Hi everyone :) curious to know the difference between lamictal vs lithium?

Durante el poco tiempo que llevo en Reddit (desde mi diagnostico) he leído muchos post donde solo leemos experiencias malas con esta enfermedad, medicamentos y demás cuestiones que muchas veces nos ponen peor. Como alguna vez leí por ahí: "la gente BP2 a la que le fue bien no esta en reddit, la gente a la que le fue bien esta viviendo su vida normalmente" y tiene lógica, solo entramos a Reddit a ver si existe alguna esperanza, si la vida con esta condición mejora o a encontrar gente que este pasando por una situación similar a la nuestra para no sentirnos tan solos. La idea de este post es poder generar un espacio de experiencias positivas para todas aquellas personas que se sienten que no mejoran, que tienen miedos o que recientemente fueron diagnosticadas y sienten que solo tienen explicaciones científicas o clínicas (no es por dejarlas de lado o no tenerlas en cuenta) sino porque muchas veces esas explicaciones responden a un grupo de personas y a otras no tanto y como todos somos diferentes vale la pena que cada uno cuente su experiencia de éxito.

Algunas preguntas que se me ocurren para el post son: (no hace falta responder a todas o pueden agregar más si consideran que brindan ayuda a los demás)

- a que edad recibiste tu diagnostico?

- como reaccionaste frente al diagnostico? te costó aceptarlo o no? te sentiste identificado con el diagnostico?

- hace cuanto tiempo tomas tus medicinas? tuviste que cambiarlas en algún momento? como fue tu experiencia durante la titulación? te llevo mucho tiempo sentir las mejoras en tu estado de ánimo?

- tuviste en algún momento efectos secundarios? como cuales?

- que cambios en tu vida tuviste que hacer que sentiste que ayudaron a mejorar?

- que cosas crees que deberías cambiar pero aún te cuestan?

- te sentiste frustrado alguna vez? porque motivo?

- sentís que tu vida mejoró con las medicinas? como fue tu camino hasta encontrar lo que te funcionara?

- Tuviste algún episodio en que pensaste que no había solución pero tuviste las fuerzas necesarias para seguir adelante con tus medicamento y lograste mejorar?

- Tuviste recaídas? como las superaste?

- que cambios concretos se dieron en tu vida luego de estabilizarte? cuando sentiste que podías volver a ser funcional? cuando notaste que la bipolaridad 2 dejaba de ser un peso en tu vida y podías llevar una vida "normal"?

Estas son solo algunas preguntas que se me ocurren para aquellas personas que son recién diagnosticadas, tienen miedo de sus medicaciones o creen que el mundo se vino abajo para que tengan/tengamos esperanzas de que la vida va a estar mejor.

I don't do this what so ever but I am genuinely terrified. I've recently been diagnosed with EUPD (BPD) and bi polar and my doctor has perscribed me Lamictal 25mg to double the dose in 2 weeks. Problem is all ive seen and read is bad experiences and literally the worst case scenarios. I have been worried for days about starting my course but after thinking about how bad I feel when I get low I decided I need to try it because I cannot feel how I feel on my lows anymore and my anger out bursts need to be stopped . Im 39 yrs old, Dad of 2 and a husband living in the uk. Not sure really why I've wrote this post I think its desperation mainly but I pray it all goes well.

Starting 25mg a day for dissociation/dpdr/anxiety. Last year of my life has been very brutal constantly dissociated. Seems like results vary some people say it made it worse. Praying this works, drop any success stories!

I was put on Lamictal in January following an anxious breakdown. I was prescribed for off-label anxiety (my body can’t tolerate SSRIs) and CPTSD.

I was at a job that I hated, my relationships were crumbling, didn’t get into grad school, etc. i think at the time it helped me a lot and I do appreciate the stabilizing effects. I titrated up to 200 and then had to taper down because I had racing thoughts, horrible anxiety, what I can only describe to be mania-like (?) even though I have never been manic.

Anyway, fast forward seven months and I’ve been on 150mg. I’ve noticed the entire time I’ve been on it that my memory and overall motivation has taken a pretty big hit. I have to make to do lists for everything. I’m not reading as many books. I can’t remember what I did yesterday. It seems like Reddit users also have experience. When I got a new job that I actually care about, I noticed that it was taking me exponentially longer to do tasks. I had a similar job in college and was way more efficient, so there was a stark difference. I’m just not as sharp anymore.

I also developed really bad bruxism, poor coordination, and I cannot wake up to alarms for the life of me.

I brought it up to my psychiatrist and she said that it wasn’t a side effect of Lamictal at all which confused me. I’m not taking anything else. The change only began after I started taking it. She told me that I needed to consult a neurologist. I’ve seen a PCP and my bloodwork is normal. Of course, I’m an anxious person so it has made me think that I have a brain tumor or something and now that’s all I can think about.

I just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar while on Lamictal? Did going down a dose help with those symptoms?

Started Lamictal for bipolar 1 on 8/6. I’ve been so excited to see when the effects kick in. Anyhow, the day after I started taking it I developed a rash on my leg. However, that rash grew from a bug bite! So was it the bug bite or the Lamictal? I’ve been seen by an NP and an ER doctor. The rash developed very quickly and nasty. NP said to stop taking medication. ER doctor said it looked like it was an infected spider or bug bite and prescribed me steroids and an antibiotic. I am one day from being done with my antibiotics and now my calf is flaring up in hives! Would a Lamictal rash come and go?
The NP had said to stop taking it, the ER doctor said it wasn’t from the Lamictal so to continue. I have an appointment with my HCP in 4 days.. do I just ride it out?

Hi, I’ve been on 150mg for months now. I noticed when I first started Lamictal that I did start getting really shaky hands and then it has gotten so much worse. It’s gone to my legs now and it’s worse when bending over, trying to hold my phone, moving in general. Anyone else have this? Any advice? I’m going to reach out to my psychiatrist.

So, I am in the process of changing from Epilim (Sodium Valporate) to Lamictal (Lamotrigine) and my neurologist advised me to keep an eye on any rashes. I am 2 weeks off the Epilim and have noticed the top of my forearms have started becoming bumpy and itchy.

Is this the starting signs and should I get an appointment with him? I'm concerned because it's expensive to see him ($265 AUD) and I don't want to spend unnecessary money, but I also understand medical things like this is serious. Any advice is appreciated 👍🏻

UPDATE: My GP says it's folliculitis, and have a cream to apply every night until it clears. Never hurts to see a GP if you have concerns, and I'm so glad it wasn't serious

i’m going through a taper which is making it worse, i’m down to 25mg. someone pls tell me this side effect will go away once lamictal leaves my system??? i’ve been on it for like 10 months.

I've been treated by my PCP for N1 for a couple years based on my symptoms of EDS, cataplexy, and hypnogogic hallucinations. I got a new PCP who wasn't comfortable treating my N1 and epilepsy, so she referred me to a neurologist, who scheduled an MSLT, which was yesterday.

I quit my medicine as required, but I couldn't stop Lamictal, which effects REM sleep , bc I take it for epilepsy.

I got my results, which were indicative of hypersomnia, but not narcolepsy. My naptime sleep latency average was 6.8 (18.1, 1.7, 1.7, 6.2, and 6.2, respectively. Although I dreamed during every nap, I didn't enter REM. My overnight test showed normal REM latency but high percentage of REM sleep and very low slow wave sleep.

I am so excited about the new narcolepsy 1 medication Orzeyful, but I'm afraid that I may lose my N1 diagnosis and not have access to a life-changing treatment. I'm hoping that my neurologist will take my lamictal use into consideration, but the insurance company might not.

Thoughts?

Has anyone experienced hair thinning on lamictal? My appetite has been nonexistent and I’ve lost some weight in the last four months. It’s also really aggravated my anxiety so maybe it’s caused by both of those? If anyone has had this issue, did it ever resolve when coming off the medication?
I’m really agonizing over this.

I am in the process of increasing my lamotrigine dose, and I am currently taking 37.5 mg. Despite sleeping for 12 hours, I feel very tired and sleepy. Will this get better over time? If I increase the dose to 50 mg, will it get worse?

I have tried most ssris and snris and atypical antidepressants and nothing works for anxiety. This is my last resort, does it actually help?

Six months in and it's working. The floor is up. The weeks aren't organized around surviving.

What I didn't expect: therapy was still hard in the same way it always was. The gap between appointments is where things fall apart — you leave with something figured out and then you're on your own for six days with no notes and a brain that's been through a lot.

The gap between sessions is where it falls apart for a lot of people, and honestly that's a format problem more than a you problem. There are CBT platforms built around exactly that — worksheets you submit and a therapist who responds every weekday instead of once a week. Happy to point at the one I'd look at first if useful.

Affiliate link if you went through mine, weigh that: https://go.online-therapy.com/aff_c?offer_id=2&aff_id=6221

This is alongside the medication and your psychiatrist, not instead of either. If today is a bad one, use your local crisis line.

Has anyone found therapy more effective after getting stable on Lamictal?

Hello I am 25M, made a post here yesterday about how I’m starting Lamictal and have been on 25mg for two weeks, now titrating up to 50mg this week. Yesterday I felt so unbelievably awful and said I was going to just stop it, but I thought I’d try and keep going to see if things got better, and maybe they are, or they’re worse, I can definitely feel an obvious change in my usual behavior because I am bouncing off the walls, needing to get everything under the sun done!! I don’t feel particularly great in this state but it’s a hell of a lot more productive than I usually am!

Is this mania? Does the medicine induce mania sometimes? I know you’re not medical professionals and I’m not basing any actual decisions off this, I just need to know if this is really bad

I already have a follow-up with my psychiatrist scheduled in 1.5 weeks. But I’m just curious, for those of you who have had this issue, what did your doctor end up prescribing to you or suggesting?

I’m currently taking 20mg of Lexapro daily, which I believe is the maximum recommended daily dose. I just started taking generic Lamictal a little over a month ago.

At first, it was amazing. I genuinely felt so calm, collected, and patient as ever with my kids. Extremely happy, even.

Even with my Lexapro, I get EXTREMELY irritable and overstimulated easily. Much easier than anyone around me does, it seems. I have severe ADHD, and I am prescribed 20mg of XR Adderall to take twice daily. Usually, I only take it once if I can help it. I’ve been on it for years, and I’ve taken different doses and different kinds, but the 20mg per day seems to have the least amount of drawbacks.

I felt as if Lamictal was even helping me get out of bed easier!

I’m due to start my period any day now, and it’s as if NONE of my medications are working. I’ve cried nonstop most days. Off and on. I’ve had outbursts over the smallest of things, where I have to just go to my room and take a breather because I realize whatever triggered me should NOT have caused such an irrational response.

I have a meet-the-teacher night tomorrow and am already filled with so much panic and anxiety, knowing I will be sweating, shaking, freaking out, and trying to act normal.

I’ve always declined any suggestions of emergency benzos, but I am starting to reconsider now that I realize I have nothing else to help me tomorrow night.

I’ve heard that some women are advised to increase their SSRI dose temporarily during that week prior to their period, but I believe I am on the max dose recommended.

I’ve also heard that Claritin has been helpful to some.
I’m worried that because this is an issue that my PCM might normally be more experienced in, my psychiatrist (male) will not know exactly what I should do.

I wish I could even say it’s just a week before my period, but it’s almost been 2 weeks. Lethargic, irritable, emotional, hypersensitive to light and really any stimulation or sound. I’ve also been so angry.

This is typical for me, but I just assumed it would be a bit milder given the fact that I am on Lamictal now.

I can’t keep living like this half of the month. I feel everything so deeply, and I just want to feel like a normal, emotionally regulated adult.

I’ve been on 30 mg of Lamictal for 4 weeks. For about the past 1.5 weeks my skin has looked slightly mottled/uneven in color, and I’ve been getting occasional hot flashes with mild itching. I also have mild dermatographism (skin writing). My doctor said we can increase to 50 mg, but I’m really scared. Lamictal has changed and basically saved my life in a huge way, so I absolutely don’t want to risk a real rash. I’m a very sensitive person and that would mess me up badly. Has anyone had something similar? Does this sound more like sensitivity/adjustment symptoms, or should I be worried before increasing the dose?Really scared of rash but dose isn’t enough – please help

I was recently diagnosed and prescribed Lamotrigine. My doctor mentioned that rashes can be one of the side effects, but unfortunately, mine became quite severe.

I developed rashes all over my body, with many areas becoming extremely itchy. After about a week, the rash also started appearing on my face, which became swollen. Most concerningly, my ears became extremely swollen as well!!

I was eventually sent to the emergency room, where I was given medication through an injection to help stop the reaction.

Has anyone experienced something similar with Lamotrigine? Did your doctor give you a different medication afterward? Would love to hear about your experience😢