r/lamictal

Hi everyone, I do see a lot of people posting negative things about this prescription drug. I have been on it for a good amount of time. This is now about my sixth month on it and I don’t really notice many positive side effects on this. My psychiatrist has been changed multiple times and finally I am on this on top of other meds. I did not want to add another medication, but she insisted that this would help me I’m currently on 30 mg of Adderall extended release in the morning along with 150 mg XR of Wellbutrin, 200 mg of Topamax, 100 mg of Lamictal, and then at night I take 20 mg of Lexapro. The goal is to get me off of Lexapro soon because she said that elemental will be better than that. I am on way too many meds that are all doing too many things. I just am worried that I’m gonna gain weight or not feel better because at this point, I don’t really know what’s doing what besides my Adderall that does help me a little bit because without it I just feel so brain dead and I also am so extremely tired all the time.

Anybody with this type of experience?

I am finally off this medication. I have been terrified to get off. Thinking the only reason I was alive was because of this med.

My ‘stable’ dose was 150mg.
My doctor helped me lower my dose safely over the course of 6 months.
I’m diagnosed with ADHD and do take 20mg of Adderal per day.

But for the past 4 years I’ve been experiencing the most insane symptoms. I gained 40 pounds. My acne got SO much worse. The occasional breakout became permanent. Weird depression. No interest in anything I know I loved doing. Paralyzing fear. I wouldn’t be able to move. It was a chore to work. Leave the house. Take a shower. Strange compulsions and obsessions. Repeating every single interaction I had every day. The memory issues alone scared me SO badly. Insomnia. Food aversions. Debilitating GI issues. Anxiety feeling in my stomach and chest none stop. Irregular periods and spotting. Constantly tired, sore, joint pain, and overall malaise. Every time I’d try an increase my dose, I’d feel relief for a few weeks, and then everything would come right back.

I did not have these things before lamictal. I didn’t have a fraction of these symptoms before I sought mental health help. I now believe I may have been suffering from reactions to mirena birth control. I’ve not been diagnosed with BP, BPD, or epilepsy. But I do believe that I have PMDD. As most of my mood swings and symptoms are consistent with my menstrual cycle.

It’s been about 4 weeks now. And I’m not saying I’m cured, but I am saying that the constant noise of anxiety, depression, strange mental loops and paranoia are non existent. I can leave the house without stress. I’m not forgetting everything. No pain, I’m sleeping a full 8 hours a night with a bedtime before midnight. I’m back in the gym. I’ve lost 10 pounds. My face isn’t inflamed or puffy or sore.

I wish I would have done more research into other peoples experiences. I’ve seen so many folks talk about so many of these symptoms. But I had no idea that I was experiencing so many side effects. But more importantly, I do want to say that I am incredibly grateful. Lamictal got me sober. Lamictal helped me so much during Covid lockdown, that I don’t believe I could have made it thru without it. I believe that it served me at a time in my life that was truly life or death.

I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful that I can trust myself. That I feel worthy of mental health help in the first place. I wish I would have found you all much sooner in my journey. May you all find the relief you need to keep going. ❤️

So I have ALWAYS been a heavy bleeder and my period always comes when it’s supposed to. It did come when expected this time too - but it’s SUPER light, more like a spotting thing and it comes on/off for 4 days now.. I still have like this dull pain in my lower abdomen but not intense. It’s weird because my body is acting as if I am having my period now, but the bleeding is nearly non existent.

Relevant information:
- I had 700 in prolactin (normal levels are 500) but my doc said that it’s not something to worry about because it can fluctuate due to stress and bad sleep, and since I don’t have any symptoms (fender breasts, lactation) he’s not worried

- I reached therapeutic dose 5 weeks ago.

- I’ve had MUCH anxiety the last month

Could this be temporary because my body is adjusting to this higher dose, or should I be worried? I’m kinda not complaining about the light bleeding, but it also kinda stresses me out 😅

I have been on Lamotrigine for 5 months now and on my therapeutic dose of 100mg. I noticed lately I am being forgetful like I am about to say something and totally went blank in an instant and can't remember what I'm about to say. Then after a while I will remember it. Does anyone here have the same experience? Is that a normal side effect? Also there are times I feel queasy.

How can you tell what's a side effect and what's an existing symptom the Lamotrigine is supposed to be treating?

Taking for depression and mood swings. Before Lamotrigine, I was in the pits.

For the first week at 25mg and 50mg I felt better, before feeling bad again. At 75mg and 100mg, I'm not feeling relief.

I'm feeling a bit worse than I did before Lamotrigine, but I was feeling really really bad before starting this med so I have no idea if it could be worse because of it, or if it just hasn't reached a therapeutic dose yet.

To be honest, I'm having some unsafe thoughts, which I also had before Lamotrigine but they are a little worse right now. So I'm taking this seriously.

For how long should I push through this titration?

At what dose did you find relief for your mental health?

Did you experience worse mood as a side effect and did it go away?

If so, how did you know it was even caused by the Lamotrigine?

Has anyone else experienced this? I began tapering from 100mg to 50 and eventually I'll be tapering to 25mg then off. I had high anxiety, nausea and stomach issues in the first 48 hrs. But I have also had and continue to have heart palpitations. Its very annoying. Im drinking water and staying away from caffeine and I feel off. But, yesterday my anxiety got so bad I had an anxiety attack had to dunk into a cold bath to calm down. Has anyone else experienced this?

I’ve been on lamictal for my bipolar2 for over a year now. When I first started it, I took the medication in the morning and found myself dead tired by 2pm. My psych recommended starting to take it in the evenings. Now I do so but waking up early for work has felt impossible! I am always wanting to call out because I feel like a teenager trying to get out of bed for school. I find I’m nauseous and obviously more irritable when I don’t have enough sleep. However, enough sleep these days is 8+ hours to feel totally rested. I work at 630am so I understand I need to sleep earlier but I struggle with that as well. Any tips?

I'm on day 5 of 25 mg of lamotrigine. I have bpd and depression, and I take it with fluvoxamine (100 mg), but I feel drowsy, I'm sleeping too much, I have no energy for anything, I'm irritable, and my mood has worsened. I feel useless, I'm going to stop the medication today.

Taking it for BPD and combined it with my Effexor which I’ve taken for 5 years for anxiety.

I didn’t feel any change at all until I got up to 100.

I felt some crazy high energy at 150 but idk… not “better.” No less rage. No less mood instability. If anything it’s gotten worse.

Do I wait it out? I’ve been on this dose a month and I’m willing to go up to 200 but I just can’t tell if it’s doing anything at all.

All I really felt was less of a filter and more recklessness in a way. Like less impulse control.

I also experienced some bad brain fog and memory issues each time I upped my dosage.

I got on this med as a last resort bc dbt alone isn’t helping me but genuinely idk if it’s made me better or worse. I’m running out of options so I don’t wanna give up on it quite yet but I’m torn.

Has lamictal induced mania for anyone? I was so depressed took one dose and now I feel so hyped up and agitated..

So Lamictal is the only medicine that has actually quieted my mind. I absolutely love it but have been on a merry go round with taking it. It helps me, keeps me super calm but then side effect I seem to have is that I start thinking a lot about death and dying. Not actually killing myself but I start getting OCD about getting cancer. I know that is so weird but it always happens each time I take the medicine. It also makes me super sensitive to sad stories. So lets say I see something sad on the news or media, it will make me cry. Are there any other meds out there similar to Lamictal.

I’m currently on 100mg for a week now. I feel like the higher dose I go the worse I feel. I’m taking it for mood disorder that was recently diagnosed with but also have been having Anhedonia (had for over a year) and depression which comes and goes. I feel like since starting Lamictal I’m feeling worse. The depression is getting worse and although I’ve been feeling numb for a while, I don’t know how it could be any worse but I feel it. My cognitive issues are very apparent with remembering what I was about to do and word recall. Also misspelling words in emails for work. I’d rather be asleep than awake and have to deal with feeling this way. I’m on the fence if this medication is right for me. I’ve asked to add Wellbutrin but doctor said let’s see how you do on this because if I add then we don’t know which one is helping or not helping. I’m at a breaking point. Appointment is tomorrow and I’m afraid to go up in dosage because of how it makes me feel each time I increase. Any advice would really be appreciated.

hi guys. 17F here, started lamotrigine about 4 weeks ago and my doctor told me for teenagers to younger adults it is extremely viscous when it comes to mood swings because of hormones.

it’s been really intense for me every day and i can’t get out of this headspace where i go from sobbing horribly for hours from little triggers to feeling numb but extremely aware of my sadness.

any coping mechanisms? or tips would be appreciated to get through this till i reach my dosage and stabilise.

supposed to start DBT therapy soon but im not getting any outside help till july because we had to sort out insurance and waiting periods to get access to DBT

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Hi everyone (F30) I have absence seizures most days and usually 1 TC seizure every month (around ovulation) I am currently on 275mg lamotrigine per day and my neurologist suggested potentially switching to oxcarbazepine. I don't know much about this drug but lamotrigine does cause me many side effects (headaches fatigue dizziness anxiety etc) I have been on lamotrigine since I was 13 so it's hard to remember what it was like to not live with side effects!

I'm interested to hear other people's experiences with both these drugs (and what dose)

I am also wondering if the lamotrigine itself could be causing the seizures as I have read it can cause them.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve been prescribed Busparone for anxiety that’s directly tied to Lamotrigine side effects. Is it advisable to start a new medication when planning to taper off?
For context I take 150mg daily once a day with no other medications and am preparing to start my taper in the coming week.

I've not been able to get my prescription for lamotrigine 100mg (once daily) as my doctor has been off sick. Have been off it a few days and still have to wait until Monday. I feel a bit like I have the flu and am emotionally unstable, but I suppose I can endure it...But is it dangerous?

Hello, a professor and doctor initially prescribed me 25 mg of Lamictal for Visual Snow in the first month, and 25 mg in the second month, 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg in the evening. Then, when I went to another doctor because of dizziness and slight tremors in my hands, etc., he said to keep it at 25 mg and suggested we monitor it. However, I went to another country, and I think taking 25 mg twice a day is more comfortable. What should I do? Do you think I should go back to 2x25 mg? Will that be a problem?

Before I started Wellbutrin I did a lot of research and there wasn’t much here to help so I’m hoping this may help the others following the same path.

To start I am a diagnosed epileptic

Factors that were in play that made my doctor comfortable putting me on Wellbutrin

1. I haven’t had a seizure in 6 years
2. The seizure I had 6 years ago was caused by my choice to abruptly stop taking my lamictal/ I was pregnant with my daughter.
3. I am on lamictal and my seizures respond well to it. I haven’t had one since I started taking it (minus the one I mentioned before)

Second part
The drug breakdown

1. I’ve been on lamictal 100mg 2x a day for almost 10 years
2. I was put on Zoloft 100mg in October (7 months ago)
3. I took my first Wellbutrin 150mg xr yesterday 5/13/26

Ok so side effects

Lamictal - 0 side effects nor did i really notice a difference, just that the seizures stopped.

Zoloft - I started at 25mg and slowly made my way up ( I took notes every day since starting 25mg if anything’s interested I’ll share) but definitely increased anxiety, sweating, dizzy, restlessness, then super tired. None of this lasted long.

Wellbutrin - like I said earlier I’m only on day 2
5/13 first day felt fine became irritable in the evening very tired with headache by 8pm slept great
5/14 took this morning at 10am again. Just feel normal a little jittery and again irritated.

Most importantly is only been 2 days yes, but no seizure activity yet.

Reason for each drug
Lamictal - anticonvulsant
Zoloft - anxiety
Wellbutrin - energy and sex drive that Zoloft took away.

I used brand names in this just because they’re easier but I take the generics of all
Lamotrigine
Sertraline
Bupropion