Lamictal for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Sta...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 3, 2022

"Please do not start this medication for bipolar unless it’s a last resort! I have been “stuck” on it for years, unable to withdraw without suicidal thoughts and attempts. A missed dose can be life or death in more ways than one here. I’m always tired. It never goes away. It’s been an effort to even live without pushing myself to find the energy to be productive. I get nauseous at the same time daily, and my bipolar symptoms haven’t improved enough to justify the mental anguish this pill has caused me. I take the maximum dose and, trust me, it’s not better. I’m pleading to those who are considering it to please research withdrawal symptoms before starting it. It breaks my heart knowing there are others taking it because they’re stuck like I am, don’t take this drug lightly. I’ve withdrawn from opiates, and it didn’t hurt like this pill does. I don’t recommend it for bipolar disorder at all."

• Cam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2019

"I tried Lamictal several years ago for mood swings without having received a proper diagnosis, and experienced extreme rage. I was also in an unhealthy relationship at the time and was taking about 100mg Lamictal. Since seeing a psychiatrist, I have been officially diagnosed as Bipolar Type 2, and have come to realize that I am extremely sensitive to medications (and everything else on the planet). I have been taking 25mg (pediatric dose) of Lamictal for about a month now with extreme improvement in moods. Similar to another review - you don't really notice how wonderful Lamictal works until you are put in a situation that would cause you to be anxious or react negatively. It has improved my overall view of myself, I haven't cycled, and I'm dealing with stressful situations in a much healthier way. I also have not had any side effects from this medication so far! Highly recommend."

• Fra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2021

"I was diagnosed with bipolar type two at age 17, and have PTSD and anxiety, all of which have worsened in recent years (I'm 29). Have tried lithium, SSRIs, and all types of therapy. I started Lamictal less than a month ago. Started on 25 mg and after 2 weeks, 50 mg, the dose I'm currently on. I feel compelled to write this review because, for me, it's been nothing short of a miracle. I have never felt this happy. I feel so alive and awake, like the cloud of irritation and gray has completely dissipated, and I don't mean that in a (hypo)manic way. I felt the change almost instantly, and with 50 mg, the mental clarity has increased. Really hoping things stay this way. For the first time in my life, I'm optimistic they will :)"

• Doe...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 14, 2020

"It worked well, but over the course of 1.5 years, I had hair loss on my head, and even body hair was not growing back. My tests came back indicating minor hyperthyroidism, and I had constant constipation and gas. I gained a lot of weight too, which is weird. It turned out the Lamictal was causing problems with my biotin and vitamin B intake. After talking to my psychiatrist and stopping Lamictal, and taking biotin supplements, I could finally pass stool easily, and slowly my hair grew back... though I sort of missed my leg and underarm hair not growing. My weight and TSH level went back to normal after a few months too. Overall, it worked, but the side effects weren't good for me. So again, it helped me a lot, but"

• For...
• March 26, 2016

"I used to be on Seroquel for my bipolar 1. It basically ruined my high school education, making it almost impossible to wake up and stay awake in the mornings because it was physically painful to endure. Lamictal changed all of that and turned my life around. I have now been on Lamictal for 4 years. I have experienced no negative side effects. I am now in college with a 3.5 GPA. My mood is now more controllable, but it doesn't drug me to the point where I am a zombie or a different person. I feel like I can still be extremely euphoric, which is something I don't want to give up. I do sometimes still feel very angry or depressed, but I am able to manage and contain it better than I used to. I highly recommend this to those with bipolar."

• MP1...
• May 4, 2016

"I've abused alcohol for 12 years now. I just started taking Lamictal the other day and instantly made me feel so much better! I have not had any alcohol cravings either, and I'm looking forward to the future. I'm so grateful."

• Hea...
• January 13, 2014

"I have been taking 300mg of Lamotrigine each day for about 3 years. When I first took it, it made me feel sick and anxious and gave me headaches, but after following some simple advice from my psychiatrist I now don't get any side effects at all!! He told me to increase the dose slowly (25mg per week) and to always eat when I take the tablets. I've found this medication very effective as an antidepressant but not effective at controlling mania/hypomania. Despite this, I still rate it very highly because it is so much more bearable than any other psychiatric medication that I've taken in the past."

• Kra...
• March 2, 2016

"I've suffered with undiagnosed bipolar 2 for almost 3 decades. For almost 20 years, I was on various antidepressants that didn't work and made my depression worsen. My primary doctor suggested I see a psychiatrist for my lingering depression. Due to the stigma of mental illness, I put it off, but finally saw a psychiatrist. She diagnosed my condition, and I started a low 25 mg dosage of lamotrigine. My dosage will slowly increase over the next 6 months to a year. The first time I entered the psychiatrist's office, I was filled with melancholy and regret. My first follow-up visit to the psychiatrist, I was filled with hope and resilience."

• Ash...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 18, 2021

"Worked wonders for me. Prescribed by my psychiatrist after I spoke to them about my symptoms. I used to feel out of control with my emotions, and I would spiral into severe bouts of depressive episodes with heavy thoughts of suicide. This medicine makes me feel like I can control myself, and I hadn't had a depressive episode in a while. This medicine gave me my life back. I feel like I came out on top of Bipolar II."

• msm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2015

"I just started this med, and I am on week 5 of the 'starter' pack. I know it's a little soon to give my opinion, BUT I want to give words of encouragement if you're struggling with your diagnosis and taking 'that pill'. I spent so much time in a deep, dark hole, and I started getting 'scared' that I wasn't going to see sunshine in my life again. I became desperate enough to call my Doc and agreed that I was 'probably' bipolar (she saw it, and I was in denial!) and I was willing to talk 'meds'. After the first two weeks, I noticed that life was looking better, and I felt like participating a little...by the end of week 4, I was able to have a conversation. I'm starting to see beautiful colors in my once bleak world!"

• Jhu...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 6, 2018

"I've taken this med on and off since it was approved for BP. It's like day and night when on or off it. Every time I start taking it again, I always think 'why did I ever stop this'. I've taken so many drugs over the last 30 years, and this is the only one that works."

• sam...
• June 5, 2019

"Lamictal has been great for my bipolar disorder! Only 10 days on the medication and I’m slowly increasing the dosage. Within less than 2 weeks, I began feeling better, more stable. No more sudden emotional outbursts, overreacting over small matters, getting angry, and going off on the people I love. I feel like I’m going back to my old self, and it’s definitely significantly improved the quality of all my relationships. I’m so thankful for this medication."

• Sof...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2021

"So, so, so, so grateful for this. Have had severe anxiety, depression, severe OCD and depersonalization, ADHD. Who knows?! Lots of trauma in my past, and doctors have tried Wellbutrin, SSRIs, Buspar, Remeron. Been on so many things, and this thing brought some emotions back, way lessened intrusive thoughts, increased a completely non-existent sex drive, helped me with extreme fatigue. Went off, and obsessions and worthlessness came back. Went straight back on, and I felt a difference immediately. Been able to stop sleeping until 12-2 PM too. Wake up in the morning at 7 AM, put on a podcast, and I don’t feel like death. Be self-compassionate and have hope. I take it in the morning, 200 mg, because it can give me insomnia if I take it at night. I can cry, I can laugh, I don’t feel like I’m drowning. Oh, pretty much no side effects I can note besides insomnia if taken at night."

• sou...
• March 8, 2014

"I have, since I was very young, displayed what I know now as Type I Bipolar disorder. Probably one of the worst feelings in the world is to have emotions ebb in and out like tall crashing waves. Then the sun comes out and the water is calm. Then a couple of days later, here comes the storm. It is the worst feeling to think there is nothing that will help. I felt that way... time after time, different meds. Abilify, to be one exact example, led me to have hypothyroidism, a condition I have to have meds for the rest of my life. I have, after trying many different meds for depression, found only one medicine I would suggest, and that is Lamictal. If you are compatible with this medication, it will help the mood swings a great deal."

• Mis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 21, 2014

"Duration: 3 years. I am 23. This medication changed my life, and I am not exactly sure why I take it because I feel 'normal'. I wasn't bipolar, however, I was just flat out raging, deeply depressed, would stay up all night. I did crazy things. I also had horrible, life-threatening anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, and couldn't sit still. I almost stopped taking it when I finally went to a doctor because I couldn't go to college anymore, I was a complete wreck all the time. Every tiny little thing threw me into anger, depression, and jealousy. The medication made me sick in the beginning, but the doctor told me to keep taking it, this is how these medicines work. After around 3 months, I was not depressed ever, slight mood, but I'm OCD and moody in general! The antidepressant did not work."

• Jil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 15, 2023

"I had a very frightening experience with this medication, and I thought I might warn others. I had only been on the Lamictal for 6 weeks, was at the 50 mg dosage, when I started to feel worse - crazy anxiety and suicidal thoughts. So, I decided to go down to 12.5 mg to try to wean myself off. During the weaning process, I became even worse - I really felt I was going to end my life. The withdrawal was awful. I had to wean very slowly and carefully."

• Pug...
• March 8, 2017

"I am bipolar 2 and take 300mg per day. Has changed my life so much. Helped me kick my alcohol addiction and impulsiveness. The last two years have been great. No drug is perfect however, and the withdrawals can be bad. Make sure you take it every day. So I gave it an 8 because I feel great if I keep up with it. I take it right after I wake up because it helps wake me up and gives me energy. Also makes me very patient with myself, other people and just life in general throughout the day. At my current dosage I wouldn't hesitate to call it a smart drug for me because it lessens my impulsive tendencies and quickness to anger. If this doesn't work for you, don't fret, I study medicine, and there is usually always something available to help."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 24, 2025

"Lamictal has truly been a miracle drug for me as a Bipolar I. No medication has even come close to smoothing out my irritability and anger. I'm so much more positive, can cope better, and have a better perspective on everything. I can't believe how well I can handle negative situations now. My only wish is that I had started taking it long ago. I haven't had any side effects. It's given me so much that's positive in my life back."

• Chr...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 7, 2024

"I'm bipolar 2 and have been taking Lamictal for 10 years. The first 8 months it worked wonders and then stopped. I was only able to reach 100mg daily, which obviously was not enough for me. Eventually, I also went on lithium, which incidentally was a wonder drug for me for several years and then I found I couldn't get to a therapeutic dose anymore due to intolerable side effects. Having tried a few antipsychotics which I stopped due to intolerable side effects (mainly sleepiness and weight gain), I looked again at trying to increase my lamotrigine. Why I hadn't thought of this before, I don't know, but I started to take low doses at night as well as my morning dose and titrated in 12.5mg doses up to 100mg and am now on 100mg twice per day. The result has been so great I'm finding it hard to believe. Food cravings have gone, I'm losing weight again, no naps in the afternoon, wanting to mix with people again, and my clarity of mind is fantastic."

• Nic...
• March 9, 2013

"Depression ever since I can remember. Had 15 good years on Prozac, but it stopped working. Have been trying all kinds of antidepressants & in December I was put on Lamictal. Worked up to 100 mg, stayed on for a while, not much happening - thought it was just another med that wasn't going to work. My doc said the 'therapeutic' dose so am slowly titrating up to 200 mg - currently at 175/day. Just yesterday I think I started feeling the miracle of Lamictal kicking in! Yesterday and today I have felt better than I have felt in soooooo long - don't stop before the miracle happens (unless you have bad side effects, like the rash, which thankfully I do not have). I want to shout my gratefulness from the rooftops!"

• Dan...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 3, 2019

"I don't want to ever be without Lamictal again. I've tried a lot of psych meds over the years, but they either didn't work or had unbearable side effects. SSRIs should NOT be used for bipolar I or II...many doctors still don't know this. Lamictal controlled my moods and relieved depression with NO side effects. Nothing is a cure, so you have to want to get better and work at it also. I love it, no one is the same, but please try it because it changed my life."

• LJD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2015

"I am so glad I was prescribed Lamictal two months ago after struggling with bipolar disorder for the majority of my life. I had been getting progressively worse over the years with manic cycling frequently to the point I couldn't function. I was very skeptical of numerous medications over the years. I thought nothing would help and within three weeks my life completely turned around. The constant edge is gone, I'm calm, thinking clearly and I feel in control. I am so grateful this works for me, hope it works for you."

• Ail...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 5, 2015

"As a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder, Lamictal has worked wonders for me. I was worried about getting the dreaded 'Lamictal rash' but never did. My doctor followed the guidelines for increasing the dose slowly, and I never had any side effects. I have been on the maintenance dose for several months, and I actually feel normal. If there is such a thing. I am currently taking Lamictal in conjunction with the antidepressant, Cymbalta. Finding the right medication(s) can be very frustrating, but please don't give up."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2014

"I was on Lamictal in the past and it was wonderful. It really helped me control my mood and anger issues, but of course, like any bipolar person, I stopped taking medicines. I was put on other meds that affected me the wrong way. I am now back on them and can't wait until I am at my right dosage. You have to give it time and slowly get to the right dosage. It can and will help. In the past, I was on it for 2 years."

• Anonymous
• May 14, 2008

"I can't praise this drug highly enough. At the age of 59, I'm finally leading a level life - without quitting jobs in a rage, moving my family 1,400 miles to a house I'd never seen. Due to troubles with sleeping, I also take Seroquel."