Rapid cycling symptoms and conditions

I have been taking 25mg per day of Lamictal for five days now. I am also on (and have been for five years) 200mg Zoloft per day. I was recently diagnosed bipolar (no surprise) and after seeing a psychiatrist, this was the med I chose, Lithium and Depakote being the other two choices, I felt that Lamictal would be the most appropriate in my case, because it is supposed to help with anger/rage issues, according to the leaflet provided by my Dr., as well as the 'rapid cycling' of my moods. So far I dislike this med, despite the fact I started it with optimism. Side effects are as follows:
Sleepiness - started the first day, I took the first dose the night before.
Lack of energy/motivation - I was doing ok as far as motivation was concerned until I started Lamictal, I was on a positive mood swing at the time, now, it's taking all my effort to stay focused and finish this.
Feelings of disassociation - I don't want to go anywhere, or see anyone, take any calls, etc..this is a problem I have had prior to Lamictal, but it suddenly got worse upon starting it.
Sudden anger/rage - I have felt overly aggravated at times, fast to discipline my son without taking a minute to think it over, it's pretty spontaneous. Day two scared me a bit, I have been making a serious conscious effort to not lose my temper or react suddenly. Today I actually had a spontaneous thought of suicide during a moment of anger, which also alarms me.
Loss of appetite - I'm a skinny guy, can't afford to lose any weight or go without eating, this stuff has pretty much killed my appetite, I'm forcing myself to eat at least once a day...and it isn't easy, I tell you.
Hypersensitivity to noise - Seems like the volume on everything has been amplified, it's making me nuts..
Unpleasant taste in my mouth - since day two. Hard to describe, sort of metallic.
Decreased urge to smoke - I have been smoking for 23 years, a pack per day regularly. I noticed at day two the urge to smoke was dramatically decreased, I smoked about eight cigs total today. Being asleep helped with that too, I'm sure...gotta be conscious to smoke, right? This would be the only positive effect I have noticed thus far.
At this point, I'm really not sure if I will continue with this med due to the above effects. I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped this would do the job and I could avoid the Lithium (icepick up the nose is the only thing left if Lithium doesn't work) and the Depakote, because the effects of those are far more serious by comparison according to what I have read and heard from others who have taken it.
I don't know what to do next, honestly. I have taken nearly every type/kind of antidepressant, Zoloft seems to do the most good, but I'm still having mood swings/cycling while using it, so a mood stabilizer was the plan to fix that...seems like I'm pretty much hosed.

I feel somewhat reassured that it's a possibility that my memory loss is a side effect of lamictal. I was diagnosed with BP I and the medication has done wonders. I still get very depressed sometimes, but not as severe as it was without the med. I experience(d) rapid-cycling which I was told is less common for this disorder.
My short-term memory is horrible. Sometimes have trouble remembering conversations and even things that happened a short time ago. For example, I recently played a few games of pool with my son and on our way home, I couldn't recall whether or not I won any of the 3 games. It's pretty embarrassing and scary when someone "catches" you or notices that you have completely blanked. I have to write things down if I want to discuss them with my therapist, because I won't remember what my issues were within the last week or two. Sometimes, when someone asks me if I remember something, I act like I do, because I probably should remember it. Again, I feel like an idiot because I don't. At work, it's not too much of a problem, because I insist that everyone sends me a reminder email, so I have a task list to work from instead of recalling things from memory. I also get completely lost in my train of thought during conversations. I tend to go off in tangents and completely forget what point I was trying to make.
I also have trouble focusing and my mind is always because obsessing over some thought, usually something negative. I feel like I waste a lot of time doing unproductive thinking. I'm not sure if this is a symptom of the disorder of not.

Hi, I'm rapid cycling bipolar. I was taking 300mg of lithium a day and it helped a lot. Then started the crying and paranoid feelings again. I also took venlafaxine 150mg. My psych doc increased the venlafaxine to 225mg time released and the lithium to 300mg twice a day. I have really bad headache that make me sick to my stomach. Bad hand tremors, weight gain, extreme thirst, dry mouth, constant urination, confusion, memory loss, bad concentration, heart palpitation that are very scary and problems with my balance. I've been taking these meds for a year now. I'm hoping that I just need to get used to the new dosage. On the plus side mentally I'm great, it's just the physical aliments that are getting me. I have an appt. with my doc on the 13th. I'm hoping that he'll have some answers for me. Hang in there I know how you all feel! please tell me if anyone else has these same symptoms. Thanks,

Reading over some of these posts and wanted to share my experience w/Lamictal. Been on it over 2 year, 400mg/day. Sever bipolar with mixed & rapid cycling episodes. Oh YEA...I have side effects too: blurred vision that comes and goes, super klutziness, confusion, hard to complete sentences sometimes (just can't find the words sometimes for the simplest sentence!), dizziness, prone to broken blood vessels under the skin when bump into something or carry loaded grocery bag over my arm, jittery, short term memory loss, feeling really stupid like my brain isn't working sometimes. BUT...I will stay on this med because it rally works for me and the above effects are and bad, just frustrating. It took me a good 5-6 months for the meds to work as they should. Be aware that it won't make things perfect, mood swings and even moderate episodes can be expected. I am pretty much in a constant state of mild/moderate mania (2 hr sleep/night, hi energy, talk to fast, mind racing,etc), which is fine for me, as it really curbed the depression (maybe only 1 day every 2 months now and its NOT a BAD downer) I have found the drug is a good "stabilizer" keeping me mostly in a normal to moderate swing...never any severe swing. If the side effects are not unbearable, stick with the med, just be patient. It sure works for me. Learn to laugh at the klutziness and stupid moments and understand its the med and you. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

I have been on Lamictal for 8 years and take 200mg every night. I take it in combination with Lithium, Seroquel, & Wellbutrin. My diagnosis is rapid cycling bi-polar. There was also Depakote for about 12 years but that's gone, thank God. The Lamictal, combined with the Seroquel, can knock me on my butt, I feel like a drunk. I stagger and my speech is slurred, and I am very sleepy. I have dry skin in my ears that never resolves and that is itchy & painful. I have bowel issues. I also have vivid dreams but not violent ones. No sex drive but I'm single so that's not a problem. I also need a nap every day. I'm sure that there are others but it's hard to tell because of the other drugs I take. Glad that I'm not the only one with issues.

Hi my name is Chrissy.
I was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolor disorder. I just wanted to see if anyone else has had a few of these side effects and if so could you do anything to help them. Since starting Tegretol i have noticed that I pee a lot, have dry mouth, and my hair is falling out like crazy. I have kinda been more disconnected and depressed. Also I have had this tingle feeling in my head and right after that I get this crazy head ache, not a bad one just a small ache and im also very sensitive to light of any kind. I found all of this to be kinda weird. Can anyone help with this or have any suggestions? Thanks a bunch.

I was on 80mg at night and discovered it was far too high of a dosage for me. I became severely depressed, my throat closed up, and the hangy-ball in the back of my throat swelled up to the point where I'd occasionally choke on it. I would wake up in the morning (very late), only to find that I couldn't move out of my bed. It was as if I was paralyzed. I almost lost my job. I wasn't able to get ready and leave the house until hours after waking. If you are experiencing any of these side effects, stop taking Geodon immediately. I went through a month of this thinking I needed to wait it out until it would work. If only I had talked to my doctor sooner, I would've been able to avoid all of it.

At lower doses, Geodon still wasn't giving me the results I was looking for. I was rapid cycling between depression and extreme mania where I experienced delusions and (for the first time in my life) auditory hallucinations. I think Geodon is one of those medications that either works for you or doesn't. There really wasn't much inbetween for me.

Another common side effect I experienced was weight loss. I lost 10lbs in a month. So I'm now 115 and 5'5''. That was the only good thing about the pill.

I've been on Lamictal for about a month now. Started extremely slowly at 12.5 mg, now I'm at 25 mg. I've had minor side effects (cramps in my calf muscles, esp., muscular and joint pain, but not strong). I did have crying spells in the first few days, don't know if they happened because of Lamictal, but it seems likely.

Looks like it's working so far. My mind feels lighter and the mood swings are becoming less severe than before. I've started to think about new work projects I'd left aside before due to depression.

I have been recently diagnosed with cyclothymia, rapid-cycling, with mostly depressive rather than hypomanic symptoms.

I think a very, very important thing to keep in mind is how differently medications will work for different people. While it seems many of you have had horrible experiences with it, I surely don't think this is the case for everyone, including myself. I've been diagnosed with bipolar-II and have been on Lamictal for several months, currently at a dose of 150mg. I've found it had dramatically brought down my rapid cycling and decreased the severity of my depressive episodes. Though I still have mood swings, they are less frequent and less intense/disabling.
As far as side effects go, I've never been one to experience many side effects from any medication I've been on. With Lamictal I've begun having headaches and also difficulty with focus, concentration, and short term memory. I'm much more spacey than usual and often will get distracted while having a conversation with someone and forget what we were talking about. My psychiatrist believes these indicate ADD and has prescribed me Ritalin, which I refuse to take because I'm convinced that these problems are side effects of the Lamictal. I've experienced weight loss, but this also may be due to the 200mg Wellbutrin I am also taking.
Although I've experienced more side effects with Lamictal than any other drug, for me I'm willing to continue giving it a try because of its effect on my moods.

I'm on 40mg at night, and have been having good experiences with it before. I don't experience anxiety, if anything, I feel less anxious than I ever did before. I was on Risperdal and gained 75 lbs VERY quickly, even after changing my diet to low-cal, low-fat, and doing everything else in the book. Now I'm off that Risperdal garbage, on the 40 mg of Geodon, and couldn't be happier. I am bipolar, and don't experience the rapid cycling that I did before, even on the Risperdal. I'm considering asking my psychiatrist to take my oldest son OFF that Abilify mess that makes him miserable and put him on Geodon. Thumbs up from me!

I started on Topamax about a week ago after coming off Seroquel. I am bipolar and had a break through in June. My doctor had me on Seroquel to control any possible rapid cycling. Unfortunately the Seroquel made me anxious so after 7 months we agreed to try Topamax.

So far, my stomach is upset if I eat too much. Soday tastes like crap. I have minimal tingling at 150 mgs. Chocolate upsets my stomach. I feel ditzy. I can't sleep more than three or four hours. And I am having to pee all the time.

I am going to have a referenced EEG in three weeks. Hopefully at that time the neuropsychiatrist will determine what drugs I really should be on. I am losing weight but I don't think it's worth it.

I, too, am finding my normally thick hair is showing up more in my brush and on the floor. I am a 46yo woman with Crohn's disease on top of being bipolar II rapid cycling. The only thing I can attribute the hair loss to at this point is the Trileptal because I began having this symptom only after I started it. I have a very strict diet to control my Crohn's disease without meds and that hasn't changed. Besides going off of Trileptal, does anyone have any countermeasures for the hair loss?

I hate prednisone. I was given it in bursts for the last 10 years for asthma and for some reason I thought the Dr told me to stop at 10 mg and when I did my adrenal glands didn't kick in and I have been stuck on the stuff for the last 2 years since. I wean down to about 17 and then end up in the hosptial. this has happened multiple times. I was down at 17 a month ago and ended up in the er where they jacked me up to 40 and now I am at 23 but I am only able to wean at 1/4 a week at the most. I now am in menopause at 38 I have constant hot flashes rapid cycling mood swings. panic attacks. my heart races all the time I have cushings and possibly addisons now. I can't drive anymore my weight has gone up over 100 lbs my vision is constantly changing. I have pseudotumor cerebri and am now diabetic. This stuff is POISON> I also keep TONS OF FLUID ON face legs chest etc and now have to take lasix> I have tried to wean faster for the last 2 years but end up back up higher than before. I hate this drug. Don't let the Dr put you on it if you can avoid it. Also I would love to know if anyone knows of any type of inpatient facility to help with the weaning. My heart constantly skips and races on this stuff I am really afraid one day I will Die from being on prednisone. But I can't find a Dr to help me. This has ruined my life with my family if anyone can help please let me know

I had my doctor switch me from Abilify (5mg) to Geodon (20mg) for bi-polar, rapid cycling after gaining a significant amount of weight. I have been taking Geodon for 6 days, and have noticed that my hair has started to fall out. I am also taking Wellbutrin and Topamax, but have been for over a year. What is the deal?

choking on my tongue, unable to breathe, rapid heart palpitations, jerking up and down, impossibility of staying still, terrifying.
Kemedrin
(procyclidine) deals with this but then its unable to get up, sleeping in the day, nightmares. i live alone so i HAVE TO get up to get food and go to bank, pay bills etc, there is NOBODY to help me with the practicalities so i was starving while unable to get up. meanwhile it has zero effect in diminishing delusions. i'm supposedly rapid cycling mixed state bipolar which i was before the experiments on me with psych drugs started. geodon was being used to get me off benzos, think i'll have to stick with the benzos despite their proven schizogenic effects

I have been taking Seroquel on and off (more ON) for the past 5 years. I have found that the 9 months pregnant thing is true, and what to do about it? The other antipsychotic options are worse. Especially Zyprexa! The thing that Seroquel does do for me is it QUIETS my noises, my voices - it calms me, and in a kind of "who gives a s--t" kind of way. I'm usually so hyper-aware of everything around me, that the relief from Seroquel is something I look forward to. I think it helps sleep too. I am bipolar, rapid cycling.

I have the sour mouth, involuntary movements (hands, arms jerking) but the most troublesome and dangerous is the falling asleep without warning, anywhere and anytime. I have missed work because I crashed out in the staff lounge and couldn't get back to "alertness," and the worst is that big chunks of my days are GONE. Just GONE. It's as though I blank out and erase whatever part of the day is happening when the wave hits me. Some memories come back, slowly, and luckily I have patient friends who help me bring some memories back. I am Bipolar I, rapid cycling with mixed states thrown in. Lots of hallucinations, mostly auditory.