Lamictal and severe headaches

My chronic pain has really increased since being on Lamictal for 15 months for bipolar. I have had fibromyalgia for years. The bipolar developed after that. Since starting Lamictal, I have developed headaches so severe that I have been off work 3 times in the past 7 months, inc. 5 weeks recently. I've always had headaches, but these new, more severe headaches are non-stop. I have to take 3 time-release 100 mg codeine tablets every day, plus Gravol to keep the headaches bearable. Even then, many days I end up bed-ridden. I've also developed chronic, very bad plantar facsiitis in my left foot since starting Lamictal. I did weeks of intensive physio, plus swimming therapy to no avail. Finally had to get a cortisone injection in my foot.

I hate being like this; I like my job and was used to leading a very active life, despite the fibromyalgia, before I went on Lamictal. I briefly tried Lithium recently, but it had a whole other set of side effects, so I am really frustrated.

Has anybody else had increased or new pain since being on Lamictal?

Rosslyn

I have been taking Lamictal for about 2 months now. Started at 25mg and now at 150mg. I also take 10mg Lexapro and 1 mg of Ativan daily. I was diagnosed with bipolar-2 about 3 months ago. I'm not sure if this is the right combo for me. Most of my problem is with severe irritability followed by moderate anxiety and mild depression. I have never had a Manic episode just Hypomania which the doctor said is my anger and Irritability. I have been on every SSRI (anti-depressant) for the last 12 years, which does help the depression, but it increases the anger and irritability. Another Dr told me I am not bipolar-2, I just have GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). Not sure what to do anymore, the Lamictal is giving me bad headaches and dizziness and nausea. So now I take Meclizine for the those symptoms. Is there just one pill to help all these symptoms? Has anyone had any luck with Buspar??

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.

Took mostly for seizures, but have been informally diagnosed with Bipolar II.

Had tremors at night, almost immediately, marked anxiety, weight loss, strange heat flashes, severe headaches (already have a migraine problem), complete w olfactory hallucinations (could have been breakthrough simple seizures, or headache auras).

Felt detached from myself and others. But the most disturbing symptom of all was auditory hallucinations. I have no history of psychosis and this only happened after starting Lamictal. Basically I could hear a constant chirping sound, subtle, but loud enough at night to keep me from sleeping unless my radio was playing to distract me from the sound. Could it have been a new form of seizure? Maybe, but regardless, the sounds started at the time I started this drug. Plus, according to a psychiatrist, I had no signs of psychosis, just the unexplained phantom sounds. One last possibility: Maybe an inner ear problem. Still would like to look into that.

People are right when they say this is still an experimental drug. If I had known what I was getting myself into, I never would have tried this drug to begin with. If any of you have had auditory hallucinations on this drug, without a history of any sort of hallucination or psychosis, PLEASE respond here and let me know about your experience. Thanks!