Lamictal and seroquel

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

I've been on 200 mg Lamictal for 2 months now, after 4 month titration up from 25mg; Going off Lithium 900mg titration to 450mg this week. Since 1st day of lower Lithium, all the common Lamictal symptoms went from mild to extreme. Whole body muscle aches (like 24 hours after a heavy weightlifting workout) worse in neck & back/shoulders/calves, bad headaches, swelling in hands & feet, extreme blurred vision, loss of memory, halted speech while trying to figure out what to say, fuzzy. I called the Clinic to simply ask which NSAID (aspirin? ibuprofen? Excedrin? naproxin?) to use to manage the pain. They all freaked and made me come in for a blood test to check Lithium levels. I explained I wasn't "overly" concerned about it at this point, but just looking for a recommendation, and that they may be over-reacting (even though I did appreciate their concern). I also reminded them that I had just **decreased** Lithium when it happened, so I wasn't having a Lithium Toxic attack (I'm well-versed in that, having been on Lithium for 7 years). It didn't do much good to tell them I thought their diagnosis was a little off. I'll find out the blood test results today, but I'm pretty sure I know what they'll be. They also wanted me to see my PCP since it could be something else. Again, the problem was a ramp-up of existing symptoms the next morning after I lowered Lithium (the only change), so I'm conviced everything centers around that. I think they're a little inexperienced with this med. (Lamictal/Lamotrigine) and if they'd just read this blog they'd probably learn a lot. They had never heard of the muscle ache side effect. Pretty hard to believe after reading all of your comments! My theory is that Lithium was somehow holding back the side-effects of Lamictal and now they're expressing themselves more fully. I haven't read anything like this on any internet discussion, so maybe my body is very different. But maybe my experience will give someone else some insight in a similar situation.
I might also mention something that happened to me I have only seen (kinda) in one other "blog" about follicle (sweat gland) cysts. Yeah, I definitely got the jawline acne starting at the Lamictal 50mg level & increasing at 100mg. But I also got my first ever "cyst" that concerned me and sent me to my dermatologist for the first time in 30 years (I'm 47 and saw the old guy when I had acne at 17!). It started as a blind pimple on my chest the week I increased Lamictal to 200mg (final dose), but didn't go away. It continued to grow (not diminish) over 4 weeks to 3/8 inch round/pink/solid/itchy/burn-when-rubbed. So off to the "Doctor" like my father used to do on a regular basis (I know I'm getting old now) and scalpel/pop/stitch it was out. But it was real, not my imagination or hypocondria, and the timing of its appearance was right when Lamictal changed to full steam. Since acne appears to be a common effect with so many, it seems it's not unreasonable that this occurs occasionally as well to others. Let me be the 2nd to mention it. No "official" verification, but....
I'm not bagging on Lamictal, and have been very hopeful that this would be better than Lithium. It has eliminated the GastroIntestinal problems I had on Lithium, but I am getting discouraged that it has all the brand new symptoms that are discussed in this blog. Your "stuff" is real. I wish the Docs/Nurses/Case Workers would spend 5 minutes checking your comments out. It might bring about a better informed conversation than the shiny Glaxo flyers provide. That is all.

Everyone's body is different and reacts to every medicine differently. After experiencing depression for some years i was finally put on an antidepressant (cymbalta). My dosage was continually increased because I wasn't feeling any better. Eventually I changed psychologists and she diagnosed me as being bipolar II and said that anti-depressants have an adverse effect on people who are bipolar. so for about a year and a half i was on 200 mg of lamictal. It worked wonders and i felt no negative side effects other than if i forgot to take my second dose during the day. Eventually i took myself off of it (slowly, in the same fashion that i had started it) and was off of it for about a year. Getting off of it was hard, but eventually i felt ok. Then a year later i felt i needed it again. So after a 3 months of being on it again my doctor took me off of it because i experienced extreme head pressure-to the point that i felt like my head was going to explode. i had a checkup at my regular doctor and nothing was wrong. once i had the lamictal out of my system i felt fine again. well now a year and a half after that, i started the lamictal again in hopes that it would work like it did the first time for me. Unfortunately that has not happened yet. As i write this, my head has so much pressure. I ve experienced headaches on and off for the past 4 days. This is not a common side effect so im not sure whats going wrong.. Has anyone else experienced this or know why that is happening? Anyways like i said the first time i was on lamictal for a yr and a half and i felt fantastic. I would tell people i "loved it"---which sounds silly but when you go from absolutely miserable to feeling alive again and having motivation, that phrase doesnt sound so silly. so take everything you hear with a grain of salt. experience it for yourself because everyone's body is different and who knows, maybe you will feel better on it. I however am stopping this drug tomorrow because of the rare head pressure i experience while on it!

wow! lamictal. im taking it for bipolar and it sounded so great due to the fact that it concentrates on the "lows" more than the "highs" and since i've been battling depression and suicidal thoughts since the 4th grade i thought this would be a wonderful addition to my medication. i would keep the seroquel at night and only take during the day "as needed" i was told there weren't very many side effects, just following starter kit exactly and i wont get that terrible rash. i didn't have access to a computer until a few days later after my first dose. so i didn't really get a chance to do much research. the first night i was surprised i felt a little loopy. didn't thank much of it. BUT several day late i felt i had the mind of a child. my speech slowed, my motor skills were off i felt heavy in body but light in the head. i could produce simple words. i knew the meanings of the words just had know actual word for them and would have to try to explain these words. stupid me started a new medication just before having to study for an exam( i was not expecting such a quick start of side effects) wow! i had no short term memory. could barely function. it was hard to even order a cup of coffee. of course there were other side effects such as pounding headaches and muscle soreness but they were nearly as annoying as the mental side effects. i started out at a low dose of just 25 mg. i had to stop taking it so my head would clear up and i could actually function just to take my exam. im not cleared up all the way yet but i do feel better. im sure my psych teacher will understand. ....but something im curious about is a weight limit issue. it really seems the side effects shouldn't have started so quickly and so intensely. i haven't been able to find anything about weigh a certain amount to take certain dosages. does any one know about this? should lower weights start even slower? im am a few pound below 100 and im thinking that might be why it hit so hard. considering its the weekend im not going to talk to my pdoc until maybe after my exam about stopping than restarting, but i do plan on restarting and giving it more time for the side effects to clear up

Hi everyone:

I'm on 200g of Lamictal. It has stabilized my mood a little bit, but I've gained 10 pounds and can't lose it despite working out 2 hours a day jogging and rowing. Granted, I do eat chocolate and fried foods sometimes but otherwise my diet is really good. My hair has thinned a lot (but I started with very fine hair - so it's not that huge of a difference). I've got a bald patch on the back of my head - and I'm female. I'm going to try to get extensions to make it look better.

I want to go off this desperately. I weaned myself of Lithium and Seroquel and this one is the last to go. wish me luck - because I am still suicidal and If I have to stay on this for the rest of my life, I would rather die and just get it over with.

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 was diagnosed as being Bipolar a few days ago as Ive been on different types of anti depressants for years, I'm 23 now, and its NEVER helped me. The Doctor prescribed Seroquel and Lamictal. The Seroquel was supposed to be temporary until the Lamictal kicked in but after having HORRIBLE side effects from the Seroquel I quit it after only one night. Today was the first day of the Lamictal starter pack and besides feeling a little out of it and irregular heartbeat once in a while, thats all that I've noticed. But after reading all of your stories I really do not want to continue it. But the anti depressants don't help so I don't know what else to do. I'm not even sure that I am Bipolar. I do have self destructive habits like excessive shopping, stealing, partying etc. There are times when I'm ok and times where I am depressed but never to the point where I cant get out of bed. But I don't work or go to school. I quit all my jobs and I dropped out of school. I feel anxious a lot of the time, helpless, just really lost.....I dunno whats wrong with me. I wish I knew for sure because I would hate to continue the Lamictal and risk the more serious side effects for a disorder that I may not even have. I just wish someone could look into my brain and tell me for sure.

I am always tired and kinda shaky I cant figure out if its the Lamictal or Seroquel which ever I am stopping it when I find out what it is I cant handle the side effects I am very sensitive to the side effects of any meds.

On October 5th 2007 I experienced auditory hallucinations but their different than the others. I hear my thoughts directly outside of my head and they repeat the thought continuously until another thought happens. Sometimes their are thoughts that I have previously thought of and they won't go away. It starts from the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to sleep in the evening. Sometimes they sing like a choir and sometimes they talk my thoughts. Children's, women, men, and one old man. Sometimes it's a mechanical voice. I started taking Lamicatal in August. I started with 25 mg. for two weeks. Then I increased it to 50mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 75 mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 100mg for two weeks. Then I increased it to 125mg and I took this for one week and that's when these auditory hallucinations got worse. Now I only take 50mg and the auditory hallucinations will not go away yet. Before I started taking Lamictal I was on Cymbalta 20mg. I needed to stop taking this medication as that it caused abdominal pains, severe headaches, nausea, I started hearing other peoples thoughts and conversations. I was only Cymbalta for one year. I never was able to hear peoples thoughts before taking Cymbalta and I never heard hallucinations before taking Lamictal. Years ago I was taking Paxil 20mg and this medication increased the abstract visual dreaming and the zoning out. The reason I started taking Lamicatal was that in the evening while I was sleeping I would sometimes get startled in the middle of the night with abstract visual dreaming and it hurt my head. Also I was zoning out occasionally during the day. Kind of like daydreaming but no visual dreams. Lamicatal did stop this but this side effect is driving me insane.

my 13 yr. old daughter has been on 150mg. per day for about 9 months, have noticed major acne(cheeks,chin -very inflamed), huge wt. gain-from 92-134 lbs. in 6mo., she started her periods mid April and has had long periods with heavy bleeding and now for the second time in 31/2 months is anemic despite being put on birth control pills to stop the bleeding- she is exhausted-sleeping 12-14 hours per day-this is not her usual pattern.Previously thought her wt. gain was from Seroquel but even after being off it for 61/2 months there has been no wt. loss. The only other time she has had wt. gain with a med. is Tegretol- so maybe I shouldn't be suprised that she has this response to anothe AE.

This is a nightmare. I have been on Lamictal 200 mg, tab in morning, for approx. 5 months. About 3 1/2 months ago I started getting muscles aches and weakness, muscle overuse problems, fluid retention ( like 12 pounds), stayed in a trance with very little short term memory. Thought it was everything but this medicine....I am an avid athelite, yes, even at 51. So, I blamed myself for not slowing down. Quick exercising totally, for 2 months, iced 3 times a day on leg muscles. Finally after making it to the summer without a mental breakdown, I went to the emergency room and a new internist to get checked out. Blood work, thyroid, hormones,ok.... Really don't care what they think , I can not walk, it hurts like hell. The Dr. did tell me to get off Lamictal....ok 7th day and I have some relief but it is not complete. Called manufactures, interesting, yes- these are side effects!!! But the studies are limited. Listen , unless you have seizures, get off this medicine... you read the full disclosure of side effects and then search yourself......It can ba a huge FOOOOOPA.....And you are the fool that will end up holdling the bag, not the manufacturer. Hopefully I will get better. Right now , I just trying to stay calm.