Lamictal and sex drive

Harry Potter I think when you have severe depression sex drive is one of the last things on your mind, and anyway lamictal severely reduced mine....and as far as feeling youthful I don't know where you got that.

I'm convinced lamictal has given me acne and I seem to be a hell of a lot hairier too which is rather upsetting considering I'm a 24 year old girl. I genuinely do not believe I can cope without it and barely am (with it) however it does make a huge difference.
I have read that lamictal can have bad effects on the kidneys and liver and have considered taking accutane for the acne but know this is also bad for your kidneys and liver too. I am also concerned about other possible side effects of accutane (depression being the main on). Does anyone know if it is safe to take the two together? It seems to be a tricky one. Thanks, C.

Reply 14 minutes ago on Mar 23, 2009 by harry_potter, #18398
hi i am 24 year old have been taking this med but i probably know how actually it causes this acne problem its pretty simple one off the effect in wiki pidea if this med is increased sexual desire and so i cam to know it some how make our testical create or some other gland a youth harmon this ultimately through legitimately causes symptom it is too direct no wonder why you people at this age like this drug it increases the sex drive make you feel youth full but for the youth find the other med of the same class of med chech in wikipidia about this and for above 40 get some drug which increases sexual drive and with other good anti depression .

I have been on Lamictal for 3 months after being on Paxil first and then Cymbalta for many years. I thought I might be bi-polar due to family history but after spending 2 hours with a psychiatrist who really knew his medications determined I was just clinically depressed. He started me on the 5 week starter pack and my max dose is 100mg/day. I am a early riser and take the medication about 5am every morning. I have had no experience with dreams, shortness of breath, etc. I have however developed a rash (under the skin) dry but not itchy, red splotches about 3 weeks ago. I thought might be the Lamictal but realized my dentist gave me a very expensive toothpaste for whitening and dry mouth to use. "Fluoridex", when I looked for side effects of the toothpast, it was rash and dry splotches to the face.

Lamictal has saved my life. I have had 8 brain surgeries in 4 years and had lost the will to live. I feel alive again and started feeling that way when I was midway thru the starter pack at 50mg/day. I think in everything, you have to have the right doctor and they have to know their medications. I have never felt so good in my entire life. My sex drive has increased after 32 years of marriage (husband is very happy) I work out in gym 5 days/week and have lost 20 pounds and have no desire for sweets or diet sodas, losing the desire to smoke (yeah).

I have read alot of the post that are negative about Lamictal. Please see your doctor and either have him decrease the dose or change the medication. You owe this to yourself.

My 17 year old son has been taking Lamictal for seizures for 2 1/2 years. He started out at 300 mg a day and was seizure free for a 1 1/2 years until November 2007. Since then his physician slowly increased his dosage to 500 mg a day. and he hasn't had another seizure . Unfortunately, Since the increase he has acne on his jawline and back. We are trying to find a way to get rid of the acne, but have been unsuccessful so far--decreasing his dosage is not an option as he has grand mal seizures. Also, he has these tiny red bumps all over his arms. His dermatologist say's they are a hair follicle problem, but I think it's quite a coincidence that they started when he began the Lamictal. If anyone has any suggestions, we would greatly appreciate them.

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.

Has anyone experienced Melasma with this drug? I am trying to identify if this is the cause of my melasma, because it worsened when we increased from dose from 150 up to 250mg a day.

I started taking an increased dose of Lamictal from 100mg to 200g BD along with Tegretol CR200 and Tegretol CR400 BD. This mixture has resulted in fatigue, depression and an erotic sex drive - mostly on the side of decreased libido. My poor darling husband....

THIS IS MY 8TH DAY ON LAMICTAL 25MG AND I WOKE UP SO DIZZY THAT I ALMOST FELL OVER. I HAVE BEEN THIS WAY ALL DAY IT LIKE COMES AND GOES FAST. IM DIZZY NOW..
I HAVE NOTICED MUSCLE ACHES BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE ATENONOL 25MG I TAKE FOR PALPITATIONS BECAUSE IT LOWERS YOUR POTASSIUM. IM THINKING THE LAMICTAL DOES THE SAME LOWERS YOUR POTASSIUM WHICH CAUSES THE MUSCLE PAIN AND ETC.. SO I BEGAN EATING BANANAS AND SEE HOW THAT GOES. MY DOC SAID THAT IF YOU TAKE A ANTIDEPRESSANT AND YOU ARE BI POLAR YOU CAN HAVE SERIOUS REACTIONS TO THE MEDS. SHE TOLD ME TO "NOT" TAKE A ANTIDEPRESSANT.
I WAS ON THIS MEDICINE BEFORE AND WAS UNSURE ABOUT A SIDE EFFECT OF ULCERS IN MY MOUTH AND STOPPED IT. I REALLY WANTED TO CONTINUE BECAUSE IT MADE ME FEEL GREAT(only got to 50mg then)
I HAVE ACTUALLY FELT PRETTY GOOD MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD EXCEPT YESTERDAY AND TODAY I HAVE BEEN REALLY TIRED ALONG WITH THE OTHER.
MY QUESTION IS WILL THESE SIDE EFFECTS GO AWAY???? AND I DON'T WANT TO REALLY EAT MUCH.
I REALLY LIKE THAT I AM NOT MOODY ANYMORE LIKE I WAS AND I GOT MY SEX DRIVE BACK AND I DON'T WANT TO GO OFF IF I DON'T HAVE TOO.. HOW LONG DO THE SIDE EFFECTS LAST??
AND IS IT WORTH STICKING IT OUT?

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.

This may sound a little strange ... I was prescribed Lamictal off label for OCD. A lot of my obsessive-compulsive behavior is related to an insatiable need for male attention, in addition to an overwhelming need to check and fix my apperances - what my doctor calls BDD (Body Dismorphic Disorder, which is closly related to OCD). I started taking 50 mg of Lamictal, and after several months, ended up at 250 mg. My behavior didn't really seem to change and I didn't feel any side effects ... well, for the most part. I have taken SO many different kinds of medications for depression, OCD and social anxiety, and they have ALL had some side effect or another than made it impossible for me to continue taking the drug, no matter what the upside was. Dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, sexual side effects, memory loss, headaches, etc. You name the side effect, I've experienced it, but NOT from Lamictal. The only side effect I had from Lamictal wasn't really a "normal" side effect. It was fitting to my situation and my initial need for the drug. After being on Lamictal for a while, I felt nothing different in myself - no aching, nausea, vision issues, or forgetfulness ... just an extremely weak libido. And, I'm not talking about the sexual side effects that normally come along with taking certain medications. Where you just completely lose you sex drive, and the idea of sex ends up being totally disgusting to you. I didn't lose my sex drive - I just lost all my flirty, provocative, sexy, cheeky behavior. I use to want to take sexy pictures of myself for my boyfriend and things like that, and it all completely went away. I don't know if Lamictal is supposed to have sexual side effects - I don't think it is - but this was my experience with it. I want to continue taking Lamictal because it does curb some of my behavior that normally ends up putting me in danger and getting me in trouble, but I truly feel like a huge part of me is dead inside. I feel that my sexuality is a big part of who I am, whether I like it or not, and I miss it. I'm probably going to stop taking the medication JUST b/c I miss that certain part of myself. I would, however, recommend Lamictal to anyone with OCD who wants to try and control certain obsessive behavior. It seems to do the trick

I take 200mg's of Lam 100 in morn and 100 at night, along with 3 mgs of klonopin. I really don't have any severe side effects, but the one side that does bother me is that it takes me a very long time to orgasm, I mean a very long time and my sex drive has diminished significately, but I guess that is ok because my wife isn't a big fan of sex any way. But again maybe it's not the drugs that cause thgis side effect it could jubst be my wife. HA HA

no sex drive