical imbalance and it makes so much sense. I can't help but wonder if some of the side effects others experience are from mixing SSRIs with Lamictal. I finally have hope of living a normal life after 30 years of depression. Oh, and those of you who say you get "really drunk" ... Oh my gosh, don't you know that alcohol in conjunction with this drug is extremely dangerous?! Please stop drinking! | F | 45 | 2 months | 3/22/2007 | 5 | bipolar depression | sleepiness especially at onset of drug therapy, dry mouth | i have suffered with bipolar for 20 years. i have tried many drugs. this one has been the best so far. i did get a rash first time and had to stop and restart it was worth it. | M | 41 | 2 months | 6/11/2004 | 5 | Depression | Night Sweats | After 20 years of depression and going through many SSRIs this medicine has really helped (in conjunction with parnate 30mg a day). The only side effect so far has been the night time sweating which began after uping the dose to 200mg a day. I found this site while searching for info. regarding this. I will be asking my doctor about it as if it continues the lack of sleep caused by the sweating may make it difficult to continue. Hopefully its temporary or I can lower the dose. | F | 40 | 2 months | 6/2/2005 | 5 | BP I | Fatigue, tiredness. I am a little more cranky than when I was on Prozac, but the crankiness may be due to the fatigue. ANy ideas in how to combat the fatique? I feel like I should own stock in Starbucks for the amount of caffiene I am ingesting! | Lamictal has picked up my sex life, but not in a manic-sort of way. I would recommend it to anyone. I've been on SSRI's for 13 years, and definitely am doing much better on Lamictal, without the SSRI | M | 49 | 2 months | 6/6/2007 | 5 | Depression, Anxiety, & Mood Swings | 1st Week: Dry mouth, eyes, and skin but mostly mouth. Second night I had a swollen lip and a weird mouth sore and was itchy but no rash. Emotional, crying for no reason. Felt like I was kind of going crazy, confused. EXTREMELY weird thoughts, not exactly voices, just very weird thoughts. (Definetely not something I've ever experienced!) Slept better than I've slept in awhile, but vivid and detailed dreams. I of course called my doctor about all of this, she suggested I take 25 mg of antihistamine for one more night (after 3 days of this) and that was the end of all of the horrible side effects for me! 2nd week to now: Most side effects completely gone, only ones that remain are the occassional 'mental fog' where I can't think of a word and just go blank. But it's been humorous so far and hasn't happened very much. And the second is some slight OCD-like behavior. | It's been great for me. If you can get through the first week of a new medication it's worth a shot to see if it'll work. Everyone reacts differently to medications and you have to give it time. All of my horrible ones were over after the first week and I'm SO glad I stuck with it because it has helped me tremendously. I started slow though- 25 mg the 1st week, 50 mg the 2nd, etc until now I am at 150 mg. | F | 25 | 2 months | 5/18/2007 | 5 | Bipolar Type II | Itchy skin, night sweats, insomnia for the first few days. Dizziness and slight drugged feeling just after taking it. Breast size increased :) Solved the insomnia by setting an alarm for 5am - take it - then go back to bed for an hour or so. | After solving the insomnia problem I have to say that this stuff is amazing - I feel calm without feeling flat. I'm as creative as ever (I'm an artist so this matters) but I think I'll have problems doing the really melancholy paintings because I just don't feel that way anymore... I just wish I could have started on this 20 years ago. | F | 45 | 2 months | 10/13/2007 | 5 | Major depressive disorder | Vivid, negative, disturbing dreams; insomnia; headaches. | Overall, I am very satisfied with Lamictal. For about a year now I have been quite depressed and have experienced major mood swings, but no textbook "mania." My depressive mood swings scare me to death -- obsessive and negative thoughts, constant thoughts of suicide, intense self-hatred, feeling like I will always feel this way and that there's no hope, and uncontrollable crying spells. In October my new psychiatirst recommended Lamictal to add to my long-standing regimine of 20mg Prozac each day. After a few days on 25mg, I began to notice that my depression lifted and I wasn't experiencing major mood swings or crying spells. The positive effects kind of wore off after a few weeks, but came back after I increased the dosage to 50mg. Now I am finally on 100mg and have been on it for about three weeks. I haven't felt this good in well over a year -- no mood swings, crying spells, and debilitating depression. But...after three weeks on 100mg, I think the drug's positive | F | 32 | 2 months | 12/5/2006 | 5 | Depression | mild acne both face and body | I was swtiching drugs a lot this year. Effexor made me a zombie and killed my sex life. Welbutrin made me lose 15 lbs because eating was repugnant to me (and I was underweight to start with)and I had terrible anxiety attacks (and still no sex life). Its only been 2 months but this is the best Ive felt in a long time. Im happy, I'm gaining back some weight (nothing big- just getting back to normal), my anxiety attacks are nearly gone and My sex drive is finally back (my boyfriend is thrilled). The only downside was the acne. It wasnt terrible for me, and I found that the EXPOSED SKIN CARE SYSTEM works amazingly well for it, so it really hasnt been an issue. | M | 21 | 2 months | 7/8/2005 | 5 | Depression | mild acne both face and body, dry mouth | I was swtiching drugs a lot this year. Effexor made me a zombie and killed my sex life. Welbutrin made me lose 15 lbs because eating was repugnant to me (and I was underweight to start with)and I had terrible anxiety attacks (and still no sex life). Its only been 2 months but this is the best Ive felt in a long time. Im happy, I'm gaining back some weight (nothing big- just getting back to normal), my anxiety attacks are nearly gone and My sex drive is finally back (my boyfriend is thrilled). The only downside was the acne. It wasnt terrible for me, and I found that the EXPOSED SKIN CARE SYSTEM works amazingly well for it, so it really hasnt been an issue. | M | 21 | 2 months | 7/8/2005 | 5 | Bi Polar 2 | Occasional challenge in finding a certain word. Return of childhood asthma. Floating dark specks over my vision. Random feeling of water trickling over my fingers (almost like they are falling asleep). Decrease in sexual activity. Concerning rash and sores in my mouth. Doctor lowered dosage per day from 200 MG to 175 MG. After this the rash and sores cleared up. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A RASH CONTACT YOUR DR. right away...it can be very serious | Prior to taking Lamictal, I quite literally had a nervous breakdown. I was incapable of functioning and was absolutely exhausted and overwhelmed. By combining therapy with Lamictal, I have returned to feeling much more stable. I was clearly suffering for many years prior to my recent breakdown, and feel like I am my old stable self again. Keep in mind if you are Bi Polar, do not confuse the illness with the medication. For instance if you begin suffering from insomnia, it is likely due to the illness and not the medication. In my non professional opinion, stay on it unless you have the rash or sores. | M | 29 | 2 months | 5/20/2007 | 5 | Rapid Cycle Bipolar | Brief periods of hypomania with any increase in dose. Slight fatigue, along with some clumsiness and minor memory issues. I have noticed what some call 'emotional flatness'; a better term for it is MOOD STABILIZATION. | This is BY FAR the best medication I have been given. It has been a fantastic mood stabilizer for me; from the very first dose of 25mg. It does a great job of stopping my rapid cycle down swings; it has is very effective in relieveing my depression. There are side effects, but they are far fewer and far less intense that other medications; and I have been on a few. The only issue I have had with lamictal is it's interaction with my Celexa. I had to cut down on my Celexa dose once I reached 100mgs of Lamictal because 20mgs of Celexa kicked me into a full blown manic phase. The day I upped to 100mgs of Lamictal, I took my dose of Celexa and had the first full manic episode I'd had in months. But, cutting back on the Celexa was a necessary part of the process anyway. Also take the warnings about the rash seriously; if you develop one, go into see a doctor. | M | 2 months | 8/16/2009 | 5 | BiPolar II | groggy in the morning, slight word recall problems | wow. I feel like I've never lived a normal life until now. I'd long suffered from severe "overreactions" to things, if i had a problem at work, i'd be tortured by it, if i had a bad date, I'd be CRUSHED, if someone pissed me off, I'd spend HOURS ruminating on it and writing extremely thorough emails to them. I was STUCK in whatever emotion was happening, and I couldn't think straight. Lamictal is a drug to treat seizures, and it makes sense that this drug would help me. What happened to me was like an electrical storm in my brain of emotions. But Lamictal turns that off. Now, if something that used to set me off happens, I feel a "twinge" but that's as far as it goes. I'm able to see situations clearly and deal with them rationally. I've been able in the last two months to really see patterns of behavior that I could never deal with before. In the past I'd tried almost every antidepressant there was, but they never did anything for me (except a few made me feel "dead.") I still feel like me, except a better me. I do miss the torrent of creative ideas that I used to have, but I realize now that was a sort of mania, and I'll gladly take the slowed down version if it means I can deal with people better. Wish I'd found this years ago! | F | 41 | 2 months | 8/29/2009 | 5 | ocd and bipolar II | starting rashes just gone away, costipation, vivid dreams. | this drug has been a great discover. it helps me a lot with impulsiveness, with intrusive thoughts, and compulsion. he avoids in me panic attacks, anxiety and phobias. it helps also in depression, better that other mood stabilizerrs in combo with antidepressant. | M | 23 | 2 months | 9/1/2009 | 5 | Rapid Cycling/BP-Stabilize Mood | At first, I felt a bit spacey but my Doctor had told me this was normal and would go away. It went away during the second week | My moods go from slightly depressed to hypomanic sometimes several times in one day. I have taken Tegretal, Lithium, Depakote, Seroquel, Risperdol, Haldol, Geodon, Klonopin, Zoloft, Prozac, to name a few. All other mood stabilizers caused me to be "zombie-like" and made me feel "not normal due to being extremely slowed down from normal". My SSRI was changed several times due to the mood stabilizers previously taken not being adequate....if not making me feel worse than not being medicated at all. I was put on meds such as Geodon, and Haldol that both sent me to the emergency room wondering if I was going to die....I always stopped my mood stabilizer (which is typical for BP people). Needless to say after 7 years since my diagnosis, I was completely discouraged and very hesitant to try anything new due to bad experience. My new Doctor put me on Lamictal several months ago. She advised me that it would not cause weight gain and that typically, everyone seemed to be really pleased with it. I am more pleased than I ever expected. Just when I thought no combination of meds, especially one med alone would ever change my life so much for the better as Lamictal has. I now take Lamictal, Effexor, Xanax (when needed), and Adderall. The combination is perfect but specifically associated with Lamictal...I am more energetic, I am generally is a great mood and my moods are predictable at all times, I am very optimistic, I don't have anxiety nearly as much as I | F | 30 | 2 months | 3/18/2009 | 5 | Bipolar I | none | It improved my mood and energy levels. I am much happier and optimistic after taking lamictal, and my energy has increased. | F | 26 | 2 months | 3/15/2009 | 5 | GAD/Panic disorder | Insomnia, mild rash | I just began taking lamictal, after having achieved mixed results with SSRIs. The SSRIs provided relief but at a high cost in side effects; lamictal is nearly all-gain so far, save the insomnia. I was able to discern a distinct difference in my mood within two weeks. I feel like myself for the first time in a long while; I am full of hope for the future. | M | 20 | 2 months | 3/23/2009 | 5 | Bipolar II | Night sweat. Temperature sensitiv. Small rash on my hands. Lamictal is the only medicine that i use. | A year ago I was searching like crazy on the net trying to find out what was wrong with me and I stumble on this page. Now that I have been cured I thought it would be nice to write some lines. I think that those who have been cured by this drug stop searching the net because they don’t need to and that’s why you have more negative feedback than positive on this medicine. Anyway, the depressive side forced me into a black hole that I could get out from without help. Started out with large doses of pure fish oil (6 large capsules a day with Omega 3 without vitamins), that lifted me up some (it took 3 months). Finally I was diagnosed bipolar II and put on lamictal. I am on 200mg a day plus fish oil and I have to say that I have never felt better. My brain is working again, all thoughts of dead has gone, muscle tension is much better, I have control over my anxiety +++. If lamictal or other drugs fail….try fish oil. | M | 42 | 2 months | 1/13/2009 | 5 | bi-polar II , Insomnia | At first week mild headaches, 2 weeks a little acne, at first I would wake me up in the middle of the nigh. NOW, none.....a little drowsy | I have been on everything. I could be a pharmacist. This is the ONLY MED I COULD tolerate and WORKED.........BEST MED EVER and IM ONLY at 150mg and my goal is 400mg. | M | 34 | 2 months | 11/20/2008 |