Lamictal and hair loss

Well, about a year ago I was put on Lamictal and didn't experience any side effects, but was also on Lexapro, Trazodone, and Klonopin. I stopped all of the medication besides the Klonopin as I was doing well. However I recently was put back on a low dosage of Lamictal as a mood stabilizer. It's been a week. The only side effect I'm having is headaches! I have a headache all day long. Tylenol doesn't help, it doesn't go away. Once my dosage increases in a week I will only be on 50 mg of Lamictal. I just want the headaches to go away. Did anybody experience headaches while first taking the drug? I'm scared of all of the postings of memory loss and hair loss. I sleep fine, I'm not anxious, I had my first vivid dream last night since I started taking the drug. I don't want to go back on an anti-depressant. Any opinions?

I too have memory loss. It is humiliating not to recall events with friends and family and people I have been introduced to. I cannot conversations, movies and names of bands. I am 43 and have been taking this drug for seizures. The seizure disorder is gone due to the drug. I have gained weight, awaken with a severe headache on several occasions behind my right eye, feel tired and dizzy after an hour of taking the drug and blurred vision. I thought it was early onset of Alzheimer ( i forget how to spell it though I am in the medical field). My generalized Doctor and my Neurologist say this is not from the medication but from age and normal. The quality of life is not as I would like. I feel like I am missing out on my own life. Thank God I came across this blog! I have been researching this drug on the net and NOWHERE does it state this as a side effect. This is the only med I take.

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!!!!

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.

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.

I have taken Lamictal for 2 years now, I increased my dose a few months ago. It curbed my rage issues, and continued to stabilize my mood swings.I have had the side effects of some memory loss, problems recalling things in the past, minor things, like what happened in movies I may have seen in earlier months. I have hair loss, more than usual when not on the drug. I have definite speech issues, I can never relay what I am trying to say. I feel stupid. I am consulting another psychiatrist to discuss the side effects. I really don't like not being able to remember things as much as I did before I took this drug. I really, really don't like the lack of the ability to speak fluently or even to get the words out. It is embarrassing, it makes me look almost like I have a mental retardation. It sucks. I also am disappointed that my spouse seems to think all "our" issues are because of my mood disorder and if I somehow when I disagree with him and want to address these issues, then my medication is not working. I know if I am raging more or if I have an increase in anger, then I need to go on higher meds or change meds. But, as my psychiatrist said to me, not all my issues in life are all my fault.
Generally, lamictal is working, but I would like to have a greater memory recall and I would definitely like my speech problems to be resolved and it sure would be nice if my hair would become thick again.Also, I have some twitching problems occasionally, it is annoying too. I still have racing thoughts and panic attacks too, it has not changed those issues. Oh, and another side effect is headaches in the back of my neck at the top where my head meets the spine, they are annoying and if I take ibuprofen, I get even more stupid and spacey, almost like I am checked out. My older kids notice more than my spouse does. My older kids also let me know when I am raging more, in a better way than my spouse does. My advice, let those whom you can trust be the one's who give you feedback on how you are doing, rather than someone who doesn't want to take ownership for their own issues, that way you can truly trust if the med's are working or if they are at the right dose. This along with your psychiatrist's help and help from family and your own assessment will keep you on the right track.

I take Lamictal for seizures for 3 years. I had my first unexplained seizure at 25 and another 6 moths later. Both times I had drank heavily two nights in a row. After the second seizure I was put on the Lamictal. I was slowly ramped up to 100mg in the morning and 200mg at night. On occasion, I get horrible "poop pains" as I call them. It feels like my insides are being ripped apart. I can sit on the toilet and poop incredibly runny stool, then I have to wait up to 15 minutes for the second batch. The pain doesn't subside until the second batch but it is immediately gone. It usually only happens when I wake up in the middle of the night. I have tried to correlate it to foods that I have eaten and can't match anything up. I also have horrible short term memory. I sometimes tell the same person the same story twice and they will be like "you just told me that." Also, golfing is the best example. I have a hard time remembering my strokes. My long term memory is fine. As fair as hair loss, I was already on track to lose my hair before I was on the meds so I don't know if they made it any worse or if this is a natural progression. It seems somewhat rapid but I never loose it in quantities or clumps. I just notice it in my hats and beanies every once in a while. I also have a hard time falling asleep on occasion and if I wake up in the middle of the night I have troubles falling back asleep as well. The bottom line is that this drug WORKS. I can live with the side affects cause they are random and not that often. I am a volunteer Fireman and cannot risk loosing that again so I am too hestitant to change meds as the doctor said Lamictal has the least side affects of the seizure drugs.

I started taking Lamictal about a year ago. When I began treatment, I immediately experienced really bad, vivid dreams. They got progressively worse and continue to this day. About 3 months after I began treatment, I began to experience severe hair loss. Several tiny clumps of hair (a hand-full of individual strands) would come out of my hair during washing, and when I combed it after showering. This has occurred every day, and continues. I've lost about 2/3 of my hair and spend more than 5 minutes each day teasing my hair in the bald spots so people can't tell, but the parts in my hair get wider every day. I can't swim in public, go dancing, or go anywhere that might lead to my hair getting sweaty and falling out of shape.

In addition, at the end of every day, I feel like I'm catching the flu. I have a fever of 100, feel achy and have the sniffles. It got so bad that I actually went to the doctor and he prescribed antibiotics for what he said was sinusitis, which is a side affect of Lamictal. I felt better for a few days, then went right back to feeling ill.

I've also experienced periods of intense anxiety and anger. Out of the blue, for absolutely no reason. Constipation is also a problem.

This is not what I signed up for. I'm talking to my doctor next week to get off this crap. There is no good alternative in this category of medication, either. They're all poison with multiple severe and sometimes life-threatening side effects. Screw that. I'd rather be slightly depressed.

Hi, I've never posted on one of these sites but here goes... Lamictal does indeed affect some vital nutrients. They are biotin, b12, b6, L-carnitine, folic acid, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin K. My hair started falling out in clumps. I had my levels checked and I was VERY low on biotin, and L-carnitine. I was also low on zinc. I dropped my dosage from 150 to 100 to 75 to 50. With doctors approval. I started taking centrum silver and skin, hair, and nail vitamins and my hair stopped falling out and is starting to regrow. I am now back up to the 125 level and feeling better. I also started taking L-carnitine and that has helped as well although it had nothing to do with my hair loss. As to the other side effects...I have headaches, and neck stiffness, and sex headaches at the 100 plus level. And a buzzing/ vibrating in my right ear. For the migraines I take Advil. DO NOT TAKE TYLENOL WITH LAMICTAL. It lowers the level of lamictal in your system. I only take Excedrin when I must. I know this is long. I hope it helps. Even with all the side effects I still will take lamictal. It has made a huge difference for me. ( I also have occasional nausea and dizziness.) Hope this helps.

I have to comment on some of the Lamictal "new comers". I've taken Lamictal for 1 1/2 years. For the first 6 months, this was the miracle drug. As months went by, I began all of the same symptoms: fogginess, weight gain, short-term memory loss, NO libido, headaches, and nausea, to name a few. As of this moment, I am weaning off of the Lamictal. HARD to do. This is not a drug that can be "stopped" immediately. On my fifth day of weaning off, I am dizzy, tired, weak, irritable, and have vomitted. Only about 3 days left. I am starting Topomax after. I'm anxious to see if there is any difference. Especially the weight gain part. I went from 120 to 135 in one year. (I run and eat healthy meals.) I will continue to take Effexor, which, in 2 years, has had little or no side effects. My advice to anyone just starting to take Lamictal is to GO SLOWLY. My doctor had my doses increase so rapidly that I didn't really see if the lower doses would have worked. (I take 200mg.) The bottom line is to do what feels right for YOUR body, rather than a specified dosage. Best wishes to you fellow BP-ers!

hair loss, memory loss, weight loss, confusion, hand shaking

I was on 100 mg Lamictal for about 3 months and all I can say is this medication was a nightmare for me. I do have a history of depression, and have recently been diagnosed for Bipolar 2 (which by the way I believe I am not bipolar and that what I had was extreme stress and anxiety from a high pressure job), anyway the medication put me in the hospital. I was at work feeling OK and next minute carried out on a stretcher into an ambulance. I experienced confusion, more anxiety, hair loss, tremors. I also had seizures at work during the few months of taking the medication. My eyes were rolling back and forth. How scary! I also had sores in my mouth and my doctor said it was probably an infection or tooth problem. I never had these kinds of mouth sores before and surprise surprise they (and all other symptoms) went away after I stopped the medication.

I am only feeling normal now and it has been about 5 months after my hospital incident.

The hospital was very scary as well.

I have two children and I do not need to get all messed up on medication.

I am taking another path now and feel much better these days.

No more Lamictal or any other "Mood stabilizers" for me.......

I have been on Lamictal for about five months for bipolar II. I has been increased slowly over these months and I am now up to 300 mg a day. I have a tendency to sometimes forget things but remembering numbers has never been a problem for me. In fact I can look at someone's tag number driving down the road and remember it for days. Phone numbers of people I have known for 20 years would stick and I wouldn't even have to call them on a regular basis to know the number. However, recently while trying to use my bank debit card at the store I was asked to enter my PIN number and totally could not remember. I tried it several times but it never came to me. I felt like a fool!. At this time, that was three days ago and I still cannot remember it!

This is very, very distressing to me. I feel like something has been wiped clean and that I will never get it back.

My Lamictal dose has been increased in the last couple of weeks and I thought maybe Lamictal or one of my other meds could be making this happen so I started researching and found this site where other people were complaining of memory loss while on Lamictal.

Headaches are another common side effect for me while on this med. It has really helped me emotionally and I need to know if the memory loss is just going to be a temporary thing and it will get back to normal or if I will be forgetting more and more over time. PLEASE HELP!!!

I started taking Lamictal about six weeks ago for epilepsy. Now keep in mind, I was on Dilantin which worked great for 17 years and then suddenly stopped working. I have been in medication hell since then. First Topamax made me dumb as a rock. I would space out all the time. Worst drug ever. Then Keppra which was better in that my memory/ability to speak came back but I had these intense ups and down. I had rages constantly. Now I'm on Lamictal. So far, it's better than the Topamax and the Keppra, however the dreams are very intense as are the night sweats. I'm also experiencing much hair loss. Fortunately I have a full head of hair but I'm afraid I will eventually lose it all.

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!!!!

Where do I start? For as far back as I can remember, I have been taking antidepressants. I have tried them all. Celexa, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Cymbalta, etc.. About 3 years ago, I crashed. You all know what that feels like. I went to see the "pill doctor" which is what I call the psychiatrists. He prescribed more antidepressants, Lithium 600mg per day along with Lamictal 200 mg per day for moods and Ambien CR-12.5mg to sleep. Side effects included, weight loss and gain, hair loss, memory loss, confusion, thyroid issues, no sex drive and sleeping too much with wako dreams. BUT is was better than what I was feeling at time. Last month I could not take it any more so I had a second opinion by another Pill Dr. Oh my God! This Pill Dr REALLY opened my eyes. He diagnosed me with a resistant to antidepressant type of depression. No bipolar but mood disorders. He warned me off of Cymbalta 60mg to 30mg to 0mg (antidepressant), and took me off the Lithium and increased my dose of Lamictal from 200mgs per day to 300mgs per day. What a difference it made. I have never felt better. I am sleeping less, have more energy and a much more positive outlook on life. I am scared that this won't last but I hope it will. Lamictal has been a godsend for me. My lesson is get a second opinion on your condition. A fresh set of eyes can see things that others don't.

I also have to remember that every case is unique. Every person has their own set of problems to deal with. Kids are emotionally demanding and draining. You are not different from others who suffer.

I'm on seroquil, lamictal, trazodone and I have all of these side effects.....increase in blood sugars, great anxiety, irritation, agitation, memory loss, heart racing, difficult breathing and swallowing, retention of water, headaches that cause me to have to stop all activities, jerky movements that keep me awake or eliminates even short drives in the car, hot vs cold, my perception of things are not as they use to be, muscle aches that keep me from even getting out of a chair or in and out of a car sometimes, nausea, vomitng, nasal swelling, mind racing, memory loss, hair loss, nails thin, no energy great fatigue!