Lamotrigine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• MT ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2019

For Depression "I’ve been on Lamotrigine since mid-August. I titrated up slowly and am at a maintenance dose of 200mg daily. I was on every depression/anxiety medication you can think of for the past 20 years. I had to wean off those as Lamotrigine was introduced. So far, it has made a remarkable difference in my moods, my depression, my motivation. I love not laying in bed all day. Going on it was not easy, however, my anxiety was high, migraines, fatigue, insomnia. These have resolved but it’s taken 3 months. I’m thrilled at the difference it made in me and pray it continues to work! Remember it took months and a 200 mg dose until I felt better."

• Jan...
• March 2, 2021

For Anxiety "I started on lamictal as I have bad mood swings, depression, severe anxiety, and OCD type thoughts. This medication was a lifesaver, I thought. I started at 25mg and noticed very positive changes. My anxiety got better. When I went to 37.5mg, my anxiety stopped, OCD thoughts stopped, and depression stopped. I was so happy I thought I found the medication for me. When I went up to 50 mg, I got a small rash, my anxiety and thoughts spiraled out of control, my depression worsened, and I felt suicidal. Now I am trying to get off the medication. I’m very sad. Has this happened to anyone else?"

• kun...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 4, 2020

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "I did quite well on Lamictal for my bipolar on 150mg. Upon reaching 200mg, I had unbearable anxiety, constant panic attacks, headaches, horrible nausea, and vomiting. I would recommend easing up gradually and staying at a lower dose if possible."

• Oty...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2019

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "I went my whole life undiagnosed with symptoms that started at 4 years old. I’ve suffered every day. Within 3 days of taking Lamictal, my mind was quiet and rational, and my body felt as if a soothing balm had spread over my nerves. I’m able to focus and concentrate. My anxiety is gone. I could go on and on. Everything is better. I could not be more grateful. I’ve been on it now for 3 weeks at 50mg, and life is good. I don’t ever want to be without it. If I get a rash, I’ll rock a rash because I’m not going back!"

• wha...
• February 28, 2015

For Depression "Generic, inexpensive, the best medication I have ever taken. Thank goodness for Lamictal / Lamotrigine. Zero side effects. Normal stable mental life without deep depression and ruminations. Wish I had this in my twenties. Would have made life so much more enjoyable. The only drawback (is temporary) which is the slow titration. Some anxiety, night sweats especially as dose is upped. Taking 150 now which is pretty mild. At night, makes sleep perfect. No benzos. Another bad med in my opinion. You can also take a little more Lamictal to deal with any serious anxiety stress episode. I don't understand why this is not first line. And as far as SSRIs, for most people a big mistake to go down this road in my opinion and experience."

• aus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 29, 2018

For Anxiety "Lamictal has changed my life for the better. I tried SSRIs (made me a zombie) and Bupropion (gave me daily panic attacks). On 25mg of Lamictal, I'm myself again. I still get anxiety, but the kind that everyone gets (when it makes sense to be). No more panic attacks, it works quickly, and I no longer feel overwhelmed all the time."

• aus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 29, 2018

For Anxiety "Lamictal has changed my life for the better. I tried SSRIs (made me a zombie) and Bupropion (gave me daily panic attacks). On 25mg of Lamictal, I'm myself again. I still get anxiety, but the kind that everyone gets (when it makes sense to be). No more panic attacks, it works quickly, and I no longer feel overwhelmed all the time."

• lae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2019

For Anxiety "I just started taking Lamictal about 2 weeks ago. I have severe anxiety disorder. I was prescribed this medication to help as a mood stabilizer. As far as that goes, it has helped quiet my mind, but I have noticed it gives me anxiety attacks mostly after I eat, and fluttering in my heart when I lay down at night, as well as shaky vision at times. I am supposed to move up to 100 mg this coming week as I started 2 weeks ago on 50 mg. It has helped stabilize my thoughts, but I still have bad anxiety on it, so I am not sure if I will stick with it or not. I hope this helps someone."

• Cal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 24, 2020

For Depression "I was telling my doctor about my severe depression, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD/restlessness, and he prescribed me this drug lamotrigine. After 4-5 days of taking it, I had extreme anxiety, could not stand being at work, and my thoughts convinced me that if I just drove to the Golden Gate Bridge and finally did it, all my problems would be solved. I have never been actively suicidal, so as I noticed these thoughts, I looked it up, and apparently it's a rare side effect from this drug. That is something my doctor never told me before taking it. IT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL WORSE!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2018

For Anxiety "The only thing I've tried that's helped my anxiety and not had debilitating side effects. You have to slowly ramp up the dose to avoid the potential rash. 25mg, then 50mg, then 100mg, etc. It's also a bit stimulating for a few days whenever you increase the dose, and this can manifest in anxiety if you're not moving around. But I can say that this drug is great - it helps all of my co-morbid symptoms to some degree - anxiety, bipolar, mood, etc. I'm now on 300mg extended-release and feeling a lot better than I did before I started this. It brought my anxiety from an 8 down to a 5, I'd say, which still isn't great but I'm actually functional now. Been taking about four months."

• Hea...
• January 13, 2014

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "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."

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

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "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."

• MS2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 25, 2024

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Lamotrigine has been a game changer for me. After pretty severe abuse in 2017, I was left with constant anxiety and CPTSD. I never took meds until this year, when a second event of abuse by a different person left me suffering with BPD symptoms. This whole past year, I struggled with intense paranoia around people’s intentions and people’s actions/thoughts, rejection sensitivity, splitting, and negativity. I started taking Lamictal on March 2 of 2024 and started on the lowest dose as I also developed severe depression from the BPD and trauma I had developed. Like I wanted to die. And my mind would not stop playing awful scenarios in my head, constantly looping my past and past mistakes in my mind. Ever since starting Lamictal, my thoughts have quieted down. My psychosis-like paranoia and delusions around other people are gone. (I have delusions of people out to get me, in turn, they make me really angry and nasty). If you are considering this, give it a go. Live, laugh, Lamictal!"

• Lig...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 18, 2019

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "On Lamictal for bipolar, and I developed cognitive problems, memory loss, hair loss, and other problems. Had many serious depressive episodes and an increase in anxiety while on it. Worsened sleep. Difficult withdrawal occurred when trying to get off it."

• btm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 23, 2018

For Anxiety "I have been taking 100 mg lamotrigine twice daily for several months now and feel really good on it. The only reason I gave it a 9 out of 10 is because I still struggle with mood issues with PMS. I first started to titrate 25 mg 2xd and bumped up to 50 mg 2xd. I felt like I was getting too anxious and dropped back to 25 mg 2xd. After my anxiety was under control, I began to titrate back up and things went really well. I actually think I was getting more anxious before because I was so used to feeling anxious, and not feeling anxious was so foreign to me. Anyway, I'm glad I tried it and I'm glad I'm on it!"

• SLi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 6, 2020

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Lamictal 200 mg for six weeks now after a slow titration. Added to 300 mg Seroquel and 30 mg Cymbalta. Unfortunately, I haven't noticed any improvement. I was recently diagnosed with rapid cycling BP II, although I have never experienced hypomania. My mood swings from normal to deep anxiety/depression within each day. Wake up every morning with paralyzing anxiety/depression. My mood improves in the afternoon, and in the evenings, I usually feel fine - only to wake up feeling miserable the next day. This has been my pattern now for 18 months, and I am beyond exhausted. I am meeting my psychiatrist this week to discuss my diagnosis and switching meds."

• lef...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 9, 2017

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "I am a 31-year-old female. I was prescribed Lamictal by my psychiatrist after describing my terrible mood swings. I was easily annoyed, agitated, and irritable. I would go from super happy and laughing to crying and screaming at the drop of a hat. I tried so hard to control it, but I couldn't. This medication has leveled me out so much. I feel much more 'normal.' I'm currently taking 50 mg twice a day. After about a month, I do notice my symptoms start to return. I tell my psychiatrist, and he ups my dose. I'm hoping I'll eventually reach a dosage that'll stick. I still have some anxiety (especially social anxiety), but this medication has helped me so much. It has really improved my personal relationships."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2013

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Lamictal for approximately a month now for bipolar 1, slowly working up to what I am now at 100mg. I have noticed a dramatic drop in depression but hypomania only slightly changed. I think it only feels like it has worsened because the depression isn't there to bring me back down. I still can't sleep at night, I still panic, feel the doom of anxiety, and racing thoughts among other things. I have had an incredibly increased libido. Overall, I can't believe how well it's working in such a short time without the terrible side effects that other medications can give you. I'm a mom of 4. I have no time to be a zombie, confused, tired, and slow. I look forward to seeing the next few months."

• TCa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 29, 2021

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I started on 25 mg for two weeks, during this period, I didn't notice much of an effect other than some drowsiness. After two weeks, the dose was increased to 50 mg, this is when my problems began. I experienced severe side effects, including increased depression, increased anxiety, a high fever, a sore throat, brain fog, body aches, and a burning sensation on my skin that I can only describe as feeling like sunburn. I had to immediately discontinue use of Lamotrigine. I understand these are rare side effects that more than likely won't happen to most people, however, it was unbearable for me. I have never had a medication impact me as negatively as Lamotrigine."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2020

For Anxiety "My anxiety is severe, where I experience nerve pain. I was prescribed the medication lamotrigine from my psychiatrist 2 months ago, but I was scared to take it. I recently got over the fear of taking this medication and started it 8 days ago - I feel no difference, just feel more anxious and jittery. No problems in sleep, but I would wake up feeling super jittery from chest to legs. Will continue to take it and see how it goes in the next few weeks."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2020

For Anxiety "My anxiety is severe, where I experience nerve pain. I was prescribed the medication lamotrigine from my psychiatrist 2 months ago, but I was scared to take it. I recently got over the fear of taking this medication and started it 8 days ago - I feel no difference, just feel more anxious and jittery. No problems in sleep, but I would wake up feeling super jittery from chest to legs. Will continue to take it and see how it goes in the next few weeks."

• anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2022

For Anxiety "I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at work as I had discontinued my antidepressants (with permission of my prescriber) for over 6 months. I really didn't want to go back to the same prescriber, so I opted for an app service. They prescribed lamotrigine as a mood stabilizer. The first two days on this medication, I felt worse than I had ever felt in my life. Suicidal thoughts just popped out of nowhere. It was really scary. I felt so depressed, in emotional pain, and hopeless. I couldn't sleep. If I slept, I had vivid dreams and night sweats. I told the prescriber, and they said side effects should wean in 5 days. So, I continued taking lamotrigine for about a month. The suicidal thoughts kind of went away, and the impending doom feeling in the pit of my stomach got better. However, I had horrible headaches, vivid dreams every night, and insomnia. The anxiety was constant and worse than before I started taking lamotrigine, and this was only 25 mg a day. I finally stopped taking it altogether."

• Err...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 24, 2016

Lamotrigine for Seizure Prevention "I have been on Lamictal now for 15 years. We started at around 600 mg/day, but gradually reduced this to 250 mg/day, and then after a couple of small seizures this was upped to 300 mg, and I now take 200 mg at night and 100 mg in the morning. My doctor says Lamictal dosage must be a minimum of 250 mg/day to be effective, with a maxi dosage possible of 1,200 mg/day. We did try some Lamictal plus Keppra on the way, but reverted to just Lamictal and that was fine. I have had very few seizures since I started - maybe once every 3 years - but recently got 2 when I went to Australia and had a 30-hour trip. Stress and alcohol are linked to my attacks. I have very light epilepsy discovered at age 32. I am very happy with it."

• bob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2016

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "First, I want to thank you all for your helpful reviews. It helped me to do my own research so I can suggest my choice of treatment to my psychiatrist, rather than just trusting the one he suggests. After being diagnosed with bipolar 2, he suggested another med. I strongly advocated for Lamictal. I tapered up to 200 mg on a conservative schedule. I've had good results over the past 9 months. It definitely has lowered the instances of hypomania or at least deescalated the intensity. It's done little to address the depression or anxiety, so we've agreed to add an antidepressant. Again, he suggested Cymbalta, which I opposed due to all the information regarding withdrawal syndrome. We agreed on a low dose of Prozac, which is going well so far."

• Van...
• August 21, 2019

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "First I want to make sure that you are aware that Lamictal is the name brand and Lamotrigine is the generic brand. I suffer from rapid cycling major depression bipolar disorder. It took me three years to find the right medication. I'm highly sensitive to side effects. I tried two different manufacturers of Lamotrigine, and I had adverse side effects, including panic attacks, severe anxiety, increased rage outbursts, and many others. I requested to try the name brand of this medication, 'Lamictal,' and my psychiatrist specifically indicated no substitutes on the prescription. Within two to three days, I noticed a huge positive effect. Within two weeks, I had a complete 360-degree change. Currently, I have been on this medication for two months at 200 mg per day. I've been told several times by people who suffer from mental illnesses that when it comes to mood stabilizers and antidepressants, always go with the name brand."