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 Date added. 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 |
| 2 | bipolar | the more i research typical bipolar medications the more depressed i become. for most people it seems that the side effects are as bad or worse than the disease. ever since becoming medicated ive gone from an A student to a C- student, a size 2 to a size 6, i live most of my life at half brain function, and i no longer enjoy the things i used to love. not to mention that i have so much difficulty communicating with people that i've lost most of my friends. i know these arent exactly "side effects" but they are a product of this medication. i think im just gonna stop it and see what happens...the worst scenario would be another manic episode, or perhaps a deep depression, but anythings gotta be better than this sorry excuse for a half life that i lead. | F | 3.5 months | 5/3/2007 | 1 | BP, PTSD | Weight gain, memory loss, trouble with words and ideas and formulating thoughts, acne, vision changes, headaches, irritability, forgetfulness, misspelling words more and more, feeling like I'm in a fog, lethargic, can't concentrate | I am an editor, so having problems with words, thoughts, ideas and spelling is more than a HUGE problem for me. It's devastating. I found this site as I was searching for answers to all of my problems; not realizing they were all side-effects of the drug. Now that I see how many people have the same symptoms, I can only conclude that this drug, while it may seem to work for some things, can cause real harm to the brain. I am not on any other drugs, so it can't be explained away by other causes. There is a reason Lamictal isn't prescribed much anymore. It's not just that the new drugs are the new hip and cool ones to take, it's because this drug is dangerous. I thought the weight gain and acne were bad enough (I can no longer fit in any of my clothes as I recently titrated up to 300 mg), the memory and word problems are far worse and far scarier. I will never take Lamictal again, and I will caution anyone else I know to never start taking it. | F | 44 | 1.5 years | 5/1/2007 | 3 | Bi Polar | Occasional confusion and memory loss (I do a repetitive job at work thank goodness), extreme thirst, muscle pain, excessive sleep at night, heacaches, nausea. No hair loss or weight gain. | Went off zoloft about 1 week ago. Started Lamictal 2 weeks ago. I also take Klonopin and Depakote ER. Not sure if all of this is the right mix because I still am on the very low side of depression. | F | 39 | 14 days | 4/30/2007 | 3 | Depression | It's become difficult to retain what I read. When memorizing, I briefly remember info but by the next day most is forgotten. It takes a lot of effort to express ideas nowdays. My brain seems to be in a fog. | Over the past two years Wellbutrin 300mg and Lamictal 100mg have worked effectively to combat depression but during this time the effects I've described have become progressively worse. I suspected shortly after starting Lamicatal that it was affecting my memory and ability to concentrate but its purpose was to take the edge off Wellbutrin and it worked. My secret fear has been that I'm developing dementia but maybe the problem is Lamictal. | F | 55 | 2 years | 4/29/2007 | 5 | Bipolar I | Some skin irritation, mostly in the beginning, and slight issues forgetting or misspelling words, but which generally never happened to me in the past. Haven't really experienced any of the other side effects mentioned here. | I am at 100mg and this drug has seriously saved my life. Instead of the madness of mood swings, I am completely balanced and I feel consistent like I did in my teens. This was my first bipolar medication and I haven't experienced anything really negative to date. In the beginning I did have a few inconsistent spells, or brief periods of depression, but I haven't experienced that in quite a while. | M | 28 | 90 days | 4/27/2007 | 3 | bipolar | during my second hospitalization for mania, the doctor started me on 100mg and i developed the rash. second time around i didn't get the rash, and it has helped me stay stable, but i've had SEVERE WEIGHT GAIN, about 30 lbs in 3 months. i feel like the drug company is full of shit, and my doctor says there is no better medicine so i can't go off of it. plus i still havent gained back my comprehension and writing skills, i have such a hard time with school work nowadays. the weight gain made me so depressed that he put me on wellbutrin, which may have helped the mood a little but doesnt do much. now im taking an anorexiant, phentermine, as well, but while it has curbed my appetite a little, it doesnt work nearly as well as others say it does. i guess it probably has a wierd reaction with the lamictal. almost willing to try topamax to get this weight off... | i guess most ppl don't experience weight gain, but if you do, make sure to tell your doctor. maybe we can spread the word that this drug isnt actually weight neutral. | F | 19 | 3.5 months | 4/27/2007 | 3 | Severe Panic | Lethargy, inability to concentrate for long periods of time and social carelessness. | I have been taking 900mg (2x200mg in morning and 2.5x200mg at bedtime) for about 2 years. I was on a lesser dose the years before. I have had a rough time but not sure if it is Lamictal or the other drugs. I have used topomax and lyrica. Both had side effects that were awful. Topomax - could not sweat and no libido. Lyrica - weight gain like mad and it simply did not work weel. Plus it made me really sleepy. I guess Lamictal is ok..but it alone was useless. | M | 40 | 5 years | 4/27/2007 | 3 | Depression | Insomnia, Significant Weight Loss, Loss of Appetite, Nausea, Trouble Concentrating, Headaches, Back/Neck Pain, Occasional Itching | I'm trying hard to give this drug a chance but the side effects are making this difficult. I'm getting about 4 hours of sleep at night and I've lost 20 pounds in 3 months! The problem I'm having with just dropping this medication is that the drug does seem to help a good bit with mood & depression. My doctor started me with 25mg and moved me almost immediately to 100mg. He has agreed to drop my dosage to 50mg do to the side effects. Hopefully this will help. | M | 35 | 3.5 months | 4/26/2007 | 2 | Grand Mal/Psycho Motor Seizures | Wowwwww, where to begin I am experiencing several side effects from this drug. The worst is the memory loss and confusion. I have problems spelling even common words. At times I cannot remember what words mean or how to use the correct word to express a thought or feeling. I loved working with numbers but I've been unemployed 6 years now, mainly due to this specific reason. Every memory side effect you see listed on all of these blogs, I suffer from. | I've had seizures my whole life (41 years) and have been on almost every med possible, but when I started on Lamictal, memory and ability to spell became my worst side effects, and I thought It was the brain damage caused by my seizures that was causing this problem. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one. I'm on 3000 mg of Keppra and 700 mg of Lamictal, and I've found that my seizures have gotten worse since I started Lamictal. The only good thing I can say about any med used to control my seizure disorder is that it has built up my immune system, because I have not been sick since I was 15, and I am now 41. Well I'm going off Lamictal to try Topomax, and the only thing I fear with that med is Kidney Stones. So anyone who has been on that med and has any advice, it would be nice to hear from you. | M | 41 | 2 years | 4/26/2007 | 4 | seizures after brain tumor | Not many -- maybe a little fatigue, dizziness, hair loss. Also taking Keppra. | Dilantin was the first drug I was on and it was awful. Lamictal seemed very easy in contrast. I don't have seizures often, but enough so that when I maxed out on the Lamictal my doc added Keppra, which I am increasing because I had a seizure last week (after none for a year). | F | 37 | 2 years | 4/25/2007 | 4 | seizures after brain tumor | Not many -- maybe a little fatigue, dizziness, hair loss. Also taking Keppra. | Dilantin was the first drug I was on and it was awful. Lamictal seemed very easy in contrast. I don't have seizures often, but enough so that when I maxed out on the Lamictal my doc added Keppra, which I am increasing because I had a seizure last week (after none for a year). | F | 37 | 2 years | 4/25/2007 | 3 | Bipolar Type II | ACNE, easily angered, weight gain, memory issues, frequent urination, mostly at night | I was on this a year and a half ago, for about two months, but stopped because I couldn't afford it. But it was long enough for these side effects to take place. I didn't realize that's what it was from at the time. They haven't gone away since. I just started again, and only came here to check out weight gain as a side effect and now it's all coming back to me. It's scary but at the same time, I remember this drug being the one that actually helped me the most. So which is more important considering it seems the damage is done and it did help. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. | F | 27 | 16 days | 4/25/2007 | 5 | Bipolar | I don’t remember if I experienced any noticeable side effects when I first started the medicine, but I was aware what the minor side effects were and I think my body just got use to them. Never had acne/rash as a side effect. But, last July, I began having neurological problems (trigeminal/occupital neuralgia) and I pieced together problems that I’ve had since 2004, but they are getting worse. The side effects of Lamictal mimic symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. Some of the similar symptoms include: Memory loss, confusion, hand tremors, feelings of exhaustion, loss of balance, intense itching, blurred vision (only my right eye though), etc. | Started with 100mg for first 3 years, but increased to 300mg per day... 100mg in morning and 200mg night. Has anyone else noticed additional side effects with long-term use? My other neurological symptoms include: Body stiffness, drift into a wall or object, unable to maintain body temperature (cold hands/feet), out of breath, sharp muscle pain, tripping over feet, tight/stiff wrists, stiff/sore joints, loss to hearing, changes in eyesight, electric-shock like pain on right side of face only., etc. The side effects/symptoms never occur simultaneously... one day I will have one problem and then the next day I will have another problem. Does this sound familiar? | F | 40 | 4 years | 4/24/2007 | 4 | Epilepsy | Started in the beginning with severe nausea/dizziness, rash, swollen glands. Eventually went away. After reading this, I realize why I have bad night sweats and acne. It also may be interacting poorly w/ my birth controll pills, which causes me to have periods at least 2 out of every 4 weeks. Also possible sexual side effects. | I've had less than 10 big seizures in my life (2 were caused when I took herbs (don't do that). I used to be on Depakote but switched b/c this was safer. Overall, it's great for the tonic-clonic, but I'm having the jerks that didn't start until about 6 months ago. I just came off of Depakene, which I took for the jerk-type seizures. I stopped b/c it made them worse and it is more dangerous. I'm getting married soon and this is the safest drug in the case that i would get pregnant. I just wish I would have known that all of these side effects were from my meds..it's not going to be fun getting married with acne and a 2 week period. :( | F | 24 | 1.5 years | 4/24/2007 | 3 | Bipolar | Severe weight gain (20 lbs in 3 mos), loss of balance, poor concentration, still having mood swings but not as extreme | I am relieved to read that others have experienced weight gain. All of the "official" information says this is "weight neutral". | F | 37 | 120 days | 4/24/2007 | 3 | Depression and Anxiety | I have been taking Luvox and Klonopin for years to help battle my depression and anxiety. Recently I noticed that I was feeling depressed for extended periods of time. In light of this, I contacted my doctor and we determined that I should take a mood stabalizer, Lamictal to help with the depression. In the past I tried several different medications mostly SRIs with terrible side effects. Luvox worked the best in terms of tolerable side effects until now. I've been really depressed while taking Luvox and frustrated and angry because I'm tired of taking medications and dealing with the side effects. It has now been 14 days on Lamictal and I do feel that it has helped with my depression but has also added 5lbs. of weight gain to my body. This is not acceptable - I used to be a size 2 and I'm not fitting into any of my clothes! After reading other comments from several people on this website with a similiar problem of weight gain, I'm going off, it is not worth it! | F | 41 | 14 days | 4/24/2007 | 4 | Bi Polar 2 | Taking 400 mg, sometimes I feel like I am drunk. Slight weight gain. I have not had hair loss, maybe it will come later. Spelling and typing are harder, I mix up letters and whatnot | M | 23 | 9 days | 4/23/2007 | 2 | soft bipolar | Severe night sweats, horrible & very vivid dreams, initial energy burst but now lathargic, rash-like redness/flaking around mouth, nose & eyebrow, definite weight fluctuation, memory & recall difficulties, zone out sometimes. | I am on 400mg of lamictal and 150mg of wellbutrin. I notice that my dosage seems to be higher than most. At first I felt almost manic (positive way)but now I am finding my compulsive/impulsive behaviors surface. I don't think lamical is very beneficial at this point. I am planning to get off it. | F | 39 | 1 years | 4/23/2007 | 5 | Depression | Vivid Dreams at onset | Added Lamictal to Zoloft regimen 2 yrs. ago, then switched from Zoloft to Effexor XR a yr. ago. Now, I take 200 Lamictal + 187.5 Effexor XR, and things are much smoother. It's not a cure-all, but former life irritants (work, other people!) are now mild annoyances, if anything. Tried "weaning" myself to 175 mg a month ago, but noticed recurring irritability, depression. Went back to 200 mg. a week ago, and feel much better. I'm incredibly sensitive to most drugs. A question: I see some people take their doses once-a-day, and others twice. I take mine once, but what's the conventional wisdom on this? (I know it has a short half-life). | M | 38 | 2 years | 4/22/2007 | 3 | Bi-Polar !! | Lack of sleep (4 hrs. a night); loss of words; short term memory loss; loss of balance; sometimes blurred vision; tremors; not much appetite; still some excitability; lost weight; losing hair (mildly); put my libido in a normal range; and heart palpitations! | Even with all those side effects I will continue taking Lamictal. Without it I was unbearable to myself and others. Had to continually apoligize for my bizarre actions. Libido was out of control, and crying all the time. My highs were wonderful and I denied I had any problems whatsoever which created many unpleasant disageements with others. At my age none of the other meds worked anymore, so I'm thankful for the little help and relief Lamictal gives me. It hasn't stopped my creativity, as a matter of fact has enhanced it. I've been bi-polar most of my life. | F | 76 | 5 days | 4/22/2007 |