LAMICTAL Reviews (LAMOTRIGINE)

Average Rating: 3.4 (1917 Ratings)

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 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

LAMICTAL  (LAMOTRIGINE):  Lamotrigine is used alone or with other medications to prevent and control seizures. It may also be used to help prevent the extreme mood swings of bipolar disorder in adults. Lamotrigine is known as an anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drug. It is thought to work by restoring the balance of certain natural substances in the brain. This drug is not approved for use in children younger than 2 years due to an increased risk of side effects (such as infections).   FDA Approval Date: 1994-12-27 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on LAMICTAL: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR LAMICTALCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 3  Depression I also take 150mg of Zoloft and have taken an increasing dosage of Lamictal with the Zoloft for the past year. Since increasing from 100mg to 150mg of Lamictal about 2 months ago I have experienced muscle twitching of my eyelid and more mental fog. Since starting Lamictal, I have noticed increased lethargy, mental confusion, unable to concentrate. In the past 4+ years I have also taken Celexa, Wellbutrin and Effexor in different dosages and/or combinations. I take the Lamictal in the morning all in one dosage (and told my doctor about this since they recommend taking it in the evening) because it was giving me bad dreams and not letting me sleep. So, I take all 150mg in the morning with the Zoloft. Lamictal seems to have calmed the anxiety that I have (coupled with the depression is not a good thing), but I am wondering if these muscle twitches and tiredness will just progress since I have only been on the increased dosage for about 8 weeks. I was told that it was used 'primarily' for epilepsy, but I wasn't aware of all of the possible side-effects such as rash, etc. I am considering being weaned off all meds within the next year but will continue with the Lamictal as-is until that time if no other side effects appear or existing ones get worse. F 28 1 years
9/1/2007
 4  Bi-polar 2 I have been on Lamictal for a year and a half and have had excellent results - I am finally able to sleep (am not distracting by my thoughts which I can not stop), can concentrate, am no longer paranoid, or obsessing about what people are thinking about me. But about 3 months ago we increased my dosage due to some PB symptoms, from 200mg to 300mg - but I have adjusted back to 200mg. I was having the following side affects: short term memory loss which was constant, dizziness, and increased muscle twitching. Not to mention the extremely high cost - wish it was a preferred medication. Currently I am on 300mg Wellbutrin and 200mg Lamictal. I am hoping to go off both medications and am looking for others that have done the same. I am hoping that with regular exercise, changes in my diet and vitamin therapy I will be successful. What have others done? I am concerned about the long term side affects. If you have been weaned off Lamictal please contact me . . . F 43 1.5 years
8/31/2007
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 3  Bi Polar 1/Partial Seizures Initially, insomnia. Then, dermatitis around my nose and upper lip. Also, my skin has been sensitive -it doesn't feel good anymore when my boyfriend lightly rubs my back (it's creepy now). Then, about 5 months into treatment I noticed a weird taste in my mouth- from very acidic to bitter/sour/soapy taste, which has not gone away. I also developed acne on my forehead (which I never had before). Recently my doc increased my dosage from 100mg to 150mg (due to added stress) and I have noticed that my tongue and mouth feel a burning sensation (in addition to the awful taste). My tongue is swollen and I have a sore throat. My GP put me on an acid reflux med to see if the taste in mouth goes away (no such luck yet). My lips are sore too as well as the upper and lower palate and gums. And now after being on 150mg for one month I am having my third bout of cystic acne; huge painful, cyst-like pimples that once start to heal only break out again. I am going to tell my doc that I want of I can't tell if this drug made a difference in my mood. My boyfriend says it does. I'm still depressed but can't tell if it's situational, or all the negative side-effects I'm experiencing. I will say that my partial seizures have ceased entirely. I'm very upset if I will have to go back on Depakote which made me gain weight and made me sexually dysfunctional. F 37 10 months
8/30/2007
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 5  mood swings dry mouth. I am on the same cocktail as #6. It rocks. The fluoxetine takes away the anxiety. The wellbutrin addresses the resulting lethargy and lack of motivation. I was on those two for two years, then my mood swings got worse. The lamictal made me and my family much happier. The biggest change in cognition is that I can now remember 7-9 digit numbers again. That was a huge struggle on just the other two meds. M 42 2 years
8/29/2007
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 5  depressive bipolar maybe some trouble recalling words I went to a shrink for the first time in my life a week ago. I have been in a severe depression since my marriage went into the toilet. I've taken every anti-depressant. The last one being Effexor. It worked but side effects were not good. Anyway, I was completely shocked when psychiatrist said I have been misdiagnosed, i am actually bipolar-in his opinion. I thought HE was the crazy one. But decided to give Lamictal a try. I cannot believe what a difference it has made. I take it alone, without effexor, and have not felt this good in i don't know how long. I forgot what "normal" felt like. I know it's very early in my treatment and side effects can still happen (i am still on starter pack) but I love it so far! F 33 5 days
8/28/2007
 2  PTS/Depression Almost immediate hair loss as dosage increased. Was up to 150mg per day. Now, 18 months later, my thick, beautiful hair is 1/3 what it was, and still falling out. I have severe leg cramps, almost every night, I have the "runs" every morning, sometimes all night, I have horrible nightmares, fatigue, chest pains (like I'm having a heart attack, dry skin, feeling like I have to urinate, and nothing happens, getting up all night to urinate (go figure), no appetite, cannot breath through my nose, clogged ears (feel like I'm under water) and imaginary conversations that are very scary and make me even more anxious and depressed. When I first started taking Limictal, the only side effect I was told about was the "rash". It seemed to be working after a few months, I dropped at least 12 lbs. (but that could be from the loss of appetite and "runs") so I continued. When the hair loss and night sweats got worse, I cut down the dosage. It did not help. There was only a brief period of feeling more stable, and that it was helping, followed by such depression that it outweighed it's initial benefits. My hair is still falling out. I have had no support from my psychiatrist. She thinks that it's benefits outweigh the depression I feel from the side effects, mainly the hair loss. After going through chemotherapy, losing ALL of my hair, and finally having it grow back - this is unbearable. After reading many other Internet sites, and talking to doctors who are really informed about the side effects of this drug, I am feeling hostile, so therapy has not been that great. Since it is August, and sh F 54 18 months
8/28/2007
 2  BP 2 I feel like the "Village Idiot," experiencing problems with writing, reading and speaking. When writing even the simplest word, letters become transposed or a letter disappears. When I read, I don't see a word correctly and completely misinterpret the meaning of the sentence. In speaking, I grasp for words and choose the wrong ones. People wonder what's wrong with me, since I can't even follow a conversation. My normally excellent memory is vaporizing. I feel confused, in a haze and moronic. I'm on a very low dose (50 mg), and my doctor wants to raise me to 100 mg, but I've been unwilling to do so. He hasn't heard of these side effects. I'm glad that I googled "Lamictal side effects" and see that many people are experiencing the same problems. Lamictal hasn't really done anything positive for me. I'm now on just 50 mg, which is well below the therapeutic level. I also take 1350 mg of Lithium and some Thyroid meds. The side effects that I mentioned have made me even more depressed about my situation, since losing my intellect is devastating for me. F 51 4 months
8/28/2007
 3  bipolar 1 Terrible memory fog, hard time searching for right words, weight loss in the beginning, headaches every so often, muscles pain, anxiety and major hair loss after a year. It's a good drug, atleast for a while.The side effects lessened other than the word retrieval issues and memory fog. Although within a years time I was maxed out at 350 mg and the hair loss was noticable. I had a difficult time with school due to the memory impairment and it definately effected my self-esteem. I'm going to try topamax next. F 32 2 years
8/26/2007
 1  Bipolar I Made my anxiety horrible. Spells of feeling like I was going crazy. Nasty rash I needed to take a Medrol pack for. Back to Depakote ER for me. This is worse than Dilantin or Tegretol. uuggggh. M 37 6 months
8/26/2007
 2  Prescribed for depression/anxiety Terrible headaches, tachycardia (heart pounding) and palpitations, and severe pulsatile tinnitus. I suffer from anxiety, depression, and migraines. I was first given Paxil. It worked for depression but not the anxiety, and the sexual side effects and weight gain were unacceptable. Then I was given Amitryptiline. This raised my anxiety (heart pounding and palpitations), and worst of all, gave me high blood pressure. Since there is a family history of bipolar, the doctor then put me on Lamictal; at about the same time my family doctor prescribed Metoprolol for the high blood pressure. Lamictal was quite effective for mood stabilization. However, it did not help with anxiety/palpitations, made my life-long headaches worse, and gave me terrible pulsatile tinnitus. The Metoprolol stabilized my blood pressure but further contributed to the headache problem. (Despite what my family doctor claimed, beta blockers are NOT all the same, and only some work for migraine prophylaxis. Both Metoprolol and Lamictal are on the ototoxic list to be avoided if you have tinnitis. I am now off the Lamict F 58 12 months
8/25/2007
 5  Bipolar I none I am taking 100MG twice a day and my mood has become very stable with the exception of a few bouts of mild depression. F 15 7 months
8/23/2007
 4  Bipolar None so far. Titrating up, am at 50 mg so far. Titration SLOWLY is VERY important with this med. Also, I noticed some comments here about hair loss. I had significant hair loss with Ambien. I was on it for quite awhile, and the hair loss was gradual at first, so much so, that I wrote it off as aging (45 yoa) but eventually had my pharmacist see if any of the meds I was on would cause hair loss...Bingo...Ambien. So if you are on more than one med, it may NOT be the one most recently started that's causing your hair loss. F 46 3 weeks
8/23/2007
 3  Rapid Cycling BP 2 Hair loss. Its been one month and its getting worse and worse. I just started taking selenium and zinc which supposedly slows down or stops hair loss. It really sucks though because this medicine has really helped stabilize the mood swings and calm down the anxiety. Started working the 2nd day I took it. if it didn't cause such alarming hair loss I'd say its great. M 19 1 months
8/21/2007
 4  depression loss of balance, nystagmus, twitching of muscles when very relaxed, hand tremor, easy bruising, weight loss(but no nausea) All these side effects are fairly mild but are exacerbated by stress (as most things are.) Side effects are not nearly bad enough to make me want to quit. Taking 200mg daily F 55 4 months
8/20/2007
 2  Bipolar/anxiety I was on Lamictal for 9 days before I had any real side effects. It began with a rash on my hands, feet, arms and a mild headache, so I stopped taking it. The next day the rash was covering my entire body, I went to the dr. and I have Stevens-Johnson syndrome. I'm on steroids for a week and if that doesn't get rid of it I have to be admitted to the hospital. Please go to the doctor if you have similar symptoms bc it can be disfiguring or fatal if not treated immediately. I didn't get far enough into the treatment to see any progress or other reactions. F 22 9 days
8/18/2007
 1  bi polar 2 extremely disoriented, vision problems, stumbling alot, little bumps on my chest and back. At times I was unaware of where I was. Nausea, shaking and twitching at bedtime so bad that I couldn't sleep for days on end. My legs uncontrollably moved in a major way. I wanted to kill most everyone due to irritability, and I am not that way ever. I started Lithium at the same time, and after I stopped taking this I felt better only hours later. I took this Lamictal for 3 weeks, and was out of commission nearly everyday. It's a guinea pig drug, and is only approved by the FDA for epilepsy anyway. I have to start school in a week, so I quit taking it, and I can function now. I don't recommend taking this drug for a single thing. It nearly killed me because I almost got ran over crossing the street. F 20 3 weeks
8/14/2007
 4  seizures I get anxiety and blurred vision however, I believe some of what may be caused by other medications. It has shut off the seizures without serious side effects and that is what is most important. M 28 2 years
8/12/2007
 4  i am a 39 yr old bipolar female i have just started taking Lamictal. my results showed immediately. i was diagnosed at 18 and have been on everything and nothing has allowed me to feel what assume is close to a "normal" person. I do have side effects though. I have headaches in the morning and evenings,confusion at simple tasks,a tingling on the top of my head,and the worst is the very vivid nightmares i have everynight. i have been told that the nightmares go away at higher doses.I am currently at 50 mlg a day F 39 14 days
8/10/2007
 3  Seizures I have severe insomnia and when I do sleep I have vivid weird and horrible dreams. I have short and long term memory loss, but don't know if it is related to the seizures that I had before starting seizure med. There is so much of my past that I cannot remember and this is hard for me to accept and deal with. I hope that one day I can get off this medicine. I took Dilantin before this and could not function at all on it. F 44 10 months
8/10/2007
 1  Epilepsy Very aggressive. Loss of short time memory. Creepy payns like ants crauling underneeth my skin. Payns in the joints. Opstipation. Musclecontraktions and convultions. When young I underwent military combattraining in a forreign country. That meens when loosing my mind completely as the result of Lamictal treatment, I turned from a kind loving person to a dangerous monster because I didn*t remember what doing. One week after starting treatment I became State property in a high security ward. There I smashed the furniture, dishes and attacked the staff, and when the doctor asked me I couldn*t tell the day, and I hardly remembered my name. And I also became so goodharted that I gave away money to complete unknown persons because I felt pity for people who hadn*t got cigarettes. I tried desperately to tell the staff the medicine made me crazy, but noone belived me until after being forced to take this, (also with a letter from the local police that gave me drinking prohibition and order to follow up medication), I became severely ill and got a high fever. I felt I was burning from inside and I was in agony. Then the doctors reacted, and I had been on th F 53 2 months
8/10/2007

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