u/Exact_Chef5434

Two months ago, I stopped taking my medication (lamotrigine, wellbutrin and abilify), and two days ago I started taking it again, but just the lamotrigine (that’s what my psychiatrist told me to do, she said that I can't start with wellbutrin until I'm on 200 mg lamotrigine).

However, the doctor instructed me to take 50 mg the first week, 100 mg the second, 150 mg the third, and 200 mg the fourth. Is this safe? My previous psychiatrist, who was the one who originally prescribed the lamotrigine, told me to increased the dosage much more gradually back then. I’m worried about doing it as quickly as this doctor suggested, but at the same time, I need to get back on the bupropion as soon as possible because I feel very depressed.

Has anyone had experience increasing the dosage so quickly?

I haven't been able to get out of bed for two weeks. The semester started almost ten days ago, and I only went to class on the first day. It’s the hardest semester of my degree program, and I’ve already missed so many classes.

I’m not bathing, doing laundry, or eating; every day I tell myself, "I’ll go to class tomorrow," but I don't. Each day gets worse because of the amount of material I’m missing. It’s like a snowball effect.

I have bipolar disorder; I stopped taking my medication two months ago, thinking the hypomania would return and help me get things done, like cleaning my house, but my depression just got worse. I started taking my medication again two days ago, but it hasn't kicked in yet.

Everything got worse two weeks ago when I was diagnosed with periodontitis and told I needed a root canal. The free healthcare system doesn't cover it, so I have to pay for it myself, and it’s very expensive. I work as a waitress on weekends, but my boss is cutting my hours; he told me not to come in this past weekend.

The only good things are having my partner and my cat, and the fact that I reached out to my university's counseling service. I had a session with a psychologist I really liked, and I have another session scheduled for next Wednesday.

But missing classes and falling so far behind on the coursework is weighing heavily on me.

Thanks for reading