May 24th
2008
4:06 AM
I have been on Lamictal and Topamax for approximately 4-5 years now. I also take effexor. I have a seizure disorder. At first everything was alright, however now I have been having double vision, staggering, memory loss that has occurred slowly within the last two years or so, and of course as with most meds the usual diarrhea or constipation. I wonder how long does it take being on medication for these side effects to kick in? I read all literature whenever I start a new medication even if it is a OTC drug. (over the counter). I just got out of the hospital and am being sent from one doc to another. I feel like a guinea pig in a lab! Please help!
-- By twtyfrk66 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
May 4th
2008
6:41 PM
I have been taking Lamictal for about 8 weeks now for depression. My docs have tried me on approximately 15 other antidepressants with no avail. I cannot take the side effects. ALL of them I stayed on for months to see if the side effects would go away. Zoloft was wonderful BUT gave me SEVERE diarrhea (last episode was 15 times in one day). So, I am trying to figure out if the Lamictal is giving me increased muscle/joint pain. I do have Fibromyalgia but I swear, since I've been on the Lamictal I feel like somebody wacked my knees and legs with baseball bats. This time last year I was walking/running 3-4 miles 3-4 days a week. Now I can't even walk up the stairs.
Lib
-- By libbysorensen | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
February 20th
2008
11:06 PM
This is a total nightmare and i need advice! I was on Lamictal for a year and about six months into my health began to slowly deteriorate. It started with shortness of breath and heart palpitations and eventually attacked every system of my body. My symptoms are muscle pain, spasms and knots to the point that i can't turn my neck sometimes, joint pain (mostly knees), stabbing floating pain everywhere, headaches, frightening tingling in my extremities and a few times my entire body, sore throat, flu-like feelings, stomach cramps, bloating and heartburn. The list goes on. I have been off of it now for two weeks. My psychiatrist has never seen this type of reaction before and is not convinced it is the Lamictal. I have been to every single type of doctor and the ER twice, had extensive lab work, CT scan and two MRIs. I have been off Lamictal now for two weeks and am not feeling much relief. I am so scared and frustrated and please need advice. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it ever go away? I feel like I am literally living a nightmare with no-one to turn to for advice because no-one seems to know ANYTHING!!!!
-- By humphrsa23 | Reply | (10) replies | Private Message me
August 12th
2007
11:27 AM
I started lamictal about 4-5 years ago,50 mgs three times a day, I was always tired,depressed, and found it to be very hard to do anything at all. I started to gain alot of weight and had diarrhea.Went to see the Dr..I was told I had hep-A for two years.I asked my doc to send me to a specialist to make sure I did'nt have cancer of the liver, the specialist told me I had celiac disease.So I went on the gluten free diet for almost another two yrs. My psychiatrist then decreased my clonazapan and put me on another 75 mgs a day of lamictal. I broke out in such a rash I went to the hospital 2 days in a row, they did'nt know what was wrong. I went for my next appt. to see my shrink,i told her about my problems, she said "I told you if you break out in a rash stop taking the drug" she(or I don't remember) never told me that! I have been lamictal free for about two months now. I now have a whole new set of Dr.s ,they can't find any signs of either hep-a or celiac. I have so much energy now,my head is clear and feel almost normal again! Still working on the weight, slowly but surely it' Is going down. I was always a size 1 at 105 lbs,and went up to 140. I am 50 years old and it is much harder to lose the weight . has anyone else had any of these symptoms? Please let me know. Thanks!
-- By mumquig | Reply | Private Message me
August 10th
2008
10:11 PM
I've been on Lamictal for about 5 months now. I recently have had some horrible side effects. I've had the acne, brain fogginess and weight gain all along. About a month ago I was hospitalized for having a blood phosphorus level of 0.6 which is dangerously low. The symptoms around that day were nausea, feeling like I couldn't breathe, hyperventilation, heart rate of 120-130, tingling sensations from my nose to my toes, diarrhea and almost blacking out. Of course, the ER doc thought I was having a panic attack and told me to breathe into a bag and try to breathe slowly. NOT from a panic attack. Granted, I was panicking because I was scared. Has anyone experienced this low phosphorus problem?? I will be coming off of Lamictal in the next week. Hasn't made my depression, panic attacks or sex drive any better. thanks.
-- By twinkie0044 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me