insanity

I started really feeling the results around 75 mgs, I felt it a little at 50mgs, But people actually noticed and commented about the changes in me when I hit 100mgs. after a month my doc wanted me to up it to 150mgs and now I just started taking 200mgs. when I was taking 150mgs, on occasion, I'd notice that out of control, aggitated feeling return, not nearly as bad as before, but I felt the need to up my dose a little. Another reason it probaby hit me so well was that I was off of all meds for about a month, I wanted to get all the medications I was taking before out of my system to give this a real chance to work on its own, you know, without the effects of the other meds coming out of my system at the same time, it was really hard on me and probaby harder on my family without me being without any meds, but it was worth it. Also this is probably the first time that I was ever on only one medication. I can't say enough about this lamictal. My doctor said it's a newer med, one of the few designed mainly for those suffering from bipolar. He was real excited about how it worked for me. He said that most of his patients who he has given this to had pretty much the same resuts as me. This is the first medication that I ever actually recommended to others. When others actually remark to your face, how they notice such a positive change in you, you know that a med is really working!!! It feels so good! Like I said earlier, Lamictal probably saved my life.

Lord I haven't been on these forums for, wow it feels like forever, I was actually a moderator once upon a time, then I left and came back again, and then things got really really bad. Anyway, who cares. What brought me back was my curiosity about lamictal, and it's effects on others. I've been on everything, well of course not everything, but a ton of other mood stabilizers ( depakote, litium, neuronton, tegratol, topomax, and more) antidepressants(prozac, wellbutrin, amitriptiline, effexor, paxil, zoloft, lexapro, celexa, elival, remeron, and many many more) and antipsychotics ( seroquel, zyPrexa, Risperdal, Abilify, and others)and of course the many combinations of them all. I've always suffered with bi-polar as far back as I can remember I was never quite right. The last few years were the worst, about three years ago,I hit the wall HARD with a drug problem (which cost me everything, our house, our cars, I can't believe I didn't loose my husband and kids) after going into rehab, and finally finding a new home, and trying to make a fresh start as a family, I find out that my husband has to go to Iraq for the next 18 months, about a year into him being gone, I was seriously contemplating wrapping my car around a telephone poll, or jumping off the roof of our house head first. I started to shoplift... SHOPLIFT??? Geeze!!! What was that?? I knew I had to get help. I wasn't taking any of my meds right, nothing really seemed to work ever for me anyway. I finally went to a new P-doctor, who placed me on nothing but Lamictal, and a light medication called roserem for sleep. He started me on a dose pack, 25mg for 1 week, then 50, by the time I was on 75mgs, my world started to change, when I hit 100mgs, people were actually commenting on the "new me". One moring, I over heard my 2 sons talking about how come Mommy doesn't yell at us anymore. The neighbor asked me one day if my kids have been away, because he hasen't heard me screaming lately. It wasn't such a big task to clean the house, my jaw didn't hurt anymore from gritting my teeth. My kids didn't seem afarid of me, ( I never ever hurt them, but gawd, I would flip out) My husband came home from Iraq to a complete stranger, a stranger who doesn't get annoyed at everything he says or does, he doesn't have to come home from work worrying about my moods, or worrying about if I'll ruin family trips with my mood swings. The only concern my doctor had at the beginning, is that in some people a severe rash is sometimes is a side effect. This is a newer medication, so there's not alot of personal information out there about it. I'm on 200mgs now, it's been a few months, but so far, so really really good. I just wanted to let anyone know who is thinking about starting Lamictal or needs to switch meds, or is just curious about Lamictal, this medication seriously saved my life. I've had absolutely no negative side effects whatsoever. There are times when I still feel like I'm going to "lose it", but now I'm able to think about it. I react without everyone wondering if my head will start to spin. I feel normal now, (whatever that is)

Oh my gosh! I can't believe you take 100 mgs and still function! ha ha! I was told to take 100 mgs at night and 25 in the am, But even after all this time I still can't take more the 50mgs at night. It seems like I'm building no tolerance to this. which I guess is good.

depokote, lithium, neurotin, prozac, wellbutrin, seroquel, tegretol, paxil, effexor, topomax, elavil, norotriptlyne, zoloft I know I'm forgetting a few. Effexor was the absolute worst thing I ever took. Prozac once upon a time was the best, until I got the prozac poop out. so sad.

Isn't it a shame that we will refuse to try a new medication because we hear it may make us gain weight? That's always bugged me. First off I always say try for yourself, don't refuse any med because of someone elses side effects. There have been medications I have taken in the past that just made me gain, just from taking them. Seroquel with me has had me gain a few pounds in the beginning. First off Seroquel gives me the munchies, god I just want to eat the sofa after taking it. This has subsided some, and I'm not giving in to the food cravings. I noticed my ankles swell a bit in the beginning, I take a water pill every now and then and that fixes that. But the good I've gotten from the seroquel outweighs that couple of pounds I've gained, I'm taking 2 or 3 pounds. I love my seroquel. OH MY GOD! How do you not get sleepy on this stuff? I'm told to take a 100 mgs at night , I can't take more then 50mgs if that. and they have me taking 25 in the morning. NOPE! won't even go there. I'd be a walking zombie, or actually I wouldn't be able to walk, ha ha.

This is weird, But Depakote made me pass out. I started taking it, and within a few hours I kept passing out! Not lighted or anything like that, I'd stand up, and faint. My P-doc said this would go away. I was thinking, "Would this go away before I cracked my head open on something?" I stopped taking it immediately.

I see a few posts about seroquel here. I found out today that one of my friends,who had been addicted to xanax for a few years (and is having a really hard time with it) has been perscribed seroquel for no other reason really then to help her come off of xanax.

I took trazodone while in the hospital as a sleep aid. Now this is the thing about it. You have a 20 minute window once taking the med to lay down and go to sleep. I thought this was rediculous, but you have to be ready for bed, all relaxed and take the med. It won't work if you take it, then take a bath, fold some clothes.....like I did. The doctor then put me on seroquel for sleep it works great for me. (I could never make that darn window)

You know it's such a relief to hear a medication getting such a good review, (especially when I'm taking it) You hear so much about the downsides of meds, it's get so discouraging.

See I guess I'm approaching this whole taking serequel for depression for the bipolar the wrong way. I'm actually thinking of it as a sleep aid. My mania has seemed to mostly disappear. At times I get really aggitated, but I don't have that manic feeling anymore. so I guess the tegretol and the serequel are working towards that. I just feel "down" like lack of enthusiasm, kinda depressed, alot of "doomed" thoughts, and things like that. I told my dr. this, and alot has to do with the meds working on the mania part, which I guess I miss, and a lot has to do with coming off of being on drugs for along time, and missing that "high" feeling and dealing with normal emotions which I haven't felt for years. it's normal for someone in recovery to be depressed alot I guess, that's where the wellbutrin comes in. So I think what I'm going to do, is continue to only take the serequel at night, let the wellbutrin do it's thing, and if the mania starts to come back in, I'll try the serequel during the day. Thanks for all the advice and info.

Oh my goodness, I went to the p-doc today, he increased my serequel from 25/50 mgs of it a night, to 100mgs a night, and 25 in the morning, along with the tegretol I was taking already and wellbutrin. I didn't say anything to him, because I was in shock, but I don't think I'm going to take the 25 mgs in the morning. Wellbutrin is in noway going to keep me awake after taking the serequel. ha ha. I'm quite happy with the increase at night though. I love to finally after fighting insomnia my whole life, to know I'm going to have a good nights sleep.

Whats the fish oil for? Sounds like a dumb question, but just out of curiousity.

Xanax, can be one of the most addictive medications out there. Unfortunatey Dr.s don't realize alot of the time how horrible withdrawl can be. Fact is if taken long term, xanax can be harder and a lot more painful then heiron to detox from. If taken in small amouts as perscribed for a short amout of time weening is definately recommended. There's people who have been on it for years and years and their Dr has taken them off of it all of a sudden, and the result is awful. There's people who have had to admit themselves to rehab because they have taken it long term as perscribed, and their dr. discontinued it. I seen it first hand. This is one drug to think twice about taking regularly long term. ALWAYS consult your doc. when discontinuing it.