Lamictal 25mg

I was wondering if anyone out there can share their experience coming off this medication after taking it for MANY years.
I didn't have any negative experiences with this med - I've just had multiple psychiatrists (and a therapist) tell me within the last 2 years that I'm not bi polar 2 after all, and that I don't need the med.
Plus I have fibromyalgia, have had for seven years, and in an effort to just be on less medication/put fewer things into my body (let alone "things" I don't need), my doc has be going off lamictal and one other psych med (quetiapine aka Seroquel). I have been off lamictal for just over a week after being on it since it came out in 2010 and had been tapering down from 200 for about 2 months. I am down to 25mg seroquell down from 100. About a year ago I started to take trazodone bc I was having really bad sleep. Now it has replaced quetiapine.
Because I gradually tapered off lamictal and quetiapine at the same time, it's hard if not impossible to tell what's causing what. My symptoms? The most insane fatigue I have ever felt in my life. Barely able to function. Yes, chronic fatigue is a stymtom of fibromyalgia, but this is on another level. I did have some pretty bad separation anxiety when my boyfriend went on a a trip. But other than that, the process has not been dramatic (obviously the fatigue is dramatic, but nothing emotional is happening to me).
Everything I've read online is basically like once the med is out of your system you're done/good. But this medication has been in my system for 14 years. This has to be a huge shock to my system (doctor doesn't agree). Is it fair to assume that I'm not going to feel normal for a while?? 14 years is a long time!!

(23M) Was placed on 20mg olanzapine during a hospitalization back in February. Did a rapid taper over the last 3 months as I wasn’t happy with how I felt on the medication (flat mood, lack of interest in things, low libido), although I suppose it could be post psychotic depression as well.
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

(23M) Was placed on 20mg olanzapine during a hospitalization back in February. Did a rapid taper over the last 3 months as I wasn’t happy with how I felt on the medication (flat mood, lack of interest in things, low libido), although I suppose it could be post psychotic depression as well.
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

(23M) Was placed on 20mg olanzapine during a hospitalization back in February. Did a rapid taper over the last 3 months as I wasn’t happy with how I felt on the medication (flat mood, lack of interest in things, low libido), although I suppose it could be post psychotic depression as well.
I’ll be completely off the medication this week, however I’m not sure if I’m prepared to deal with the rebound insomnia and depression.
My next appointment with a psych doc is in 6 days, and they will most likely prescribe seroquel 25mg. I could also ask for mirtazapine 15mg, however I’m not sure if it’s a good option for me as I most likely have bipolar 1.
I also have a script for 25mg lamictal but I’ve been afraid to start that as well.
At this point, my goal is to just regain my ability to sleep naturally, but I’ve been overwhelmed with having to cope with this disorder and what to do going forward. Should I just ride it out over the next month, and hope the insomnia lifts? Lack of sleep seems to be a trigger for mania for me as well. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Im sure I have felt like a lot of you on this sub.
Suffering, frightened, skeptical. There’s no better words to express the way I felt, at least.
Anti-depressants? Tried them. Life style changes? I did my best. Therapy? I’m this close to calling my therapist my “bestie” at this point. Jokes aside, I came across this drug. I used to think “Nah, that’s not for me” or whatever other rationalizing BS. Denial.
My world was shrouded in the darkest veil that clouded my vision. Anhedonia. Despair. Loneliness, even in a room full of people who love me. Rumination. Racing thoughts. Hopelessness. ANXIETY. That word alone has become my middle name…Panic. Fear. Inability to relax. Muscle tension. Unable to even enjoy the beauty in front of me because I was sitting in the abyss with this veil choking me, forcing its way down into my lungs.
Anyway- enough of the very real dramatization.
It is day 7 on 25mg of lamictal.
For the first time, in a very long time…I feel like me. Rumination? Minor. Sadness? Here and there- but with a pep in my step. Anxiety? Oh, that old friend? Sure, maybe, but nothing a propranolol couldn’t handle- considering I had to take so much lorazepam to simply function like the society-contributing “normal” human being, not someone choking to death on their own misery.
Thoughts: calm. Mind: focused. Vision: Clear. Heart: Less heavy. Chest: less tight.
It’s like the veil has finally lifted; it feels like I woke up from the blackest nightmare.
I had the worst year of my life last year. I got very sick, then got assaulted by my ex-partner, terrorized by him before the law and courts got involved, then my loving father was put into hospice. I didn’t think I was even going to make it.
And just two nights ago- the flood gates opened, and I sobbed for literally two hours on my partners chest- finally feeling the grief of my father passing soon. A festering infection that just stayed in my chest, the deepest pain, my eyes could not stop streaming. Because for the first time, in a long time- I don’t feel painfully numb.
I feel like a human being.
Tomorrow, I up the dose to 50mg. I’m nervous, but curious. I feel such a difference at 25mg- minimal side effects. Some dry skin, minor itchiness of the face, a nice Benadryl before bed takes care of it.
I’m still cautious of all of these potential side effects. I’m wary-
But.
For the first time, ever- I feel hope.
And I can finally feel joy playing with my precious dog that has gotten me through the darkest of times. I can show up for her, my parents, my loving partner, and….myself.
I love you all. Thank you to every member of this sub. Each one of your posts helps so many of us out here.
Taking lamictal for PMDD, MDD, panic disorder, GAD, and C-PTSD.

hi, i’m 2 days on lamictal. so far, the only uncomfortable physical side effects are i sweat a little bit more than usual, i get a little dizzy after moving around, and i’m a bit more sensitive to bright lights. my dosage is 25mg but i’m sure my psychiatrist intends on increasing it.
i plan on working as a camp counselor this summer, but i worry that this medicine will make that more difficult for me to do. i’m just concerned and want to see some opinions, and/or some advice on how to take better care of myself better during the heat if it is an issue.

BP2 - Was on Lamictal 2 years ago, didn’t do well past 25mg, so i got off it (psych advised). I didn’t get a rash or have any bad side effects on 25mg. Fast forward to now, i have a new psych now and they want me to go back on lamictal and stay at 25mg to see if it’ll help with dissociation/depressive episodes since my lexapro only helps with anxiety/OCD.
If i didn’t get the rash the first time, will i still be good now taking it the second time? Wondering what 2nd time users have experienced when starting lamictal again. Thanks!

Hi everyone!! I re started Lamictal 1,5 month ago, after some years of not taking it, I started from 25mg and everything was fine but when I upped at 50mg, I started feeling itchy and I got some hives but only in specific places of my body, near my wrists in both arms and on the soles of both of my feet. They are itchy and annoying. Sometimes they retreat and they disappear but then another one pops. Also they are not very obvious with the eye, they look like a small red bump and only if you look really close or feel it by hand you become aware of them. I called my doctor and he told me that I don’t have to worry and it’s not the dangerous rash for sure.
I also visited a dermatologist and she told me that I have urticaria (hives) and it’s some kind of allergic reaction to something and it can be anything. She gave me antihistamines and a cream, and for some time they calm down and then again I feel itchy and have a small hive on my hand or a bump under the skin of the sole of my foot. When I used to take Lamictal some years ago, I had no skin issues at all and now I’m afraid that this skin problem is due to Lamictal, bc I can’t think of anything else that it might cause this. The thing is that I don’t want to stop Lamictal at all and I don’t know what to do. Sure it’s not a serious rash or something as it seems but still it’s annoying and itchy and it hasn’t gone away. Has anyone had a similar experience or has any idea what this might be and how can I handle this? Please I need your insight. Did anyone had a simile kind of skin issue and didn’t stop the med?

So I started Lamictal 25mg about 15 days ago, and within a couple days I noticed my mood dropping considerably and some mild suicidal ideation, along with tearfulness. I was doing pretty solid on Latuda beforehand so this shook me up.
I decided to continue along anyway, and it hasn’t really gotten any better. I’m fatigued all the time and my nightmares have come back. I’m due to go up to 50 mg tonight but I’m scared.
I always see everyone praising this med so it’s hard to find anyone who decided it wasn’t for them. Did anyone else experience this, and if so did it get better?

27 Female => Male Transgender
5'7 265lbs White/Romani
I have been waking up badly shaking and weak from deep sleeps since I was at least 7. Sometimes the shaking is so bad i can't get out of bed for risk of falling and hurting myself. It only seems to happen when I'm coming out of a deep sleep either naturally quickly coming out or being woken up by a person or alarm clock. I've noticed less frequency when i take 50mg or higher of Diamox before bed but can still happen. It feels almost like someone dumps ice water on me i'm shaking so bad and even if its warm in the house i feel ice cold.
Happening since childhood, around 7y of age.
I suffer with Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension, Traumatic Brain injury (2012), Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Psych issues (PTSD with psychotic features, generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder, anorexia nervosa (been in recovery for 4 years)), Migraines, Balance issues, hearing loss, Irritable bowl syndrome, hypothyroidism.
Medications: Gabapentin 300mg 3xD, Diamox 500mg 3xD, Propranolol 120mg 2xD, Etodolac 400mg 2xd, Tylenol 1000mg 2-3xD, Lexapro 20mg 1xD, Lamictal 75mg 1xD, Benzotropien 0.5mg 1xD, Rexulti 3mg 1xd, Doxeipin 25mg 1xd 50mg 1xd, Claritin, Trigger point injections w/o steroids every 8 weeks, Testosterone i don't remember the dose math but its like half of a bottle 1xWeekly.
Use non-nic vapes occasionally, does not use Nic, or smoke cigs, drinks a glass or two of wine or a tequila sunrise once a month / every other month, 10 days clean from Marijuana.

Hi I rarely see anyone with quiet BPD on reddit posting about lamictal + trintellix. So i’ll just post my updates here for anyone who needs it. ( Btw I’m also on doxycycline for my acne)
1st week- I started with 10mg trintellix + 25mg lamictal. My Dr said any effects felt during the first few weeks are placebo. I had insomnia for the first few days. Didn’t really feel anything else.
2nd week - Nauseous ALOT. Puked alot. Other than that not much happened.
3rd week- I upped my lamictal dose to 50mg. Three days after the dose increase i had bad brain fog. Couldnt remember anything and felt really dumb but it went away after 3 days. I also started to have more pimples on my chin and lower jaw even though my face was getting better from the doxycycline. I think lamictal cancelled doxycycline’s effects. Still nauseous alot.
But I started to feel trintellix’s effects I think? I was soo energetic for 2 days. Super productive and motivated to get work done. But i stopped taking trintellix cold turkey because I didn’t feel depressed and I just don’t think I need it right now. (its also really expensive)
4th week- The trintellix effect kinda disappeared and I wasn’t as productive/motivated anymore. Idk if its related but I missed a whole week of class bcs I was sleeping so much. For the past two days I had a burst of social energy which felt like a manic episode. Not sure if the lamictal started working because some things offended me and I couldn’t escape my rumination.
Will continue to update

Hey everyone, my fiancé (31f) started this medication at 25mg, 6 weeks ago. About 10 days ago her doctor upped it to 50mg. Since the increase she’s experiencing these bad episodes of panic and a sinking feeling in her chest, seemingly at random. She is also on adderall and lamictal… Anyone have a similar experience?

Sooo for context I was inpatient for feeling out of control and having panic attacks+ crying spells + depressed. I have BPD and Bipolar 1- was previously unmedicated for the past 6 years, have been on lamictal before when I was 17 and it helped.
Anyways I swear I my mood has shifted 2-3 doses in - still on 25mg and I just feel alive and happy and awake. I’m out of the hospital and being productive- still have some mood swings of anxiety+anger but not as severe. I feel like I cannot sleep though when I want to- I have been taking Benadryl to sleep . I don’t have a psychiatrist yet since being out of the hospital.

I’ve been on medication combinations for bipolar 2, mood stabilizers/antipsychotics such as Abilify, seroquel, and lamictal— and antidepressants, such as Wellbutrin (made me manic & more irritable), Zoloft, and prozac.
I took abilify for about a year or two and I had a crazy amount of weight gain (40 lbs in a year & a half) which is very unlike me. My weight has always fluctuated but only by 10 lbs max. Also, i noticed that I felt foggy brained on Abilify and could no longer social as well even with my close friends. I felt like my brain was empty. No thoughts.
I stopped taking seroquel because it would make me fall asleep sooo fast and i think it may have made me feel drowsy in the morning, i can’t fully remember since it was over 2 years ago.
I took Lamictal originally three years ago (in a combination of other meds i can’t remember) and i stopped because i thought i may have had the allergic reaction rash. After I gave up on the abilify due to weight gain I started taking Lamictal again in hopes that it was possibly eczema and my psych put me on 25MG to see if that had any adverse reactions. I’ve been doing that for nearly a year, with a combination of Adderall & gabapentin.
Last week my new provider upped me to 100MG Lamictal and added 10MG lexapro. I’m still on 100mg gabapentin 3x a day for anxiety and 20mg xr adderall for ADHD. I haven’t had any hypomania since being consistent with Lamictal although I’ve had a crazy increase of anxiety with the last two years and chronic depression after drinking alcohol. Anxiety may be related to the fact i was a habitual weed smoker and stopped in those last two years.
Essentially, does anyone have any recommendations of medication(s) that work well in substitute of Lamictal? The weight gain from Abilify really affected my self image and I’ve been able to lose 25 of the 40lbs gain so I’d like to stray away from medication that causes weight gain & brings down my usually lively personality.
Thanks!

Wondering what dose I'll be at where I start to notice a difference? I'm currently tapering off lamictal 50mg. Just dropped down to 25mg from 50mg and doing that for the next 2 weeks.

If your Neurologist starts you out on anything higher than 50mg, SAY NO! Starting Lamictal at a high dosage can be fatal due to the extremely high risk of Rash... Lamotrigine is meant to be a ramp up drug... Such as 25mg for 2 weeks, 50mg for 2 weeks, 100mg for 2 weeks, and then if needed, 200 mg or higher going forward... This drug has to have a built up presence in your blood/liver... Hitting it at 100mg immediately is almost certain to cause major issues.

Hi everyone. I just got diagnosed this week and I'm just having trouble coping. My hypo days are great, obviously, but not dangerous. I just feel happy but not destructive or anything. In fact it's those days where I'm the most productive. But my lows, where I'm at right now, are really fucking low. I think everyone hates me, I have no motivation and I think im losing everything. I'm on 25mg of lamictal as my first dose and I know it's gonna take some time for it really start working, so how do you guys cope with the lows?

I think I need a medication change because lately I have been experiencing depression symptoms and anxiety. I’m Type 1 Bipolar and also have GAD and ADHD. I take the following currently:
300mg Lamictal 25mg XR Adderall 10mg IR Adderall Ativan as needed for anxiety
I used to take Trazadone but chose to stop taking it.
A few thoughts: I’ve been taking Adderall for about 6 years, has anyone found that a different stimulant like vyvanse helps them more opposed to Adderall?
What additional medication would you recommend adding for slight depression and anxiety?

Hi! (Please no horror stories about Lamictal!) I started at 25mg 8 days ago for severe depression/panic/anxiety/ptsd/obsessive thoughts etc. I’ve been on a ton of meds and this has had the least side effects so far and I swear it started helping after my 2nd dose. It helped enough to provide more stability in my mental and physical energy and lowered/eliminated suicidal thoughts, and just helped me be more functional overall. Not to the point I want to be, but enough to be obvious that something shifted for me! Today (my 7th day)was okay and then I went into a very familiar dark/scary place again- felt like a big regression. My question is: was the beginning of taking Lamictal similar for you? We’re there better days and then roller coaster effects and then finally some positive stability? I’m feeling very vulnerable right now because I finally had some real hope this past week and then today just felt like total regression!

Been on Lamictal for a month. Started at 25mg and went up by 25 each week. Will I have withdrawals if I quit taking it after a week of being at 100mg?

I started at 25mg Lamictal 4 weeks ago. Increased by 25mg each week and I’m now taking 100mg. Is it normal to have really increased anxiety when starting this med? My doctor put me on it to try and help but the anxiety has been noticeable worse and I feel like I’ve back tracked a good bit in how I feel overall.