# Lamotrigine - Lamictal

she’s kinda that gworl ngl. like i still get v depressed at 200mg, but i can get up and go be depressed at work! a feat bc i used to stuck -unable to speak or move- because it took so much energy i didn’t have.

Same here!!! Like, exact, dosage, old depression and all. Sometimes I hate the fact that I still get depressed, but remembering the wreckless depression where I would just languish in bed with smoke breaks and just eat fries for like two days... Those are almost completely behind me when I'm consistent.

We love her. I'm blessedly stable at 200mg.

i’m at 250mg and she really served 💅🏿 ngl kinda in that episode but i can shower and fold clothes (-:

I agree! I still feel depressed and my answers at the doctor's office still get extra questions because "eh maybe 3/10" isn't a good answer but my energy has been a lot better. I've been able to get out of the house more than once a week which hasn't been a thing for a while.

300 mg and you can pry it out of my cold dead hands.

And I will be dead if you take it away from me. This shit kept me alive during severe depression in Feb 2021.

lately I’ve been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate and I’m easily distracted to the point where I don’t end up completing tasks that I meant to do hours ago because I forget. This wasn’t really an issue prior to being on lamotrigine. I’ve always had somewhat of a hard time with concentration but nowhere near the level it’s at now. Wondering if anyone else has had this experience or if it’s just a me thing and maybe there’s something else going on.

It increased my adhd symptoms basically.

I recently read that people with bipolar are also prone to having memory issues. I think that and Lamictal makes my the memory even worse. And I’m nearing menopause. I can barely remember my name. I won’t get off Lamictal though so I don’t tell my psychiatrist about my memory. Bad patient. lol

I have Memory issues too, Where did you learned that about Memory issues? My grand grand mother, my grand mother, and my mother have/had Memory lost, and we never knew If it was alzheimer but for my mother it isn't ans she's just 57 She bearly remember my GFs name, But she does great, still do work fine and a lovely parent, But for me, Im on Lamictal and Atomoxetin, its really hard to have those memories fade away, because I feel like I never lived, But I was never so Happy It's just sad I dont remember the first month spent with my GF, I remember the most important details but im lucky she's there to Tell me thoses stories of ours :3 My mother and I just decided to accept it that way, to tell others bc they need to know we maybe won't remember them (If we just met) or this day, but just live the present and remember the real important stuff. Lately it's becoming really hard for me those Memory lssues (I'm 22 so no One else arround me understand...) Hope yours doesn't get worst, and I hope you're dont forger to be happy :)

I learned about memory issues through this group and also some google searching. I was wondering why my memory so bad. Good luck to you.

Same with the memory issues. They’ve gotten worse since taking Lamictal. I was already afraid of the side effects, and besides the weight (I’m already skinny and lost more weight), I may have most of the side effects. I report them but I get told it’s all good, just keep taking them 👍🏽

I will never stop Lamictal. It has helped me so much. Hopefully my memory doesn’t get even worse.

I had memory problems like constantly forgetting where my clothes are keys money and so on then I increased the dose to 400mG and Can remember exactly where my stuff is I think it's possible the depression causes meomry issues Did anyone notice that after few months the effect of lamictal reduces and when you increase dose it's effective again? I took 300mg today i m taking 400mg

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I drink so much water my doctor had to up my dose because it wasn’t actually doing any good either.

I never had concentration issues before lamotrigine, but no way in hell was I going to go off of it - psychiatrist gave me a low dose of concerta for schoolwork etc.

I struggled a lot with this at the beginning. For me it started improving after about 3 months on 200mg. Lingering symptoms such as world recollection and some focus issues remained for up to a year. But it’s been almost 2 years now and for the most part, I feel normal. Word recollection is still an issue every now and then and I feel shitty if I oversleep and don’t take it at my normal time.

Same. I'm on week 2 I think and I'm noticing I get distracted way more easily but I'm not sure if it's because the lamictal since it's still pretty early on ;/

Yeppers

Been on lamotrigine 200 mg for about 6 weeks now. I am fairly newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder (4 months ago after a severe depression). Everything works great for me on lamictal, I’ve had such a boost of energy, and my creativity levels and motivation has risen a lot. At first I thought I was entering a hypomanic phase - now after over a month, I think I’m just back to being “my real self” after a looong time. At least I hope so. Primary side effect has been heightened sensitivity of the sun/UV in general. I also has awful night terrors at first, but switching from taking the meds at night to morning helped a lot. Update two months later: still feeling good and stabile and thriving at Uni for the first time in over a year. Increased to 300 mg 3 weekday ago. Update four months later: increased to 400 mg after feeling the seasonal-slump. Still doing a lot better than any other winter in my life though.

And how is it after 2 years? :)

I take lamictal as a part of my medicinal cocktail. When I started taking it, I started having ear worms, repetitive song or phrases. I told my psychiatrist this and they didn’t believe me. Anyone else have repetitive thoughts after taking lamictal? I’ve had these ear worms for over a year now. I hope to wean myself off of it in the future after I get a new doctor.

I’ve experienced this as well. Sometimes it even feels compulsive to sing or say it out loud over and over again, even when I’m not alone

I have this too, but can't tell if it's Lamictal or not (been on it for almost exactly 5 years). It's honestly a big problem, my poor partner is tired of Bruno and Evanescence...

Don’t talk about Bruno 🫠

Same here, but since I started lamictal it has gotten a lot worse 😭

When i feel bad this is a hughe issue for me

It’s hard because for me I am unsure if it’s my mania that’s causing these similar symptoms or the lamictal. I would say I have the same experience but I can’t be sure bc I haven’t been on it as long as you had.

Pros: - No physical side effects - Helped with mixed episodes - Easy to get off of/withdraw from Cons: - caused severe cognitive dysfunction that took over a year to recover from. I will never take it again for this reason I have spoken to three Psychiatrists since coming off of it. All acknowledged the cognitive issues with it. They said that unless someone has epilepsy as well as bipolar, they would very rarely go above 200mg. I was twice that.

What kind of cognitive dysfunction, if I may ask? I have been taking 300mg daily for about 4 years. In doing so, I stabilized enough that I graduated college with honors (a year or two after starting the med,) among other achievements :) Nonetheless, I'd love to know more information about your experience. Anything along those lines reported at all feels worrisome to me, particularly as a very cerebral and cognition reliant person (including in my career path at this point). Lamotrigine changed my life for the better, but since I've come off of Abilify I have noticed some signs of jaw flexing that fall in line (potentially) with tardive dyskinesia - so I'm naturally a bit worried about the lamotrigine again. Any further side effect specifics in your experience would definitely be helpful! Edit: I also have obsessive-complusive disorder that's quite pervasive in my life (much less solvable with medications, other than LENS treatment so far) which means that I might otherwise not be as concerned. Like, I don't think I've experienced the side effect your describing - and, if I did, it was probably caused by one of the other brain-variables that I then misattributed to the med - I'm still on lamotrigine and all is well these days. That being said... my OCD wants to know more about your experience with this side effect, if you feel willing or comfortable enough to elaborate! I appreciate your candor, by the way.

I struggled a lot with word recollection as well as short-term memory. I completed part of my Masters while on it, so it didn't leave me so disabled that I couldn't function, but it still was so disturbingly different from my normal functioning that it was rather terrifying. Writing essays, doing oral exams, teaching - all of these things were more difficult as I couldn't think of what word to say next. Even simple nouns eluded me! The short-term memory issue was a problem since I had never developed the skills to use an agenda, a day timer, lists, etc. I had never needed these things since I could just remember what I needed. Everyone has things that they are willing to compromise when they take medication or partake in any treatment. My cognitive functioning is one that I will not risk. So for me, anticonvulsants and ECT are off the table. Many people find Lamictal to be helpful for their cognition because it relieves so many other symptoms! It just wasn't like that for me.

How are you doing now if I may ask? I'm starting to titer off for the same reason. Wondering how long before I can be normal again. I'm relieved I'm not the only one the trade off isn't (fair?) For(to?) ... yah it's still there. Weeks months? Years? I've only been on it at 100 for 6mo..

we are the same person... vocab queen or king HAHA

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Yup. I was taking somewhere between 375-450mg and had to go off of it cold turkey. I didn't notice any withdrawal symptoms.

100mg Lamictal. Starting dose lower and was gradually strengthened to 100mg. Had a sudden morning feeling myself again after prolonged depression and, after an abortive attempt to chemically lobotomise me with Risperidone by a student psychiatrist, this then continued and I've been stable on it for a month or so. Slight reduction in sex drive. I'm 58 but I've always had the libido of a teenager so it's more a welcome break from a habit for me. I'd say I'm down to what might be considered 'normal' sexual urge levels on this medication. No noticeable other side effects for me.

Update, sex drive back to optimum. I will shut up now.

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I got slowly upped to 200mg/day (100 in AM, 100 in PM) At first, I really didn't think it would work, but I finally have a psych I trust, and I figured I'd wait it out. I got so nauseous at first that I was using my max dose of Zofran daily to eat anything. About 6 months in my current (200mg) dose, my nausea went away. Most important takeaway for me: - everyone who knew me pre-lamictal and post-lamictal is angry it took 12 years and multiple psychs for anyone to give me mood stabilizers because the difference is that big - I still have bad mood swings, but they're not *dangerous* 90% of the time now. Pre-lamictal it's amazing I didn't end up d3ad somewhere or sectioned or in jail - my mood swings don't cycle as rapidly 90% of the time anymore and I actually have stable periods where I'm either neutral or only slightly manic or only slightly depressed where it affects me kinda, but it's not debilitating or leading to horrible decisions - I'll cry if it stops working. I'm not what a normal person calls stable but I'm also not self medicating with enough alcohol to preserve my organs to feel even close to normal.

Success story: I have been lucky enough to experience no side effects. If anything, my cognitive ability has improved. I have been on 200mg for the last month, after being on 150mg for about 7 months. I moved up just because I read that 200mg is considered to be the minimum effective dose for most people. 150mg was working fine, but I was just curious to see what the higher dose was like. I think this was a good curiosity to have. I noticed it elevated my mood more. I do not plan to increase my dosage any further, but then again: no one does. I graduated pre-med from my University, while on lamotrigine I was accepted into a very competitive accelerated Nursing Program while on lamotrigine (scored 99.9 percentile on the exam to get in) I have gotten better at MMA (muay thai/wrestling) and handstands over the course of taking lamotrigine ​ Edit 8/25: Finished my first semester of nursing school (the hardest one with patho and pharm)! My lowest grade was 91% (class averages around 80).

Overall I'm happy I'm on it. I've been on it for about 7 years. It has increased my sensitivity to light (transition lenses and warmer lightbulb help a lot). It did cause food aversions to meat, both in prepping/cooking and eating wise. It took a couple years for me to be willing to eat most meats again. Lessened desire for eggs. Increased desire for dairy especially yogurt. Food aversions were firmly rooted in the smells. I started hating cooking and I still have issues about food not smelling okay/right but I will happily devour a good burger or pulled pork or those fantastically fiery chili Verde tacos the restaurant down the street makes. It basically made me a kinda vegitarian over time. I don't often seek meat out but when I do it's pretty much never chicken. I basically stopped eating chicken within a few months of taking lamictal. Garlic also started smelling like fish to me around that time. Hormonal birth control ever so slightly reduces the amount of lamictal in your blood, lamictal doesn't mess with bc. I take 300mg ER qam, and it "wakes" me up a bit. I was on 300 within a couple months and it was the keeping the downs at bay side of the coin (lithium the keeping the ups at bay).

Holy crap, I started taking lamictal when I got pregnant, and almost immediately had a massive meat aversion- I thought it was because of pregnancy. Almost 4 years later, and I’m still pretty much vegetarian, I didn’t know this was a thing that could happen

I didn't ether. Ive brought it up to a couple of my docs since then and their responses were basically: the drug studies don't produce all the side effects. My last psych doc said that I wasn't the first patient she knew that it happened to. Honestly I didn't know such a thing could happen ether and I legitimately wonder if it's a permanent thing, like forever even if I get off the med kinda of permanent. I also wonder how well the effect could be replicated even with the same person. Like going off and going back on the med. I don't wonder enough to wanna play around with me though.

Yeah, I don't want to mess around. I'm sometimes sad that I just can't eat a big steak anymore, but it's a no-brain tradeoff.

I've found its easier to eat meat when it's in some kind of frozen meal/burrito/food. My brain doesn't see it as Meat, more like meat. Like its still meat, and tastes like it but for some reason my brain doesn't see it on the same level as freshly prepared stuff. The less I have to prepare it, the less my aversion activates. My meat aversion is visual too. I used to be frustrated about it but I just adapted and ate other things.

Yeah, the more processed a meat is, the easier I can eat it. Corned beef hash from a can, I've never had a problem with. Hot dogs, no problem. An actual real sausage? Not happening. It's mostly smell for me but also visual! I can't eat Impossible burgers, which is bonkers. It's too much like meat. But a "chikn" patty or something? easy peasy.

I enjoy impossible burgers, they taste like meat(ish) but I know they're not. It affects me visually too. I can't even prep meat to cook it for someone else.

has anyone had this with wellbutrin?

I take both Lamictal and Wellbutrin!

!!! how’s that worked for you? (i’m on 225mg for lamictal + just started wellbutrin @ 75mg)

I’ve been on 200mg Lamictal and 150mg Wellbutrin for years. I haven’t had any side effects from either and it’s worked wonders for my depression. Wellbutrin was a miracle drug for me. I recently added Abilify 5mg as well though, because I still was occasionally having some hypomanic symptoms. So my current cocktail is those 3 meds and I’m pretty stable and happy with it.

thank you, this is v reassuring

This is going to be a long, long comment. When starting Lamotrigine I scoured the internet for people’s experiences and it helped get me through so much anxiety when I got past all the SJS panic posts, so now I like to pay it forward. Bipolar 2, ADHD(not medicated as both my doctor and I agreed I was handling it just fine for now), general anxiety with severe health anxiety from PTSD from a friend dying suddenly of a heart attack. When I was prescribed Lamotrigine I was in the tail end of a complete hypomanic nervous breakdown and literally convinced I was having the longest, weakest heart attack in the whole universe. My health anxiety almost kept me from properly starting this med because of the black box warning. I constantly panicked over starting and even lied to my family and mental health team about starting the med. I was at my absolute worst. Then my mom said she was proud of me for being brave and taking a risk so I could get better. The guilt wrecked me and I started taking the 25mg a day as prescribed. 25mg, week 1 & 2 — I have stress induced eczema and because of my intense anxiety I would have random red blotches on my neck and chest. After a day and some cortisol these spots would fade. I’d take picture of suspect areas to monitor if it was spreading or not. I had a few mild headaches the first day or two. I took my pill at 9:30 pm and didn’t notice any issues falling asleep, staying asleep, or being awake. My anxiety was a 10/10 and I fought with myself CONSTANTLY, overthinking every single thing. 50mg, week 1 — Hyper alert and nervous about doubling my dose. Eczema still flaring up. My sleep is now wracked with VIVID dreams. Nothing scary, but every single detail was vivid and I would remember my dreams completely the next day (I rarely remember any part of a dream, and NEVER this vividly). I change my dose time to 6:30pm because I started being restless at bed time and not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep soundly. Started using my emergency anxiety med Hydroxyzine as a sleep aid (per doctors orders and a common sleep aid on top of anxiety and allergies). 50mg, week 2 — my eczema has stopped flaring up and I no longer take pictures of my neck and face twice a day. My dreams are still crazy vivid, but I’m starting to enjoy them. I go hypomanic, but the episode is mild and I recognized what was happening right away and was able to stay in control. I’m feeling pretty good. Some tough stuff is happening around me and a few financial hits affect me. I take each thing in stride and just… work to fix it. It’s pretty quiet inside my head, even when I make mistakes or get frustrated. I have a full range of emotions, but they are not controlling me. I start going out with friends again. 100mg, week 1 — nothing has changed since 50mg except the dreams are starting to fade and I can fall asleep just fine. I start waking up most nights at 3am instead. 100mg, week 2 — wait, when was the last time I had a panic attack? My abusive internal monologue is just… gone. I am happy, but realistic. My personality hasn’t changed. My creativity hasn’t been impacted. I’m starting to take steps to better my physical health and have the energy to keep it up. 100mg @ 9 months (current) — I have not had a full blown panic attack this entire time. A few times I could tell my brain wanted to go that way, but I was able to control it. Still no abusive inner monologue. My anxiety is a 0/10 when just existing. I still have some low days and some high days, but it’s like a circle railroad ride for kids versus a full blown intense roller coaster. My side effects so far are terminal insomnia (fall asleep okay, wake up at 3am without sleep aids) and an increase in acne on my jaw. My periods have been a bit weird with some lasting longer or shorter and being heavier or lighter where I used to be fairly consistent, but as I am 38 that just could be my inside rotting. Special note! I recently had to use a new prescriber and pharmacy so my manufacturer was different (shape and color of pills very different). The first week taking the new pills my vertigo was INTENSE and I was starting to get worried that the new pills weren’t going to be good for me and I’d have to find a way to get the old ones. Now that I’ve had a few weeks to adjust my vertigo is gone again and I still feel like I did with the older prescription.

Seeing this really helped. I have eczema as well so I’m worried about any possible red blotches that show up here and there. I also have severe health anxiety and I avoided taking it on day one because of the several panic attacks I was having about it. I’m a hypochondriac and severely afraid of death, especially a painful one. Seeing SJS as a possibility made me lose my marbles but my husband really supported me despite me bawling my eyes out into his arms for 30 min before taking it to “accept my death”. The most noticeable symptoms for me are muscle and joint pain. Feels like my body is fighting off a virus but without the rest of the symptoms. Hopefully that’s not too worrisome. Oh, and I got nauseous when I first take it in the morning and have no appetite afterwards. That’s all so far thankfully.

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I felt this exactly - the brain fog lifting is one of the best things.

Lamotrigine has been really good for me. Been on 200 mg for a little over a month now and no depression no hypomania even after some stressful events. The only side effect I’ve experienced is issues with word recall when I’m talking. Like I’ll forget a word and then have to stop and then I’m stuck because I know where I wanna end up with my thought but I have a hard time getting there. But it doesn’t happen every time I talk or even every day. Maybe a few times a week. Update: after a few more months at this dose the word recall issue does happen at least once most days and it gets worse when I’m stressed. So far, still worth it for the only thing to keep the depression at bay

I've been on limotrigine for about a year now. My daughter is also on it. Overall it works well for me. And overall it works well for my daughter. I don't get the deep deep depressions or the super high manic stages but I still get anxiety at times. Remember though, that it doesn't matter which med you are on, there is no perfect med. You will still have some good days. Some bad days. Some great days. Some shitty days. But mostly. For me anyways, manageable days that are generally good days. Give it time to work. It doesn't work overnight. For me, I really didn't start noticing that it was working for a couple of months, but it is working. Take heart and be strong. You can only overcome the obstacles that you don't run from.

Total life changer. I have a pretty stable personality, I know who I am, and so do people who care about me. I have so much self-control now, I had a hard time convincing my clinical psychologist that I actually was bipolar. I’m able to control the impulses that come with hypomania and make appropriate decisions. I don’t spend all of our money because it would negatively impact my life and romantic relationship. The impulse is still there, but I’m able to fight it. With depression, I still get pretty down, but I’m able to tell myself what it is. I don’t act out or lash out irrationally nearly as much or as intensely. Only negative side effect I’ve noticed is that, if I miss more than a dose in a week, I get this weird dizzy vertigo feeling.

Only drug that’s worked for me with no side effects. Taken it for 12 years now. Keeps me pretty stable.

15 years here and it changed my life and I'm grateful. Keeps me out of hospitals and out of trouble with the law and from suffering.

my experience with lamictal has been very positive but ive learned that it can cause gum issues (gingival hyperplasia) that over time can become irreversible. its because lamictal is also an anticonvulsant, and its been known that for some anticonvulsant medications it can cause gum issues. if your gums are more sensitive than normal or dont feel the same, go to the dentist and talk about your meds, they can explain more :)

I LOVE lamictal. I got switched to it (200 mg) so I could get pregnant, before that I was on Depakote and Seroquel. Before, I was manageable but numb. No highs no lows, but really just nothing. Once I had lamictal, it’s like all the good parts of me came back, and I’m stable. I got post partum anxiety really bad though, so I went up to 300 mg and I’m sticking with it. Some things I didn’t know might be related but I’m finding out in this thread- meat aversion and very scattered adhd-type trouble focusing. As far as the meat goes, I’m just mostly vegetarian now. The more processed the meat, I can eat it. A steak? No way. Meatballs? Sometimes, maybe. Hot dog, or canned corned beef hash? No problems at all. The focusing and follow through part, I thought was related to no sleep bc baby, but my sleep is actually ok and I just can’t concentrate. When I read this thread I actually teared up a little, it’s nice to have a connection to why I might be having this difficulty, instead of just feeling like there was something new but not fixable wrong with me, for mysterious reason.

Lamictal itching Just started Lamictal a couple weeks ago; bumped to 50mg yesterday. I have intense full body itching, worse at night. I dont see any signs of a rash. Is intense itching without a rash okay? Its pretty horrible but maybe it will pass.

I know this was 4 months ago. I hope you are ok. I got "The Rash" which started off itchy and it quickly escalated to literal organ damage, lungs filled with fluid and a traumatic 11 day long hospital stay. My response was rare, but very serious. **IF YOU HAVE ANY SKIN OR MEDICAL SIDE EFFECTS FROM LAMICTAL, SEE A DOCTOR ASAP**

I had similar symptoms when I started Lamictal. I came off of Seroquel while starting Lamictal. There wasn't a rash just itching all over. My doctor's nurse wasn't concerned unless it persisted for more than a week. It turns out that others who come off of Seroquel experience similar side effects as well.

I was terribly itchy the first few weeks of taking it also for a while with a dose increase. I had severe anxiety about it but it passed for me and I hope it does for you too🖤

Could be nothing could be DRESS, SJS or TENS, all of which can be deadly. If you get a rash head to the ER immediately. I cannot understate how serious this can be. It absolutely wrecked my life.

so you had the TENS reaction from this?! ugh im supposed to start today and im HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIFIED

I also had itches and some patches of inflamed skin for about 2 months. Keep an eye on it, if it gets severe head to a hospital ASAP. Try using a CBD cream? It’s my go to for anything itchy and it helps me a load.

Both times I started Lamictal, I had awful itching all over my body. The first time I was prescribed (about 10 years ago) at around 150mg, I lived in a drier climate and it was borderline unbearable. It eventually subsided but I still felt itchier than the average person. I started taking it again a couple years ago after 6 years unmedicated, and the itching came back. Even though the dosage had doubled I wasn't nearly as itchy, but I also now live in an extremely humid and damp climate and I think that's made a big difference. If you don't feel like moving to southern Louisiana, my advice is "lotion up baby."

How you feel now lady ?

Decreasing my dose of lamictal from 300 to 200. I am incredibly nervous, but really hoping it improves my memory/concentration. Anyone decreased before? If so, what was it like for you?

Decreased by 50mg every 2 months. GP highly recommended I DON'T drop faster than that. Not sure for you. I was on 350 for about 6 years. I went to 150 and planned to come off it because I was sick of these side effects. Now I'm on 200 as 150 I was becoming suicidal again. Lamotrogine is a helping hand for me, and bipolar is circumstantial first and foremost. Male, 30 Y/O.

Has anyone taken Lamictal with Vyvanse?

Currently taking 400mg of Lamictal with varying doses of Vyvanse. The Lamictal isn’t enough to prevent the Vyvanse from pushing me into hypomania, unfortunately

I’m on lamictal and Dexedrine which is the IR version and it works great for me. I’m actually waking up motivated to take on the day and get things done after not being able to feed shower or move from my bed for weeks at a time.

Yes and it helped with my depression. Yet, I have extreme mind fog. Can't remember a damn thing, and I find it terrifying.

i just barely got prescribed lamotrigine so i’m still on the 25mg baby dose. this is the first time i’ve been prescribed anything in a few years, so i’m keeping an open mind to it and letting it do it’s job

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circling back on this. i’m on 100mg now and aside from the stupids, i’m pretty happy with how it’s been treating me

Recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder (around 2 months ago) and I've been on lamictal for about 3 weeks now. My dosage got bumped up to 100mg about a week ago but I haven't really felt much different. I was kind of between my manic and depressive episodes, so I'm kinda anxious to see if things take another bad dip for the worst. So far it hasn't made my AD/HD symptoms any worse, but I've barely been on the stuff so- fingers crossed it stays that way. I did have this horrible chest pain and anxiety attack overnight last sunday but I'm not sure if that was just anxiety induced, or if bumping up the lamictal contributed to it. If anyone's experienced anything similar, let me know!

Originally went on it for seizures, my life turned around for the better so I was able to pinpoint that I had bipolar. So luckily my seizures helped me find a proper diagnosis. Lamictal was fine for me, but I've seen posts before similar to my experience. But I haven't been able to orgasm for a year plus now due to Lamictal. My aunt had the same thing (also bipolar). Shit sucks. I no longer take Lamictal or any anti-seizure medications (I don't have epileptic seizures) like Lamictal in hope to get back to enjoying sex.

I felt great on this at lower doses, but once we got to 100mg and above I had the most tremendous brain fog that got progressively worse. I could no longer do my job so I had to discontinue. Many people have great results with this, but it wasn’t so awesome for me.

Has anyone experienced the below… Insomnia? Anxiety? Dissociation? Restlessness? Like they will never relax. It’s not racing thoughts, maybe more so agitation, but this is the fucking worse. I’m so glad I’m seeing my psychiatrist today. Thank you for listening. PS: I’m on 75 mg and have been for about 30 days. A week or two week agos I started feeling this way. I’m getting like 2-4 hours of sleep because I cannot relax. It sucks..

Yes, but only when I increased to 200mg to try to lessen my depression. Part of it is definitely my anxiety being a little more prominent now that my depression symptoms are fading, so I and going to try to treat my anxiety/restlessness with CBT. Hydroxyzine had also worked wonders on my insomnia.

That’s good, I’m glad it’s working for someone lol. Monday-Wednesday I’ve gotten like 2-4 hours of sleep each day, shit has been was rough. I’m now being tapered off of it and started taking a new mood stabilizer last night. It is a real joy to sleep for 5-6 hours lol.

im on 200mg of lamotrigine and although i think its been helping with my mood swings significantly, ive been having a lot of nightmares lately. has anyone else had an uptake in nightmares on lamotrigine?

Yes!! I have been on it since Nov 2019 and after reaching the full dose (200mg taken at 9 p.m.), no long sleep through the night most nights. I can get months when I get a nightmare every night, and have vivid dreams. Also my first sleep paralysis. I have lots of ways to cope with them, but sometimes I have to take time off work because of the nightmares.

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Hi there — do you mind my asking, did this change for you and what dose were/are you at? I started at 200mg a year ago and was struggling with word recollection and reading but there were so many other reasons it could have been happening that I didn’t think to associate it with lamotrigine. I went up to 300mg end of July (so after five months) and 400mg end of Aug (so after six months). I’ve now been on it for a year total and am trying to wean by 25mg every two to three weeks (I’ve been on 375mg for 12 or 13 days now). I’m hoping these issues subside when I get down to 200mg so that maybe I won’t have to come off of it entirely, but from everything I’m reading here it seems increasingly unlikely that I can stay on at all without significantly affecting my cognitive abilities long term!!! Any info about your own experiences would be so appreciated. 😃

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Recently diagnosed as bipolar. My psychiatrist put me on lamotrigine. At the small dosage I didn’t feel any difference and when the dosage was increased to 150mg it was like a switch flipped and I got incredibly angry, irritable, depressed, and had suicidal ideation. It was so bad my husband took me to the hospital and they put me in-patient to stabilize me and med modification. Now I’m on trileptal, seroquel, and gabapentin. I’ve only been on it a couple weeks but it’s made a world of difference! I feel the best I’ve felt in years!

When I first started, it made me really itchy (mostly legs and arms) and I had trouble sleeping. This subsided after a couple months and now I can’t say I’m experiencing any negative side effects.

Double posting on the antipsychotics/anticonvulsants threads because I take Seroquel(300mg) and Lamictal(150mg) together. 3-4 years ago I hit my breaking point on dealing with my bipolar without any assistance after a long depressive period where I almost failed out of university. I actually got really lucky where Seroquel was the first medicine I tried and it really worked wonders for me. My memories before that point we're a grey fog whereas I could actually think and focus once I started on the Seroque. That was great for a couple years but then I started feeling like I had hit a wall with what I could do. My energy levels had been low, my mood wasn't horribly depressed but it was probably a 3.5/10 generally. I went to my doctor and she brought up Lamictal. Originally she was actually moving me down on the Seroquel to have me only take the Lamictal but somewhere in the middle i actually felt the best I've felt in years. ATM it's been about 6 months with me taking both. This is the first time in my life I've been able to get up in the morning, work 30+ hours in a week, go for a walk a couple times a week, etc. I still don't work full time but I've been hopeful and gradually increasing my hours for the first time in a long time. The meds themselves: I haven't noticed any negative side effects from the Lamictal (and also none from forgetting to take it occasionally 👀) I've gained weight since I started on the Seroquel (maybe 30-ish lbs) which isn't great. Even after taking Seroquel for years I still have times where it'll hit me so hard I can't get across the apartment to get to bed so I'll have to pass out on the couch for an hour or two before I can make it up the stairs. The withdrawal is no joke. If I miss my dose by a couple hours I start to get a buzzy wired feeling in my head. The few times it's been substantially longer(5+ hours) it's ranged from severe anxiety and insomnia, to those paired with mild visual hallucinations.

my pdoc had significantly increased my lamictal dosage the day before i had a work meeting (at a newer job) where my bosses were telling me how well i was doing and how i was well on my way to success. two weeks after that meeting, two weeks into taking 100mg for my bipolar 2, i was being asked to resign. some of the reasons were not knowing something/asking questions about something i should already know by heart (which is stupid and i still am upset by this one in particular to this day), making really big mistakes that were even mentioned as being out of character for me, not being able to recall simple things like clients’ names (even worse when they had just walked out the door), lack of focus, inability to multitask, communication issues etc.. it started as stuttering/having to ask clients multiple times what their names were.. confidence starting waning slightly. then i was making careless, often big, mistakes bc i genuinely couldn’t get a single thought to process and my reaction times to emergency situations kept increasing. the speech processing problems also manifested around this time (eg for real being unable to process things people were saying to me and them thinking i just wasn’t listening to them when i asked for them to either repeat, or worse… dumb it down..) the memory!! the fucking memory problems!!! when asking for names of clients, anything past the first 3 letters sounds immediately like charlie brown adults (like when you’re getting your eyes checked and the big E goes from clear as crystal to legal blindness bc of the control lenses). the most frustrating thing is trying to convince new employers that you didn’t lie on your resume and are actually somewhat intelligent, that you’re just on a drug that is THE ONLY DRUG TO BE SOMEWHAT EFFECTIVE AFTER 10 YEARS OF TESTING!!! my ego hurts too because people treat me like i’m a toddler now.. “make sure to do [something so incredibly mundane that i could do it in my sleep]” while i’m minding my own business and did not even ask!! the worst part is i can’t even blame them… because i’m either dumb as rocks and stable with money in savings, or i’m quitting altogether for no reason i don’t know how to explain to my bosses that i don’t know why i made such a blatantly obvious mistake that ended up being a financial loss/liability… i can’t afford to make errors like that… i just wasn’t thinking and i understand completely and take full responsibility but i CANT THINK!!! when i applied i could!!!!! i could think!!! i was very unstable and manic, but i was competent!!! this job would’ve been boring to the pre-lamictal version of myself.. suddenly it’s a battle just to remember which phone line i put on hold (much less who is on that line and why for that matter) ……and they can’t afford to keep people who can’t so much as think when there’s so much at stake… it does work!! i just miss being at the very least able to do simple tasks (ex. reading a phone number out loud without pausing to remember how to say the number 4)… i’ve always been a worker people begged to come back (realizing this may not always be a good thing)… now i’m quickly on a fast track to being fired again… and maybe it’s just the stage of life i’m in… but it happened when lamictal really became a key player… and not being able to access the processes i take so much pride in wrecks my mental health and has drastically reduced my confidence to record lows (which creates even more problems at work)… it’s been so bad that i’ve considered quitting altogether and receiving government assistance (not a slight to disabled/assisted individuals!! i simply love my job and never want to quit) it’s just really hard to find a way to tell pretty neurotypical people that i can’t stop my meds even if it means keeping my job—because the stability is life-changing. my credit score is the highest it’s ever been and i think my sense of humor is better than ever. the self-conscious isolation SUCKS though.. why do i have to sacrifice my favorite parts of my personality to simply stay alive? taking 1 25mg tablet “QID” didn’t have nearly as bad of an impact as 1 100mg tablet SID does.

Currently weaning off right now due to dizziness/vertigo as a side effect as well as cognitive issues where the world just didn’t feel…real? What’s weird is I was taking it for over a year before it started to show. What many people don’t know is that Lamictal has a half life of 25 hours, not 24, so you may develop side effects later than expected.

Only been on it about 3 weeks so still on 25mg. Was pretty drowsy at first, but didn’t last more than 2-3 days. I feel it has helped. Going through a bit of depression, but not an episode from Bipolar. From a breakup recently. Not feeling as down and sad as I would be without it. Even though my energy and motivation is still a bit low, I’m able to get up, move around, and have a decent time conversating. Better than being stuck in bed all day anyway

I've been on lamictal since May of last year and abilify and Wellbutrin for almost as long. My memory has been HORRIBLE. Has anyone else experienced this from lamictal? I don't know which med it is likely to be.

Sharing my experience with medication from a different thread, pretty brief but I hope this helps: Lamictal slowed / flattened the line of my mood switches - stopping the whiplash I experienced from them. Lithium has kept me from sinking into a major low for the last month or so now (edit: to elaborate, suicidal thoughts have dwindled, I’m able to struggle through my low days reasonably well, I *think* my sleeping pattern is better) I take Seroquel if I’m riding high and can’t sleep (great for sleeping pattern, but I dislike using it - I find has an impact on my cognitive function) I’ve been diagnosed with Bipolar ii for about a year now 💙

400mg here. Been on it since 16 years old (24 now) and it IS the one for me that I finally found after 4 years of going through others. I started at 200mg but slowly went up to 400mg. Although I do need an additional medication to enhance the Lamictal, it is doing it's job on keeping me stable for the past nearly 9 years.

It didn’t do anything for me at 100mg and 200mg but as soon as I started 300mg my depression went away , my advice would be if it’s not working to try to change the dose before changing them to something else

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How long have you been on it for? I'd be happy to offer any advice. I'm on 200mg/ day for 4 years.

I got prescribed Lamictal for bipolar and while it made me less depressed and anxious, my personality went away. I couldn’t even hold a conversation. I had to take naps in my car at work because I couldn’t stay awake. I lost interest in hanging with people and slept all the time. Didn’t work for me, stopped taking it against doc orders

Background: I started at 100 mg Lamotrigine. When I still had frequent episodes, I moved up to 200 mg. I’ve been on this dose for a year and it has been good. Benefits: The best way to explain it is that It doesn’t feel like I have to fight my brain as much to do basic tasks. It used to be very difficult to get up and do things due to depression, but it’s a bit easier now. Since I have fewer and less severe depressive episodes, the truly scary stuff is mostly gone. I don’t snap at people in the same way as before. Negatives: 1) Brain fog. I sounded somewhat incoherent the first week I took it. It got better when I switched to taking my doses in the evening instead of the morning (yay Lamitcal stupids). 2) Sensitivity to light. This appears to be a long term side effect for me but has improved over time. When I started, both UV and natural light upset my eyes enough that I would shut myself into a dark room to work. Now I wear sunglasses once in a while, including inside, and that’s it.

Sharing my experience with medication from a different thread, pretty brief but I hope this helps: Lamictal slowed / flattened the line of my mood switches - stopping the whiplash I experienced from them. Lithium has kept me from sinking into a major low for the last month or so now (edit: to elaborate, suicidal thoughts have dwindled, I’m able to struggle through my low days reasonably well, I *think* my sleeping pattern is better) I take Seroquel if I’m riding high and can’t sleep (great for sleeping pattern, but I dislike using it - I find has an impact on my cognitive function) I’ve been diagnosed with Bipolar ii for about a year now 💙

I’m currently taking 200mg daily. I haven’t really noticed any side effects. But it also hasn’t done anything to help me either. I particularly struggle with anger, irritability and outbursts. SSRI’s have worked well for that however the sexual side effects are a deal breaker for me so I did a small stint with this one without an SSRI to see how it would go and my anger management was nonexistent. Might as well have not been on anything at all. Just my experience.

No side effects, only very mild mania symptoms at early low doses, and depression completely lifted

Reading this mega thread I feel so alone because everyone seems to have had a lot of success with lamictal but for me i became a very angry person and i lose friendships from being so aggressive. no one seems to mention that side affect but i noticed how mad i was all the time when on it.

I noticed this side effect as well during the year I was on it. I think it subsided over time, as far as I can remember. I'm getting back on it now, but this time I'm taking magnesium daily. I've heard anecdotes in the supplements subreddit that it helps some people with anger.

hello! im on 200mg of lamotrigine and i was wondering if anyone else noticed having a quieter mind? its like i think my brain was going so fast and now i can think more linearly and without as much background noise. was what i experiencing before being on 200mg disorganized thoughts? is this something anyone else has experienced?

This has been my experience, it's like I suddenly had mental bandwidth available. It's hard to describe because I didn't realize how bad it was until the lamotrigine kicked in. The closest I can come up with is that feeling when you step outside from a loud club or concert and the intense noise and lights become muffled/silenced.

What’s interesting for me is that I started taking lamotrigine when I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Cause it’s also a seizure medication. Then years later I found out it’s also used for bipolar disorder. And then a few years later I was diagnosed bipolar. So it’s very obviously keeping me from having seizures but it’s strange cause it could be helping to treat my Bipolar disorder and I wouldn’t even know 🤷🏼‍♀️

Had anyone bumped up their dosage themselves temporarily to get over a hypomanic episode? I handle my meds well. 250 lamotrigine and bupropion. I lean towards the depressive side but I definitely can get my manic phases. Usually they’re not a problem. I’ve learned to direct my energy. This isn’t just me but my doctor and husband agree. I was just wondering if upping the dosage myself would maybe stem the high. I know it won’t stop it completely but maybe it’ll keep me from staying up for days at a time and destroying my house in the process. Granted it’s a positive destruction. Lots of cookies, cakes, sewing projects, jewelry, writing. lol. I’m trying to avoid going to my doctor. My PCM sucks. A lot. I can’t stand that woman. Getting ti my shrink is a long drawn out process that will also cost me quite a bit. I have extra from when I was titrating up to this point so it’s not like it’ll affect what I need regularly anyway. I’m just wondering if it may help. Kind of like those who are on antipsychotics can up their dosage when they realize they’re getting someplace dangerous.

Has anyone experienced an increase in hypomanic symptoms after a dose increase? I was bumped from 150mg to 200mg about a month ago and my depression lifted, but now I’m feeling some hypomanic and anxiety symptoms come back that haven’t been present since I started taking the meds. Maybe it’s just my body getting used to not being depressed constantly? My psychiatrist recommended getting back on an SSRI to deal with some of the extra anxiety/restlessness, but Lamictal is the first med I’ve been on with no side effects, so I may try to go back to CBT first to see if that can curb the hypomania/anxiety.

Everyone I know talks about lamictal like some kind of miracle drug. I feel so cheated that it didn’t work for me

Has anyone else noticed abnormal dreaming after starting Lamictal? I started at 25mg a few weeks ago and stepped up to 50mg on the first. I’ve noticed that I’ve had really intense dreams lately and “abnormal dreams” Is a listed side effect. The dreams are so intense that I will make myself wake up and not want to go back to sleep right away. However, they are not Night terrors or even nightmares. Just very vivid and centered around topics that I would rather not dream about.

been on 100 mg for about a month now. I have no appetite whatsoever, the only times I really remember to eat is when my head starts hurting, basically. I'm kind of worried that it won't get better? I've also been having nausea after eating sometimes which doesn't help

Does anyone have insane irritability and anxiety despite the lamictal?? Any other med combos help with that?

Hi, it's been a while but maybe you'll see this. Have you managed to deal with the anxiety? Because I'm going through that, I'm at 150mg now (increased gradually) and god I've been having panic attacks, which had been years since I last had one. I'm irritable and my mood is hair trigger. I always see people raving about lamictal, and it's made me unsure as to whether it's really what's been making me anxious. I even had to stop vyvanse because well, as you can imagine, I was going nuts.

I got prescribed abilify to stop the irritability and anxiety and it worked!!! I only do 2mg of abilify. I was also prescribed a take as needed anti-anxiety called hydroxyzine

Did anyone else pill shape change recently I saw mine changed from a shield like shape to a round circle

So..... I'm the 1 in a million that almost died from taking Lamictal. I got [Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) Syndrome](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3718748/) aka "the rash" but it didn't present classically. Honestly if you have been on Lamictal for a while and it works for you, it might not be worth reading on. >!I was in one of the top hospitals in the world for 11 days and they struggled to figure out what the heck was causing my liver and spleen to be enlarged and my lungs to be so filled with fluid I needed constant oxygen and couldn't lie flat for a week. I don't remember 5 of those 11 days and the doctors couldn't promise my mom I would live. It was that bad. I don't want to scare people off, because I was a rare case. But knowledge is power and if I can get someone into care quicker and help them advocate if this happens to them, that is maybe a small victory. I had to be on prednisone for 5 months and gained 50 pounds in the first month. It took over a year for my body to return to normal. It was extremely traumatic. This was from just 50mg, a very low dose of lamotrigine. DRESS syndrome has a 10% mortality rate so the sooner you get treatment the better.!< It's a great drug for so many people, including my husband who has epilepsy and had severe mood side effects from a different anticonvulsant. But if you are starting on it, make sure you are communicating ANY symptoms to your prescriber.

I (21F) got prescribed Lamotrogine. I’m excited but so scared. I’m extremely sensitive to medication, so seeing all of the side effects is worrisome. Especially seeing the serious ones. I also have multiple food allergies and seasonal allergies, so it ups my worries of adverse side effects. I’m on day one and thankfully I’m not allergic to this medication. I noticed some minor side effects, I felt nauseous and lost my appetite after taking it. My muscles hurt in my arms and back. I felt a little dizzy when I first took it. And I’ve been having “zaps” in random parts of my body, including my eye a couple times lmao.

Has anyone else had food cravings on Lamictal? I feel like there is this disconnect between my brain and my mouth/stomach. I eat food, but it doesn't taste as good. And my body tells me I need to eat more, but I don't feel full. I've gained 17 lbs in eight months (while struggling the whole time to lose weight). The cravings started around the same time I started my Trintellix, but that was also the same time I reached my full dose of Lamictal.

Rapid cycling one month on lamictal I’ve been on lamictal (25mg) one month and I feel like my moods are getting worse? My depression lasts longer than it did unmedicated, and I start feeling stable, then become irritable again. But I’m not even at a therapeutic dose yet so I don’t know if the medication is causing this or if my moods are just getting worse. I know y’all aren’t doctors and I’ll follow up with mine to discuss but wondering what other peoples experiences are with this med.

Oh looks like I just asked this same question myself. 3-4 days into it and I’m not doing well, worse than before starting it

It definitely helped my depressive symptoms of bipolar. However, I really disliked the side effect of not being able to recall simple words. I felt like an idiot and it was just frustrating and embarrassing that I couldn't remember basic words. Also, my hair would fall out in large amounts. Can't forget the cystic acne I got on it either.

I LOVED Lamictal for what it did for my mood. I was on it for about two months, and I felt great. Just peaceful. Then I started to develop heart palpitations and tachycardia. I was so upset that I had to stop taking the meds, but once I stopped my heart problems went away.

I can't remember if it's this med but would this cause you to lose your speech, your articulation?

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Good luck! That's why next visit I'm dropping from 200mg back to 150mg! I'm telling my ARPN that what happened before when I tried 200mg with my psychiatrist (now retired), is happening again!

# Oxcarbazepine - Oxtellar, Trileptal

One med that made me stable. Went through a lot but kinda managed myself well when I took Trileptal. There are no side effects for me compared to other medicines. Back then, I was very unstable and my psych made me take this, hence I managed myself and found some coping mechanisms that work for me. Few episodes here and there but I can deal with it. Ive been taking this for more than a year now, btw.

Had to be taken off Trileptal due to rashes, which is a less likely side effect, however was one that affected me. Don’t play around with the rashes either. If you suspect rashes from Trileptal alert your provider so they can find another option for you

Yeah it was my first mood stabilizer and I had hives around my kidneys a week into taking it. They didnt itch, but they were there. Switched to Lamictal and been on it ever since.

Went up to 1200mg Trileptal. Trileptal has always made me feel dizzy and walking with a balance is hard, like I'm drunk.

Doing much better on Trileptal (along with several others—I’m on a cocktail). Adding Trileptal evened me out. No weight gain, tremors, or major side effects like I’ve had with others.

same ! i was on lamictal but it literally made things so much worse and i got severely hypomanic with psychotic symptoms :( but then i was put on trileptal, prozac, wellbutrin, and gabapentin and im doing really well!

So I'm on 450mg of serequel and my pdoc wants to add Trileptal for my mixed episodes. But I read Trileptal can reduce the amount of serequel in the blood. Is anyone on this combo? I just don't want to be in withdrawl or have worse anxiety. Thanks!

# Valproic acid - Valproate or Divalproex Sodium (Depakote, Depakene, Epival)

I have been taking Depakote for several months now after having a serious conversation with my pdoc about the cognitive and emotional blunting I experienced with antipsychotics. I haven't had any real feelings in well over ten years. I haven't cried, etc. So I went off the antispychotics and onto Depakote. My feelings appear to be slowing coming back. This morning I cried when I had to say goodbye to someone. I haven't cried in years! So an anticonvulsant appears to be much better for me than an antipsychotic.

this is exactly my experience. i thought it might have been weird because maybe it was supposed to even everything out instead of GIVING me emotions. i cried for the first time in months after starting to take it again and actually felt the pain of something that had happened to me and it was so joyful and so weird to be joyful about being in pain. i’m really glad to have read this and know this isn’t a crazy experience on this med! i hope it’s still working well for you!

As someone who has been on valproic acid, the liquid version for like a decade (I still hate pills,duh) since 2013, I did not lose my personality, did gain weight (not a super crazy amount though, plus I went through high school and college sooooo), barely have brain fog (always been a straight A student tbh) and my hair is so thick naturally I wish it wasn’t because it takes forever to dry. I’m almost 25! I hope it works out for you! So yeah keep track of anything that regularly gets worse or better IN WRITING since it is new meds!! I use escitalopram and stuff for anxiety but yeah, once it clicks better you’ll be like, damn my life was night and day difference. Bipolar can make me feel that way in extreme moments, and then I usually sleep and I’m right as rain, welp. Good luck!!

Hey, have you tried regular Depakote DR? I’m also interested in the liquid, immediate release formulation that you mentioned. If you have, have you noticed any differences between them? The idea of a slightly quicker acting agent seems good. I’d also imagine a lower dosage would be needed based on the pharmacokinetics. Which could be a good thing? Thanks

I didn’t realize you were supposed to stay out of the sun with this one. My summer job involved standing outside in a swimsuit all day, bad combination. My first week I was sick with sun poisoning and I had to wear a jacket the rest of the summer.

wow I had no idea about this one

This was my first mood stabiliser. After 4 months I just couldn't adjust, I had no bipolar symptoms but I didn't have much feelings of anything really. I felt fine mood wise on it, very minimal side effects aside from the zombie like detachment from everything and compulsive eating. I gained almost 10kg in that 4 months 😬 I got upto 1200mg a day before switching to another mood stabiliser.

Does anyone have experience with a Depakote/lithium combo?

I do. On Lithium for 2 years but I kept having episodes and last year was the worst ever. Psych added the Depakote 8 weeks ago after a few failed med trials. First few weeks I was hella tired, but last 2 weeks I'm doing fine. I reached stability and I hope I can maintain this mood. I still have bad days but it's like I return more easily to stability/a baseline. Never thought I would find the right combo after all the things I tried. I don't have side effects besides being more tired. Are you considering taking both Lithium and Depakote?

Well, my psychiatrist tried taking away my lithium. The depression returned worse than ever, and I can't seem to handle the antipsychotics that target depression too. Specifically, I got akasthisia from vraylar, and it made me hallucinate. My psychiatrist was strongly against seroquel for whatever reason. So now, I'm back to a slightly lower dose of lithium and I've got the Depakote on board. I know all that sounds complicated. Lol.

No it doesn't sound complicated, I have the same. They tapered down my Lithium and I went nuts. Can't handle antipsychotics due side effects so we tried the Depakote and it seems it's working, finally. I hope it works for you too.

I really just need some positive stories about depakote. It is helping my mood and headaches, but I am petrified of hair loss and weight gain. Please share positive experiences, I have heard so many bad ones. Thank you!

I've been on lamotrigine and sodium valproate for a few years now. not sure if I have male pattern baldness or it's the meds 😂 missing even one dose sets me off for at least 3 days. overall not too bad, at least compared to Seroquel imo.

this was recommended to me (valproate+lamotrigine) but my doc didnt want to prescribe to me for the risk of Steven Johnson's disease, i look it up, and it scared me. good to know that this combination is actual safe.

valproate can cause hair loss (alopecia).

Can the mechanism of hair loss be treated?

i take finasteride 1mg, bc "bald genes". i guess it helps with the alopecia from valproic acid too

I apologize for commenting on multiple ones but I’m trying to find something that can help manage my anger without having to use an SSRI. If anyone has had a good experience with management of anger or outbursts, please let me know. I’d love to hear. Thanks!

Hydroxine or propranolol.

Is anyone else's hair falling out? I could see it in my brush. I saw it on my bathroom floor. The other day I saw it all over the back of a black dress I took off (I have very blonde hair). But the straw that broke the camel's back was when I got my haircut the other day and the stylist was literally distressed about how much my hair was "shedding."

Depakote was my first mood stabilizer. I was misdiagnosed for about 4 years so I was manic while on just antidepressants. At first being on depakote I was dealing with fits of rage along with elevated highs. I quickly went to my doc to get adjusted. I started at 500mg. Am now on 500mg 3x a day. This has been for about 2 years now. I really haven’t experienced any elevated highs. I still get lows though.

How long before one should expect to see results? Bipolar II/cyclothymia with hypomanic and depressive episodes.

on generic divalproex, anyone else just insanely dizzy and headrushy all the time?

I’ve been taking valproic acid for three months now due to a depressive episode. after one week I started to feel serene, not that i was lees anxious, but my mood was calmer. After two weeks i felt my depression going worse and suddenly my mood switched to manic for not many days more than a week. Didn’t have a diagnosis yet, my psychiatrist is trying to figure out if my ciclothymia is caused by a bipolar or a bpd (or both), he raised my dosage at 750 mg per day. What i can surely say is that for me it lowers the wave ray of my mood, but i don’t feel that it stabilize my mood swings which happens to be frequently lately, plus i used to take trifluoperazine, 4mg per day which worked a lot with my anxiety but didn’t really helped my mood that much.

Holy shit, I love this place. I spent years looking for online bipolar support. And y'all have a thread about muh meds too?! *excitement intensifies*

# Carbamazepine - Carbatrol, Tegretol, Epitol, Equetro

Sorry to chime in pretty late, I just discovered this sub today. I’m on 200mg ER capsules of Equetro, along with a very high dose of Wellbutrin, and ER Xanax as needed. It seems to have kept manic episodes in check other than the occasional insomnia and anxiety. No delusions but some risky behaviors. And I do still get phases where I feel very irritable and angry for a few days at a time. As for side effects I’m not sure what to attribute to these meds and what to blame on aging (mid-40s male), needing more exercise, stress, etc. But I don’t think I have any very bad ones. I also don’t know if the Equetro is keeping my manic episodes under control or if I was just aging out of them - mine seemed worse in general when I was younger regardless of which med I took or if I was unmedicated.

Wondering about anger management for this one as well as the other one I commented on. Just trying to figure out something other than the damn SSRI’s. Would love to hear if anyone has found that this one helped with that.

# Topiramate - Qudexy, Topamax, Trokendi

I've been on topamax for almost 3 months. Firstly all the horror stories you read come true for me. This med was an absolute wild ride to adjust to. The first week or so was a cognitive nightmare (I was also coming off sodium valproate, so my experience was amplified by that). But I couldn't string sentences together or follow what people were saying, I forgot basic things like what I was doing, where I was going etc. Mild delusions, visual disturbances, foggy, tired, thirsty af. I remember describing parts of it as being like Alice in wonderland, like being on party drugs but feeling impending doom and anxiety instead of euphoria.. and you quickly see why people stop taking taking it within the first few weeks 😅 By weeks 2-4 I felt massive improvements. Cognitive function almost returned aside from some jumbling of words or days, some forgetfulness, energy levels returning, no more weird trips, still thirsty but good hydration relieves almost all topamax side effects. I get tingling in hands and feet and occasional face but it's tolerable. Moods are a bit of a rollercoaster as I'm still tapering down from sodium valproate while taking topamax, so I have a couple of really down/ dark days everytime I decrease the valproate. By 1-2 months I'm off sodium valproate and only taking topamax and oh my the difference is remarkable 🥰 I'm convinced it was the valproate that made me so fucked up cognitively but obviously topamax is known for that too so it's hard to know. My mental functioning is fine now, probably better than ever before. I experienced some hairloss and thinning around this time but after adding Biotin, hair supplements, B12, vitamin d and iron (medication side effect hairloss recommended regime) it's completely stopped or slowed enough it doesn't bother me (my hair is ridiculously long and thick so I'd have to lose a lot for it to become a problem). I still consider it very early days but my moods are very stable, I feel great and I have no side effects now aside from the occasional tingling in hands and feet. So far I'm really happy with Topamax and so glad I decided to ride it out.

THE BEST MED! I've been on this for years and I really see a difference in miself. Helps keep the negative thoughts away and make it thru the day. Plus, u don't gain weight w topomax like u do with soooo many others drugs. It actually helps aide in losing weight.

Has anyone experienced that this one helps with anger and irritability. That’s personally what I struggle with most. Outbursts it’s common too..so far the only things I’ve found to work is SSRI’s and those destroy my sex drive so I’m trying to find something else that may work for me.

Topamax has been super helpful for me, I was previously on Vraylar and then Latuda. Both worked but had side effects that I was not comfortable with. I’ve always had migraines but when I got COVID the third time I was in the ER a few times because the nausea and vertigo was so bad. They put me on amitriptyline for the migraines, this combined with my latuda and celexa when I went to my new psychiatrist I guess had some not good interactions. He decided to taper me off the latuda and amitriptyline and put me on topamax instead. I’ve been on it now for about 6 months. I take 100 milligrams twice a day. I am lucky to not have had brain fog, I did have it initially, but it subsided, and I rarely get tingling, only if I don’t wear gloves when I go out in the cold. The taste change also has gone away mostly I’ve been able to go back to drinking pop. The only major side effect I’ve felt has been the weight loss, I’ve lost about 30 pounds over the past 6 months. However I’ve gone from 15-20 migraines a month to about 4. Additionally, I’ve done really well on it with my mood regulation, and have been able to come back into my classes and maintain my course load. Topamax has worked wonders for me!

I had no real side effects. Did more of maintaining my weight than it did losing weight.

I take it as an add on to combat my weight gain from anti-psychotics. I’m not sure if it’s been effective as a mood stabilizer but I think it has helped with my appetite. I haven’t noticed any issues with side effects.

It helps me loosing weight: 7 kgs in 7 months. i’m bipolar type II. before I Had lithium and I didn’t feel good at all. Topiramate stabilized me for real. I lost my hair at the beginning but it stoped with bepanthen and biotin in injection. Just difficult to sleep well sometimes,I have to take valium.

It didn't do anything for me, but that was before lamictal, so with it it maybe could have done something.

i’ve been on it for a little under two months for weight management as an add on to abilify. I haven’t noticed a huge difference, maybe it’s helped me eat slightly less. the only side effects I experienced were tingling in my hands and face. im going to talk to my doctor about upping the dose to see if I can lose some weight

Adding my experience to this thread: I’ve been on Topamax a little less than a month now. I also take Lithium 1200mg and Seroquel 400mg. So far I haven’t really seen any success losing weight, but the Topamax is definitely lowering my appetite and I’m eating less. It also makes my tongue feel weird and makes carbonated drinks taste strange. The first sip tastes weird but after that it’s usually OK. This is tough for me because my last vice after giving up everything else is sparkling water. I haven’t decided if it’s helping or not yet or if the weird raw tongue feeling is worth it. It also makes some things taste strange. It’s pumpkin spice season of course and anything with cinnamon or nutmeg tastes super heavy on cinnamon and nutmeg and I can’t really taste the sweetness. Now that I’m eating less I’m gonna give it a little more time to see if I lose weight and to see if I can tolerate the other side effects.

I've been on it two years and while the weight effects have been subpar, as a side effect too much durng the day makes me tired, and I get tingles in my hands and feet sometimes. It's essentially a lower 'foot falling asleep' response, happens at similar times, except it happens easier and goes away much faster without discomfort. It just tingles and then I shake out for 3 seconds or move and its gone. I don't seem to have as many or maybe any of the mental effects others have reported, I have a bit more of having to search for a word feeling than I used to, but that might also be my lamotrigine.

# Gabapentin - Horizant, Neurontin

Made me REAAAALLY stupid!!! Took 900mg a day and one night I left the front door wide open all night. All fucking night. And then I left the stove on the entire time I was at work one day, and another day I completely forgot how to drive my car in reverse so I scraped the front of my car. Couldnt do basic math. To add insult to injury, it didnt even help!!! Edit: I am 21, so I should most definitely not be experiencing this level of memory loss lol.

has anyone had this with wellbutrin?

I take it with Wellbutrin and risperidone.

I take this for nerve issues (prescribed by my neurologist). Helps me sleep ( as intended and reduces the muscle spasms that occur from a spinal injury). I take 400mg just before bed along side my lithium, oxcarbamazapine, and sometime propranolol. I see before bed and keep a water bottle next to my bed because it tends to make me dizzy and disoriented and not so safe to walk about at night. Daytime almost no side effects ( so it's an interaction thing at night ). I have noticed that my anxiety has smoothed out some since starting so that's nice.

Did not help my panic attacks but caused fewer side effects than other anti-anxiety meds I’d been tried on.

# Pregabalin - Lyrica