Lamicatal symptoms and conditions

I have pretty serious memory problems, and I notice the problems at work. Maybe the stress of work makes it worse at work than at home. But my boss and i talked the other day, and I said I felt scattered - she said I come across as very scattered, forgetting stuff, not following through, etc. I said I would write things down more to help me remember, and she said maybe I might try a different drug (she knows about my bipolar - I told her, and I use a service dog to help with anxiety and tardive dyskinesia from another psych drug). When your boss tells you to maybe try a different drug, it's a bit scary - am I going to lose my job?! But when I forget to take the Lamictal even one day (I take 200 mg. in the morning) I can feel the difference within 24 hours - agitated, depressed, irritable, impatient, etc.). So I have to be careful to take it every day. Along with my other meds...
I don't want to go off the drug, but the memory and cognitive crap is really hard. It's nice to hear I'm not alone.

I took my first Cymbalta this am and it is like nightmare starting all over again. I took Wellbutrin for about 6 years and several times a week, when I tried to go to sleep, my hips, feet and legs would begin to hurt. Then every time about 3 seconds after I'd actually fall asleep I would have a severe myoclonic jerk and scream out. This showed up on a sleep study. The doctor showed me and my husband the video. He said it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen and planned to take the video to the next conference he went to. Everyone, pharmacists, doctors and neurologist said it couldn't be coming from medication. The sleep doctor put me on Ambien CR, but after almost pulling out in front of a car that I swear wasn't there a split second ago, no more ambien. Another doctor put me on Clonopin which has helped. After going on Lacmictal as a hormone/mood stabilizer and tapering off Wellbutrin, after almost instantly six the myoclonic jerks totally stopped. Was doing well until increased the dose of Lamictal from 100 to 200mg. Followed package increased as instructed. At 200mg felt like ants were crawling all over me. Immediately came back down to 100, then to 50 then to 25mg. No lunch. Stayed off of Lamicatal for about a month, and tried 50 mgs. Still itching almost as soon as I took it. Am doing pretty good on Clonopin for complex PTSD and Concerta for ADD but still have depression severe mood swings. My new Doctor insisted Cymbalta was exactly what I needed. After just one dose the myoclonic jerks started again. Had 5 in about 30 minutes, again, 3 to 4 seconds after I go sleep. And my feet, legs and hips hurt again, every time I lay down. Is there no end to this misery? It seems you just cannot win. I just need to vent and find another sympathetic soul who has been there. I think my husband has had about all he can take, and I can't say as I blame him. Thanks for letting me express my frustration.

On October 5th 2007 I experienced auditory hallucinations but their different than the others. I hear my thoughts directly outside of my head and they repeat the thought continuously until another thought happens. Sometimes their are thoughts that I have previously thought of and they won't go away. It starts from the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to sleep in the evening. Sometimes they sing like a choir and sometimes they talk my thoughts. Children's, women, men, and one old man. Sometimes it's a mechanical voice. I started taking Lamicatal in August. I started with 25 mg. for two weeks. Then I increased it to 50mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 75 mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 100mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 125mg and I took this for one week and that's when these auditory hallucinations got worse. Now I only take 50mg and the auditory hallucinations will not go away yet. Before I started taking Lamictal I was on Cymbalta 20mg. I needed to stop taking this medication as that it caused abdominal pains, severe headaches, nausea, I started hearing other peoples thoughts and conversations. I was only Cymbalta for one year. I never was able to hear peoples thoughts before taking Cymbalta and I never heard hallucinations before taking Lamictal. Years ago I was taking Paxil 20mg and this medication increased the abstract visual dreaming and the zoning out. The reason I started taking Lamicatal was that in the evening while I was sleeping I would sometimes get startled in the middle of the night with abstract visual dreaming and it hurt my head. Also I was zoning out occasionally during the day. Kind of like daydreaming but no visual dreams. Lamicatal did stop this but this side effect is driving me insane.

I started Lamicatal May 19th, 2005. I was warned by my doctor of dangerous rash and itching. If so, stop taking medication, call him if not too bad that I need to call 911 to go to the hospital. On my print out from the CVS pharmacy is clearly stated: Serious (sometimes fatal) skin rashes have occured while using this medicine. Immediately notify your doctor if you develop any type of rash. If this medicine is the cause of the rash, the medicine must be stopped. Even after stopping this medicine. It is still possible for the rash to cause permanent or life-threatening scarring along with other problems.

Possible Side Effects:
drowsiness, trouble sleeping, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle aches, double vision, blurred vision, fatigue, weakness, headache, shakiness, or clumsiness.

Symptoms of an Allergic Reaction include:
rash, itching, hives, fever, swollen glands, swelling of the lips or tongue, painful sores in the mouth or around the eyes, severe dizziness, or trouble breathing.

Symptoms of Overdose:
may include unusual dizziness, serve headache, unusual sleepiness, involuntary eye movements, and loss of consciousness.

I starting itching really bad the second day on the medication. To the point I had huge bruises allover me. I got a spurt of energy that I have not had in several years the second night but not since then. I can't go to sleep at night. Even taking 6 Tylenol PM and a Klonapin I don't get sleepy until around 9 to 100am in the morning and then I sleep all day long. I have started to have frequent headaches, suspious bumps around my mouth area. My muscles ache, too. It is Memorial day weekend so I can't call my doctor but I am going to on Tuesday. I have (MDD) Major Depression Disorder, Manic Depression, (TRD) Treatment Resistent Disorder. Nothing I have taken thus far has helped me with my depression.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge on ECT treatment? I am seriouly considering this procedure. I am desperate but I have no insurance or money because I haven't be able to work for 9 years now. This is the only thing that has kept me from getting the ECT treatments, is money! I have contacted every Talk show, hospital, clinical trials and no luck in finding free help with ECT.

Any ideas, guidance or suggestions would be most appreciated, I am dire to get help soon or I won't make it.
Sincerely,
Lost Hope

ooooops-mean to say 100mg am 200 pm-think it was even 200 am 200pm for a while-previous post on Lamicatal