lamotrigine lamictal side effects weight loss

Lamotrigine (Lamictal) seems to be missing from your list. It is weight-neutral, but of course it, too, has a list of possible side effects. In my case, I really liked it as a mood stabilizer, but over time it caused pronounced hand tremors. The big one to watch out for is the risk of a severe and potentially dangerous rash. If Lamotrigine is ramped up very slowly, that risk is greatly diminished. Good luck!

I'm currently on the combo. It's working alright for me. I still get frequent manic episodes and psychosis (I'm schizoaffective, but neither drug does anything for psychosis anyways) but I've only had one depressive episode in the last 5 years, and I'm a rapid cycler.I had about 10 depressive episodes in 2-3 years and they stopped completely when I started lamotrigine (well, apart from the one, but it was work related).

Concurrent use of lamotrigine with ECT in bipolar depression seems safe, did not interfere with routine ECT practice, and allowed for transition to maintenance pharmacotherapy. (C) 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

ANYONE OUT THERE EXPERIENCE ANY HAIR LOSS- WHILE TAKING LAMICTAL (LAMOTRIGINE) FOR BI-POLAR DISORDER OR SEIZURE DISORDERS? IF SO, IN WHAT DOSES AND TIME FRAMES ? I HAVE BEEN ON IT FOR ONE YEAR NOW, AT 150 MG PER DAY.... JUST CURIOUS IF THIS COULD BE THE CULPRIT BEHIND MY HAIR LOSS.. MY HAIR HAS THINNED SO MUCH-- I CAN ALMOST SEE THRU IT...USED TO BE SO THICK- THAT I COULD NOT GET MY THUMB AND MIDDLE FINGER TO MEET AROUND A PONYTAIL.... I AM GOING TO THE DOC ON FRIDAY FOR EXAM AND LAB WORK.

s also effective contrary to gabapentin which has minor side effects but weaker. The majority of the pts in the USA and Canada are under lamictal so i assumed it's good unless the company has a good marketing policy. But since millions of people are using it i don't think they all suffer from memory loss. In any case you may be right the med is comparatively recent and it will take time untril they realise the danger of using it if there is one.

I HAVE BEEN ON LAMICTAL( lamotrigine) (FOR YEARS. NEVER MESS AROUND WITH THIS DRUG. IT YOU INCREASE YOUR DOSAGE BY MORE THAN 25MG AT A TIME FOR A WEEK, OR 50MG FOR 2 WEEKS ( AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN ON LAMICTAL FOR SOME TIME AND YOUR DOCTOR FEELS THAT IT IS OK TO INCREASE IT BY 50MG EVERY TWO WEEKS) YOU CAN HAVE SOME TERRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS. YOU CAN GET A RASH THAT YOU BETTER GET TO A HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY. IT CAN CAUSE DEATH.

I had the same fears when beginning Lamictal- the warnings are very terrifying-- but I experienced none of the rashes or side effects, and responded well to it in general. My psychiatrist feels it is one of the most effective drugs out there for bipolar despite this side effect, which from the research I have seen is rare, but serious. If you are thinking of starting it, the doctor should start you out very slowly on what is called the "starter pack," which brings you up very slowly.

I was diagnosed as bipolar type 2 back in June 2005, and since then have been on Lamotrigine (Lamictal) on an increasing dosage. I have been at the max dosage that my doctor said is allowed (350 mg/day). So that means over 4 years that I've been taking this drug. I have found that since taking lamictal, my depression has all but vanished, but it does not control my manic behavior at all. So as an anti-depressant, I think it's very effective for me.

Remember that this is a community of consumers, not professionals. What you will find is that people who have had bad experiences with medications are more likely to write about it online. Also, no everyone has the same response to a medication. I happen to take Lamictal (Lamotrigine) which has not affected my weight and I don't have any side effects from it. Others may have different experiences. Listen to your doctor and try the medications he/she prescribes.

Seroquel (brand name for the other medication you mentioned) is an antipsychotic and like all current antipsychotics the short term side effects are the potential of weight gain and short term movement disorders. I found it to be sedating but each person responds differently to each medication. It does have strong mood stabilization properties. I was on Lamictal a long time and I found that to be helpful as well. It took a while to build up to a full working dose.

They do a good summary of various different drugs, including the off label ones, and include common side effects, not so common side effects, effectiveness, and weight gain potential. It does sound like you could use a change of meds, so look over the ones I suggested, and any others you think could be likely, and then take the list to your psychiatrist to talk about what would be a good option for you.

I've usually always take a mood stabilizer, ie. Lamictal & a anti psychotic, ie. Seroquel. I take them in combination or ill be extremely manic. I've tried depakote & the only issue was weight gain & slight hair loss. I haven't noticed many side effects w/ lamictal. I think combining lamictal w/ lithium is a good decision.

Detecting drug levels in the blood help in proper seizure control and reduction of side effects of the drug. It helps us in identifying whether the drug is in a therapeutic range or not. The decision of dosage adjustments depends on the doctor’s discretion and varies person to person. Do write to us again with more information. Take care and good luck!

s leaving it up to you to decide which one to take, but anyway..You will most likely lose weight with Topamax. However, the cognitive side effects are sometimes worse with this drug, i.e. memory, concentration, "word-finding". To be honest, Lamictal had those cognitive effects for me, though most people don't report that effect with Lamotrigine. Topamax more effectively treats temporal lobe epilepsy. What kind of seizures do you have?

If the side effects look scary, go look up the full side effects profile for an OTC drug you use often (like ibuprofen), which will give you an idea of how scary the full side effects profiles sound.

Do all bipolar medications have weight gain as a side effect or are considered weight neutral? Are there any that will help you loose weight?

s always a good idea for all of us to discuss side effects with our doctors, especially if a medication has a potentially dangerous side effect. I understand as do most people, that the big pharmas have to make note of every single thing that could go wrong, no matter how rare it is, look at you and the rash from Lamictal.........

Lamotrigine lamictal side effects weight loss

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