Has anybody had good results with Lamictal against anxiety attacks?
Question posted by Anonymous on 29 Feb 2012
Last updated on 8 April 2021 by WildcatVet
Hi, I have bipolar and suffer with horrendous anxiety attacks... My psychiatrist recently prescribed Lamictal for my Bipolar but said it has helped many people with anxiety. One reason being that the neurotransmitters that trigger the anxiety can be treated similarly to the ones that trigger epileptic fits... (Lamictal being an anti epileptic) The other reason she says the Lamictal can help is by improving general mood which can relieve anxiety as well... Similar to some anti-Depressants...
My question is this : Has anybody had success against anxiety with Lamictal? I don't mean with numerous benzo's as well... ( However I do take Diazepam for my anxiety but my dosage is increasing as my attacks seem to overpower the effectiveness of the Diazepam) If Lamictal has helped with really bad anxiety attacks or reduced their severity or helped reduced your Benzo intake, I'd love to hear some positive feedback...
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19 Answers
WI
WildcatVet
8 April 2021
Technically I'm taking lamotrigine for Bipolar ll disorder along with buspirone for anxiety. Buspirone works well but I still had some mild anxiety before starting the lamotrigine and it's helped a lot. No matter what, everybody has daily anxieties and these are normal and won't go away but my medications keep things under control. As for benzos if you need to keep increasing your dosage you might want to consider weaning off of them entirely. Not only are they addictive/habituating but with long term use they can cause serious side effects.
Votes: +0
VE
Veronica777
8 April 2021
I take 400mg lamictal in the am for mood disorder. I haven’t been “officially” diagnosed with bipolar but mood swings are a part of my life. So is extreme anxiety. I feel it helps with mood and anxiety but not 100% so I also take Xanax .5 x 3 daily. To answer your question- yes but not all the way. I still need further help.
Votes: +0
TL
Tlally62
3 March 2019
I have had some real bad experience with lamotroigine I have been having slot of anxiety and shortness of breath I was on 100mg but I reduced it to 50mg going to talk to my Dr tomorrow to get off of this drug. Worst drug I have ever taken.
Votes: +0
BE
Becky41665
25 May 2018
YES..I have been on Lamictal for 12 years. I hate being dependent on anything so I tried to come off a couple of times for about 4 months. Bad idea. I was quickly reminded why I went on it to begin with. It takes about a month to work but its great and I have no side affects best of all no weight gain like I have had with others. A little personal but others have affected my sex drive and this makes everything back to normal
Votes: +1
LE
Leilaniv
11 March 2018
I've been on Lamictal for about 6 months now for major depression and anxiety. I haven't had any major attacks since I started taking it. I'm extremely happy with it. It's taken a long time to find something that works. The only drawback, which is hardly a drawback at all, is that it has caused a significantly increased sex drive. It's still worth it.
Votes: +1
JB
Jbaby6985
15 March 2018
I'm about to start this as well and was just wondering if I calmed u down right away or caused worse anxiety at the start up? I'm terrified
KI
Kitty
31 Jan 2018
Lamictal has worked wonders for my anxiety. I just started with anxiety again so doctor increased my dosage. No help so far but it hasn't been a week yet and I know it takes time. This is just hard for me
Votes: +0
MI
mia70
9 Dec 2017
I am allergic to Lamictal. I started getting hives all over my body over a long course of treatment with the medication. Therefore, I didn't get hives right away. Now I have an emergency epipen prescription just in case if I get hives from anything else because of the severity of the allergic reaction.
Votes: +0
JA
Jamie59
9 Dec 2017
I have very bad anxiety. I also have attacks of fear. I also have a history of depression. I am currently on 200 Lamictal and .5 clonazepam. I am no longer on antidepressants because they only make me sleep which disrupts my ability to work and live normally. I have been on almost all of them. I have been on Lamictal for about 2 years at various doses. Although I believe it has helped keep depression at bay, I do not feel it has helped my anxiety. Also, I have developed a lot of anger and irritability. We increased my Lamictal up to 500mg but I didn't feel any benefit from it. We slowly deceased me down to 200 and I've been at this level for a year. Now I am wondering if the Lamictal is causing my irritability and anger. At this point we are going to gradually take me off of the Lamictal to see if the anger and irritability go away. We are increasing the clonazepam for now to help with anxiety.
The situation with the anxiety and fear along with irritability and anger is pretty bad right now, so I'm very confused about Lamictal as to whether it is helping me or making me worse.
Votes: +0
IN
Inactive
9 Dec 2017
I had a great deal of irritability and anger with lamictal, but I was taking it in combination with wellbutrin and klonipin, so not sure if it was the one causing it.
WI
WildcatVet
9 Dec 2017
Hi, Jamie! Yes, many people on several different forums have reported irritability, anger, aggression, and hostility reactions while taking Lamictal. You might ask your doctor about Depakote or lithium as mood stabilizers and buspirone for anxiety. I have had excellent results with lithium and have found that buspirone prevents anxiety rather than treating anxiety episodes when they happen. Also, buspirone is not a controlled substance and can be used long term without the potential side effects of the benzodiazepines.
Best regards and I hope you find a good combo that helps you feel better.
JA
Jamie59
9 Dec 2017
Thank you for your help WildcatVet. Very good suggestions
I've been on lamectal for several years. My doc put me on it for a mood stabilizer since I have PTSD & Anxiety. I'm on 200 mg a day along with cymbalta 60mg a day. My new psych doc said my lamectal doasage is too low. She wants to gradually up it to 300mg a day. Has anyone else here had better mood stabilization(less anxiety & anger) with higher doses?? Thanks onward52
Votes: +0
DD
ddl3518
13 March 2017
Been doing well on lamictal for 17 years until it was just upped to 500. I have epilepsy and when anxious, I can have seizures. Used to be on phenobarbitol and dilantin which is not prescribed anymore. I did get that infamous lamictal rash, which does occur on hands mostly, originally diagnosed as poison ivy, but later confirmed lamictal side effect, possibly fatal. My anxiety levels have gone up since increased dosage : biting nails, can't drive, wont go anywhere I am not familiar with, not leaving house unless I am with a trusted person. Going to neurologist to see what he can do.
Votes: +0
MI
mindyann
1 Jan 2017
Hello, I have had severe anxiety, panic for 20yrs. I have been in and out of hospital many times with this and have tried every medication and no luck with anything but valium. I was last put on Pristiq 100mg a day and just put up with the side effects (didn't help with Anxiety) so added mirtazapine 5mg at night which helps me sleep ( have gained a lot of weight on mirtazapine but helping me so I just put up with that as well), not happily tho :). Still couldn't leave the house or my room as anxiety was so bad, ended up back in hospital once again. With no more options my doctor put me on Lamictal, she didn't tell me anything about the medication Lamictal and I knew nothing about it, to be honest I thought "here we go again" but I took it 50mg morning and 50mg nightly.
Well after 3 days taking it my anxiety was gone, I felt "normal", able to cope well, I felt weird because I haven't lived without anxiety attacks for many years and forgot whats it feels like living without them. Wow I would have never been able to talk about this before I starting taking Lamictal, I've been like this now for nearly a year and I keep touching wood because I can't believe it :). I have had no side effects from Lamictal, to be honest I don't look up the side effects from drugs anymore, it either works or it doesn't. I also still take the pristiq and 1/2 mirtazapine at night. While i'm doing so well, I don't want to change anything i'm taking. Maybe the lamictal works well for me with my other meds, I don't know but I am not changing a thing :). I am sorry for my rambling I have 5 mins to write this :) All I can say is don't give up, fight it as you deserve to live your life the way you want to. Oh I am not taking any benzo's but have them with me for security :) xxxx Sherry
Votes: +3
BP
BPacceptance14
17 Dec 2014
I was recently prescribed lamictal for anxiety/mood stabilizer for bipolar. Other than occasional muscle stiffness at first, I'm on therapeutic dosage of 200mg broken into 100mg twice daily. Anxiety/fear has completely subsided as well as leveled out between irritable mania and decompensation depression episode. After being on Klonopin for 20yrs, I have to say this has been a great change. Just have to find right combination/dosage for individual.
Votes: +0
JW
jwginfo
14 Jan 2017
Thank you for posting. I am still in the process of weaning off Kolonipin (my choice) down to .125 taking natural therapies of L Theanine + melatonin along with to reduce stress and anxiety. My P DR is wanting to put me on the Lamictal and so far I am hearing good results. I'd prefer to not take any scripts but not sure if I can handle on my own. I'll see how bad I am once finally off the K and withdrawal is over.
OC
oceanluvr
2 Feb 2014
I was on Lamictal and I had severe anxiety on it when I reach the therapeutic level of 200 mg in divided doses. I couldn't stand the really bad anxiety on it so I had to stop it and I went on Divaplorex (1000 mg) in divided doses and its made a would of difference for me, I feel really calm for the first time in a long time.
I hope that was helpful :)
Votes: +0
LI
little T
31 Jan 2014
Hi im on a high dose of diazepam (85ml) and have been for yrs as I hav chronic anxiety and daily panic attacks also on prozac20ml and mirtazapine45ml. Im also finding my anxiety is increasing and the diazepam is no longer helpin but my doctor is reluctant to increase it infact they have already reduced it from 120ml! I have just found out I have bipolar but am unsure what medication I need or what the process is. My doctor isnt brilliant so am anxious and reluctant about seeing him. I have been told by the psychiatrist that lamictal along with seraqoul has a high sucess rate with helping anxiety and hypomania/depression. I realy hope it works for you good luck :)... im unsure if I would be prescribed either of these tho with the meds im on.iv had anxiety and depression all my life with constant ups and downs not noing I had bipolar its all new to me so any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated :)
Votes: +0
IN
Inactive
1 Feb 2014
Hi Little T, Thanks for your reply and I feel your pain with the life long anxiety etc, it's a horrible experience... My Pdoc (Psych) gave me diazepam for my anxiety at first and 1 x 5mg tab would help heaps... but as you know the anxiety seems to overpower the medication and 5mg turned to 10 mg/day and then 15mg/day etc until I was taking 40mg/day (Which in Australia is 8 x 5mg tabs/ day) I was still a mess though... I did a hell of a lot of research and study on peoples individual experiences with anxiety because like your doctor, mine was just as useless to put it bluntly :) I actually went to a new psychiatrist and told her that I wanted to go on to Seroquel slow release as I had read heaps about it helping with horrendous anxiety... I basically told her that I wanted to go on it, showed her my research and my other reasoning for it was that being an antipsychotic, it would also help with the horrible intrusive fearful thoughts that came with severe anxiety attacks...
I started on them and increased to 200mg slow release every night and have had a lot of success... I have come down from 40mg of diazepam/day to 2.5mg morning and 2.5mg at night... A miniscule amount... I can now go into town to do my own shopping and I can work etc without needing to be sedated by the diazepam... So I have heard of some people taking 1500mg Seroquel slow release at night just for anxiety alone (Not psychosis) So I am quite happy to be on a 200mg/day dosage... I was on mirtazapine at night (Antidepressant) but have swapped it for the lowest dose of Prozac/Lovan in the morning (20mg) This combo seems to be working wonders for me... I weaned myself off Lamictal because my EEG scans showed that my anxiety attacks weren't triggered by epilepsy or seizures so I found it pointless to be taking them... So yeah, I would try the Seroquel first before trying the lamictal... Even if I had to move up from 200mg to 500mg/day of Seroquel, I would still be on a third of the maximum daily recommended dose... But 200mg/day XR is doing the job atm... One more thing, as you might know, anxiety can be associated with low Serotonin levels, which is why anti-depressants can help with anxiety ... Also, exercise is good to raise serotonin levels as well... So in finishing, 200mg Seroquel XR, 20mg Prozac and a bicycle ride most afternoons is doing me wonders... I hope this can be of some help, Stay All the best! :)
JO
Joyce50
3 Feb 2014
Hi Little T,
I've been on a combination of Zoloft and Lamictal for 7 years now. This is the perfect combination for me. I've suffered with debilitating depression and anxiety for years and this has helped tremendously. Good luck.
US
UserNameAlreadyTaken
11 July 2013
Anxiety all my life. small amount of occasional depression. Tried just about every drug / drug combination Finally found Lamictal and it's been amazing. Almost all of my anxiety is gone. used to have anxiety just ordering food from a waiter. I'm still not the most social person but my anxiety's way down. So glad I found it. On top of that I haven't experienced any major side effects. The only side effect I can think of is that my appetite is gone, sometimes I'll just forget to eat for a long period of time until I get light headed and remember. I take 2, 200mg pills during the day. No cocktail, just Lamictal. I understand that people have different reactions to drugs. I see that with some people it boosts anxiety or doesn't work all together. speaking only of my experience I have to say it's the best thing I've ever taken by a large margin.
Votes: +4
IN
Inactive
11 July 2013
Thanks "Username" :) Yes, Like you said, with the Lamictal, anxiety can increase for some and can decrease for others... You can probably see my rather large comment a few minutes ago... I haven't had a full blown anxiety attack since I started on the 200 Seroquel XR... (But was still getting them on 250mg Lamictal alone) I'd even be comfortable increasing to 300mg Seroquel/day as some peeps are on 1500mg/day so 300 is quite miniscule... It's still experimental at this time... I will have completely removed the lamictal from my meds within the next 2 weeks... full knowing that if my anxiety returns I will know they were working for me and I can start on them again if needed... Being 42yrs old and on 20 tabs/day is depressing enough on it's own let alone dealing with bipolar as well, lol... Thanks again for you time and stay well :)
US
UserNameAlreadyTaken
11 July 2013
good luck to you 1970model. I don't know much about drug cocktails so I don't think I should comment on that. As far as the Lamictal goes, the effects do seem to vary greatly amongst people. So it working for me doesn't mean it's going to work for you.
Just as a concern. I've read that if you taper off the medication and then decide to go back on it, you will also need to taper back on it slowly. From what I've read the most common time people get rash side effects is when they work their way to a high dose, stop taking it all together, and then start taking the same dose they were on earlier. I hope you find something that works for you.
SD
Sdenz
6 Dec 2013
I am just beginning on a regimen of lamictal only. I had been on it with Paxil and had weaned off both about 18 months ago. I have a history of anxiety and mood swings.I recently have been under stress or at least feeling that way. four weeks ago anxiety increased mightily- no energy and no positive thoughts. Prior to this I had been feeling great for over a year. So the anxiety and low energy were very disappointing. But I decided to try lamictal alone and have had immediate positive results. Almost too good to be true. So I'm not sure if it is the lamictal or the result of feeling I'm taking care of myself. In either event, I feel so much better.
GL
GlitterGirls
20 Jan 2020
Do you take 200mg in the morning then 200mg at night?
