[luke1979]

well.. my last post about this dissapeared, so ill just re-write it and see how it goes.
anyways.. my doc has prescribed me Lamotrigine (Lamactil) to try in combination with mirtazapine which i have been on for 2 months.
ive read a few good things about lamactil from the dp research unit and kings college in london.
just thought id throw up a post and see if anyone else has anything to add, have u tried it? how did it go? any side effects, etc.?
anyway, hope your all going ok
cheers
Luke.

 

[Living in a fog]

The last time I posted here was in may 2002 the reason was that I started to feel better and became very busy with my life. Yes, I have been on lamictal started out at 25mgs and quickly went up to 100-125mgs in about 2-3 weeks. I think i went as high as 200mgs but felt something in the 100-125 range worked fine. I was also on celexa 20 mgs and 1.0mg-1.5mgs of klonopin. It did not get rid of my DR(i don't have DP but DR instead). It just made me care less about it. You are probably wondering why I am back its because i started to slip back into a hole again. If you want to know the side effects I can tell you what I experienced but I am not sure if it came from the celexa or the lamictal. Nausea, constantly grinding my teeth, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea and gas. Most of the symptoms went away except for the sexual dysfunction but thats why they make viagra. I just started lamictal 100mgs and celexa 20mgs today as I would like to get out of the hole that i managed to slide into. I didn't want to start out slowly on the lamictal since I did not get a rash the first time so why not start at the dose that felt comfortable to me. I am also taking 2mgs of klonopin but I hope to get it back to 1.0- 1.5mgs as in my previous experiment. I take it luke that ur about 25 yrs old by your screen name. i have 22 years on you therefore you may not experience the sexual dysfunction as you are so much younger and your testosterone levels are probably a lot higher then mine. I have never stopped the klonopin since I am dependent/addicted to it. I will keep you posted on how I feel in the upcoming days/weeks.

 

[luke1979]

that sounds promising, most of those side effects look like side effects from the anti-d.
as for sexual problems.. i dunno if i care all that much, im single and my libido is pretty non existant anyway.
i hope you get some good results again this time round.
cheers
Luke.

 

[luke1979]

well.. havnt got many replies.. maybe thats a good thing?
anyway, i just picked up the new tablets.. ill start them tonite, my initial dose will be 50mg and slowly increase from there.
well i got my fingers very firmly crossed, and ill keep you all informed as to how things go.
cheers
Luke.

 

[Guest]

I SWEAR I don't own stock in the Lamictal company -- I always seem to be touting it. But, once again, the following cocktail has given me nearly complete relief. Lamictal (lamotrogine) 300 mg; Zoloft (sertraline) 25 mg; Tofranil (imipramine) 10 mg; Klonopin (clonazepam) 4 mg. All taken at bed time in one giant gulp of chemicals. From my own experience and what I've read, it's especially important to combine the Lamictal with an SSRI.

Lamictal gave me a headache and made me a bit wired for the first few days. My vision was also a bit blurry. All went away quickly; I'm not aware of any side effects now.

And, yet again, the Lamictal + ssri + tricyclic + Klonopin is the same structure, with different doses, that Dreamer describes.

Marjorie

 

[Dreamer]

LOL marjorie,

I SWEAR I don't own stock in the Lamictal company -- I always seem to be touting it. But, once again, the following cocktail has given me nearly complete relief. Lamictal (lamotrogine) 300 mg; Zoloft (sertraline) 25 mg; Tofranil (imipramine) 10 mg; Klonopin (clonazepam) 4 mg. All taken at bed time in one giant gulp of chemicals. From my own experience and what I've read, it's especially important to combine the Lamictal with an SSRI.

Again, think you mentioned this before, I have had sucess, but not "nearly complete relief" with virtually an identical combo which was "constructed" over the years.

Me: Lamictal 200mg, Klonopin 6mg, Nortriptyline 50mg, Celexa 40mg

My depression has been worse recently, but I'd chalk that up to chronic negative life experiences recently, isolation, and the chronicity of the DP. Who knows? I've alwas been depressed.

Looking for a new psychiatrist to replaced the great guy I left in L.A.

His goal was to bring me down to just Lamictal, but I would say, Lamictal and Celexa. I've tried a few times to up the Lamictal, and I can barely stay awake. I'm thinking I might try to slowly lower the Klonopin a couple mg/up the Celexa (for the depression?), and maybe be able to up the Lamictal.

I have "better quality of life", but I wouldn't say "nearly normal" by a mile.

I say, a combo might be the best w/Lamictal.

Best,
D

 

[Dreamer]

No side effects at all up to 200mg. Also, as I always forget to say, it takes TIME for Lamictal to reach the proper level in your blood. I was ready to give up on it... my doctor begged me to give it more time. I noticed subtle differences after getting to 200mg and being on it about 4-6 weeks. If the psychiatrist hadn't begged me to give it a further try, I would have never gotten the benefit.

One needs a good shrink. Damned hard to find. Still shopping for a replacement.

 

[Guest]

Dreamer,

Can't speak for anyone else, but my fling with Lamictal monotherapy was a complete disaster. I don't act overtly strange, so no one, including me, realized I was so confused that I kept putting appointments into the wrong week of my calendar, and other things that are very unlike very unditzy me. One dose of Zoloft cleared my head, and since then I've stuck with it, along with going back to the Tofranil and Klonopin and, of course, continuing the Lamictal.

Marjorie

 

[luke1979]

well it's been about 12 hours or so since my first dose.. no side effects yet and nothing negative to say.. on the same note, nothing positive to say, but then again.. far too early to tell.
but yeah.. so far so good i spose
cheers
Luke.

 

[Living in a fog]

Well its been 4 weeks since I have been on lamictal 100mgs and Klonopin 2mgs. I have to say that it is working I still have DR but I am less apprehensive about it . I stopped taking the 20mgs of celexa 2 weeks ago since the side effects did not go away( in the past most side effects went away after about a week). I added 12mgs of ephedra to give me extra energy in place of the dreaded SSRI-celexa. I never thought much of SSRI's for my DR though it may have helped with my depression. I feel I am doing better because I am taking my first real vacation(11/21-11/29) in about 6 years. I will be going up to Manitoba, Canada (I live in NY) to do some hunting in the canadian bush. I realize there may be people here that don't agree with this activity but it was something that I enjoyed before I had DR. 5-6 weeks ago I could barely leave my house now I will be traveling 2000 miles by plane then 2 hours by truck to a base camp and finally drive app. 2-3hrs on a off road vehicle(ATV or snowmobile) to get to my final destination. I will be in NY until 11/21 therefore any questions or comments feel free to ask otherwise I will give an update in app. 4 weeks.

 

[Guest]

wow, all these drugs scare me! i was always willing to take drugs for my anxiety/depression, but i wonder sometimes if you can be on TOO many drugs. i also wonder if being on anti-deps for nearly 11 years has caused my DP. i think my shrink told me that only 46% of people who take anti-deps have success with them. now, that could be due to getting the wrong dosage, not taking them correctly, or not getting the right one, but sometimes, i have to wonder about people taking so many medications. however, if it works, hey, i am not knocking it. my body doesn't handle medications well, so i am going the route of therapy, exercise and reading as much info as i can about DP. i am only on 10 mg lexapro and .5 klonopin, but that's only as needed, which is rare.

i guess my question is: do any of you on meds hope to be med-free or do you expect to be on meds for a long time/rest of your life?

 

[tori]

Hi Luke

I've been taking lamictal for four weeks. I started on 25mg and i have to increase the dosage every 2 weeks by 25mg until i reach the target dosage of around 200mg. I am also taking Citalopram 40mg. I have been managing to cope a lot better with my dp since taking lamictal but it hasnt dissapeared.. I have heard that most people notice their symptoms reducing around 125mg. Don't expect miricals with the Lamictal but apparently it reduces or gets rid of the symptoms completley for 40% of dp patients who take it. Lets hope everyone here is in that 40%. My depression has become a lot worse..but..i am not sure if this is because of lamictal or due to the fact that my anti-d's were cut from 60mg to 40mg when i started lmctl. Good Luck Luke.

 

[bat]

i'm hoping to be med free. need to give it a couple of months to make sure i'm levelled out before tapering

 

[Guest]

living,I'm glad the drugs are working for you again.it's great you can now leave the house and have a holiday.

 

[luke1979]

well.. it's been 4 weeks since i started lamictal, 2 weeks on 50mg and 2 weeks on 100mg, im gonna move upto 150 tonite, stay on that for 2 weeks, then 200mg for 2 weeks and prolly finish up at 250mg, of course if it starts to like help me a lot ill stop at whatever dose that happens.
how do i think it's going... hmm well it's certainly not made anything worse, but i dont think at this stage it is really doing much.
ive made a few changes to my life, which maybe helping me, or maybe the lamictal made those changes possible.. hard to tell really.
bassically im back working and enjoying it. work gives me enough distraction to sorta allow me to concerntrate on other things, rather than my whole mental state. im not sure weather it's just the work helping me, or if the lamictal is sorta giving me the right state of mind to get out there and get things done.
hmm this post is a bitt all over the shop hey.. ahwell i hope you can understand it.
bassically.. at this stage, no major breakthroughs with the lamictal, but i do think my situation is improving.
my advice would be to give it a go, ive had none side effects at all, and it may be benificial for you.
as far as my thoughts on being on meds, hmm at this stage im only taking 3 meds, mirtazipine (45mg), lamictal (100mg) and diazepam (when needed, about 5mg, once a week).
it doesnt worry me too much being on meds, id prefer not to be, but if they are helping me live my life, im ok with it.
i dont look at being on meds to be a long term solution, i see them as being something to help me get over a problem, much like you would take meds if you were sick with something else.
but if i have to stay on meds for a long time (years).. so be it, like i said, id rather not be on meds, but for the moment i need something to help me and hopefully this mix of meds will help.
cheers
Luke.

 

[Guest]

WEll - after heavy research and coaching my psychiatrist, I'm slowly getting on the Lamictal train. I'm hyper-sensitive to drugs so I just started taking it at 12.5 mg per day - in 2 days I go up to 25 mg for 4 more days and then up to 25mg. twice daily. I guess I'll go up to the recommended dose if I can (150-250 mg range you all recommend).

One of the things that scares me is that I've been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea resulting from a childhood accident to my nose. I fear that the lamictal and/or the Xanax XR might induce more sleep apnea. I know benzos repress respiration to an extent. Has anyone else had problems with medication/breathing/sleep apnea. Just curios to know if anyone knows of any research being done or experience.

I'll keep everyone posted on my Lamictal progress (I've had un-relenting DP for 18 years!!!) so if it can help me, it means there is hope for others..

 

[indigo]

Luke - keep going with it, my DP dissapeared at around 250mg, that was in combo with Anafranil .... and I dont get any side effects from the lamotragine only from the anafranil..

 

[qbsbrown]

I am in the process of beginning the Lamictal + SSRI combo, which i've read about the 40 percent sucess rate. Couple questions.
How do the tricyclics fit in here, aren't these two sufficent enough?
I also have access to klonopin, which i think i will use, seeing as my DR is caused by anxiety.
And for the lamictal, are you guys taking it all in one dose? Or splitting it, day and night? And im assuming most take it at night.
Is it best to take the Lamictal and SSRI at the same time, or does one in the morn and one in the night work better?

Lamictal did get me out of depression during the second week of it, something no SSRI could alieviate. I was sleeping all day, now with lamictal, it's 6-8 hours sleep, and pop right up. Kinda scares me, seeing as i've always been a sleeper in my whole life, but perhaps growing up now.

I'd appreciate any feedback.

Thanks everyone,

Brian

 

[luke1979]

hiya
dont really know too much about the tricylic a-d's, im only taking mirtazipine, an ssnri (i think) with the lamictal.
currently im taking 150mg, all in one dose at nite, with the mirtazipine 45mg, at the same time. about the only side effect i get, about an hour after i take them, i start to get pretty sleepy, but i find if im busy ill keep myself awake and the tiredness wears off after about an hour and a half.
i dunno if thats the lamictal, or the mirtazipine or both, either way it doesnt worry me.
i also find with the combo i dont have to take it at the exact same time each nite, generally i take it at 8pm, but sometimes, if ive gone out to a party or something, i wont take it till i get home...11pm type thing.
at this stage, im not really feeling any major improvements, but at 150mg, im still bitt below my target dose of 250, so im trying to be patient, im also considering changing the anti'd if at 250 i dont get any results.
so yeah.. im just being patient and letting it work.. if it wants to.
good luck anyway.
Luke

 

[Guest]

Hi,

Just a word to keep us updated on this Lamictal process.

I know many people are on this med, so I am very curious and intrested to know if it affects DP/DR, confusion, obsessions in a good way.

Thanks,

Cynthia xxx