i am diagnosed bi-polar and take lamictal?

Question

i cannot get things done and my head seems like someone poured mollases in my head. in fact, it reminds me of the vague residue that pot gave me back in the hippy dippy days of the early seventies. i think a very small dose might help but the shrink wants to keep bumping it up. am at 150 now and i felt okay at 50, actually 25, but a little groggy all the time now. other ways to control bi-polar people like me. go on wild purchasing binges. can always think of something (e.g., software) that i cannot live without. confused. need my head clear to work or get fired and live in an alley or under an overpass. that scares me.

Answer 1

The correct dose of the correct med is a big part of dealing with being bipolar. Lamictal has the lowest rate of side effects. You need to go back to the dose that helped and get a new doctor. If this doc had you on too much lithium, he could kill you. It's toxic at levels too high!

Answer 2

You need to consider finding a new doctor. If this one keeps bumping you up after you've told him/her that it makes you feel groggy and you can't get anything done, then you need to seriously consider another. Also, I was told by my doctor that you aren't supposed to take just Lamictal, you take with other meds to treat bi-polar. If you don't think that your doctor is taking what you are telling him about the effects the drug is having on you seriously, then you really really should search for a new one. There are too many medications out there to treat bi-polar disorder, that you can find a doctor that will work with you to find the right combination of two or three or maybe even more to get you settled and on a more even keel without feeling like you a in a fog all the time. It sucks to walk around feeling groggy and not being able to get your thoughts together or even have a complete thought, I know the feeling, I've been there before. Good luck.

Answer 3

Is Lamictal the only med you are taking right now? Nothing else that might interact with it? headaches and poor coordination are common side effects I would call your doctor and see if he can get you in before next week. Tell him it's an emergency. Because those are neurological symptoms and you don't want to play around with that sort of stuff. If you were taking something like Topamax with it, which is kind of notorious for "making you stupid" as a lot of folks say (I take it, and sometimes I can't "find" my words like I would like--not so bad since they reduced my dose) it would explain it a little better, but just with the Lamictal, I've never heard of that and I know several folks who take it at much higher doses. Anyway, that was a ramble---call your doctor, explain what's going on, and see if he will see you sooner, Please? Good luck.

Answer 4

I've taken Lamictal and switched to Depakote, not for any reason other than it takes too long to work. Since the metabolism of Lamictal is unknown, Dr's can only increase 25mg per week, because of the possibility of developing a life threatening rash -s o it takes a while to get to the theraputic dose. It may take you a few weeks to adjust to your new dosage or you may have to downgrade a bit - these are definitely things you should discuss with your Doc.

I've heard some great things about Lamictal from different people and my Doctor. If you've been on the medication for at least a month and are still not satisfied with the results, you may need/want to switch to another mood stablizer, such as Lithium, Depakote or Trileptal. You may also have heard of Topomax, but I was advised against it, where it's known for making you feel stooooooopid and is often referred to as stupimax or dopamax.

I've had to go through a few different Dr's and different meds before I got myself stabilized. You're doing the right thing by working with your Dr and speaking on these boards. Continue to do research, ask questions and work with your Dr. and you'll eventually find something to help you level out soon.

Answer 5

Yeah, your post did sound a little bit disjointed. It must be rough on you. What your shrink is doing with the meds is actually normal----they increase by 25 mgs every week or two until they get to the target dose of 150 mgs, then add more if they need to. If you feel you are having nasty side effects, then you do need to let your doctor know that you are having that much trouble. He or she needs to know how much trouble you are having at work, because it's his or her job to help you know how to make your life easier. There may be an option other than Lamictal, if that is indeed what is causing your problem. I don't know if you have any mental health issues other than Bipolar Disorder; but if you do, you may be experiencing more of the sprcific symptoms of those now that you are on mood stabilizers. And like the other poster said, maybe you just need one hell of a low Lamictal dose.


Yeesh...I wish that ~I~ only needed 25-50 mgs of Lamictal everyday, but I'm stuck with 300.

Answer 6

Foggy,
I am sooo glad you posted this, because that's EXACTLY what I've been going through. I'm also on the same dose of Lamictal as you (have been on my 150 dose for two weeks now.) Are you still going on spending binges? That's what I used to do before I was diagnosed as full-on bipolar (they thought it was depression, but I wasn't responding to any type of treatment.)

Also, are you on any other medication besides the Lamictal? My psych told me that the mood stabilizing abilities of Lamictal should be coupled with another med, such as an antidepressant, for optimum relief.

I can definitely lend you support in those feelings of confusion and lack of organization or motivation at work (that's how it was for me anyway :) ) I'm not sure if it was the higher dosage that created this feeling of disorganization and forgetfullness in me, but that's how it's been since I've increased to the maximum dose, it seems.

Here's my advice: Keep you psych posted on what's been going on. If neccessary, write down how you've been feeling everyday until your next appointment. Be sure to tell him or her about the spending binges, the foggy feeling as well as your concerns about your work performance. It could be that Lamictal is just not for you--or it could be something else all together. Just be sure to let your doctor know about EVERYTHING you're experiencing!

Hope this helps! Good luck!
Lisa

Answer 7

I would concider going to get a second opionion if you feel like the 25-50 dose was good for you. Mabye the doses get bumped up because the body needs to have the med. slowly added to bloodstream so you can get used to it and the higher dose that you are receiveing is ideal for the condition.

Answer 8

Go back to your Doctor asap and get a Med. check.

Also do some self-coping skills that are within the Books by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD. and also
Dr. Andrew Weil.

"Calming Your Anxious Mind" would be very helpful for you also. It is by Jeffrey Brantley MD
And if you ever struggle with Anger and/or
Impatience, "Working with Anger" is an excellent book to read. It is by Thubten Chodron.

R.N. - with Masters Degree.