Lamictal Stomach Cramps, Heart Palpitations, Mris, Muscle Pain, Ct Scan
Posted over a year ago
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 ... more »
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!!!!
Missydobs - I can totally relate. I have been on this medicine for about 8 months now and have every sympton you do.
My knees are so sore I can sometimes barely walk.
4 months ago my dosage was increased by a large amount. I have sonce gained 18 pounds.
I am always extremely tired, blaoted, sore etc.
I have spent a fortune at the dr in the last 2 weeks having blood tests etc and thay say they cant find the exact cause. I am so tempted to just stop this terrible medication straight away
Dnly2001 - I am surprised, however you wouldn't think any med would surprise me. Is Lamictal the only med you are taking? I have taken a great number of meds with many combinations trying to find the answer for me. Typically I have bad side effects. With Lamictal I found I can not go over 200 mg or I get diarrhea and now after a number of years I think it may be causing me to itch some but it has been about the only med that has not caused me a more serious side effect. My doctor recently thought it might be causing me irritability in combination with the fact that my thyroid was extremely low which we were having difficulty monitoring after my hysterectomy but when he tried to lower it I became so quickly depressed that I had to go back on it. My thyroid has since leveled out and for now I am feeling better. I do find it to be a constant battle but hopefully you can find the right answer for you. Keep communicating Everything to your doctor. Things that I think don't matter, matter.
Ehohio - I am having similar side effect .I was being woke up at night with sharp pain
in my chest on the left and racing heart beat , allso pain around the heart
area and pain floating on my left arm and tingling in my legs started .My heart would start racing for no reason . I would walk up stairs in my house and my heart would race to 130 bpm shortness of beath . I went to doctor
he thought maybe I pulled a chest muscle . I went home and just got worst
went to ER they did EKG and blood work Xrays , and recommend a stress
test . I had the test everything was normal . I started think maybe my meds
I lowered my dose of Lamictal and after a couple days stoped and used adavan . Everthing stoped happening after a couple days it has been three
days and I think lamicctal is the problem I had only been on this for a little over a month was up to 100 mg . Hopefully yours will go away after a week or two also . I love this website I learned alot about this Lamictal that is not on there website side effects page. Your infomation helped me to stop taken lamictal to see if it was the cause. Thank you for sharing.
Good luck !
EH
Sponge24 - I am hoping to find some relief myself.I had been on Lamictal 100 mg since Last thanksgiving.It was increased to 150 weeks ago.It was stopped like 4 or 5 days ago.
I was taking it for bi-polar.I can not walk now.I was extremely active.So much for my even state of moods.I am both more discouraged and depressed.It is so bad that I am going to use my mothers cane.I am unable to play with my 5 yr old nephew.I hope to God this is not permanent.
Treehouse - I have been slowly ramping up to 500 mg/day and the side effects are about to do me in. They consists of muscle aches, joint fagility, hair loss, weight loss, shortness of breath and heart palpitations.
Yolieherman - I had a severe reaction after 9 days on Lamictal. My lymph nodes swelled 1st in my neck, then inside my mouth, throat, under the tongue. Went to ER twice, the 2nd time I was admitted because I couldn't swallow. They gave me antibiotics and steriods for the swelling. The swelling dropped to my chest then to my stomach and never left. 3 months later I am still swollen in the upper stomach area and everywhere I have lymph glands. I work out at a gym but am so bloated it is embarassing.
Francielyon - I have had every side effect you are having. 20 lbs heavuer, weight gain, short term memory loss, confused, hair loss, feeling like I'm having a heart attack. Thanks for posting because I'm relieved that its not just me, its the med!
Summerflower - i am wondering if you are experiencing withdrawl symptoms....i know that this is a drug that is as most drugs hard to withdraw from....hopefully this may help you....
Loirish88 - I had two episodes of waking in the middle of the night, unable to breathe. I would jump out of bed, then slam myself down on the bed to start breathing again. Then blood tests showed high protine, and calcium, Liver function tests were problematic. Went off lamictal and when tapering off, started having optical migraines, which continued over six months time along with weird visual difficulties. My Dr. claims it was not due to lamictal, but I think it was.
Tdotsara - I've been having the exact same side effects, except my doctor doesn't think that's whats causing my symptoms.
The beginning of the titrate wasn't bad, and then when I started increasing dosages, I started having this abdominal bloating and pressure on my stomach, constipation, chest pain and shortness of breath, thinning and loss of hair and weight gain (which, being a girl is the hardest--no one likes gaining weight!)
I just don't know what to do.
Nauticalstar - Have you ever been checked for Peripheral Neuropathy because you are describing it perfectly. The knots, the floating pain, all of it!
You should see a physician that is familiar with per. neuropathy there are neuropathy specialists check. I know Duke University has a few. Here is a website that may help you. My prayers are with you. www.mayoclinic.com/health/peripheral-neuropathy/DS00131
www.ninds.nih.gov/.../peripheralneuropathy/peripheralneuropathy.htm
www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/peripheral_neuropathy/intro.htm
Good Luck,
Brandi
Melissastokes - Hi All,
I was taking Lamotrigine generic for Lemictal for about 3 months or so and i started experiencing heart palpitations, chest pain numbness in hands and feet, anxiety attacks, shortness of breath right about 3 months after i was taking it. My boyfriend didn't belive me that i was having side effects he said they only start the first couple of weeks. Anyhow i went to the ER they said to stop the medication completely and i did, i have been feeling really crappy to say the least. I have had anxiety attacks, heart palpitations and all that after being off Lemictal for 2 weeks now. I don't know what to do any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I really need a good mood stabilizer with tolerable side effects, since that is what i was on the medication for in the first place. I was getting mad all the time and not able to control my emotions, my relationship was going downhill fast. The said part is Lemictal worked wonders for me until the side effects all the problems started. Please let me know if anyone has felt the same way, as i read some of you have. Any help please!!
Bioriox - i recently started taking lamictal about a month ago. now.. my blood pressure was mildly high before max 150/90.. but since taking it it seems like its been jumping abnormally high at peaks of up to 190/105. ive had increasing chest pain, heartbeat irregularity, episodes of my heart feeling like it going to explode, other times it feels like its just going to stop. flu like symptoms, lethargy, headaches and rapid resting heart rates.. around 130bpm. walking even up from my basement becomes a task i loathe lately. any small activity just drains me and makes my body and heart feel so overworked.
the only good news is that in fact my depressive bi-polar symptoms have been greatly reduced. but in return im left with physical ailments that are quite uncomfortable (at times even unbearable) and the stress and anxiety of trying to deal with them. i have only recently thought of lamictal as a possible problem to my oncoming symptoms..
just 2 weeks after starting lamictal i had to be taken to the ER for chest palpitations and a rocket high blood pressure. they did extensive tests like EKG's lots of bloodwork xrays ect ect. all came out clear. they told me nothing was wrong.. nothing wrong with my heart, head, kidneys ect.
obviously SOMETHING is wrong if i feel this way. and have only recently began to feel this way. even compared to my panic attacks and depressive swings i have never felt so PHYSICALLY incapacitated.
i believe.. even if lamictal isnt causing these problems.. it may actually be making other physical problems worse. (e.g. high blood pressure, insomnia, heart problems ect.) even among ailments that you have yet to be diagnosed with.
i have only but recently began to take action into ruling(out) lamictal as the problem for my symptoms. for the others who know what this feels like and to all who may yet feel this way.. my heart is out to you and my prayers. i wish you all the best recovery and health. i have hope in being better!
Bioriox - i recently started taking lamictal about a month ago. now.. my blood pressure was mildly high before max 150/90.. but since taking it it seems like its been jumping abnormally high at peaks of up to 190/105. ive had increasing chest pain, heartbeat irregularity, episodes of my heart feeling like it going to explode, other times it feels like its just going to stop. flu like symptoms, lethargy, headaches and rapid resting heart rates.. around 130bpm. walking even up from my basement becomes a task i loathe lately. any small activity just drains me and makes my body and heart feel so overworked.
the only good news is that in fact my depressive bi-polar symptoms have been greatly reduced. but in return im left with physical ailments that are quite uncomfortable (at times even unbearable) and the stress and anxiety of trying to deal with them. i have only recently thought of lamictal as a possible problem to my oncoming symptoms..
just 2 weeks after starting lamictal i had to be taken to the ER for chest palpitations and a rocket high blood pressure. they did extensive tests like EKG's lots of bloodwork xrays ect ect. all came out clear. they told me nothing was wrong.. nothing wrong with my heart, head, kidneys ect.
obviously SOMETHING is wrong if i feel this way. and have only recently began to feel this way. even compared to my panic attacks and depressive swings i have never felt so PHYSICALLY incapacitated.
i believe.. even if lamictal isnt causing these problems.. it may actually be making other physical problems worse. (e.g. high blood pressure, insomnia, heart problems ect.) even among ailments that you have yet to be diagnosed with.
i have only but recently began to take action into ruling(out) lamictal as the problem for my symptoms. for the others who know what this feels like and to all who may yet feel this way.. my heart is out to you and my prayers. i wish you all the best recovery and health. i have hope in being better!
Tmi - I was on Lamictal for a little over two months. I was seeing great improvement with my mood, but also became Short of breath, felt like I couldn't take a good deep breath or yawn. It was constant. I went my physician and had every type of blood work done that they could do , went to see a pulmonogist...Everything was good....I stopped taking the lamictal. I still have the shortness of breath and am very bloated. I have never been overweight always between 100-105 and I am up to 120 ! This is huge for me since I am only 5 foot ! My doctor gave me Seroquel and Ativan, guess what Seroquel causes weight gain too....I take the Ativan and it help with the shortness of breath, but I am going to stop taking the Seroquel. Will see him today to hopefully find a med that has minimal side effects, but doubt that. Might just have to deal with the insanity :) Good luck to everyone and thank you for sharing your stories. It is a great help to all of us out there who feel nobody is listening.
Jamiehardges - I have... I have been on lamictal for about 3 months and it gave me gastroenteritis and the doctor called the stomach cramps stomach flu, but I knew wht was really going on... The difference is I am on clonazapam and lithium as well but I dehydrated so bad that my liver and kidney were shedding the doctor said and he gave me two medicines in the iv besides the saline and 4 medicines including morphine for pain and diarrhea and vomitting... I had clear skin... I forst got acne from the the lithium now I have it from the lamictal.. My muscles are sore I cant stay on my lap top for more than 5 minutes... I am running a constant fever, and I am swollen everywere... I stagger alot and my eyes shift very quickly constantly... I am also still suicidal at times...
Its hard but with constant therapy I am doing it...
Karananny - Just started Lamictal about a month ago. I have a rash on my thighs, shortness of breath, pain below the breastbone, bloating, weight gain, and i can't sleep on my stomach because it feels like there's a big lump in the fundus region of my stomach.
How do I wean myself off of this?
Alexstrahan - I have had diplopia any time I take too much medicine accidentally or take it without food. My doctor has recently increased my dosage, and I have had heart palpitations, and I haven't been able to breathe very well (anxiety is listed as a symptom). If you're having these symptoms, try Librax. It's a very inexpensive "take as needed" prescription drug (I think I pay $5 for 120 pills). It's helped me a lot. I had it on hand from when I was in grad school (plenty of anxiety), so I just used it. It doesn't interact with seizure meds, and doesn't cause seizures. I've been on Lamictal for about 7 years, and until I've recently had an increase, I haven't had the heart palpitations or anxiety. Maybe try the extended release pill. Those will release throughout the day, instead of having a major dose at one time. It may cause your symptoms to be less harsh.
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