New Member

Hi,

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder back in March. I just went on Lamotrigine about 6 weeks ago. I was doing well at 50mg, then went up to 100mg. I have been on the 100mg for about a week and have suddenly had insomnia, irritability, panic attacks and agitation. I wonder if that has happened to anyone else? I was told by the psych nurse that if the 100mg didn't work for me, I could go back down to the 50mg. I'm hoping I start to feel better once I do that. Also, she wrote me a script for Zoloft, and I was wondering what other people's experiences with that were. I'm a wary when I start a new medication. Anyway, I'm happy to be on here with other people who know what I am going through!

Cheers,

Andrea

Hi Mama!

Those symptoms are considered a severe reaction to Lamictal and you should talk to your Dr. right away. www.drugs.com/sfx/lamictal-side-effects.html You cannot stop taking Lamictal cold-turkey. You must wean off over at least 2 weeks to avoid having seizures. Although there is not target plasma level for Lamictal and the dose is based on results, 50 mg of Lamictal is considered a sub-therapeutic dose. If you take any estrogen containing medications, your Lamictal dose may need to be double to have therapeutic effect. The "normal" dose of Lamictal for patients with bipolar disorder (and not on Depakote) is 200 mg, and up to 400 mg if the patient is taking estrogen. www.drugs.com/pro/lamictal.html

Generally SSRI's like Zoloft are not used to treat patients with bipolar disorder unless the patient is stable - in a depressive state - on other mood stabilizers. Taking an SSRI alone is risky and causes manic episodes, mixed episodes, or ultraradian cycling in many bipolar patients.

Are you seeing a psychiatrist or only a nurse? You might want to insist on seeing a psychiatrist.

I hope this helps. Lamictal has been a god-send medication for me. I was on it for 3 years and an temporarily off it because I'm in remission at the moment. When I start having symptoms again I'll be back on it right away. My Dr. already gave me a starter pack so I can use it as soon as I need it.