# Lamotrigine (Lamictal)



## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

Long time lurker with only a few posts here. 

I just wanted to share my recent success with a medication called Lamotrigine. I've tried a few SSRI's with no effect in combination with Benzodiazpines which are very helpful but short lived with the tolerance and reliance build up. I've been taken Lamotrigine for the last two months and up untill about this last 3-4 weeks I've seen a very significant decline in my social/general anxiety. The first month or so I was directed to slowly increase dosage because of possible side effects. I'm on 200mg a day now and couldn't be more pleased with it's effect. It's given me what I call a "healthy amount of anxiety". I still have anxiety during moments I believe any normal healthy person should, but normal interactions at work, with supervisors, or my girlfriend's parents, etc... have subsided alot. I also have a prescription of Klonopin which I do not need to take nearly as much because of Lamictals success in therapy. I use to have to take one every morning before going to work now it is only needed for meetings and other similiar events. 

Anyone else have success with Lamotrigine or have ever tried it? I know it's not popularly prescribed for social anxiety, but I think I found a medication and balance in life I can live with.


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

Also, to give you a background on my anxiety. I use to have, what I thought, was extreme anxiety. I couldn't even post on a forum without having a benzo, because i cared to much about the responses and what people would think of me. I stayed home every day and played videos games avoiding all interaction I could. I had panic attacks at work multiple times and my employment was at risk for leaving multiple times unplanned. I use to get the shakey voice and pounding heart talking to strangers and hated interacting with co-workers or my supervisor. Althought sometimes in my life I had less anxiety then others. In the last year or two is when i began seeking therapy and treatment because of the severity I exampled above. Maybe I am just bipolor because thats what lamotrigine is for, i dunno.


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## dist0rt (Nov 11, 2011)

I used to be on it, my doctor added it to what I was already on, which was Zyprexa, klonopin, and xanax. He said it works well as an extra 'layer' on top of the Zyprexa and helps with being Bipolar. I wasn't on the others long before adding the lamictal though so I really don't know how much each individual thing helped, but overrall the combination atleast helped me quite a bit.


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

Yes, as the dosage began getting stronger with Lamictal I experienced with using less benzos. They have there place with only certain situations now having success with lamictal. Maybe i'm just bipolar and thats why it's working so well, but including regular therapy with a pychologist things are looking better every day. 

I was a little skeptical when prescribed it and didn't ask to many questions. I'm curious to know if it's effects will decline with prolonged use or not. Hope not.


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## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

Yes - I take Lamictal & it helps greatly with anxiety. I take it for Bipolar though... But I did notice that my social anxiety is greatly lowered.


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

*Long term use*

Do you know if it's effectiveness goes away with time? Like tolerance builds? I feel like I found my solution and would hate for it to go away.


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## InterestinglyInteresting (May 7, 2010)

did you get any effect from low doses like 50 mg? when did it start affecting you?


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## triumphtr79 (Jan 2, 2005)

I've been taking it for years together with an SSRI. I take it as a supplement to the anti-depressant which isn't sufficient alone. I take 100mg daily. I was up to 200mg at one point. I'm currently living abroad and my doctor here won't up it. He says it's very harsh on the liver and I should get liver function tests done since I've been on it so long. I'll take my chances with the liver effects, without this amazing pill something worse may have happened...


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

triumphtr79 said:


> He says it's very harsh on the liver and I should get liver function tests done since I've been on it so long. I'll take my chances with the liver effects, without this amazing pill something worse may have happened...


While lamotrigine can sometimes elevate liver enzymes it's not "harsh on the liver" (hepatotoxic). Of course liver function tests shall be done as advised by your doctor, but in general they will come back normal or temporarily & moderatly elevated. Cases of toxic hepatitis especially fatal ones - are very rare in case of monotherapy with lamotrigine. In the literature case reports of serious liver problems mostly involved combination therapy with at least two drugs (e.g. valproate [wich can cause hepatitis on it's own] + lamotrigine).


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## InterestinglyInteresting (May 7, 2010)

triumphtr79 said:


> I've been taking it for years together with an SSRI. I take it as a supplement to the anti-depressant which isn't sufficient alone. I take 100mg daily. I was up to 200mg at one point. I'm currently living abroad and my doctor here won't up it. He says it's very harsh on the liver and I should get liver function tests done since I've been on it so long. I'll take my chances with the liver effects, without this amazing pill something worse may have happened...


what dosage did it start to impact your mood at?


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## FormerOptimist (Feb 15, 2013)

*Who keeps posting this stuff??*

Are pdocs or big pharm trying to promote lamotrigine as some anti-anxiety wonder drug?? I was prescribed this drug for major anxiety after SSRIs and SSNIs caused bad side effects (I don't cry but the SSRIs made me weepy and unusually emotional).

I am only taking 25mg at this point -- have had 3 doses in the last 3 days. I suffered a 9 1/2 hour long panic attack and thought I was dying. Chest felt crushed in, could not get air in my lungs, heart pounding out of my chest.

Called the doc who told me to stay on it and lay off the caffeine, but other than 3 glasses of sweet tea a day, I haven't had caffeine. I've never tried benzos and he will not prescribe them (I'm scared of them anyway), so I'm having to suffer through this crap. I've been agorophobic for almost 2 years because I was avoiding these panic attacks that I have every time I leave my home.....now I'm having them constantly IN my home!!!!!

I feel keyed-up, wired feeling -- very aggitated, like I'm itching on the inside. Heart palpitations are ridiculous. My head is hurting today for the first time, probably from the deep breathing I've been doing trying to get in air. No rashes, hives, or itchy skin though.

I'm trying to distract myself now in an attempt to regulate my breathing. My chest feels like its being pressed down and my heart is trying to leap out of it.

I've never been so miserable. I just want out. I'm afraid I will be suicidal if this keeps up.....doc said it will not be regulated for 8 weeks!!! I'll be dead by then!!!!


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

I haven't heard of doctors prescribing Lamotrigine for anxiety but it works remarkably well for mood disorders and can help with depression.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

bazinga said:


> I haven't heard of doctors prescribing Lamotrigine for anxiety but it works remarkably well for mood disorders and can help with depression.


i was prescribed lamotrigine for anxiety by some doctor a while back and it was an utter failure. it did absolutely nothing for my anxiety disorders (generalised and panic). i changed doctors. ha.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

The only way lamotrigine has helped my anxiety is by stabilizing my mood and alleviating depression.


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## jimmythekid (Apr 26, 2010)

I took it for bipolar and it really helped to pull me out of a depressive episode. I think it only helped with anxiety by treating the depression.


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## FormerOptimist (Feb 15, 2013)

Day 6 on lamotrigine and my heart is still pounding -- it gets up to 144 beats per minute just sitting on the couch! I have endogenous depression with slight swings in mood, but the anxiety is just as crippling (generalized and social anxieties). Pdoc said if this med helps me, then I will be given a bipolar II diagnosis. Not sure how it's supposed to help me when it's making the anxiety worse. MUCH worse. He's saying it will take 8 weeks to "regulate" the dose, while he's charging me $150 every 2 weeks. Even if my mood changes are more even, how is this going to help with agoraphobia and extreme anxiety?? I'm beginning to see there is no hope for anxiety disorders unless I want to be addicted to benzos. Hopeless. Completely hopeless.


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## headspinner (Feb 10, 2014)

*FormerOptimist -- get a second opinion*



FormerOptimist said:


> Day 6 on lamotrigine and my heart is still pounding -- it gets up to 144 beats per minute just sitting on the couch! I have endogenous depression with slight swings in mood, but the anxiety is just as crippling (generalized and social anxieties). Pdoc said if this med helps me, then I will be given a bipolar II diagnosis. Not sure how it's supposed to help me when it's making the anxiety worse. MUCH worse. He's saying it will take 8 weeks to "regulate" the dose, while he's charging me $150 every 2 weeks. Even if my mood changes are more even, how is this going to help with agoraphobia and extreme anxiety?? I'm beginning to see there is no hope for anxiety disorders unless I want to be addicted to benzos. Hopeless. Completely hopeless.


I have no experience with this drug (although my shrink is considering it for me), but just went through absolute HELL for 3 months that sounds exactly like what you are experiencing. Different drug (Zoloft), but same hellish experience that I let to go on for WAY too long.

NO drug should make you feel that way. Frankly, it sounds downright dangerous.

If this is a GP, find yourself a good shrink (not easy, but essential!). If this is a shrink, get a second opinion. Do it now. The worst case is you spend some more money to get a warm fuzzy that you really are doing the right thing.

Oh, and not using benzos short-term to help you through hell is a really bad call in my opinion and in my shrink's opinion.

In my case, I was told my reaction was quite uncommon and that I needed to get off Zoloft asap!

In short, a second opinion was the best thing I've done and I highly recommend that you do the same. Do it now.

Good luck!


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## Haillzz91 (Oct 26, 2013)

I've been on lamictal for about 6 years. I was first on 200 mg and had tons of side effects like panic attacks, insomnia and muscle pain, but now I'm on 25 mg every other day and I feel happy, rarely anxious and normal! 

It's a very strong drug though. I find I can't use it like Xanax for just "moments of anxiety" because I get withdrawal headaches and brain fog from the inconsistency.


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## Haillzz91 (Oct 26, 2013)

FormerOptimist said:


> Day 6 on lamotrigine and my heart is still pounding -- it gets up to 144 beats per minute just sitting on the couch! I have endogenous depression with slight swings in mood, but the anxiety is just as crippling (generalized and social anxieties). Pdoc said if this med helps me, then I will be given a bipolar II diagnosis. Not sure how it's supposed to help me when it's making the anxiety worse. MUCH worse. He's saying it will take 8 weeks to "regulate" the dose, while he's charging me $150 every 2 weeks. Even if my mood changes are more even, how is this going to help with agoraphobia and extreme anxiety?? I'm beginning to see there is no hope for anxiety disorders unless I want to be addicted to benzos. Hopeless. Completely hopeless.


You're on too high a dose! This happend to me on lamictal! It was terrrrible! I thought I was going to die for 4 years! I finally decreased by own dose every 3 months by 25 mg until I got to 25 mg every other day and now feel great


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## zeusko87 (Sep 30, 2014)

i have just been prescribed Lamictal in combination with 225 mg Effexor, 30 mg mirtazapine and 300 mg Lyrica.
i will start 25 mg BID for the first 2 weeks and then 2 weeks i will be on 25 mg TID. I have read only positive stories about this medication. It is considered to be side effects free drug. From all medications i have tried before Lyrica was the most helpful so i hope Lamictal will work as good as Lyrica. I have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, SA, chronic depression, GAD, fibromyalgia and extreme mood swings. Lyrica stabilize my mood a lot, helps with fibromyalgia, but it is just not enough so i decided to try Lamictal and i hope it will help with depression too


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