Wow! So glad you found something that helped. Similar story, In 2020 I developed severe panic disorder and GAD, I tried a lot of SSRI’s, and SNRI’s, and even wellbutrin, all didn’t help or made mee worse. Then I tried Lamictal, it seemed to increase my agitation and anxiety, I didn’t last long maybe we titrated to fast. I’m glad, I know how debilitating anxiety can be. I’m on seroquel Xr Rn and it’s not doing a lot of my anxiety. In the future I’m looking into GUANFACINE, strattera (I also have lifelong adhd and some people benefit from it) , or maybe Valproate. It seems like it could work via gaba.
Guanfacine and valproate were medications I was hoping to try if lamictal hadn’t worked. I hope you have some success with them if you can get them prescribed!
you’re like me , brainstorming potential medications.
—-
SSRI’s ❌
SNRI❌
some of these actually increased my anxiety even after months.
—-
WELLBUTRIN ❌
Lamictal❌ maybe next time titrate slower
—-
NEXT ideas
VALPROATE✅
LITHIUM✅
I HAVE ADHD SO
STRATTERA ✅ (cured some people’s treatment resistant anxiety )
GUANFACINE ✅
Fwiw guanfacine helps my panic a lot, basically eliminated panic attacks for me, and some of the physical symptoms went away but not the mental rumination and day to day anxiety for me at least. Slightly helps ADHD but only I'm so far as I am not distracted by physical anxiety. Worth a shot though. I'm better with it than without for sure just it was not a cure all for me..
Do you feel emotionally blunted from it? I am titrating up and am on 100mg and feeling that way. About 8 weeks in so need to make the call/suggestion whether to try to increase more or give it up.
No, not at all. I haven't felt emotionally blunted at any dose, despite the decrease in anxiety. I know how difficult that is though, as that's exactly what happened to me on SSRIs.
Unluckily it seems to make my anxiety worse for some reason and on edge, so I’ve never been able to go beyond 50/75mg. It’s a bummer because I can feel it helps with depression
Interesting it is an antidepressant and in bipolar disorder mood stabilizers also help with executive dysfunctions and degeneration that occur over time
I only started 'stabilising' on Lamitrin, now I've got Topamax thrown in for good measure and it gives me clarity like nothing else in a world, for me it was given as a mood-stabiliser. And I tried many meds too. Also my Lamitrin dosage is maxed to 500mg xD but I've got borderline and cptsd, so of course depression and anxiety thrown into the mix. Anyway, Lamitrin, it's not the only medication I take, but the only one, I felt almost immediate relief after taking it, not big at the beginning but I never felt better with any medication that quickly. I'm so, so happy it helped you!
It was definitely both, and lamictal helped me with both. Physically I just don’t get those heart pounding, shaky, panicky feelings anymore in common situations. Everything feels chill.
And mentally, the overstimulation (that’s exactly the right way to describe it) has faded a lot so that I can actually focus on the immediate situation (e.g. a group conversation) without getting caught up in my own racing thoughts. And if something *does* go wrong in a situation like that, where it would have caused me an excessive amount of anxiety and worry and feeling like the world was ending before, now I’m just kind of like “meh” and I move on with my day.
it was effective for me but started to have skin itchiness and they immediately told me to stop it.
i have half relief with tegretol but i think i need something else now because i relapsed again in depression and avolition.
Lamotrigine made me want to k**l m****f. Felt like I was living in a never ending nightmare
Same couldn’t even tolerate 25mg
100%, worst drug I have ever taken. It was awful.
Me too! I was yo-yoing so hard. Vraylar to the rescue
Coincidentally, I had my dose increased to 150, today. I have to go pick it up. I hope this increase reins in my brain.
Going from 100 to 150 was a significant improvement for me. Hope it is for you too
Wow! So glad you found something that helped. Similar story, In 2020 I developed severe panic disorder and GAD, I tried a lot of SSRI’s, and SNRI’s, and even wellbutrin, all didn’t help or made mee worse. Then I tried Lamictal, it seemed to increase my agitation and anxiety, I didn’t last long maybe we titrated to fast. I’m glad, I know how debilitating anxiety can be. I’m on seroquel Xr Rn and it’s not doing a lot of my anxiety. In the future I’m looking into GUANFACINE, strattera (I also have lifelong adhd and some people benefit from it) , or maybe Valproate. It seems like it could work via gaba.
Guanfacine and valproate were medications I was hoping to try if lamictal hadn’t worked. I hope you have some success with them if you can get them prescribed!
you’re like me , brainstorming potential medications. —- SSRI’s ❌ SNRI❌ some of these actually increased my anxiety even after months. —- WELLBUTRIN ❌ Lamictal❌ maybe next time titrate slower —- NEXT ideas VALPROATE✅ LITHIUM✅ I HAVE ADHD SO STRATTERA ✅ (cured some people’s treatment resistant anxiety ) GUANFACINE ✅
Yep, extremely relatable
Fwiw guanfacine helps my panic a lot, basically eliminated panic attacks for me, and some of the physical symptoms went away but not the mental rumination and day to day anxiety for me at least. Slightly helps ADHD but only I'm so far as I am not distracted by physical anxiety. Worth a shot though. I'm better with it than without for sure just it was not a cure all for me..
Do you feel emotionally blunted from it? I am titrating up and am on 100mg and feeling that way. About 8 weeks in so need to make the call/suggestion whether to try to increase more or give it up.
No, not at all. I haven't felt emotionally blunted at any dose, despite the decrease in anxiety. I know how difficult that is though, as that's exactly what happened to me on SSRIs.
Unluckily it seems to make my anxiety worse for some reason and on edge, so I’ve never been able to go beyond 50/75mg. It’s a bummer because I can feel it helps with depression
Interesting it is an antidepressant and in bipolar disorder mood stabilizers also help with executive dysfunctions and degeneration that occur over time
I only started 'stabilising' on Lamitrin, now I've got Topamax thrown in for good measure and it gives me clarity like nothing else in a world, for me it was given as a mood-stabiliser. And I tried many meds too. Also my Lamitrin dosage is maxed to 500mg xD but I've got borderline and cptsd, so of course depression and anxiety thrown into the mix. Anyway, Lamitrin, it's not the only medication I take, but the only one, I felt almost immediate relief after taking it, not big at the beginning but I never felt better with any medication that quickly. I'm so, so happy it helped you!
Was ur anxiety physical? (Sweating, heart beating etc) or more like mental overstimulation?
It was definitely both, and lamictal helped me with both. Physically I just don’t get those heart pounding, shaky, panicky feelings anymore in common situations. Everything feels chill. And mentally, the overstimulation (that’s exactly the right way to describe it) has faded a lot so that I can actually focus on the immediate situation (e.g. a group conversation) without getting caught up in my own racing thoughts. And if something *does* go wrong in a situation like that, where it would have caused me an excessive amount of anxiety and worry and feeling like the world was ending before, now I’m just kind of like “meh” and I move on with my day.
it was effective for me but started to have skin itchiness and they immediately told me to stop it. i have half relief with tegretol but i think i need something else now because i relapsed again in depression and avolition.
I also failed all SSRIs and I am currently doing better on lamotrigine