Severe Mood Shifts with Lamictal/Lexapro combo

I am taking a different combo...Risperdal and Zoloft.  But with my past experience witth Lexapro....I had been diagnosed as clinically depressed and put on 10 mg. of Lexapro.  This dosage was never increased.  I am now with a new doctor and a new therapist and both were surprised that 1...I was only diagnosed a depressed, and not obviously Bipolar, and 2....was only kept on 10 mg of Lexapro.  They both told me that I should have been moved up quite a bit in mg. 

Since you have been on these meds for 5 weeks you may want to talk to your doctor about an increase in dosage....or even a medication change.  Keep your dr. updated on what you are feeling.

I have been on my meds for 2 months now...and it really took almost that entire time for me to really feel their effects.

I, too was put on Lamictal also, after being on 10mg of Lexapro for some time.  And let me tell you, at almost the end of the "starter pack" of Lamictal, when it was time to increase to 100mg, I became sick as a dog.  Extreme flu-like conditions with dizziness and nausea.  I have to get off this Lamictal as soon as possible.  The benefits definitely do not outweigh the risks.  I'd rather be on Lexapro, and be a little bit depressed than feel so bad physically that I want to die.  That Lamictal is bad stuff.  I can't take the two together, definitely.  Today I took none at all and feel just a little bit better, but still "shaky".  This stuff is bad news.

Thanks, Serafena, I appreciate your response. I have been on the Lamictal only a little over 4 weeks (just finishing the starter pack), so I don't think I'll have a problem getting off of it. I cut back to 50mg the night I got sick, then 25 last night, and I'll do 25 for about another week, and then maybe every other day for a week, and then I should have it out of my system. I had such a severe reaction when I jumped to 100mg (shaking, chills, fever, muscle cramps, etc.) that I actually thought I had poisoned myself. I know it was the med because the next day after I backed off, I returned to some semblance of normalcy, and this "episode" came after the 1st night of 100mg. Bottom line is, my body just totally rejected this med, and made no beans about telling me........I thought I was dying.

I am of the opinion, quite frankly, that these psych meds are dangerous, and extremely unpredictable. I remain on the 10mg of Lexapro, but I am going to try and wean myself off of that also after the Lamictal leaves my system. I'd rather be depressed, etc., than be physically ill.......i.e., the "cure" is worse than the disease. I called my doctor, and left a msg that I was going off the Lamictal immediately, and why. I didn't ask her opinion. I have since read some of the Lamictal side effects (just google "Lamictal Side Effects", and there's a laundry list of them out there, some of them very scary). Well, it made me a believer!! ha ha.

Hi robspar,

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