how do you feel about lamictal

i've been diagnosed with bipolar 1. i take lamictal and wellbutrin. i know lamictal is supposed to work for the depressive episodes.... but there have been times where i've only taken lamictal without an antidepressant, and been severely depressed until i go back on an antidepressant. i feel like i'm paying for a medication that is only giving me side effects without any actual benefit. obviously this is something i'm going to talk to my doctor about, and i'm not going to stop taking it until i do...but i'm just wondering what lamictal does for anyone else here, how it makes you feel?

I had a severe manic episode a few months back that landed me in the hospital. At the time I was taking Lamictal, Abilify, and Trazodone (for sleeping purposes). They immediately took me off Lamictal and trazodone because I was told that these two meds could possibly have led to the mania. I kinda believe it was a combination of the two instead of just the trazodone because, while the lamictal worked for depression, ever since I started it I was mostly in some form of a manic state most of the time. Overall, I'm not a fan.

Lamictal killed all emotion for me. Both highs and lows. I couldn't feel anything at all and I couldn't handle it so I changed meds.

Hi Fallenstar!

Lamictal has been my only medication for approximately six months or so. After three hospitalizations in a year and many medications later, it's the only med that's been side effect free for me and the only one that's kept me out of too deep of lows or too high of highs.

Right now I sit somewhere between "stable" and hypomanic, watching my symptoms, but sure they are primarily stress-induced due to wedding planning (I am getting married in December, so it's crunch time! )

Before being on just the one I was on a variety of others...Lithium (awful), Seroquel (ugh), Risperdal (allergic), Geodon (also allergic), as well as many antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds before my Bipolar diagnosis. None of those worked, either - in fact, at least two antidepressants caused me to ascend into mania...so, yeah...

Just remember that everyone's body reacts differently to different medication (as I think is showcased well in this thread)

Good luck in getting everything sorted out!
~ Wolfy

Thank you all for your responses Oh wow pemigewasset, I never even thought lamictal could possibly precipitate a manic episode, I just figured it kept the depressive episodes at bay but didn't really touch mania too much, let alone drive someone into mania. Very interesting... ugh I've been on so many medications, not knowing what was causing me to become more depressed, what was causing me to become hypomanic/manic. It's so hard for us, and our doctors aren't much help...and it's so easy to become irritable with them...but they're only human, if it's difficult for us...imagine how difficult it much be for a total stranger w/out mental illness trying to figure out which meds will help this and worsen that. Wolfy , I've tried all of those meds as well lol, DID NOT work out well. Lithium is awful awful awful for me, makes me feel like i'm not even alive, on top of weight gain and cloudy thinking. I've taken risperdal, geodon, and all the rest of em , and my body just does not agree with them, they all give me horrible akathisia. It's tough, bipolar disorder is tough on all of us.

I actually ran out of my lamictal 3 days ago and didn't bother picking them up until today, I hesitated to even take one...but I don't want to stop a medication without my doctors approval...I've gotten myself into trouble this way many times. Trying to play doctor.

I have never once been stable on any medication regimen, whatsoever, and I've tried most, if not just about ALL the common meds that are used for depression/mania. I've come to the point where I'm accepting the mania and depression... and trying to learn how to manage my life as well as i can with this damn disease.

Lamictal didn't do a thing for me. I felt like I was taking a placebo. The only exceptions were the wonderful side effects of making my hair fall out and my vision extremely blurry. Obviously, I am not a fan.

I've been on it since March. I have noticed that my speech is all sorts of ###$ up. I am usually very well spoken and the only speech problem I have is a minor lisp and a slight stutter. But now I am having wicked bad issues with trying to talk and not sound like an idiot.

Anyone else have that?

Lamictal was the only drug I was on for about 8 months. It did nothing to stop hypomania/mania but may have helped with depression. I can't remember being depressed on it. When I had my major manic meltdown and got back home, my new psychiatrist told me it is a good prophylactic against depression but not against mania.
So now I'm on lithium with all of it's associated side effects (tremors, liver damage, possible weight gain etc.) as well as Seroquel, Saphris, Lexapro and Stilnox.
Lamictal is a drug I would like to try again one day as it had no side effects for me, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Lamotrigine when added to my other meds helped level me off more and I dont seem to get side effects with it so I am a fan. Not sure it would do much on its own tho but I find in combination with other stuff it is good

Cracked

Lamictal was first given to me in an effort to help stabilize the depression. Alone it seemed to do nothing. But then they added lithium and either the lithium worked or they both worked together well, since I've never been soley on lithium. I am fine with that as the lamictal does not give me side effects.