Lamictal side effects

Just went to ER yesterday with most of these symptoms. Of course they found nothing after a chest x-ray,cat scan,blood work,urinalysis, Now I know. Should have done this search yesterday. Has anyone had numbness? I have not had feeling in 2 of my fingers for days, and some numbness in jaw. That was the symptom that made me go to the ER, thought maybe I was having a stroke. I was recently (3 weeks ago) increased up to 200mg 1@day. Didnt seem to have side effects before, but probably hadnt noticed. Was probably chalking them up to other things. Menopause,recently quit smoking (7 weeks). I think I am gonna wean myself off of these dang things if I can. I also take 75mg of effexor, and 150mg of zoloft both 1@day. Like someone else said just let me be normal for one day, without meds. This is such a high price to have to pay, for just surviving.

I've been on Lamictal for about 1 1/2 years now. I didn't really have any major side effects when I first went on it except for insomnia. Probably about 5 months ago I began to notice that I was having problems with my memory and also with my eyes. I thought the memory loss was due to the Ambian I had recently started (which I no longer take). I just figured my eyes were having problems focusing because I was tired. I noticed as of 2 months ago I have begun to have tremors and they are getting worse every day. I am wondering if anyone else has had a reaction like this? Any insight you can give me would be appreciated.

I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one having problems with Lamictal. My doctor prescribed it for me in Dec. 2009, I started with a starter pack and I felt great, I felt as though this heaviness lifted right off me. I then was given the generic version { Torrent } this did nothing at all for me, so I tried another generic { Teva } this was the worst, I had head, neck and back pain so bad it increased my anxiety and I as well was going to the Chiropractor 2 times a week. I called my doctor and fought with them to get the name brand paid for. I have been on it for just about a week and alrady I notice: blurred vision, agitation, more moody than before and still back aches. I do not know why this has happened now since I took it before and it worked ok. I also have a chronic sleep disorder which I take a high dose of medication for to stay awake and the Lamictal as well has made me a little more tired. I've been reserching Lamictal ever since and sites like this { any and all of them } where people leave relies about this drug, all replies are negitive. I just would really like to find something, anything to make me less agitated, moody, tired etc. Does anyone know of any medication that is helpful for bipolar/ mood disorder ? Thank you all very much this has been helpful.

Been on lamictal for three years now for bipolar disorder. Works well for keeping me more balanced. Noticed that it started to make me stupid (unable to remember words, spelling issues, general confusion, trouble comprehending simple things) when I started grad school.
Began to have headaches almost immediatly but didn't contribute them to lamictal until I read this. The headaches are caused by my failing eyesight (apparently they are not focusing properly giving me "lazy" eyes-which I never had before. It is very slight and almost impossible to see by looking at me, but after about 6 trips to the eye doctor he figured it out and gave me special lenses. Helps the eye strain and head aches immensely.
Lamictal never made me feel good just keeps me from going over the edge one way or the other. Am able to cope with life more easily, but wish there was something better.
I gained about 15 lbs initally but have lost it after a year of vegetarian diet.
I hope this helps the people with head aches and eye strain. I'm lucky to have such a dilligent optomitrist.

I am on 400 mg of Lamictal for a seizure disorder. I am completely amazed after reading these experiences of others how similar they are to mine. Except I've hardly attributed them to Lamictal, I have been constantly just blaming myself thinking that this weight gain and struggle and lack of motivation is an inherent weakness within myself more than likely caused by genetics etc. I've experienced, jawline acne, weight gain (the heaviest weight I've been in my life), lack of motivation, extreme insomnia (I have to take a sleeping pill EVERY night or I will not sleep), lack of thought/word recall, spaciness, lack of coordination/balance, severe shortness of breath (always attributed this to being overweight), along with heart palpitations, constant mucus in back of throat, spaciness, excessive dependency on lists/need to write everything down, mental blankness, difficulty culminating ideas, major blurred vision and nasty headaches that last for days. I normally consider myself somewhat intelligent, I was able to get a masters degree and breezed through college in my earlier years. But now after being on Lamictal for 4 years I'm having difficulty comprehending my daughter's second grade homework! Wow. This is an eye opener. One good thing I like though about Lamictal is I feel a sense of calmness after taking it initially. I feel releived at this point that I am not alone in my experience!

To all my special friends with bipolar,

I have started lamictal 2 months ago and everything written is true and i am experiencing right now, even in this writing, while only on 50 mg`s, i don`t remember simple words, compare this to my hypomania episodes where i was an amazing expressive individual to the dumbest of them all.
Lamictal gave me peace and stupidity, it is my choice. I will go with peace of emotions because i suffered so much for many years, mostly undiagnosed and on all kinds of SSRI.
I came to understand that lamictal is a brain suppressant, bipolar in my opinion is like seizures, or abnormal activity in the limbic system which carries you high up to the highest mountains at times, and then drops you into the deepest, and darkest places. To prevent all that from happening, you suppress the ups, and guess what, you lose your intelligence . I was one of the brightest students in school and early college, managed to get a good degree and then completely crippled by the disease ( sounds classic). Now i don`t care too much of being stupid as long as I regained my focus and peace of mind, actually i became more productive.
Everything comes with a price, at times its hard to decide whether what ur buying is worth it. For me, at this point, it is. May be i will change my mind when i go higher doses ??? i don`t know.

Thanks to you all

I have been on Lamictal for the last year now. The reason I have been on it is to control my absence seizures. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor on March 8, 2008. I have had two brain surgeries to remove my tumor. My Seizure specialist says that I have epilepsy and she wants to keep me on the Lamictal. I want to go off the medication. I will be going off the medication in March 2010. I have had some side effects since I have been on the medication and just want to know if anyone is experiencing what I am. I have really bad cramps, memory problems, I have no patience, very depressed, weight gain. I am afraid to go off the medication because I don't want my seizures to come back. Has anyone gone off the medication? How do you feel? Please let me know anyone.
I currently take 1,(150 ml in the am) and 1, (100ml )@ night
Thanks

I have been on Lamictal for 3 years for a seizure disorder and have many of the same side effects - spelling issues, memory issues, aching joints. The most frustrating side effect is constipation. (Has become an issue over the past year as I have been adjusting the dosage and dropped the adjunctive drugs.) Do others share this side effect? My doctor does not think that there is a correlation. I am heading off to conduct environmental research in tropical areas next week and sure would like to solve this issue, or at least know that others share this side effect from Lamictal.

like many others i had blurry vision and awful memory loss. i would stand up to go do something in my house, and forget by the time i took a step where i was going adn what i had gotten up to do. its been a little over a year since i had to stop taking it and despite the side effects it made me feel magnificent. The feeling of being 10 and feeling completely normal and not obsessing on thoughts and the most happy and free ive ever felt.. but my vision is still blurry in my left eye. never started til lamictal and now i think its permanent. I read somewhere that part of the chemical in lamictal bonds to an occular nerve and they dont know the long term effects. i had better than perfect vision and it sucks having one eye be blurry now. My therapist says the side effect was the lesser of two evils. but i disagree and now i have it and my disorder. lol. irony ;)

Finding this board is a huge relief! I am working on a doctorate in a field in which I have more than fifteen years of experience. But, I cannot write simple sentences, synthesize information or remember what I have read from one minute to the next. When I first got on lamictal about three years ago, I was in such a stressful job that I thought the memory issues / recall issues were related to the stress of my job. Then, I became a stay-home mom and thought that the memory issues were just related to all the changes. But, the one thing I have always excelled in is school - love to read, write and synthesize. Yet, I will agonize for hours, think about what I want to write and then draw a complete blank when I start typing. I started to wonder if it was the lamictal and then found this site. Makes me wonder. I have already spent 15K on my degree - I can't quite now - but last semester I just scraped in by the "skin of my teeth." I have a paper due in two days - writing about a subject I enjoy and it has taken me hours to make just a little progress - this is not "writer's block." It is definitely not normal for me...I have journal articles, notes and papers all over my desk and I can't remember which article to quote - I can't even organize my thoughts to write.

I have been married for 7 years and on lamictal for 2 years. My only side effect is no sex drive. I have not slept with my husband for months. He is practically begging but I am just not interested in sex. It actually make me depressed to see him try so hard. Can anyone give me advice how to resurrect my lost sex drive? I am 29 and really need to be able to sleep with my husband specially if we want kids.

Hello All!

I have been on lamictal for 7 years now. I was diagnosed with Bi Polar II when I was 16 years old. My psychiatrist put me on 200mg of Lamictal which definitely balanced me out and controlled the Bipolar, and I have been on it ever since.

Two days ago I began my journey of slowly coming off of the medication. My doctor, just a regular family MD, is having me go down 50mg each month. I am really excited to be making my way towards no longer being dependent upon a chemical...however I am also really nervous about this as well. I have been on this medication for so long that I have no idea who I am without it-which is a really scary and embarrassing thought, and one of my intentions for coming off of it. I am also wanting to come off of it because of all of the side effects that I have come to accept as a part of my everyday life and functioning for the last 7 years.

It wasn't until a friend of mine told that her brother had lamictal poisoning which created severe memory loss and brain damage that I began looking into the unpublished side effects of the drug. I cam to find that dozens of people reported having poor short term memory problems, speech problems, word recall issues, clumsiness, and many other disturbing side effects that I thought were just my own issues and quirks. One really interesting effect that I thought was unique to me, but came to find that others experienced it as well, is the ability to be able to only recall the first letter of a word...with the rest of the word eventually following.

When I first began taking lamictal at the age of 16 I quickly felt my memory and verbal skills start to decline. I suddenly couldn't remember what I was saying mid-sentence...had serious problems thinking of words....suddenly couldn't spell words...and I suddenly became horrendously forgetful. The medication really worked for me almost instantly and was more than overjoyed to be able to feel somewhat balanced again. And I never thought twice about the changes that had occurred.

I soon came to accept these "quirks" as part of my everyday life...and have done so ever since. But when I discovered that dozens of people on the same medication had some of the annoying everyday nuisances as I did...I became furious and incredibly overwhelmed. These side effects really do get in the way of everyday functioning. For instance, I cannot leave the house without returning once or twice because I have forgotten something...have the memory of a gold fish...been unofficially diagnosed as having Adult ADD due to my lack of focus and memory...and although I am a very intelligent, well spoken and educated individual and am working on my second college degree, I just think of how much easier school would have been if I did not have brain functioning issues created by this medication that I have been on for 7 years. Knowing that life could have been and could still be easier is truly heart breaking...

So like I said...I now finally feel prepared to come off of this medication. I am terrified that I might not know who I am without the drug and that I might plummet back into the whirlwind that is manic depression...which I would do nearly anything to avoid. I am going on day 3 of the reduced dosage and tonight I started to feel a bit hypomanic...which has begun to alarm me. This could just be the energy of the day or a hypochondriac projection of my fears...so I am going to give it a little while and take it day by day and month by month before I come to any real conclusion.

I would love to speak with other people that have also gone of the medication and what their experiences were with the med and would love to commiserate about the inhibiting side effects of this drug!

Blessings to all those who are on this medication and are suffering from bipolar disorder. You are not alone!!

I liked Lamictal in the beginning, but it wasn't long till it started messing with my functioning. I would be constantly tired and injured myself several times from tripping over stairs, falling out of chairs, etc. Then I got the dreaded rash, so I quit 2 weeks in.

I am so happy that I stumbled across this site. I cannot tell you how frustrating/scary it has been to deal with the short term memory loss that is coming with Lamictal, which I take for my bipolar disorder. The first medication that my doctor tried was just Lithium on its own, and the physical side effects were horrendous. Next we combined Lithium and Lexapro, and I was still having swings (some manic). I have been on Lamictal and Trazodone for sleep for about a year and a half and my moods are great and I am no longer having any swings. However, in the last few months I have been experiencing so many weird issues that seem to be centered around a shoddy memory. I consistently bring things into a room, forget about it, and later wonder how the object got into the room. I put my keys or phone in my bag and forget about them, often running back inside only to find that the keys are in my bag (or in my hand in one or two instances). My biggest issue, though, is with spelling, and sentence structure, which is a MAJOR problem because I have finally landed a job in publishing, and I fear that I am going to get fired, because I cannot remember how to spell certain words, and my poor memory sometimes causes me to miss mistakes while I am editing a document, or forces me to duplicate efforts because I have to check my work multiple times. I am constantly looking words up to find the correct spelling, or trying to get around the problem by using another word. Also, I will start speaking to someone, lose my train of thought, or suddenly start thinking about what I am saying, and listen to my speech patterns, and I swear that it doesn't sound right. The other night, though, I had a terrible moment where I panicked and couldn't remember how to spell the name of my boyfriend (who I have been with for over two years). His name is spelled JIMI, 4 letters and my brain just told me that it didn't look right as I wrote it on his birthday cake. Honestly, I was scared that I had a brain tumor or something, or that I had early onset Alzheimer syndrome. I started doing some research about how to improve your short term memory, and I came across some interesting suggestions including writing with your non-dominant hand for a day, or closing your eyes while getting dressed or showering. Has anyone else read or tried anything like this? Has anyone taken vitamins that seem to have helped? My long term memory is great. However, if I drink more than two alcoholic drink in a sitting, I have a hard time remembering specific details of the night, the day after. THESE are some of the many reasons why I am sick of being bipolar.

I have been on Lamictal since August of this year. Only up to my full dose of 100mg twice a day for about a month. Last night for the first time I had double vision for about 5 hours. Other then this I have had no vision problem. I went to the ER & was told there that I probably had sinusitus. I haven't been sick. My question is is this probably the Lamictal? If so, is it usual for it to happen so long after I started it and can I expect it again. I know lots of question! Thanks in advance.

I am so happy to have found this sited. I thought that maybe I was just getting stupid with age. Memory loss, can't find the words, I just don't have any conversation in my at all if that makes sense. Just feel really foggy or nothing at all. Very embarrasing when in mid conversation you just stop and can't continue because you can not even remember what you were going to say. I have been on Lamictal for about 6-7 years for bi-polar dissorder. Has anybody on this forum gone off of the drug completely, and if so do you notice a difference in these things that I have referred to. It is really a relief to see that it is not just me, or menopause which could be part of my symptons as well but I can deal with that. I am very worried about the long term effects.
I don't get it, these drugs we are prescribe should make us feel better not numb and stupid.
Any response will be appreciated.

I have had Diabetes now for 20 yeas , then Epilepsy past 8 years (but probably longer) and now MS for past 3 years. I was switched from Dialantin to Lamictal 2 months ago working my way up to 200mg twice daily. I now have a bunch more energy, no rash butbut some insomnia, night sweets (thought my wife put on to many blankets) and these INTENSE DREAMS (that really started to concern me).

This website has helped, now that I know I'm not the only one. Question do they stop?

I was on it for 6 years at 400ml the past 2 years. It made me stupid, threw my coordination out of whack, affected my vision, and incresed paranoia. I am on my 7th week of cold turkey detox from all psych meds including 60ml of Ritalin a day. I have been on this crap for 11 years!!! The withdrawal is hellish, but I am starting to really feel alive again. My emotions, my thinking, everything is slowly coming back. I have to pray to God that there will be no permanent damage. Had a person sat me down and told me in detalil exaclty what these drugs to to a person's body, I wouldv'e weighed the pros touted my my psych doc against the cons of the side effects and without a doubt decided to find another course of action. I know I am in for several more months of nasty withdrawal, but I am as excitied by life as a little kid again, because I have been 'dead' for over a decade and I am coming back to life. My name is Doug and my number is 641-680-3353.

I have been on lamictal since may of 2009, so 7 months now. It has completely saved my life and given me such an amazing quality of life with zest, energy and hope. I had been suffering from a deep depression that nothing was helping at all, and I was probably on every kind of medication. This is why I am so sad right now...because last month, I started breaking out with tiny bumps on my jawline, hairline and especially neck and chest. I was able to deal with it for a few weeks, but last week it started really flairing up and now it just plain burns and hurts. I am currently seeing a dermatologist who has me on tetracycline and benzyl peroxide, but it seems to be getting worse. My physician said that he thinks it is folliculites, but that it should go away on its own. its only gotten worse.

I'm wearing an acne mask, going to the sauna and drinking lots of water...and just this morning I woke up with a bunch more. sigh....

I am really trying to weigh the options of a painful face and neck vs mood stabilization, it is so unfair :(

does it go away? is there hope that it will sort of just resolve itself like some of the other side effects?? For the first time in almost 10 years, my sex life is back, my libido high and my mood great....I just need some sort of relief for my face.

any input would be so good - thank you!!

I was on Seroquel XR 200 and Epival 500ER )Twice a day) for about a month. My mood went up in different ways. Too sleepy was the problem. At the end my doctor decides to lower Epival to one pill a day, but suddenly makes a change to Lamictal increasing from 25mg to 50mg after 2 days. I feel again so frustrated, my mood is in an angry state, and I can see my whole life perspective in a blunt way. I give a sh.... about almost everything, but off course my sex life is really affected. This sucks, I might get an erection, but then become anxious and I loose it.

I have been on Lamictal for about 3 months now and my only major side effect has been Extremely bad deterioration of my vision. I used to have excellent vision 20/20 now if I had to guess it couldn't be better than 20/10. I was prescribed lamictal as a mood stabilizer for Biploar 2 and it has helped to control my moods somewhat. I originally didn't attribute the vision issues to lamictal given that they started out mild and I was also on Zyprexa which had a lot of it's own side effect including restless leg syndrome which was keeping me up and sleep deprived. I assumed that the vision would get better when I got more sleep. I have now been off the Zyprexa for 2 months now and my vision has continued to deteriorate. After a recent episode of severe anxiety and hypomania I was moved up to 300 mg Lamictal and things have gotten even worse.I'm only 28 years old, so age should not be a factor. The specifics are blurred vision, giant starbursts when looking at bright lights (headlights, street lights, anything bright the brighter the worse it gets), halos around lighting, ghosting/double vision, and difficulty refocusing at different distances. I have also been bumping into things and been very clumsy knocking things over like a teenager who just went through a growth spurt. Headaches have also become a problem and my eyes feel exhausted all the time...like my eyes actually hurt. I'm assuming this is also because of the deteriorating vision. I'm also starting to panic because if my vision gets any worse there is no way I can keep driving. I have a appointment with my psychiatrist today but quite honestly no matter what he says I'm pretty sure I'm not going to take this stuff anymore, the cost is far outweighing the benefit, I'd rather be crazy than blind.

I am so relieved to read that lamictal has made other people stupid! It's horrible to go from being a sharp, bright person to not being able to think of a word or finish a thought. I also take effexor. I take 10 mg of Dexedrine three times a day. This is just enough to take away the constant fog and feeling that I NEED a nap, even after a good night's sleep.

This almost seems too good to be true, but trust me, it's true. I have been plagued with the "stupids" for years, ever since adding lamictal to the effexor. And I had no memory. Depression robs you of memory capability, and the treatments make it worse. Five months ago, on a whim, I started on a variety of supplements. I was at a compounding pharmacy that my parents swear by, and started reading labels of some of the compounds the pharmacist makes. Hundreds of dollars later, I took home a bunch of things for all kinds of ailments.

Shocking, but I'm smart again!

The obvious one to cause the change would be a "memory loss" formula. I also take betaglucan, FOS powder (a pre-biotic), an insulin resistance compound, and a good multi-vitamin. You may call it coincidence, but I call it a small miracle! If anyone is interested, I can provide a list of the ingredients in each compound. Or, I would be happy to give you the info for the pharmacy. They are in a suburb of Chicago, so I have them send what I need to New Jersey. There's nothing crazy in any of the compounds, just normal minerals and such.

I hope this information can be helpful to someone else who is as frustrated as I was. It's so aggravating when the medications work so well, but the side effects turn you into a different person.

My Psychiatrist decided I did not have Adult ADD and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, but that I was bipolar II. I came off cymbalta, and have been ramping up to 100mg lamictal for that. Since I started the lamictal, I have had multiple outburst sof uncontrollable rage, followed by weeping. I have to leave the room for fear of hurting my husband or son, because I feel like throwing stuff. Then I spend the next day apologizing for my irrational behavior.
I really can't stand it any more; I don't think my husband should have to put up with me like this. Doc keeps telling me to stay with it , but it's been 3 months now and I am really afraid of what it is doing to me. Why isn't this listed as aside-effect, when you can google lamictal and anger and get a ton of hits. Anger was not part of my syndrome before I went on any meds.

forgot to mention that I also have gained 10 pounds in about six weeks which I attribute to the Lamictal as well.

I don't know at this point what is causing what because I do take other medications and was recently diagnosed with a severe sleep apnea that they have been unable to correct as of yet with the most common forms of treatment. I mention that because sleep deprivation can do so much more than just make you sleepy and it's hard to pick this all apart. That said, I am extremely nauseous on and off throughout the day. I have bouts of "heat." I guess it's like a hot flash but I don't appear flushed. I am simply hot, really hot, and sweaty. If I'm moving around when this happens, it just gets worse and worse until I stop. If I am just sitting at my desk or whatever, I can sit back, peel off as many layers as I can, and wait it out and it will go away. Then sometimes I will get cold following the episode because I'm so sweaty. These episodes can last 20 minutes, 30 minutes. It's not just a flash and then it goes away. I feel so incredibly sick today, which is how I found this site. I also take a medication called Nuvigil and that, too, can make me nauseous and headachy. This morning I hadn't taken any meds and I felt horrible. I eventually took both the Nuvigil and Lamictal, along with Wellbutrin, which I have never had cause any problems, and it is worse than ever. I certainly don't want to live like this. Although I can force myself to function, it is extremely hard and it takes all my energy just to put one foot in front of the other. I will talk to the doctor (also my therapist) on Wednesday and see what she has to say. Anybody else have the problem with the heat and sweating?

i am hoping that someone can help me, I have been diagnosed as bipolar and am on 200mg of lamictal daily, I was fine initially, but the past few days I have been feeling nauseous and my stomach has swollen. I thought of course I was pregnant, but a test came up negative. Lamictal does not cause false negatives( I looked it up) so I am a little confused. I read about that had the swollen stomach and I wonder if that may be it but what about the nausea? Its not that heavy( just a little feeling of having to throw up but never actually throwing up) and I notice that it is right after I take my Lamictal ( at night) and first thing in the morning when i wake up. I wonder if this has something to do with it??? please help!!!

Lamictal (Meds) vs Side Effects Tough Dilemma For Everyone

I was on Lithium and Effexor for 10 years for BPII, nightmare! I was a zombie, depressed and very miserable. The last two years I have been on 100mg Lamictal, 400mg of Wellbutrin and 5mg of Valium. It has been a daily battle, but I have never felt better in my life. Since I started Lamictal I have had shortness of breath, abnormal heart palpitations, memory issues and hand tremors, the shakes, you really notice it when
I write things. I don't know if this is related but my doctor discovered a heart murmer, this is the first time I have ever been told I have a heart murmer. After 25+ years of BPII this is the best I have ever felt and
I have been in therapy for years.

I highly recommend finding a cognitive therapist that really knows what they are doing, my cognitive therapy sessions have had a MAJOR impact on learning to manage my thoughts and BPII.

So my dilemma is stay on Lamictal, deal with the side effects and be a real live person or try to get off Lamictal to possibly stop the symptoms.

Since my current combo of meds has finally given me some relief and quality of life, I guess I just have to deal with the symptoms. I have been in hell on earth with BPII and I am not interested in going back.

I have never seen this website before, it makes me sad to know how many people suffer with mental illness, but I am not the only person
that has experienced this hellish existence. Best wishes to all, I hope you all find help and freedom from your condition.

I was on Lithium and Effexor for 10 years for BPII, nightmare! I was a zombie, depressed and very miserable. The last two years I have been on 100mg Lamictal, 400mg of Wellbutrin and 5mg of Valium. It has been a daily battle, but I have never felt better in my life. Since I started Lamictal I have had shortness of breath, abnormal heart palpitations, memory issues and hand tremors, the shakes, you really notice it when
I write things. I don't know if this is related but my doctor discovered a heart murmer, this is the first time I have ever been told I have a heart murmer. After 25+ years of BPII this is the best I have ever felt and
I have been in therapy for years.

I highly recommend finding a cognitive therapist that really knows what they are doing, my cognitive therapy sessions have had a MAJOR impact on learning to manage my thoughts and BPII.

So my dilemma is stay on Lamictal, deal with the side effects and be a real live person or try to get off Lamictal to possibly stop the symptoms.

Since my current combo of meds has finally given me some relief and quality of life, I guess I just have to deal with the symptoms. I have been in hell on earth with BPII and I am not interested in going back.

I have never seen this website before, it makes me sad to know how many people suffer with mental illness, but I am not the only person
that has experienced this hellish existence. Best wishes to all, I hope you all find help and freedom from your condition.

I'm very glad that there is a forum for people who take this medication. I have had multiple side effects. They are mostly related to memory--declarative memory specifically. My recollection of names, what I did the day before and remembering tasks have degraded considerably. Being diagnosed with BP II a year ago (i'm 34, male), I can say that Lamotrigine (Lamictal generic) has helped with balance in tandem with Gabapentin. I am worried about long-term effects. I have not talked to my doctor about weaning off but I have been considering it. It's an unfortunate circumstance to have such a dependence. And it's also tough on loved ones. Someone mentioned tremors in one of the posts. If I miss a dosage or take it late, I get the shakes. What to do? Does anyone else here take it with Gabapentin or Xanax?

I am on lamictal and right away noticed swollen glands, slight rash and burning eyes. My gpa went from 3.5 to 2.5 because my eyes hurt too much to study... and I became incredibly stupid and spacy. What is the physiological reason for quitting this med immediately? I'm on school break now and can take the pain. but I can't imagine staying on this med when my eyes feel like hot pokers and I can't hear because my ears are swollen right along with every other gland. I think this is cause to discontinue use immediately. Are there any REAL dangers to quitting cold turkey? I don't have seizures, I have bi polor disorder. I don't see my doctor for a week, but school starts in a few weeks and I won't be able to read a book.

I'm a 20 year old female. I'm in my second year of college. I was diagnosed with Bipolar II when I was 18 and a senior in high school. I was raised to 100mg of Lamictal at that point. I became so much better in a matter of months. I wasn't crying over everything, every time I messed up, it didn't feel like I hit rock bottom. I was able to feel real emotions after all of the medications they had put me on and taken me off of so fast in my two visits to an impatient stress unit.

Somewhat recently, I've noticed that I can't think. Sometimes it's racing thoughts. Sometimes it's because I draw a blank. More and more it feels like I'm constantly drawing a blank. I can't find words, I use the wrong words, it takes me a little bit to comprehend. Half of the time words don't look right to me, whether they're spelled right or not. A few weeks ago I was driving and suddenly felt like I knew absolutely nothing. It was the weirdest thing I had ever experienced. It only lasted a brief moment, and I was fine again. I brought it up to my psychiatrist and she seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. I can't focus, I can't think. I'm scared that one day I'm just going to wake up and have no idea what's going on. If anybody has gotten off of this medicine, does this get better once you're off of it? Or is it permanent?

My hair is falling out. My hair has always fallen out, but now it's falling out in larger amounts. I have very thick, very curly hair. I haven't lost any of the curl and it's still thick, but with the amounts of my hair that I see everywhere, I am unsure how I still have any. I used to pin it down as stress. Stress never caused this much of my hair to fall out, though.

I think Lamictal actually helped my headaches, though. Thankfully. I was diagnosed with chronic migraines a few years back. I get maybe one a month now, down from the weekly ones I was getting.

The last time I was at the psychiatrist (about two weeks ago), she pushed my Lamictal up to 150mg. I haven't taken the 150mg yet, for fear of what will happen. I finished off the 100mg last night and need to get it refilled today. I still have a prescription for the 100mg and am debating on whether or not to refill that. Since she put my Klonopin back up from 0.25mg to 0.5mg, I feel much, much better.

I don't want to be on medicine forever, but I honestly feel like I'm not going to get a choice, here. I am, however, glad I've found so many people with the same symptoms as me. Why are these showing up after two years of taking it? Why didn't they show up sooner?

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one having the symptoms of feeling dumb and not being able to do and say the normal everyday things I have always done. I too have a problem at work articulating my words and am embarrassed in meetings when I can't think of the correct word to use in the right situation. I am having a hard time with emails also because I use the wrong spelling of a word (i.e. here/hear) and many times my emails don't make sense because I change words around etc. I have to read them several times before they make sense to even me. The worst thing that has happened lately was that I could not spell "Wednesday" on an agenda for a meeting. I had to let Word give me the correct spelling. Thank you all for the information, it will put my mind at ease and I will definitely stop taking it ASAP.

Severe insomnia. Only side effect so far. Been on it just 7 days. I'm going to call my doc in the a.m. and get off it. Am on it for rapid cycling depression/mood stabilization.

Hello all! It it is nice to hear I am not alone. I had no idea what this Lamictal was doing to my body. My stomach blew up so large it looked like I was 3 to 4 months pregnant and my stomach was hard as a rock.I also felt a lot of pressure inside my stomach and my breathing was sort of shallow and short of breath. I thought it was just from the 15lb weight gain from the drug but One day I had to face what was happening to me. I looked in the mirror and was like "OMG help me!" I was definitely not pregnant so I had to rule this out. My Mother came over and was really alarmed and terrified. Her Mother died of Ovarian Cancer and is one of the latter symptoms.She made an appt. with the gyno the next day and all checked out to be fine and healthy they recommend me follow up with a gastrointestinal doctor. Oh Lord, I said to myself...more doctors!! It all seemed so unbearable. My friend Mary of 20 years with Bipolar told me the same exact thing happened to her when she was on Lamictal. Her stomach got so large (and she is thin to normal everywhere else) A lady in a store asked her when she was due!! Can you imagine?????
Another side affect that has been completely disabling is leg pain in both legs. I have had Fibromyalgia for almost 10 years and thought it was a new or unrecognized symptom which can happen. Or sciatic pain in the legs that would never leave even though it felt very different.It wasn't a radiating pain, it was like a deep,deep excruciating aching pain, more like nerve pain vs. muscle pain that never went away. The leg pain was so excruciating thank God I had pain meds which I was taking for my fibromyalgia symptoms,, I fear the absolute worst of what I would have done to get out of this horrorfying pain. I had MRI and Cat scans and nothing showed. My pain meds were being increased and I was becoming more and more dependent, I could not live nor function with out them. The weight gain and looking 4 mos. pregnant nearly sent me over the edge as I struggle with an eating disorder as well. I went off the Lamictal about a 1 week ago, miraculously my stomach has gone down a lot especially at the top of my rib cage, I can feel my waist line now and do not have that pressure inside my stomach anymore. The leg pain has also miraculously gotten 85percent better! I can't believe it... I am so grateful. Coming here to this site really helped me know that this drug or any drug can cause so many horrible side affects and make you feel so alone.Thank You all for taking the time to share.

What brought me here tonight to write was to find this man's post I read last night that I could not find today and could not get off my mind. I pray he stumbles upon mine someway somehow! He wanted to find some one who may have also experienced this severe and excruciating leg pain and was pondering over surgery to singe the nerve's in his back. He was wondering if it could be the lamictal! Anyone who believes in prayer please say a quick one, that this man may find the info. he needs before taking such drastic steps.

I also suffered severe itchiness especially after coming out of the shower. I have tried every bodywash and lotion on the market in search of what would make it stop.If you are wondering Aveeno is the best hands down.

Whew...enough out of me! Thanks to all for all your help. Stay Well!
Blessings:)
K.

Does anyone have any information about this ???????

I have been on Lamictal for 1 year and 2 mos for complex partial seizures. Due to my insurance I had the generic and recently the manufacturer changed, same dosage but different shaped pill. I have started having seizures again and feel horrible.

I have been on Lamictal for 3 years now, got all the way up to 250mg. I was also treated for a "light" case of bipolar. I always took it at night right before I went to bed. The side effects I had from being on it was absolutely NO sex drive at all, like my husband and I would go months without it, obviously causing extreme problems between us, the kind of numb feeling where I wasn't able to get too excited about anything, but thankfully was able to control any anxiety and anger. When I was on just 200mg I had to combine it with 100mg of Seroquel to give me some happiness. Without the Seroquel I was basically a bump on a log. I finally realized that I didn't have bipolar at all and it was all just anxiety. So I got off the Seroquel and just lowered to 100mg of Lamictal on Monday and I have had the worst side effects of my life since dropping to 100mg. (B.T.W. I dropped 50mg at a time) I've been having anxiety/panic attacks out of absolutely nowhere that are lasting between 6-12 HOURS at a time, consisting of extreme shaking to the point of being in pain, stomach pain, nausea, fear and 100% insomnia. Not just "haven't slept well" but haven't slept at all. I just lie awake on the couch staring at the dark completely unable to sleep. And of course not sleeping has its side effects on the way as well. Hopefully I can get through this 100mg and not have to go back up.

I have been on Lamictal for 4 years for type II bipolar disorder. It saved my life. It evened me out without flattening me, and I can have a life. But it has given me these horrible brain-mind problems. I am a professor, and I am supposed to be sharp. It is really embarrassing when I can't comprehend student work and I make wrong-headed comments. Or I forget to grade papers altogether. The students don't respect me and my colleagues must think I am incompetent. And I don't have tenure yet!

The stress of my job is bad enough without this. I feel like I am on the verge of a breakdown every time there is a bump in the road. I am considering trying anti-anxiety meds, but I am afraid of potential interactions with Lamictal.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I am an intensive care physician , one day we got a 75 year old male patient for acute allergic skin manifestation and general body swelling , the patient has been taking Lamictal tablets for seizures control after brain surgery few months before his presentation the patient was put on i.v steroid therapy along with antihistamine, on the second day we noticed that his skin is peeling off and his breathing got embarrassed , the case was diagnosed as( TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS) which is the most severe form of drug allergic reactions as a side effect of Lamictal administration , one week later the patient died due to acute respiratory failure (ARDS) however he was on mechanical ventilation support.

Hi- I am a recovering alcoholic four years sober with Bipolar II diagnosis. I previously was treated with only an antidepressant/anxiety med- lexapro,
but 9months ago was put on lamictal 250mg. After the initial slow buildup in dosage I felt pretty stable. Now I am experiencing depression again. I have to get a new psychiatrist, my current one is going on a leave of absence. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced initial positive results and then after a while a recurrence of depression. Anyway- others have asked about "mental fogginess", short term memory loss, mine went away about a month after I reached my current dosage.

I have been taking a low dose for only 5 days and I am ready to quit. I am either in a rage of anger or crying non-stop. I am severely tired and more moody than I have ever been. I was doing SO much better before on Effexor. The doctor switched my meds due to the insomnia and anxiety that I still had on Effexor, but it was nothing compared to this.

I have been taking Lamictal 150 mgs for about 2 years to prevent Basilar migraines. This medicine saved my life. I was having these scary migraines where I would have stroke like symptoms (loss of speech, vision and confusion) two or three times a week. My Dr. started me on a very low dose and stopped titrating me up when I hit a therapeutic level . I have night sweats, some nightmares and some anxiety at times but I'm willing to get over it because I don't have the migraines.

MAJOR loss of short-term memory and inability to concentrate.

I have been on Lamictal (for bipolar tendencies) for 3 or 4 years now. Overall it has been really great for me -- really calmed me and leveled me out like no other medication has.

Except that it has made me embarrassingly dumb. I have a graduate degree in electrical engineering, which is pretty worthless at this point because I cannot add two simple numbers in my head. My grammar and spelling skills have taken a nosedive. I took a grammar refresher class to try to boost it again, but I couldn't concentrate and can't remember what I learned. And even worse, sometimes I can't remember basic things like which way to flip the turn signal lever to signal left or right when I am driving.

I went up to 350 mg and it worked great (for the bipolar), but I could barely function at my job. So I've lowered it slowly to 150. My brain works a bit better, but still not well. Today in a meeting I was explaining something important and realized a couple minutes later that I was totally wrong -- I'd remembered incorrectly. So I had to interject later and explain that I'd been wrong. Things like this are very embarrassing and ruin my credibility at work.

But as I said the Lamictal has been amazing in other aspects. Ultimately I don't know if trading my brain for that is worth it, but for now it is because no other medication has worked. I worry though that even if I stop it in the future, my brain may not be able to recover, from lack of use.

Thank you all for your information. I am relieved to know I am not alone.

I too have been taking 100mg Lamictal for about a year for rapidly cycling Bi Polar, and am very concerned about my short term memory loss. I lose my train of thought in the middle of speech, can't remember what I did on the weekend when asked on Monday in conversation, and generally wonder if I have to put up with this somewhat debilitating and frustrating symptom just to have the plus of controlling my mood swings...Also recently have notice trouble spelling words - this was my pride and joy that I could spell pretty much any word and now that seems to be going too. Anyone know if these symptoms will dissipate if I stop taking Lamictal?

i have a friend who went after her husband in a ctalsudden rage after starting the Lamital, she loss huge amounts of hair and it conytinues to fall out , was put out of her house,broke up her family and is a complete mess. She was on adderall, suboxone and the n the dr gave her this,i was trying to figure out what was going on with her and i looked up the newest of her drugs lamital and found out what was going on . Mt advice to all you bipolar people find GOD no one is ever happy all the time and we all go through really hard times . I am sober and take nothing for the last 20 yrs. When i first got sober doctor tried to tell me to take antidepressant, I said ," the difference between us is when all else fails i go to GOD and you go to meds"" YOU wont break. We live in a society run by drug companies that you are not allowed to have emotion, they flat line everyone.and when it doesn't work they give you more drugs till you are a blob of a person. Get off everything{ except if you need it for ceisures } It could take a yr to completely detox, be patient and go to na meetings

I have been reading these posts for awhile now and am so glad to have found them.
I am a 25yr female with epilepsy and have been on lamictal for the past 4yrs. I changed from epilim because I was getting married and heard that lamictal was safer in case of pregnancy. Not long after I found myself getting very angry over small things and not being able to sleep. I thought this was just me so I tried to get myself together. It went on for some time before I gave up and got help. I was diagnosed with depression and given fluoxetine. This helped me get back on my feet but I did not want to be on it long term and have been of the fluoxetine 2yrs. I still struggle with my mood but is manageable which I am happy for.
I did not realize that the headaches and the memory loss I had were from the lamictal until I found this forum then it all made sense. I had always thought that I was staying up too late and hence getting headaches. As for the memory I often feel like a blithering idiot. Cant remember words and often the wrong ones come out its so embarrassing. So often I feel like I'm in a daze and life is passing me by.
After all this said I have not heard of any other drug that would be any better. I have found comfort in knowing that I am not alone in this. There are a lot of people that do not understand the effects of medication or take it seriously when I try to explain. If there is anyone out there that is keen to chat about epilepsy or lamictal I would love to talk.

Hey this is Kitykittysno and i just posted the first time the other evening. I have since talked with my doc about all of this and he believes that trying to come off Lamictal is just not working for me bc of all the symptoms I'm having as a result of it. SO...we're gonna take me back to 400 mg BUT this time, I'm gonna intermittently take them. Start like at 8a, 12p, 4p, 8p. I'm willing to try this bc I feel so awful so we'll see. HOWEVER, I did specifically ask him about these "side effects" and he did not denounce them but he did say, "that in his years of practice, he had not had a patient with these problems"....he told me that bc of other meds I take and with the severe anxiety I suffer with, that that has a lot to do with the memory probs and as far as they eyes, he feels it may just be age (im only 42) and I need to see my eye doctor. I am planning on doing that asap. BUT...for me, I'm really inclined to believe this has to do with Lamictal.
My doctor is a great guy...I don't think he's trying to dismiss me or my thoughts and feelings about Lamictal but...how do you explain it unless you've been there or are STILL there??? How can I be having such significant memory loss and deteriorating eye problems if not for L? I did ask him if there was somewhere I could go to just safely detox off this stuff and he said he was not aware of any place that knows how to safely take someone through that process. I think I will do what someone said in here about just slowly decreasing it yourself and suffer the "hell" until it's out of your body. I have no problem(s) taking any meds that will help my condition but there has to be SOMETHING that works better than this. I am very curious to see if taking this intermittently will help with the "drop off" feeling I usually get around 5p and also if it helps with the memory part. I dunno folks...I wish I had more answers than questions while posting in here. I welcome any advice or comments.
I want all of you in here to know that since I found this site, I've been praying for all of you. I'm sorry if that offends some but I believe in the power of prayer!

I was taking Lamictal for 2 years. I was diagnosed with a "light" case of bi-polar. Not the highs, only the lows. I am not too sure that I wasn't just going through some really rough times in my life and had had enough. Couldn't take the stress. Anyway at first I had dry mouth, bad constipation, belching in the evenings and lots of it, some female itching and similar issues (sorry but just want to help here), couldn't handle any alcohol, loss of hair, problems sleeping, outbursts of anger towards mate and irritability, aggressiveness at time, loss of memory and loss of concentration, scatteredness, lots of hair loss and sensitivity to sun. I wanted to be a trooper and make my psychiatrist happy so stayed on it. I got lots of good things from it, like can roll with the punches of life better, can really easily speak up for myself and defend myself when I need to. Don't beat myself up like I used to. So, lost some of the sensitivity that I needed to lose but can't do without my memory. It had been so bad that friends and family would comment and I was embarrassed. Also, my mate shouldn't have had to deal with some of the rage that would show up when things were taken wrong. Oh, I had one of the strongest panic attacks that I can imagine a person living through. I had never had one before, and haven't had one since. I stopped this drug cold turkey. It felt like a few weeks of jet lag. Take multi-vitamins and minerals, also fish oils. Only the highest quality. Eat really healthy, exercise, drink lots of water and rest a lot...whatever you do, don't stress out if you are coming off of this drug. This is actually a very useful medication, however, in my opinion it needs to have more research done about it.

BTW...also have had major weight gain with Lamictal...loss of sex drive, tired all the time (there could be other things that affect this but)
I also take high BP med, acid reflux med but I don't feel they contribute to this problem with Lamictal. I've been on those meds way longer than L so...I think I just would like to "start over" and see how I can feel better.
I used to think L was exactly what "the doctor ordered" (no pun intended...again, glad I can sorta laugh at this but...) BUT I DON'T FEEL GOOD!!
Another doc prescribed me Provigil and didn't really explain what it was. She said I needed it bc I was tired all the time. I actually went there bc I thought I had Fibromyalgia and all I got was a 'script for Provigil and sent on my merry way. Got it filled, took my first 200 mg pill and thought I was goin' out of my freakin mind!! OMG!! Told my psych doc and he was like, "P not good for BP patients" so...BUT I did cut the dosage down bc it was SO nice to have energy to make it through the day but still, I do not suggest taking the stuff.
Anyways....just thought of this after I posted walla go...tx!

ps Im not sure the L works that great on the depressive side of BP

Googled and found this site. Could not believe all that I read! I've been taking Lamictal for several years for Bi-Polar disorder. I also have GAD for which I control with another drug BUT...I guess it's been so long since I began taking Lamictal that I had forgotten, or did I ever even know, the side effects of it. First if all, the memory loss is incredible! Not being able to complete a sentence...never able to find a "word" that should be so simple to remember...going somewhere and within 2 seconds, forgetting what in the world I'm doing or where I'm going...happened today TWICE!
And to top it all off, my eyes are so bad...I didn't even attribute the L to this until I came to this site but it makes PERFECT sense! I feel such a sense of loss in my eyesight that it has begun to really scare me. I have not been to eye doc yet but plan too.
Also, someone mentioned in here that they feel the med just wears off before next dosage and that is exactly what I've been telling my doctor so at first, we just upped the dosage until I was on 450mg a day but even the, it still was not working. SO...now I'm decreasing and the doc added Depakote Er 250mg. But doc says I have to be almost completely off L to get fully on D. So...feel like crap a lot of the time!!
I'm like someone else on here who said, "just start fresh" and that is what I'd like to do but how do you go "cold turkey"? I know it isn't good! Even decreasing this L for the last several months has been hell!
I have been on a roller coaster of meds for 10 yrs. Have yet to find the "combo" that works! Sometimes I wonder if the diagnosis of BP was/is even correct.
Another person in here said he feels like he may have some side effects of OCD and I feel that way too. Nothing major but...enough for me to notice.
Damned either way, right?
One thing I DO KNOW is that I cannot take this eye problem anymore and now that I know my memory and all that other stuff has to do with L, I'm getting off it no matter what! I'm calling my doc tomorrow and we HAVE TO MAKE A PLAN!!!!!!!
I'm only 42 but my memory is that of an 80-yr old (except for my grandmother who died at 96 and could remember details of when she was 4 yrs old...lol) I guess it's good I can kinda laugh at all this but I DEF know it is not funny!!!
Anybody out there with insight to diff. meds...combo of meds?? I really am worn out!!
Right now, I am down to 375 mg of L and this has taken me several months now to decrease from 450mg...don't see the D working that well yet but it's only 250mg so...
I really am worn out!! My anxiety shoots through the roof bc of all of this! Esp. when I feel the L wearing off around 5p or so...
I'm game for any advice ( I did see where the one woman talked about changing the time you take this in the morning but that won't work for me)
Thanks!!

I am on 75mg in the morning and 50mg in the evening (125mg/day total), for my seizure disorder. If I could get off of it I would because I know how bad psychiatric drugs are. I used to be on various antidepressants for about 4 or so years, until I learned that "mood disorders" are all a crock, and drug companies are making a killing off of all the psychiatric drugs. Did you know that it has never been proven that depression or bipolar or whatever is caused by chemical imbalances?? It has been proven, however, that psychiatric drugs mess up the brain. Do some research on this. Go to the sight ****** I am so thankful I am off antidepressants but my life will never be as good as it was before I ever put the first one in my mouth. I would encourage everybody who has been diagnosed with "bipolar" to slowly and gradually withdraw from your medication and don't give up until 6 months have past. It takes a very long time for the drugs to get out of your system and you will feel like you are going through hell as you withdraw but in the end it is all worth it. Back to the Lamictal, I have now been on it for about 4 years. It does not control my myoclonic jerks completely (I have Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy) but controls my grand mal seizures as long as I take care of myself. I have pretty much no side effects, except for possibly poor memory/forgetfullness/can't find the word I'm looking for/etc, and possibly some slight "ocd" tendencies. It is hard to distinguish from the leftover effects of being on antidepressants (which caused me a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc), because I do have some mild anxiety left over from them, but has drastically improved. The man problem I am suffering now from the Lamictal is feeling the effects of it wearing off in the evenings. In the last few months I have been feeling that feeling on and off throughout the whole day!! And my myoclonic jerks are increasing. I really don't want to go up on my dosage due to the brain damage psychiatric drugs cause and all the bad side effects I could experience, but neither do I want to change medications because I am at a very stressful time in my life where I am already going through a lot of changes. No idea what to do. Just wish that God would heal me of my seizure disorder!!! (it is a kind I am told I will never grow out of) Even if I had to go through the withdrawal from the Lamictal it would be worth it! If only...