Anticonvulsants: Lamictal (Lamotrigine)

[80z90zhouzemuzicgrl]

the stupid doctor told me well why change the meds if its helping u well sir becuase ive gained 100 pounds on it and hes says well see a nutritionists even when i told him the person who prescribed them to me told me that not to worry its only a little bit of weight gain yea u stupid idiot im fat thanks to u im working on getting it changed

[sixstoriesfall]

LOOOVE this drug

[JohnGee1977]

No one KNOWS how it works? Count me out.

[illkeepdreamingg]

Does lamictal cause weight gain?? Btwww I can't fucking sleep while on this pill...

[sixstoriesfall]

@illkeepdreamingg It never made me gain, it's an amazing drug.

[80z90zhouzemuzicgrl]

@illkeepdreamingg yes ive gained 100 pounds

[surfer53]

Too bad about the birth control interaction, but I figure if you're depressed enough to need meds, you're probably not getting laid either.

[beca192]

im on this hasnt worked yet :( and tastes hangin :(

[catherinedollinger1]

just getting on this for headaches,,after reading all these comments ,,it's scaring me ......but i can't deal with my headaches. Been sick for almost 3 months and at this point i'll just about try any thing.

[bunnyyummy123]

I hate this med :( I experienced a bunch of side effects and if anything, it made me too mellow at times, too excited, or too depressed.

[baloghalex]

I hate this medicine biatch.

[merrySophia]

This video was created by or affiliated with the manufacturer of Lamictal! Videos come up on the first page of search results... they uploaded this video to overshadow negative reviews.

[missy4him]

I was on Lamictal for migraines and anxiety, the first night i took it i was only on 25 mg, i took it for 10 days, every night i had horrible dreams to the point of going off of it. I'm thinking working out and lots of vitamins might be the answer!

[80z90zhouzemuzicgrl]

ive gained 40 llbs since i started taking this if anything it has made me depressed about this

[sixstoriesfall]

@80z90zhouzemuzicgrl I bet you are on other meds that made you gain. I've lost weight on this.

[JohnnyJohnW]

I take Lamotrigine and Quetiapine.

[MrSpemat]

lamictal as a mood drug made me feel the best but I have adhd and lamictal is not typically an antimanic medication so I take Depakote while on ADHD meds although I feel no difference on Depakote at all...

[wakeandbakesam1]

I was prescribed this for OCD. It doesn't help. But I found that when I stopped taking it, I had bipolar symptoms which really pissed me off.

[parkhorse31]

In opposition to a lot of everyone, I can't say enough positive things about this drug. I'm on 400 mg per day. I suffer from Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (or as I refer to it, the "jerky twitchies") and it has reduced my jerks soooo much, and makes me feel much better. I do have to put up with a little slower memory and some drowsiness, but I'll take that over constant jerking and twitching any day.

[Aislan4414]

I am glad this helps many people. I wish it did for me. It made me worse mu ch much worse.

[cheerwiz101]

Kay, so I Took this medication for like, 3 years.... at age seven, they had me on 250 .... And i turned suisidal ((i dont get how this can be for bi polar) and tried to bite myself to death? It made my whole body numb below the neck.... and i cant remeber like, 3 years of my life... atall.

it sucks. alot.

And they dont even kno how it works???? retards.

[Gaddkraelarn]

Been on lamotrigine for.. 3-4 years now. 250 mgs per day. It has worked fine with me.The insomnia, dizzyness and other zombie-sideeffects wore off after 2-3 months. The only thing is that my memory is fucked up and my mind.. well, works slower. Hard to explain. But it's worth it.

[forabsentfriends]

@Gaddkraelarn I have the same problems with memory and just a general mental slow down. My speech has also been affected. 

[akotlar]

This drug practically destroyed my life. I was prescribed this for bipolar type II, later revised hypomania, then adhd; and later I was undiagnosed. I had just quit a 1 pack a day smoking habit, entered a difficult university program, and found out that my grandfather had 6 months to live when I was prescribed it. I've been off lamictal for 2 years, and my memory, cognitive function are still returning. I now have difficulty reading, eye tracking problems. Not everyone's experience but common.

[metronomic1]

@akotlar Thats not common thats rare. Quite rare.

[J8neSez]

im fucking extremely bipolar to the point where im a danger to those around me when im manic...i just got this med monday so im researching everythng i can find on it.

[RedDemonSRT4]

@J8neSez I just switched from Topamax to Lamictal last week. So far I can tell you that im noting less side effects and generally less manic moods. BTW: like you my manic episodes revolve around anger... Just remember the people around us are trying to help.. even if theyl never understand how we feel.

[zippyweinstein]

STAY CLEAR OF THIS SHIT.

My former doctor/hack put me on 400 mg of this crap and told me it could really help. Well, it did nothing, and withdrawal from this is a living nightmare. One of my side effects is that I am incredibly tired but can't sleep. That's the definition of hell. Another is that my short term memory is terrible and I struggle to find words. I'm having trouble just typing this out. I'm not sure how you're supposed to maintain a job of any type while withdrawing.

[MomSaysImCool]

@zippyweinstein Huh, I took Tegretol and it nearly killed me. I'm not sure if Lamictal is working wonders, but it's certainly less painful.

[zippyweinstein]

@MomSaysImCool I should have noted that I was also taking parnate, an MAOI inhibitor, which has amphetamine type qualities that cause insomnia. It is hard to decipher which side effect came from what med, and whether that side effect is magnified when taken in combination with another. However, I can still say lamictal had a very negative effect on my memory and cognitive ability, and made me more irritable. It was casually dispensed but I found it to have severe consequences.

[MomSaysImCool]

@zippyweinstein And what's more I'm not taking this for depression, but for epilepsy.

[kristmundur92]

@zippyweinstein i've been on 100mg twice a day for 2 years and i've felt no side effects at all. and i haven't had any seizures since

[o0QuAdSh0t0o]

one of my doctors put me on this shit to control my anger...from reading the comments it looks like im the the only one... but yea anyway i was on 100 mg daily but all it really did was kill my personality and made me a quiet antisocial fuck... so im slowly weaning off this shit... fuck pills, dont ever get into this shit whether ur doctor says to or not they dont really help your problems, they just put a 'blanket' over top of your problems then cause a lot more problems.. fuck pills

[zippyweinstein]

@o0QuAdSh0t0o

Agreed.  Doctors are just way over-medicating people, prescribing pills at high dosages and seeing what sticks. If I were going to be paranoid, I'd think they just got people addicted for business - so you have to keep coming back.

[sixstoriesfall]

@o0QuAdSh0t0o This pill saved my life and the life of many others. You saying don't take it is irresponsible. What works for one person may not work for another.

[80z90zhouzemuzicgrl]

@sixstoriesfall it does work but the weight gain is horrible i am fat and i use to weigh 130llb now im at 200

[sixstoriesfall]

@80z90zhouzemuzicgrl How many other meds are you on? I only take Lamictal (200 mg a day) and I have actually lost weight because I am more active now. I'm sorry to hear you have gained on it, but it may be your other meds?

[ReviewCam]

I take Lamictal 150 mg 2x a day for partial epilepsy. So far so major side effects, except perhaps insomnia, but I've always had a problem with insomnia. A lot better than Tegretol, which sometimes caused double visision.

[MrLegendpk]

WOW!!!! i took only 500mg and i was trippin like i was on fucking shroomssss. fuck this shit im going back on depakote:p

[shickadoo]

I get Lamotrigine practically free thanks to being in NewZealand, I get free mental health care too and my councillor takes me out to coffees :) That along side the drug, really helps me get better :P

[suzuki15]

"no one knows how it works"....

WTF am i doing taking this shit

[RPDXC]

@suzuki15 LMAO, I completely agree. I had nothing but problems with this drug, they switched me over to depakote, which is almost the same as this drug, and I've gotten ten times worse. The biggest mistake in my life was to start taking all these anti-depressant pills. They have caused missery, loss of job, loss of friends, incapable of relationships, and extreme anxiety. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and i'm going to ream him a new asshole.

[ThirdWorldReporter]

@suzuki15 looooooool xD man u crazy, dawg !! :D

[kristmundur92]

@suzuki15 you've got it wrong. she isn't saying that they don't know how the drug works, but that no one knows what happens when a seizure is triggered

[devlinger]

@kristmundur92 - No, they really don't know for sure how it works. Quote from GSK's prescribing information: "The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown."

[JohnGee1977]

@kristmundur92 So what does she mean when she says how "it" works? I don't understand.

[HipHopHaterRock4ever]

my face broke out and they said at the hospital that had poison ivy i was hoping that was true because i like this medication

[TooShy22]

I have been taking Lamictal for over 14 years for my epilepsy......the only problem with it is the price....you have to have insurance...

[Aloxic]

I started taking Lamotrigine (Lamictal) for Bipolar disorder about 2-3 months ago. I have noticed that instead of breaking down once every three weeks really bad .. I am slightly suicidal everyday.. which is not good when the drug makes you slightly hypomanic. I also get scared very easily now where-as before it would take a LOT to get me scared. I agree with star action that i feel like im on another planet. Also, less motivated.

[TheYouTubbie]

Whel, ive been trying numerous drugs against, nightly-seizures and i have to say that lamictal goes in verry well. No nasty side effects, some mild insomnia when i increase the dose, but this soon passes.

The ground note is that we all react diffrent on drugs.

If the pill suits you and you feel better take it !

[MrGoodguy53]

I've been taking Lamictal for almost 10 years, and have found that it works well for me. So I wouldn't say that it is a bad drug, but I will say that the cost is ridiculously high.

[deathistimeless]

I was just warning other people ... I am on Lamictal and have been on it for over a year now and have gone through the worst pain and side effects ever. I have epilepsy and RA and Osteoperosis and so I take more than just Lamictal . My Neurologist who prescibed me stopped my seizures from happening daily to weekly but then thats all she could do.. she thought Lamictal could possibly fix or "do the trick" so she put me on it three times a day at very high doses...I was constantly throwing up....

[BabiesWearDiapers]

have u ever looked into neurofeedback? I used to have seizures...well..my neurologist says I still do....but IMO...theyre just auras..never lose consciousness

anyway....after a year of neurofeedback 3 times a week, I was able to cut my meds in half

[deathistimeless]

DON'T TAKE LAMICTAL

[iloveyourstory]

It has saved lives. Not your place to say that.

[SandyReis1]

I take lamictal as a mood stabilizer for my bipolar disorder. Its fantastic and I couldnt live without it! Sucks its expensive...once my insurance didnt cover it and I had to fork over $250.

[iloveyourstory]

This drug saved my life. I had suffered from depression phases from 16 years of age and on. It felt like the fog had lifted. Too bad the stuff is so damn expensive.

On the other hand the memory problems suck bad :( I had to quit grad school because of it. I have trouble remembering simple things. BUT I am so glad I found this drug.

[staraction]

i take Lamictal for my parcial seizures and depression along with prozac. So far, this has safe my life....since my seizures are just loosing tract of time just starting at things at times and it is like i am in another planet and it feels like a second has passed but most of the time...it is like 3 or 4 hours are gone without me knowing it

[cjmcspic84]

I haven't tried GABA because I'm not an epileptic. The reason GABA and GABA analogues are not first or second line therapy in the US is that they have horrible bioavailability. Yes, you are right that chronic use of some antiepileptic medications will lead to osteoporosis.

You're saying that GABA controls your seizures? What kind of epilepsy were you diagnosed with? How frequent were your seizures compared to before you started using GABA?

[cjmcspic84]

that would be a good recommendation except that GABA, although it has a high affinity at the GABAa receptor, has extremely poor bioavailability (the % of drug absorbed in the blodd from an oral dose). I believe the only GABA agonist currently available is Gabrene in France. So don't waste your money buying GABA

[DanielBowden1975]

I'm on this for Manic Depression, hate the word Bi Polar

It's working for me

[SteelBlazer21]

i hate this drug i prefer prozac anyday over this stuff.

[Passiongrlpoet]

LOL! Ya know I found out right after I sent you that. I was so in deep into researching last night, it went right over my head! So thanks anyway jackass. ;)

[Passiongrlpoet]

what is pharmagaba?

[YungKing5]

does anyone kno if smokin marijuana is bad if u have sezures?? specialy absance seizures

[relevantspud]

I smoked marijuana once when I was in Highschool in 2003 but shortly after I did have one. I have been on Lamictal for 4 years and after adjusting the dosage level I have not had one since July 17 2006. I was first given the original tablet and not the generic, later I was shipped generic but never took it because of the risk. If you ask around some people will say it caused problems to occur with side effects and siezures again. However a friend in Texas had Grand Mal but takes Marijuana 4 it.

[YungKing5]

WERD well ma dude i have a history of absence seizures but took lamictal for about 5 years n i been smokin weed heavy n not that im expecting anything to happen , so far nothin HAS happend i juss get realy rokkin lets just hope nothing happends

[carphunter963]

its not bad at all, i am not recommending it though, but i have epilepsy and have smoked marijuana a few times and nothing. it is actually an anti-convulsant look it up on google.

[mamoderawat]

Vivid dreams are an enjoyable temporary side effect of this drug.

[mamoderawat]

I was proscribed this is in its generic form and for 1 year it worked perfectly, then they started changing amongst the generic brands and the shit hit the fan. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE AMONGST THE GENERIC BRANDS, i have never tried it as Lamictal

[TheJamieExperiment]

I'm on it at the moment. Have been for 3 years and It's completely stopped my fits... and has a lot less side effects than other stuff I've taken!

[iloveyourstory]

This drug saved my life and pulled me out of a deep abyss of 3 years. I'll never go without

[ykatyana]

am dying in the hospital right now cuz the doctor after 30 minutes tell me i was bipolar ,am a model and am all full of blisters my whole body i have not been able to eat cuz my mouth is distroyed by blister ,not knowing what s gonna happen to me and my future please anyone be careful

[BattleMage52]

I'm a person with Adult ADD and they kept thinking I was bipolar when I was complaining of depression due to my chronic knee and back pain (snowboarding accident) They kept throwing Lithium, and Lamictal at me, which would have not helped.When I finally got a hold of someone who wasn't saying everyone is bipolar,I started getting counseling of how to manage ADD,educational material WHICH REALLY HELPS, and no drugs. I didn't have anything close to seizures. O,o'

[williamblake69]

this stuff is garbage ... if u take it , flush your remaining supply down the toilet and call your doctor and tell him that he is a pharmacutical company whore

[Slavce81]

I disagree, I've been taking 200mg of Lamictal for the past year for a mood disorder and it has been fantastic. I've had no side effects and it seems the longer I'm on it the more back to normal I feel.

[anewunderstanding]

I take Lamictal 50mg moving up to 100mg. I had told my doctor, the chronic "panic" and hell, that my mind makes itself go through everyday. The reason i asked, i dont have siezures, but get this "aura,freeze" feeling, i can't move.

I don't understand, my mood is so bad during the day, i just cannot function. dextroamphetamine, i've taken, since i was in 6th grade, it helped alot with thinking. What is with this horrid mood? I'm mean, but it's because, i'm just discusted with everything.

[mundarda]

don't take this shit.  I was on it for six months for my epilepsy and didn't get a wink of deep sleep that whole time. Crazy dreams and never felt rested. I then looked up sleep studies and it reduces Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) by alot. I got onto Trileptal and Neurontin because of the sleep problems and it was like a miracle cure.

[urora7]

yes i can not sleep, in fact i sleep only 4 hours and then i dream a lot - in fact fantastic vivid dreams, i can control my anger and it helps me in my depression, but sometimes my muscle acts funny do not know how to explain, sometimes i just a litle hypnotized when i am awake, but i feel major well and satisfied. if i could only sleep more.

[mundarda]

yeah i know how you feel. i liked everything about it apart from the sleep thing. trileptal is better for me because of the sleep thing but trileptal has made me put on a little weight and motivation. nothing is perfect. it is annoying.

[evamae92]

this is a life saving drug excellent is all i can say since i started taking this drug 2 years ago with keppra i havent had a seizures since .i was on depakote and that drug i cant remember anything i gained weight constantly had seizures ect.

[deemilieu]

i was given samples of this by my psychiatrist, but i didn't like that he had me sign a consent form...and i asked him if he ever has taken the stuff he prescribes. he said 'no.'

[KTMkeesvanderven]

I take 500 Mg a day for Epilepsy, It seems to work fine. I used to take Dilantin and Phenobarbital.

[midoriwow]

generic lamotrigine does exist in a regular, non-chewable tablet. i have the bottle in my hand.

[luckytwentyseven]

i suppose you like the bullshit book "The Secret" too.

[TECHXHEAD]

I like how small the tablets are. Before taking this I was resistant towards medication because I am pill averse. These are easy pills to pop. I take 100 mg daily (50mg twice daily) along with 30 mg of Lexapro for unipolar depression. I have been on Lexapro since mid June and Lamictal since late June so I have been taking the drugs for about 3.5 months so far. A well chosen drug cocktail can have miraculous effects on rehabilitating people. Mood stabilizer + SSRI = Synergistic effect.

[scot2bdone]

I've started taking this at 100 mg daily along with my phenytone and find it calms me and stops me being anxious about fitting.

[tarquin08]

Mood Stabiliser(sp) I'm just sick of all the meds...

[SFJane]

then drop them and work on alternative therapies tarquin! listen to your body and mind when they tell you this stuff is toxic, it is!

[luckytwentyseven]

go get a job at whole foods.

[SFJane]

whole food rocks! but I'd rather finish my book on getting rid of bipolar that way I could help people better than I could bagging groceries.

[jeepbme]

get a f*ckin hair cut while your at it.

[jeepbme]

blow me

[tarquin08]

I'm on 400mg, 200mg twice a day, I dont

see any improvment in my Depression,

I'm BipolarII

[SFJane]

why would you see improvement of depression with lamictal? its an anti convulsant. depression is not caused by convulsion disorders, it makes no sense to treat a mood disorder with a drug that stops convulsions. also make sure you read the fine print on the PDR for Lamictal seems its very painful for some people to get off and it interferes with sodium ion channels, sodium channels allow you to move your muscles with energy, so this stuff interferes with your CNS firing, how is that good?

[jakeamitchell]

Bi-Polar Disorder has been treated by epilepsy meds for several decades; this is common knowledge. Lamictal stabilizes swings in mood, moderating both depression and mania. Tarquin08 doesn't seem to understand her illness, and whatever doctor prescribed her 400mg needs a punch in the face; the target dosage is 150 to 200mg. The minor BP II shouldn't be over 150mg. You need to up your dosage over 5 weeks, 25mg to 50 to 100, moving up to 150 or 200 as needed. Without the build up, it's useless.

[SFJane]

but didn't you look at the fine print in the PDR? lamictal interferes with sodium ion channels. you understand that SIC controls your strength, muscle movement and CNS firing.

In other words it screws up the bioelectricity of your body chemically.

No human being needs that unless they have an uncontrollable seizure disorder BPiPD is not a seizure disorder

You would be better off exercising your right of consent to refuse that crap and pass on toxifying your body into artificial Epstein Barr

[SFJane]

notice too,you said *treat* not *cure*

that's not going to help you permanently get rid of your problems.

if it does not cure it's unnecessary punishment for having mental illness

[jakeamitchell]

I don't know how you got "interferes" and "screws up". I doubt the fine print says that Lamotrigine screws up your SIC. The guys at GSK probably know more than you.

Yes treat, as BPD is incurable. Lamctal won't cure someone with Bi Polar, but it's a helluva lot better than the alternative, something which I doubt you can comprehend.

Right of consent to refuse that crap? Yeah spending sprees, impulsive sex, drug use, suicidal depression, and erratic sleep patterns sound much better.

[SFJane]

you did not read the merck manual or physicans desk reference on lamictal that much is obvious

bipolar IS curable not only have I done it but I can put you in touch with many more that have contacted me to tell me they did

people will look back on these days as the era when big pharma and biased Pdocs convinced people that a genetic chemical imbalance forced people to have sex and go shopping

what a load of bullshit

I got over my bipolar and you can too!

take personal responsibility!

[jakeamitchell]

There is no cure for bi-polar and no medical journal or prominent psychiatrist has ever said that there is. Your assertion that this is a conspiracy by pharmaceutical companies is laughable. To think that every respected psychiatrist out there is constantly violating medical ethics to convince patients to buy drugs. The only problem is the extreme overdiagnosis of bipolar.

Personal responsibility? You obviously were not BP if you say that. It's easy to be cured of something you didnt have....

[SFJane]

ah the no true scot's man fallacy rears it's predictable head, you have used several logical fallacies including red herring, straw man, no true scot's.. it's not worth waking you up. enjoy your dronehood

[nuthive]

@SFJane I don't see jakeamitchell's straw man fallacy; considering a conspiracy is exactly what you described through implication, the straw man isn't made of straw here, if indeed that were the fallacy to which you were referring. Fancy debate terms aside, as a psychiatrist, I believe and am not aware of, to the best of my knowledge, that there is a "cure" for any mental disorder. A year later, how is your book getting on? I invite you to give me some insight to your cure for Bipolar disorder.

[nuthive]

@jakeamitchell just so we're clear on one tiny detail, BPD is a more widely used acronym for Borderline Personality Disorder in the field. Occasionally, we also prescribe Lamictal as an off-label treatment for the mood swings some patients tend to suffer with Borderline Personality Disorder. The symptoms of course, being less acute than Bipolar I or II.

[Nogli]

It didn't work for me when I tried it before, so after a couple more attempts at other things, I was asked to try it again. I have no idea why

I have tried Tegretol (carbemazepine), Lamictal (lamotrigine), Epilim, Clobezam, Keppra (levetiracetam...made me VERY ill), Topamax (topiramate), and diazepam. I'm now on Trileptal, which is apparently just Tegretol with less side effects. I've tried different does to no avail

So I'm left with Phenytoin, Zonegran and Lyrica.I'm not sure of any others

[capsolo99]

Hang in there friend. Sooner or later you'll find the right solution for ya. I wish you luck in the meantime.

[sylviakitty222]

so far, lamictal has at least given me a calming effect which of course helps with my anxiety. However, my depression is still really bad. I'm taking 100 mg a day. hmm?

[boppinbunny]

I'm also taking lamictal 200mg once a day and I'm still deppressed. I just started taking 10mg of Prozac in the morning and just recently had it upped to 20mg. So...ditto on the "hmm". For real.

[magpieta79]

This medication works wonders for Bipolar II. I have PTSD and Bipolar II, have tried other medications, and this one works the best. My improvement has been incredible! I'm only sorry I didn't get on it sooner.

[geeky913]

I take it @ 200mg a day for Bipolar I.

There are some differences between II and I. I'm wondering if that's what's going on? EH.

[mercurygrrrl]

I'm glad to read that, as I have the same (Bipolar & PTSD). I usually try to cope without pills, but it is becoming too much. I am starting Lamictal tonight.

[BabiesWearDiapers]

ive been diagnosed with PTSD a couple times...but have no medical coverage...the most I got was counseling (and not for very long)

ptsd sucks w/o medical coverage

[xXPersephoneXx]

@mercurygrrrl I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about ten years ago and just yesterday, was diagnosed with PTSD as well. My doctor has put me on Lamictal too. How is it working for you?

[mercurygrrrl]

@xXPersephoneXx It has worked well for me. It isn't a cure, of course, but it seems to have lengthened the time between dysphoric episodes. I haven't had as much luck with any other medication. I hope it works for you.

[midnitepoets]

I was on 200mg twice a day for a while, and a few others, then they upped it to 400 mg 2x daily, my memory went, focus went, im down to 25 mg 2x daily and keppra, aand im doing a lot better, its ok if you watch your dosages.

[relevantspud]

I must tolerate pretty good then, I have been on Lamictal for a while I used to take 400mg a day but after my last grand mal back on July 17, 2006 I went up to 600mg a day and have not had one since. Luckily I don't have any sort of side effects. I made my doctor write on prescriptions for the brand and not generic though, pharmacist told there is usually a 10% change and I did not want to risk it. Another person told me was on 400mg of the brand and later switched to generic & had siezures.

[drumslnkprk]

You cant just assume because you have a problem with a drug, that no one should take it. Ive been taking it for a year and a half, and havent had any side effects. It has only helped and im only taking 25 mg.

[MasonSean04]

my son is on this as one of his anticonvulsants

[quinoacat]

This crap made me choke and panic. It sucks. Don't take it.

[Wesmosis]

thanx

[nibargerswife51482]

that's what I take