Lamictal side effects

I have taken Lamictal for about three years since I was 19. I feel like I'm experiencing the memory loss of a 60- or 70-year-old. I've always been quick and witty with impeccable grammar and spelling. These days, I struggle to remember words and their meanings, spellings and pronunciations.

I can't remember conversations I had with people half an hour before or items on my to-do list. I MUST write everything down. Sometimes, if it's in my planner, I still don't remember to do it.

It has affected me in my college classes, on the job and in my relationships. I hate the feeling that I'm less intelligent and quick as I used to be when I'm just 22. My short-term memory is shot.

Along with memory loss, I struggle to focus (always have been a straight-A student), follow conversations and often feel confused and need people to restate their thoughts so I can understand.

It's just so embarrassing to be so spacey. I didn't put it together until my sister (also on lamictal) told me about the memory loss and it clicked. At least there's a reason for my new-found stupidity.

Thanks for telling me doctor. Oh wait, she didn't.

I have been on Lamictal 200mg per day for about 3 years along with Wellbutrin and Lexapro. Over the past few months, I have noticed numerous things happening to my mind and body and finally put the pieces of the puzzle together...side effects of Lamictal. Short term memory is gone which is the scariest. Difficulty putting coherent sentences together. Fumbling for words. Spelling is awful. Heaviness in legs. Trouble writing. Inability to communicate well with the spoken word. Slow thought process. Shakiness - Hands shaking - Tremor. Speech disturbance. Weight gain. Coordination problems. Dry mouth is worse. Back pain. Increase in sweating including night sweats. Irritability. Impaired concentration. Forgetfulness.

This is so embarrassing when I'm in meetings. I start to sweat and can't seem to get my words out. I am also in a master's program and it is getting really hard to concentrate enough to write the papers. I am starting a doctorate program in Aug. which will not happen if these side effects don't go away. I called my doctor on Friday and we cut the dose in half and evaluate in 2 weeks. I want off of this drug! I need all of the symptoms described above to go away, especially my short term memory loss. I am very scared at this point.

Hey, am I glad I ran across this. I too had BAD experience with Lamictal; anything over 75mg gave me depressive / fatalistic dreams if I took it at night. Doctor suggested taking it in the morning, that helped, eventually up to 150mg. All this for *suspected* bipolar II. All that really happened is that the med flattened me out too much- I didn't care much about anything, no passion or motivation. Optimism? What's that? Then the OTHER fun part - coming OFF the drug. Whoooo boy. Wasn't so bad coming down from 150mg to about 75mg. THEN I got hit with a LOT of anger, anxiety, insomnia, tremors.... I wound up going into a Partial Hospitalization Program for 5 weeks. I am now 100% OFF Lamictal. Thank God.

Im taking lamictal since 2004. So far so good no seizures. As far as the side effects, well, I have VERY vivid dreams! Always bizarre! Sometimes really bad, but most the time just strange. Every once in awhile I will get the night sweats but not on a regular basis. My short term memory is shot, I've developed anxiety and also ocd even though that hasn't been diagnosed yet. Im on Zoloft for the anxiety which has brought on its own separate list of side effects! I also have dealt with hair loss, Im not balding or anything but have def. noticed a gradual increase in the hair loss. Cant grow my hair out anymore. Ive gained tons of weight! This has also been gradual. I wonder how long I can deal with this. I started out on carbatrol (is that how you spell it?) That was a nightmare! For two weeks I walked around in a dream, a haze! So when the doc switched me to the lamictal I was glad I didn't feel so terrible. Now Im terrified of switching meds. Im half tempted to get off of both of them all together. Does anyone have any suggestions? Im a 30 year old mother and newlywed and dont want to let my life pass me by while I struggle with these side effects! Help!!!!

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 have been taking Lamictal for just three weeks. The most troublesome side effect for me has been nasal congestion and the inability to smell or taste anything. Has anyone experienced this and found relief after reaching the maintenance dose after the starter pack?
Is there anyone who has found relief from this in any way? I'm not sure I can tolerate not being able to breathe and am hoping that it goes away soon.

I've been on Lamictal for about 4 years (generic now), I did great on 200mg of the name brand but had to go to 300mg on the generic - but with the cost difference I was thrilled. I never had any issues with the generic vs the name brand, as I have read others have dealt with.

I am posting because I just talked to my Dr. today about the memory issue. For me it is the complete inability to memorize passages, verses, words to music, etc. In fact last summer I was working with a group of students, we committed to memorize a section of about 10 bible verses and I could not do it - I tried EVERYTHING, it was horrible and embarrassing! My Dr. said that it is a side effect that some people experience and when people go off the med, things get back to normal. Back to normal for me is being completely crazy, so abnormal is just fine! I have also noticed a difficulty recalling specific words when I am teaching, I have to search my brain for the word, which is annoying - it reminds me of President Bush.

That's it, YEAAAA for Lamictal - I'm also on 300mg Wellbutrin, this is the perfect combination for me! And easy to remember 300 mg of both = )

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.

I was prepared to make an appointment with my Dr. about decreasing to eliminate my Lamictal for Depression because I'm non-stop crying and argumentative with my husband. My interest in my passions of baking, homemaking, horse care and riding, and being with friends has disappeared. I, too thought loss of short-term memory, hunting for common words and memories of events and people, and losing things were a result of being on the brink of 60. Like many who have posted, I lose things and spend the rest of the day looking for them, only to find them in some obvious place. And, like many who have posted, I'd rather be bi-polar on my own than to continue taking this drug. So, here I am calling my Dr. to discontinue Lamictal on a reasonable schedule. Thank you to all who have posted because, now I know I'm not alone in my craziness. depressed in Paradise

I have been on lamictal for about 7 months. I was not happy with the side effects I was experiencing (no sleep, bad motor skills, brain working slow) plus I was still having fits of rage and suicidal thoughts. I finally had enough and last week told my doctor that I wanted to get off to see if I felt any difference, because I pretty much felt the same on the 200mg than before I started. I'm slowly being weened off and now I am down to 100mg. So far I have not been getting up in the middle of the night as much and actually slept a total of 7 hours and only woke up once in the middle of the night for like 2 minutes versus the waking up every 1 to 2 hours and sometimes not being able to go back to sleep at all. My conversation ability has been returning and I'm not so nervous to talk and lose my train of thought or try to search for the right word. I've been dealing with a difficult situation in my life and I actually feel like I'm handling it better now than when I was on the full dosage . The only downside so far which is probably withdrawal is that I'm extra sleepy and I've been having to take 2 hour naps during the but I have a feeling that will go away. Besides my body might be making up for lost time from the 3-4 hours of sleep I was getting. I'm looking forward to being off of it soon.

In late May of 2008 I had a pretty severe bipolar II crash. I was prescribed Lamictal but can not recall how much; it seemed like my doctor had a healthy fear of Stephens Johnson syndrome, Subsequently my dosage was slowly increased until, one day, I began to notice a rash. I went to the ER as directed and before I knew what hit me I was in bad shape. The good news: it wasn't Stephens Johnson, Bad news: It was something even more rare and almost fatal. Fortunately, I recovered in about 7-10 days. This ordeal seemed to throw my bipolar II for a loop, and I struggled with depression/anxiety for many months. Ever since I " came to" after the Lamictal event, I have had pain in both shoulders of all things. Imaging turned up nothing unusual

I started taking Lamictal for a seizure disorder a little under 1 year ago. It was difficult to tell how it effected me because I was going through xanax withdrawal at the same time, which I am sure is the reason I had the seizure to begin with. I did not realize this was the case at the time and so i cannot really tell you what my initial reaction to Lamictal was. Now I am noticing some side effects. Difficult to fall asleep (but that's always been the case.) Nightmares (they have gotten less intense, though). Occasional nausea, although never to the point of vomiting. I recently cut my super-long hair b/c it was falling out a bit. It' not as bad now that I got some of the weight off of my hair. I definitely have trouble finding words and often find myself feeling embarrassed when I'm in a social or professional situation and I'm not able to contribute as much to a discussion. I will probably stay on the med til I have been seizure free for a couple of years. I only had the one grand mal seizure. I am 31 and trying to decide if I want a child within the next couple of years, but have to consider the risks associated with the Lamictal. Good luck to everyone. Just do your best to be healthy and take care of your body.

I was diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder/with severe panic and anxiety disorder in 2000. I had been sick realistically since I was around 11 years old. Suicidal thoughts, and uncontrollable mood swings. I have been on Lamictal (200-400mg) per day along with Klonopon for my panic disorder, since 2001. I do experience a slight memory loss from time to time, but feel that it is not the medicine but that sometimes I am not really focused on the conversation, or my environment. I have also experienced very vivid dreams, sometimes nightmares that are overwhelming. But I think it is cool that I can remember my dreams now, because sometimes they are worth remembering. I would never consider going off of the medication, for it has saved my life. I am a completely different person now. I am very happy. I do experience sleepiness a few hours after taking Lamictal, but if I take it at around 3pm, by the time I get off work at 5, I am not tired yet and have no problems driving. Some of you should try this method. I think a lot of other side effects are just in people's heads.

Yes it does affect your kidneys, you are on a really high dose too, I think the maximum is meant to be 400mg a day. For everyone that says their doctors are telling them that their symptoms are not side effects from Lamictal, all you have to do is take in the information leaflet (the tiny folded up paper one) that comes in the box with the pills. Some companies have less side effects listed in their leaflet which is odd (GlaxoSmithKline hardly lists any) But APS lists involuntary movement of the eyes. There was another brand I used to be on that had a huge long list of side effects but I can't think what it was. If you search online you should be able to find a good list.

Hi, I have been reading all the postings and my heart goes out to everyone. I been there, done that. Myself, I have a seizure disorder and been on Lamictal since 2003 (I can't recall/remember) - I had tried 5 other seizure meds that didn't work for me. For quite a while now I take 600mg a day and Keppra 250mg to control my seizures. I lost my driver's license twice so far (I know that is the rule in CA) , and once not long ago (I got my license back) I got totally lost in my town, which I used to know like the back of my hand. I thought I had lost my mind. I asked my doc if I was getting demenia and he said oh no you are too young (53). I have also learned doctor's (for the most part) are idiots too. They don't think outside the box for us. I can't spell anymore, get depressed easily. I really want to work, but I can't. I have tried time and time again, but (yesterday) it just about did me in...people explained to me how to do things on the job many many times but I couldn't retain any thing. People just looked at me as if to say what planet did you come from. I cried on the job so hard I wanted to disappear. I am so sick of my family saying "I know you can't - don't remember this or that..... I can hardly bare that. Now I have a potential kidney problem. Suppose it is from these meds? I am really scared.

Uncontrollable eye movement, back and forth for a split second, when I'm focusing on something up close- incidence has increased dramatically since my increased dosage of Lamictal.

"Bipolar cocktail" is an excellent way to articulate my medication regimen as well lol. I've been on Wellbutrin for about 8 years, and recently increased my dosage of Lamictal dramatically. (I'm on Lexapro too, but I don't think it's relevant to this situation.) Immediately after the increase in dosage, I started having greater difficulty with my cognitive abilities, a whole lot of trouble speaking (that pulling the word out of my head issue), short-term memory worsened beyond the little ability I had left from the rest of the side effects of my other medications, and other examples of brain mushiness :) Anyway, I recently brought this up to my doctor- she said these symptoms sound more like side-effects of Wellbutrin, and Lamictal is supposed to have few to none except a rash. But I haven't had a change in my Wellbutrin dosage in something like 5 years. Has anyone heard anything similar to this from their doctor? It doesn't make as much sense to me as it being a side-effect of Lamictal does...

"Bipolar cocktail" is an excellent way to articulate my medication regimen as well lol. I've been on Wellbutrin for about 8 years, and recently increased my dosage of Lamictal dramatically. (I'm on Lexapro too, but I don't think it's relevant to this situation.) Immediately after the increase in dosage, I started having greater difficulty with my cognitive abilities, a whole lot of trouble speaking (that pulling the word out of my head issue), short-term memory worsened beyond the little ability I had left from the rest of the side effects of my other medications, and other examples of brain mushiness :)

Anyway, I recently brought this up to my doctor- she said these symptoms sound more like side-effects of Wellbutrin, and Lamictal is supposed to have few to none except a rash. But I haven't had a change in my Wellbutrin dosage in something like 5 years. Has anyone heard anything similar to this from their doctor? It doesn't make as much sense to me as it being a side-effect of Lamictal does...

Ive only taken Lamictal for three days.... very low dosage. I am dry heaving, have chills, cannot sleep, have terrible, racing thoughts and extremely scary nightmares when I do sleep for a few minutes. I stopped taking the drug today. I cannot take the side effects.

Hi, I just posted something a little while ago but after reading more of people's side effects feel that I have some more in common.

I have been taking lamictal for 2 years/ 300mg a day. The reason I was unsure if my side effects were actually related to it or not was because i didn't have any and now suddenly do. I have SEVERE dry mouth constantly and it is hell. I am also waking up with night sweats to the point where I have to go to bed with ice packs. I have become oilier and hairier. I have had all my hormones tested as I first believed it was that but the results came back fine. Has anyone else experienced side effects quite a long time after starting lamictal? Thanks again

Harry Potter I think when you have severe depression sex drive is one of the last things on your mind, and anyway lamictal severely reduced mine....and as far as feeling youthful I don't know where you got that.

I'm convinced lamictal has given me acne and I seem to be a hell of a lot hairier too which is rather upsetting considering I'm a 24 year old girl. I genuinely do not believe I can cope without it and barely am (with it) however it does make a huge difference.
I have read that lamictal can have bad effects on the kidneys and liver and have considered taking accutane for the acne but know this is also bad for your kidneys and liver too. I am also concerned about other possible side effects of accutane (depression being the main on). Does anyone know if it is safe to take the two together? It seems to be a tricky one. Thanks, C.

As with others on this forum, memory loss is a side effect I'm experiencing with Lamictal. In fact, it's THE only side effect. I began taking Lamictal three years ago, and have maintained a dose of 300 mg a day. My short-term memory is practically non-existent. I have to write EVERYTHING down, and sometimes that isn't even enough. I've been known to forget what I've read only minutes before. I used to pride myself on my impeccable spelling, and now I'd say I'm at a fifth-grade level. In fact, I feel like I'm about ten years old. I've been taken to task over and over by employers who are frustrated with my poor performance. I've lost one job and due to lose another any day. Sure, my mood is stabilized, but for what good if I can't even support myself? I would definitely go off this medication if there was a good chance I would get my memory back, but I haven't come across anything in my internet travels that indicate this is a possibility!

Memory and sleep problems. Long term memory OK. Can't even read the newspaper and remember what I read.

I was diagnosed with peti-mal epilepsy aprox 17 years ago. I tried many different anti epileptic drugs and had many negative side effects from teeth problems to depression and none of which controlled my seizures. 12 years ago I went on lamictal (600 mg a day) and I haven't looked back, I feel I have my miracle. So far I have no side effects, am completely seizure free and I have a life. BEFORE lamictal some side effects were poor concentration ( when reading a book I could not remember what was written on the top of the page by the time I got to the bottom), little co-ordination with sports (most times I could not catch a ball when thrown to me, this caused a lot of social problems), forgetfulness and I was quite clumsy. I hope you all can one day find a medication that works just as well for you or even better a cure. My heart goes out to you all.

I am on this medication for seizures. Besides all the other side effects being posted (typing, speech, spelling, forgetfulness, etc), I have EXTREME daytime sleepiness. To the point that I will not/cannot drive and have to stay where I'm at until I "wake up". I have been off work for 5 months, but had to go back for financial reasons. I work partial days and go home and take a nap, which the neurologist prefers I don't. Anyone experiencing daytime sleepiness (disorders)??? Thanks

50 y.o. female suffering from severe depression (or so I thought) since mid-teens. Finally sought professional help 8 mos. ago - diagnosed w/ bipolar disorder/depression/anxiety. Lamictal (now up to 300mg/day) has literally been a life-saver for me. I feel calm, rarely depressed, a bit more patient w/ myself and others, and the suicidal thoughts I've had for 30+ years are gone. I feel happy. The side effects, however, are disturbing. W/ the higher dose, I feel emotionally well but the memory problems are scaring me. When I write, I know which words I should use, but now I frequently omit or misspell words - not a problem before. I've always been a fast, accurate typist but I feel clumsy when typing and frequently hit the wrong keys. I misplace things and since I'm a bit OCD about losing paperwork, etc., it's happening. My job requires me to handle important financial docs. for people and I'm worried that I'll miss or lose something. Some days I can be very articulate w/ great use of vocabulary and other days I feel lucky to put a string of words together that will make sense. I'll lose a thought in mid-sentence. My doctor recommended that I take 1 mg of folic acid per day; it seems to help the memory issues and I may increase that amount. I grind my teeth at night so badly that I'm wearing a night guard to avoid ruining my molars. I find myself frequently rubbing parts of my hands together - especially when my hands aren't otherwise occupied. My dreams are vivid and I recall most of them, which is a pleasant side effect because I went many years without remembering my dreams (maybe due to alcohol abuse?). Another unpleasant side effect is clumsiness. I'll reach for something and miss it or jam my hand into a solid object, I drop things, I hurt myself more often - stubbing toes, smashing fingers, and cutting my hands more often in the kitchen. My doctor has put me on two different anxiety meds but the side effects were not acceptable so I stopped them. I'm considering lowering the Lamictal dosage to see if the memory issues improve; I can deal o.k. w/ the other side effects. I can't imagine not taking this drug, so I'll most likely endure the side effects for as long as possible.

Thanks, everyone! My (brand new) doctor had convinced me that I was simply experiencing anxiety to explain my side effects. After being off Lamictal and all medications for several months, and then restarting on Lamictal only, I noticed all the following side effects, some of which I've had before, and some completely new. Also, the ones I'd had before came back at a level of severity which I had never experienced.

One familiar side effect was hand tremors and general shakiness which sometimes also affected my speech. Even strangers would notice and ask me if I was ok. Luckily, this was during this past winter, so I would basically lie and just say I was cold and a bit shivery. Another familiar side effect that a lot of others are mentioning are cognitive issues and short term memory loss. Sometimes I felt like my tongue was lazy or I felt tongue-tied, and I couldn't get it to work right to say the words I was thinking. Sometimes, I just plain lost my train of thought or couldn't think of the words to express what I was thinking. I'd all my life been prone to mishaps of speech like occasional spoonerisms and such, but on Lamictal it was happening probably daily, and I'd even started stuttering. Teaching and explaining often difficult concepts and public speaking is part of my job, so this was causing me a lot of anxiety. I, too, completely blanked on spelling out words when friends and colleagues relied on my spelling abilities more than their computer's spellcheck. I also thought I was having sudden leaps in experiencing getting older (early 30's) because of my memory, I typically have an almost photographic memory and can picture where I saw my keys last or what have you, but all of the sudden I couldn't even piece the photo together anymore or it was foggy in my memory.

The newest side effect also experienced by others was clumsiness not only of my own body but of my surroundings. I suddenly noticed that I was doing things way more often like tripping, falling, stubbing a toe, nicking a finger, dropping things, etc. Where I was an excellent parallel parker before, I'd get out of my car and realize I'd parked 2 feet from the curb and crooked.

I decided to look up Lamictal's side effects after discussing this with my excellent talk therapist because I was extremely frustrated with my new doctor telling me I was just anxious and there was really nothing he could do for my (imagined) "side effects." And here everyone is experiencing the same thing. I don't think I should be made to feel like I don't know any better and that I should suffer the REAL side effects of this drug. I didn't study medicine, but I still have a degree in biology so I'm not so stupid that I'll believe anything any doctor tells me.

I think I would almost rather suffer a mild mood swing than suffer these side effects. I'm going to try to look for something else.

Yes I too have been noticing recent disabilities regarding brain function. Ive only been on lamictal for 5 mths and there has been remarkable improvement for its intentional purpose but I feel like such a dumbass.
I am a 4.0 student who is obsessed with A's and have been on the deans list for 3 yrs. However, recently I cant spell, take notes without immediately forgetting what my professor said, loose my point, or like just now, I completely forgot what I was trying to say. I have trouble speaking and finding the right words and its extremely difficult to think through anything because I loose what it is I was previously thinking! GGGRrrr.... Does that make any sense?

I am however seriously relieved to find I am not the only one having these issues and that its not mental regression or lack of intelligence.

Also, since being on Lamictal I have never experienced any skin problems, but 3 days ago I started tanning (which I know is already horrible for you) and today I have red blotches between my chest and on my back. These are places I normally burn a little bit when I start tanning again, but now there are welps and they burn and itch like crazy. Does anyone know if UV exposure causes this in Lamictal patients? Could it also possibly be a reaction to the tanning lotion?

Thanks
Itchy in Houston

My mood swings have improved dramatically. I have been on for 4 months now and I feel better than i have in years. But once i upped to the 150 my vision has been blurry. I think i will back down to 100 and pray my vision comes back and I continue stay stable with my BP

I have been on Lamictal for Bipolar II for a little over two years now. The first side effect I really noticed was that I had zero desire to exercise anymore. I used to be pretty athletic, loved to go on hikes, now I could care less. Also, my brain is mush. I am a former honors/ Dean's list student; I had one professor in college tell me I was the only person in class who would ever be able to write professionally, and I have been trying to write the same novel for three years now. I forget how to spell words and how to formulate sentences. I can never find the right word. I forget what the plot is, what I wrote in the last chapter, so I am constantly re-reading what I wrote. I started to think that I had ADD because I couldn't focus on anything, and I couldn't remember if I had always been this way or not. Granted, I think I have always had a bit of a problem with executive functioning- organizing, prioritizing, completing tasks- but it has always been more of a problem with keeping my house clean, etc, NEVER with writing. Also, I have always been very good at remembering names, dates, events in history- the random sort of information that makes a person stellar at Trivial Pursuit- and all I can say now is, 'Uhhh... oh, man, I KNOW THIS.' Also, I am becoming incredibly antisocial, which I think probably has something to do with the fact that I no longer know how to talk. (A sidenote: I'd say chances are good that I have Asperger's; socializing has always been a challenge for me. My point here is that I'm wondering whether Lamictal is making the things I have problems with worse, ie, executive functioning, socialization..., etc. I used to be able to overcome these impairments intellectually; now that my brain doesn't function the way it used to, it's way harder to compensate.) I had a conversation with my husband the other day about all of it, whether he thought Lamictal was truly helping me. He told me that I no longer seem interested in doing anything anymore; that I am no longer sharp like I used to be; that I lack the vitality I used to have; that I no longer get excited about anything anymore. Now I know that Lamictal is a mood stabilizer, that I am on it to stabilize my moods, so obviously there are no longer going to be the highs that there once were. But now I feel so flat and dumb I just don't know. By the way, I have worked my way down to 75mg at night from 200mg. (Which is an improvement, I'll give you that- before I was scared to drive because I'd practically forget I was driving, that's how crappy my short term memory was.) Just so you know, I don't feel depressed, so it's not that my dose is too low and I'm experiencing depression. I just don't feel much of anything at all anymore.

hi i have posted before you i have been through all you said what to do then there are some positive points r there this tab lamictal generally suits the people who does not react to other med as vaporate ,carbamazine,lithium it works differently from other tabes i think people say that while you take a medication there are side effects and there r problem so with every every thing you put into your stomach why you eat food it is because it is necessary to keep you alive wee r leaving in science age people in the past the people who use to have symptoms like bipolar disorder and schrizophenia use to either suicide or where burned to death thinking they r wiked thingk even positive side of this and friend look at each problem separately don't mix them and try to find answer increase your reading learn more about this disease read self help books and eat the tabes you need to eatwe r not wrong people just taking this tablets to feel well but normal people to live normally live life and enjoy it fully ............i have acne problem thinking of using accutane i hope it will work

Hi ! I'm French and bipolar 2 rapid cylcing (every 2/3 months for about 3 weeks each taking anafrani)l. I'm 50 years old and I had lithium for many years. Since July I have lamictal. It's very recent in France and my doctor doesn't know if my problem to sleep I get since I have lamictal will go away or not and if lamictal is responsible.
I describe the problem : I have difficulty to get asleep, I wake up during the night and I wake up very early in the morning even if i go to bed late. So I'm obliged to go to bed before 10 pm. It's very hard but since I take lamictal I had no down since September (6 months it's wonderful for me)
I only had some variations during the day at the beginning but it seems to be better. I feel really better than with lithium. But there is this problem of sleeping. In France nobody could answer to me and my doctor told me to go on internet with USA of Canada where you use for long time lamictal. Do you know something about that and do you know if it can be better after a few month more ?
Could you please answer me here or on my email : ******
Thanks a lot in advance and sorry for my bad English. I hope you will understand me.
Kind regards
N.

When I started my little emotional rollercoaster @ age 35, they classified me as being bi-polar with generalized anxiety disorder. I put myself into a treatment center after feeling like I was going to go crazy. I used to work in the medical field and I should have known better. They doped me up on 1000mg of Lithium, and 9oomg of Depakote. Lithium can be hard to regulate and dangerous; coming from a person who can sneeze and lose two pounds Depakote just turned out to be a fat pill (180 to 210 in three months). I went through the guinea pig stage Every SSR they put me on had a very bad side effect, Paxil being the worst. After two days of taking it the racing thoughts and feeling out being out of control made me want to jump out the window. I could not even call 911 as I felt I would go even more insane. I really almost did not make it through it. I discussed it with my new Dr. and he suggested Lamictal. I have been on Lamictal for over 4 years at 300mg a day. It has stabilized my moods but I still argue with the doctor about my diagnosis as I feel I am more Cyclothymic , my mood swings are not as pronounced and can last from a few hours to a few days. Since first taking the med I noticed the memory loss, my train of thought going out the window, bloated, the feeling of having a fever, but not. One of the most important affects, if I am an hour or so late from my regular scheduled dose I get dizzy and my shoulders and neck start to tingle and get numb. Just two weeks I requested an increase in the dosage to 400mg to see if it would help with my underlying depression that every other combo has not addressed. Since then I have been a bit more of a whack job. (Emotionally)Two days after the increase I had a very hyper mania day, I had to leave work early for fear I would lose control of my mouth, do or say something very ADHD. I took two days off and seemed to be fine after that. This Sunday I went downhill as soon as I woke up. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t and I did not know why; I felt void of emotions except for sadness, lacked the energy to want to deal with people, even my other half, wondering why I was even here. (Physically) I have noticed heart palpitations and muscle spasms in my face and arms. I looked up side effects and found this site and wanted to add to it. I have tried just about everything out there that I can and nothing will really work as good as this one. Combos with it do nothing for me either. It really freaks me out that the thing I am taking so I do not feel the way I do is making me feel that way to the extreme. I am letting my Dr. know that I will be taking myself off this dosage.

Reply 14 minutes ago on Mar 23, 2009 by harry_potter, #18398
hi i am 24 year old have been taking this med but i probably know how actually it causes this acne problem its pretty simple one off the effect in wiki pidea if this med is increased sexual desire and so i cam to know it some how make our testical create or some other gland a youth harmon this ultimately through legitimately causes symptom it is too direct no wonder why you people at this age like this drug it increases the sex drive make you feel youth full but for the youth find the other med of the same class of med chech in wikipidia about this and for above 40 get some drug which increases sexual drive and with other good anti depression .

increased blood pressure, headaches, dry mouth

I have been taking 200 mg. of Lamictal (now Lamotrigine) for 5 years. I have had cognitive issues for probably about three years at least. Memory loss, sudden loss of flow in conversation, completely forgetting words and the spelling issue which was previously impeccable. It's embarrassing and frightening. I can't get through ANY given day without losing my belongings over and over again. I feel disabled (seriously) and I jokingly tell people I need an "aide". The scariest thing was last week I was going to return an item to the store and COMPLETELY forgot my PIN # for my debit card. I have been using the card nearly daily for a year and a half!!! It panicked me but I thought of course I would remember it later. NOT!!! Never again, it's gone!!! That's when I decided to search the internet for "severe memory loss" and came upon this blog. I didn't even think of the Lamictal. And I pride myself on my thorough research!!! Certainly the doctor never mentioned this side effect and I just gave it up to being 49!!! A little early for Alzheimer's!!!

The funny thing is I have also had skin problems (acne) for the first time in my life the past couple of years with it really getting bad last summer. I weaned myself off the Lamictal b/c I had read it could cause acne (another thing the doctor never told me). Well, I was completely weaned and omg, the mood issues were severe!!! So reluctantly I titrated back up to the 200 mg dose and immediately my mood was stabilized.

I don't know what the h--- to do, but something needs to change. The memory thing is terrifying!!! No wonder I am having so many problems with my job!!!

Maybe a new med, maybe not . . . My main issue was severe depression (both situational and chronic) which Lamictal seemed to stabilize. Do the benefits outweigh the side effects??? I think NOT . . .

FRUSTRATED IN MICHIGAN :(

Oh, I forgot...wicked horrible nightmares! (Maybe this is why I sleep anymore?) Still, I swear its a wonderful drug.

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 taking lamictal for 3 years now and i have just now started getting (or noticing) some of the side effects. Bad cramping with my period and break through bleeding. I feel more clumsy and i have noticed that my vision has gotten more blurry. This could be just me getting older, but i've noticed that it's about an hour and a half after i take my morning dose.

I have been on Lamictal now for almost 3 months for bipolar. I'm still not sure if it is helping or not. My husband says I seem better, but I feel almost the same as before if not worse. Has anyone noticed any major changes in their menstrual cycle? I'm on the pill and it would usually last 4-5 days with moderate bleeding. Now I get more annoying cramps than before but my period only lasted 2 days and it was more like spotting than a period. This makes me nervous, but my doctor said that it is more likely the risperdal that I had taken for a month when I also started taking the lamictal, but I don't agree. I recently went up to 200mg (1 morning, 1night). The morning one knocks me out but the night one has been keeping up!? I also feel less coordinated (hard to balance, knocking stuff down, klutzy). Also, it has been hard to put words together and recall correct information. Now I have to say" I think I heard or I think I remember". If I really need to remember something I have repeat it or really concentrate on the information. I used to not have to do that. Another thing I've noticed lately is hand and knee pain. Makes it difficult exercise to lose the 20 lbs I've gained. I don't know, personally I think I will give it one more month and if I still feel the same, I'm going off of it and looking into natural alternatives.

I've been on Lamictal 150mg for 2 years. recently I have been having tingling in my feet and arms/hands. I'm wondering if anyone else has had anything similar.

Hi Everyone...I've been on a bipolar cocktail for 3 years and one ingredient is LAMICTAL along with Lithium and Wellbutrin. Overall the drug has worked and I feel pretty healthy mentally. Of course I am particularly concerned about my memory loss, putting a sentence together and finding the simple words for basic objects. I really do feel dumb, especially at work, as I am in sales. Many times I stutter, fumble and go blank in front of customers. I have not told my boss or anyone else that I'm on the meds, so I know they think I'm just a dumb-ass. I'm ok with that. I also quit going to school for my master's because of the short term memory loss and general mushiness of the brain. I was once an honor student and very outgoing, now I just keep my mouth shut when I can in fear of making a fool of myself. My balance is off and as weird as it sounds I have trouble parking my car straight in a parking space. My co-workers have commented a few times that I don't know how to drive. At first I thought it was my car, the tires, alignment, etc...but when I got another one, it's still happening no matter where I park. I'm 43 and have acne and underlying bumps on my face, chin and neck. I did lose weight though! So, I can empathize with most of you. I'm not thrilled with being on these drugs for what may be forever, so I guess I need to decide whether to stay on this stuff, reduce, taper or change drugs. LOL to all.

Hello, I have been on Lamictal 25 mg 2 times per day for mood stabilizing since Sept 2008. For the past five months I have had extreme lower back and hip and leg pain. I have been being treated for the pain and so far no one has been able to find the cause. I am currently going to pain management because I am in drug and alcohol recovery, pain meds are not and option for me and just had my 2nd epidural spine injection with no relief. I am so GRATEFUL I found this site. God works in his own way. I am calling my doctors now. Thank you all and God Bless.

PS I have never even looked up my drug side effectives before let alone post on a site.

Well on 2-15-09 my sister in law died just shy of turning 39. She had severe depression, As of three years ago she began starving herself. She would go weeks without eating or drinking anything. She was in and out of the hospital through out the years. She started taking Lamictal six days prior to 2-15-09. The Dr. said she had made a mistake and wrote 100mg where it should had been 25mg. The doctor's later stated it didn't matter if they wrote 1mg it would have happened eventually.

Now we had called her on her birthday three days prior to 2-15-09, and she said the medication made her feel weird. That night she fell to sleep and did not wake up but for only a brief minute in the hospital. After being asleep for a day she was rushed to the hospital were a battery of test were run. She had begun to have liver failure and sepsis. The doctor's had her airlifted to a hospital four hours away where liver specialist were available. She arrived there and withing a few hours her lungs collapsed, her kidneys began to fail, and she had two heart attacks where she finally died at 11:10 pm on 2-15-09.

So I am here to make you aware. This is the side affect no one has talked about yet. Now she had no rash. She had weekend her system by not eating. Other than her depression she was OK. The doctor's don't know if she had an allergic reaction or not. The autopsy will be arrive in 40 days. With just some fatigue and weird feelings she continued to take the medication for the six days. I read on and on and I see so many symptoms, this would be a great time to evaluate with a profession because lets face it we really don't know the long term affects. It could be doing damage to your internal organs, or not. I feel if your body is showing you signs that are not normal than it is a good indication that your body is telling you that is cant tolerating it to well. So at least your getting the signs you might want to see what else is out there. As God is my witness we wanted her healthy and to not suffer so I really do have only good intentions for you all.

The funeral is today.

It is hard to tell what side effects come from which med but after reading other peoples experiences I think that its easier to put my finger on. I have been taking Lamictal and Lexapro since last spring/summer. I started to feel a lot better as soon as I started the Lamictal. I have a history of being severely depressed all the time. It has been a long road in search of the correct combo of meds. We added Lexapro and I got even better. I was on Wellbutrin and Topamax before this and it was too much drugs in my system causing loads of anxiety. I heard Topamax makes you Dopey so I was happy to get off that. I don't notice Lamictal doing the same thing. I think clearly now, but I do have trouble crying - which is fine with me. I am so sick of fucking crying everyday. Aren't you??? The whole point of treatment is to increase the quality of life and These drugs have definitely helped me to be happy which is all I care about. However, I do still wonder what I would feel like without them. It is tempting to stop once you feel this good. Why cant i just be able to feel this good naturally. WHY WHY WHY .

i suffer from bulimia and bipolar 2. i started lamictal today and all this weight gain talk is freaking me the HELLLLL out!!! does anyone know of any alternatives?????

I ran across this post as when I got really sick renovating a house I ended up a neurologist who recommended lamictal and that I was bipolar. My symptoms were bad neurological defect inability to concentrate intense burning headache, muscle aches, neurological pain in my arms and general stiffness and fatigue with twitching muscles, heart arrhythmia and anxiety. I couldn't understand how all of a sudden I had become bipolar however was under an extreme amount of stress (living in a half torn apart moldy house with no heat while serving as my own contractor under 300K of debt with no job as my arm pain interfered with my computer consulting practice ). I tried taking anti-depressants. My headaches got much worse and I turned a pale whitish yellow and developed fatty lumps under my skin called lypomas (wellbutrin) my friends (later) said I look like a cadaver. I felt like my symptoms did not match what was generally diagnosed as depression or bipolar but my regular doctor and neurologist insisted that I was depressed in some form or another. After another year or so of being really ill and trying different AD meds and finding no way out I was getting pretty desperate. I heard of a plce in Hawaii that a friend recommended cleans and unbllocks your interal organs using nothing but water. As a scientist and engineer and builder I was skeptical but felt like something like that might be the best path - it was a shot in the dark. I sold the house and dropped $5K on the treatment and trip to the big island It was like being let out of a cage my body turned from yellowish white to pink and healthy looking in less than 5 days. I dropped 20 lbs of the unrecognizable stuff out of my colon and liver. I believe I had a problem with cholestasis - stagnant liver bile that solidifies when you work too hard without drinking enough water causing bad digestion and absorption of nutrients leading to all sorts of problems incldung toxic liver and portal hypertension and jaundice. It's now two years later. The only thing that is wrong with me now is a small amount of fatigue and irritation in my frontal lobe when I work long hours at the computer. I continue the cleasing process and may go back. Contact me if you might be interested in the details. Drugs may be helpful to some and I may try an antidepressant to get me over the top but if you start medicating while your organs are not working well due to a lifetime of bad eating and lack of exercise ( or in my case working physically to exhaustion and then ordering out pizza and eating on the run for months on end) you might want to try another way. Oh and I'm not bipolar. Lamictal taken in the state of health I was in would probably have killed me. I'm now 41 and have a new life to look forward to and a whole lot wiser. There's a book called the amazing liver and gallbladder flush. It's the real deal.

I have been on lamictal for a year & it has been the best. However I feel like I'm stupid on it. I took some a semester off of college & when I returned I was not the same. I feel like a dumb idiot. I have always been great at math & now I cannot catch on. Now what used to take me approx 2-3 hours to read a chapter in a school book, it is taking me around 8-10 hours. I accidentally forgot to take my meds last night & I was able to focus & understand my readings. I read my chapter in 2 hrs. I took it a few hrs ago & have been reading the same page for the past 2 hrs. Does anyone else have this problem?

I've been taking lamictal for btwn 2 and 3 years now, for depression and as a mood stabilizer. I was on wellbutrin 300 mg, and then I had an episode of severe depression (crying all the time) while on the wellbutrin. So my doctor added lamictal, gradually going up to 200 mg.

It works, and I haven't had a really severe depressive episode since (except for circumstantial reasons), although I'm generally mildly depressed.

Side effects: My fingernails have weakened, and some have ridges down the middle that are so weak they become cracks even if there is only 1 mm of white nail growth. I thought it might be a nutritional deficiency, but I eat healthily, and I finally decided to look into the side effects of my meds. Others on this site are talking about hair loss -- I'm quite sure the nail problem is from the lamictal, as hair and nails are produced in similar ways.

I yawn every few minutes, whether or not I'm tired, which at least one other person on this forum mentioned as well, as a less common side effect. (I'd figured this was due to one of my meds -- now I know which one it is.)
I've also been concerned that I'm klutzier than normal lately. After reading everything on this site, I've just decided to start weaning myself from 200 mg towards a lower dose of 100 mg. I don't think I'll go off of it entirely, b/c it works.
One last thing I have to say is that I really recommend ACUPUNCTURE for any mood disorders. I get it for free at a school in Chicago (it's often a long wait, but free!), and many bigger cities probably have an acupuncture school where it will be cheap, if you're on a budget like I am. Occasionally, insurance covers acupuncture. Anyway, I try to go once a week, and it helps tremendously with my depression, migraines, and general energy level-- it has a very powerful cumulative effect! When I stop going, I notice huge differences emotionally, and I get a lot more migraines. My mom and sister have also had very positive experiences using acupuncture for depression and anxiety.

I actually ask to be treated for my headaches, not specifically depression, but it helps me a lot with both issues. I really can't say enough about how wonderful acupuncture is, and how much it's changed my life. Last time I was medication-free, 5 years ago, I was going to acupuncture every week for many months, and it was enough! Just don't expect it to work overnight -- just be consistent and give it some time. When I first started going every week, I noticed a difference after a month or so, although the treatments generally leave me feeling relaxed and good right afterward as well.

My husband has been on Lamictal for about 5 weeks now. He was taking Lamictal in combination with Abilify. He feels lousy. He has headaches, stiffness in his neck and a as he puts it "his eyes feel like they are constantly in the staring or bugged out position" His doctor first took him off Lamictal and lowered his Abilify but he still felt lousy and tired. His doctor then took him off Abilify and back on Lamictal. He felt better for about one day. He also says that he feels more anxiety and tension since being on these meds. Does anyone have any suggestions?