Monday, March 25, 2024

What Happens If You Take Lamictal And Are Not Bipolar

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Lamictal Withdrawal Duration: How Long Does It Last

Lamotrigine – Mechanism, side effects, drug interactions & uses

Withdrawal from Lamictal will vary depending on the person. There is no specific withdrawal duration that universally applies to everyone. As I already mentioned, there are a variety of important factors that will play a role in determining how long you experience withdrawal symptoms as well as how severe they are. Someone who has taken this drug for many years at a substantial dose may have a very difficult time coming off of it compared to someone who has been on it at a lower dose for a short period of time.

Most people report feeling back to normal after 4 to 6 weeks of the drug being out of their system. As a general rule of thumb for more extreme withdrawal, I recommend judging symptoms after 90 days of withdrawal. If you are transitioning to a different medication, the new medication that you are on may ease and/or mask the symptoms of Lamictal withdrawal. Many doctors may discount your reports of experiencing symptoms when you stop taking this drug.

I always recommend trusting your own experience in regards to symptoms. If you know that you are experiencing withdrawal or some sort of discontinuation syndrome, you probably are. Additionally dont compare your withdrawal with that of others on forums everyone is likely to have a different experience. Your best bet for ensuring quick recovery from withdrawal symptoms is to recognize them and do your best to cope with them knowing that you will eventually experience a full recovery.

Tips For Good Medication And Treatment Reviews

  • Post reviews only for medications or treatments you have used or prescribed.
  • In your description, mention whether you’re reviewing the medication or treatment for a child or for an adult , and as a patient or as a medical professional.
  • Mention what medical condition you were using the medication or treatment to address.
  • Mention the brand, dose, and period of time that you used the medication or treatment.
  • Please share your positive and negative experiences with the medication or treatment in detail. Note effectiveness, ease of use, side effects and compare it with other treatments you have used.
  • Do not include any personal information or links in your review.

How Does Lamictal Make You Feel

Like all drugs, Lamictal affects each person differently when they take it.

For example, Lamictal typically doesnt give you energy. In fact, you may have fatigue as a side effect. You may also have problems coordinating body movements. Rarer side effects that could affect how you feel include memory problems and suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

Before you start taking Lamictal, we encourage you to talk with your medical professional. You can ask them what you may feel when you begin the treatment. They can provide answers to questions or concerns you may have about taking the drug.

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Lamotrigine For Bipolar Disorder

Lamictal is approved by the FDA for the maintenance treatment of adults with bipolar disorder. It has been found to help delay bouts of depression, mania, hypomania , and mixed episodes in those being treated with standard therapy. It is especially effective in the prevention of bipolar depression. It was the first FDA-approved therapy since lithium for maintenance in bipolar disorder.

Lamictal is considered a mood-stabilizing anticonvulsant and is most commonly prescribed to prevent or control seizures in the treatment of epilepsy. Recent studies have shown it may possess antidepressant effects in bipolar disorder.

Side Effects Of Lamotrigine

LAMICTAL and Hair Loss? : bipolar

Some side effects that appear should get better after a few days. If they do not, you should go back to your doctor.Do not stop taking the tablets until you talk to your doctor, or you may get withdrawal symptoms as well.

Very common side effects of taking lamotrigine include:

  • headaches

Common side effects of taking lamotrigine include:

  • feeling aggressive, agitated or irritable
  • feeling sleepy, tired or drowsy
  • insomnia
  • nausea or vomiting
  • having pain in your back or joints, or elsewhere

There are other side effects that you can get when taking this medicine we have only included the most common ones here.

Please look at the leaflet inside your medicine box, or ask a doctor or pharmacist, if you want to know whether you are getting a side effect from your medicine.

If you do get a side effect, please think about reporting it via the Yellow Card Scheme.

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Do Mood Stabilisers Affect Other Medication

You should tell your doctor if you are taking any other medication before starting or stopping mood stabilisers. This includes herbal or complementary medication, such as St Johns Wort.

There are also some common over-the-counter medications which can cause effects, some severe, when taken with mood stabilisers. These include:

  • codeine,

Your doctor can give you advice on whether your mood stabiliser will affect any other medication.

Precautions Associated With Lamictal

You should not take Lamictal if you have had an allergic reaction to lamotrigine or any ingredients in Lamictal. Tell your doctor if you have ever had a rash or allergic reaction to another anti-seizure medication.

If you are thinking of becoming pregnant, discuss the use of Lamictal with your doctor. Animal studies show a potential risk of fetal or maternal harm. If you become pregnant while taking Lamictal, do not stop taking it immediately without discussing it with your physician. Consider registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. They are actively collecting information about the safety of anticonvulsants during pregnancy. Lamictal is passed through breastmilk, so it is recommended that mothers do not nurse while taking it.

Store Lamictal in a secure place out of reach of children, and at room temperature. If you are taking the quick-dissolving tablet, keep the tablets in the blister packaging and hard plastic travel case or carton until you are ready to take it.

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Can I Drive While Taking Lamotrigine

Do not drive a car or ride a bike just after you start taking lamotrigine.

Taking lamotrigine may make you feel dizzy and may affect your eyesight when you start taking it .

This could affect you if you drive a car, ride a bike, or do anything else that needs a lot of focus. It might be best to stop doing these things for the first few days, until you know how it affects you.

Do not worry – most people do these things as normal while taking lamotrigine.

Some Side Effects Can Be Serious If You Experience Any Of The Following Symptoms Or Those Described In The Important Warning Section Call Your Doctor Immediately:

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder
  • swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, and eyes, difficulty swallowing or breathing, hoarseness
  • seizures that happen more often, last longer, or are different than the seizures you had in the past
  • headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, chills, confusion, muscle pain, drowsiness
  • unusual bleeding or bruising
  • fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, yellowing of the skin or eyes, abdominal pain, painful or bloody urination, chest pain, muscle weakness or pain, unusual bleeding or bruising, seizures, trouble walking, difficulty seeing or other vision problems
  • sore throat, fever, chills, coughing, difficulty breathing, ear pain, pink eye, frequent or painful urination, or other signs of infection
  • racing heartbeat, skipped or slow heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fainting

Lamotrigine may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .

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When To Go To The Hospital

If you have taken more lamotrigine than the dosage recommended by the doctor who prescribed it to you, you must get medical help immediately even if you do not feel any different. Go to A& E, and take your medicine with you to show the doctors. Tell them how much you have taken. Get a friend to go with you, if you can, just in case you feel ill on the way.

You might get any of the following symptoms:

  • quick, uncontrollable body movements
  • clumsiness and lack of co-ordination, causing problems with your balance
  • heart rhythm changes
  • loss of consciousness, convulsions/seizures or coma

While taking lamotrigine some people may think about hurting themselves or have thoughts of taking their own lives. This can happen to anyone, including people who are under 25. These thoughts may happen or get worse in the first few weeks of taking the medicine. You must go straight to hospital with your medicine if you have any of these thoughts and tell the doctor that you are taking lamotrigine. There are other medications you can take instead.

You should also go to a doctor or hospital straight away if you get any of the following symptoms:

If these reactions occur, they tend to be during the first eight weeks of taking lamotrigine.

When You First Get Your Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis It Is Completely Natural To Question Its Validity

When I was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder back in college, there were times I would lay in bed wondering, What if the doctors are wrong? What if this is not really bipolar disorder? Unfortunately for me, delusional and paranoid thinking joined the chorus. I became convinced that my parents were trying to poison me. That my professors in the psychology department were in on it and I was their walking experiment.

Nevertheless, this is a fair question and needs to be answered. What if the diagnosis is inaccurate?

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Dosage For Bipolar Disorder

The following table details Lamictal dosages for bipolar I disorder in adults.

Your medical professional will start you with a low dosage, then increase it over time. This is to lower your risk of a serious skin rash* from Lamictal.

Your dosage also depends on other drugs youre taking for bipolar disorder.

  • Dosage A: If you take Lamictal with valproate* .
  • Dosage B: If you take Lamictal but not carbamazepine , phenytoin , phenobarbital, primidone , or valproate.
  • Dosage C: If you take Lamictal with carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, or primidone, but not valproate.
Week of therapy
  • seizures caused by Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Dosage for adults, as well as children ages 12 and older

For this purpose, the table below details Lamictal dosages for adults, as well as children ages 12 years and older.

Your medical professional will start you on a low dosage, then increase it over time. This is to lower your risk of a serious skin rash* from Lamictal.

Your dosage also depends on other drugs youre taking for bipolar disorder.

  • Dosage A: If you take Lamictal with valproate* .
  • Dosage B: If you take Lamictal but not carbamazepine , phenytoin , phenobarbital, primidone , or valproate.
  • Dosage C: If you take Lamictal with carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, or primidone, but not valproate.
Week of therapy

Dosage for children ages 2 to 12

Drug Forms And Strengths

Stability : bipolar
  • Strengths: 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 250 mg, 300 mg

Brand: Lamictal

  • Strengths: 25 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg

Brand: Lamictal CD

  • Strengths: 2 mg, 5 mg, 25 mg

Brand: Lamictal ODT

  • Form: orally disintegrating tablet
  • Strengths: 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg

Brand: Lamictal XR

  • Strengths: 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 250 mg, 300 mg

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How To Taper Off Lamictal

Be sure to talk to your doctor before stopping or re-starting Lamictal. Suddenly stopping Lamictal can cause new or worse problems regarding your mental health.

As with many medications, it is recommended that people who are discontinuing the drug do so gradually, rather than stopping it suddenly.

The prescribing information recommends that a taper period should last at least two weeks, with about a 50% reduction in a dose per week. Your doctor may recommend a different method of tapering, depending on your circumstances and the dosage you’re taking. Report any odd or disturbing symptoms to your doctor as you’re tapering off your dose.

If you’re taking other medications along with Lamictal, the situation may be even more complicated. This is because Lamictal interacts with other drugs such as certain other anti-epileptics and oral contraceptives. Your doctor will help you sort out the significance of these interactions.

In a few cases, you may need to stop Lamictal suddenly. This is because the drug can cause a potentially life-threatening rash and other dangerous reactions. If one of these rare side effects occurs, you’ll need to discontinue taking the drug immediately. If this happens to you, be sure to let your doctor know if you experience any withdrawal symptoms.

Effect Of Lamotrigine On 5

The antidepressant drug lamotrigine is found to be therapeutically more effective in the treatment of depressive phase of the bipolar disorder than in treating hypomania or mania . The use of lamotrigine as an augmentation drug was suggested from the evidence of the efficacy of the drug in the treatment of major depressive disorders, which also includes refractory unipolar depression . The onset of antidepressant action accelerated when administered in combination with other classical antidepressants . Pilot studies have reported the augmentation therapy of lamotrigine with SSRIs to be well tolerated and far more superior in efficacy than that of SSRI monotherapy .

Shim et al. performed electrophysiological studies in the rat brain to evaluate modulation of the antidepressant-like effects of sustained administration of carisbamate and lamotrigine on monoaminergic mystems. They concluded that 5-HT firing in the DRN is decreased but 5-HT transmission in the forebrain is enhanced by sustained carisbamate and lamotrigine administration.

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Will Lamictal Work For Me

We understand you may be wondering whether this medication will work for you. Its a common question, and well work together with you to find the answer. Many different factors influence how you respond to medication. Keep in mind that some medications work better for certain people than others. Each person is differentgenetics, age, and gender, among other differencesso your response to Lamictal may be different from someone elses response. Other factors such as underlying health conditions, other medications, and dietary considerations can also play a role in how a medication helps your symptoms.

At Brightside, we help take the guesswork out of creating an effective treatment plan. That means we evaluate which medications and dosages have the best chance of helping you feel better with minimal side effects.

Typically, your provider will have you start with a low dose of Lamictal and gradually increase it over several weeks to monitor how you feel and see if its holding off periods of extreme moods. We understand you want to see results right away, but we want to make sure your treatment plan is tailored to your exact needs. Your health and safety are our top priority.

Abruptly stopping the medicine can cause seizures, so its vital to talk to your provider if you have any concerns. If you stop taking Lamictal , its critical to get advice from your provider before restarting your prescription. Your provider will tell you how to start again safely.

Does Lamictal Have Side Effects

Bipolar Disorder – When we use Lithium

Most medications, including Lamictal, may cause side effects that can be serious or mild. To give you an idea of what might occur with Lamictal, weve listed some of the medications more common side effects below. We havent included all the potential side effects.

For more complete information about possible side effects of Lamictal, you can talk with your medical professional or pharmacist. They may also be able to recommend ways to help prevent and ease side effects.

Note: Certain factors may affect a medications side effects. These factors can include other health conditions you may have, other drugs you may be taking, and your age.

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Bipolar Disorder And Weight Gain

Continued changes in mood from bipolar disorder can affect your motivation to exercise or follow a healthy meal plan.

If youre concerned about weight gain during your treatment for bipolar disorder, your doctor can refer you to a nutritionist. Working with a nutritionist can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Continued changes in mood can not only affect your weight but may also be a sign that the drug youre taking isnt working as well as it should be. If you have continued changes in mood during therapy for bipolar disorder, tell your doctor.

A mood stabilizers effectiveness differs from person to person. You may need to try different medications before you find one that works for you. However, you should never stop taking your bipolar disorder medication without first talking to your doctor.

Types Of Mood Stabilizing Medication

The oldest and most studied of mood stabilizers is lithium. However, many drugs that were first developed as anticonvulsants to treat epilepsy also act as mood stabilizers. These include carbamazepine, divalproex and lamotrigine. Gabapentin and topiramate are also anticonvulsants that may act as mood stabilizers, but they are usually given in addition to other medications.

Lithium

Lithium is found in nature in some mineral waters and is also present in small amounts in the human body.

Lithium is used to treat mania and to prevent further episodes of mania and depression.

Common side-effects of lithium include increased thirst and urination, nausea, weight gain and a fine trembling of the hands. Less common side-effects can include tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea, blurred vision, impaired memory, difficulty concentrating, skin changes and slight muscle weakness. These effects are generally mild and fade as treatment continues. If, however, any of these effects are severe, they should be reported to your doctor immediately. Thyroid and kidney function can be affected by lithium in some people and must be monitored regularly by your doctor.

Changing the amount of salt you use can also affect lithium levels: avoid switching to low- or no-salt diets.

Signs that the amount of lithium in the body is higher than it should be include severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, shaking and twitching, loss of balance, slurred speech, double vision and weakness.

Carbamazepine
Lamotrigine

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