Lamotrigine and mood: help?

Hi guys,

I [23/M] have bipolar type II, and have been on Lamotrigine 300mg + risperidone .25mg daily for about 2 years now. I have noticed that during these past two years, I have been unmotivated and depressed, but not to the point where it was hugely interfering with my productivity. It has been one of those kinds of things where, when people are around, I seem totally normal. However when nobody is around, I feel like the world is caving in on me. This is largely due to me lacking the motivation I need to be happy.

Anyways, I have been reluctant to change my current mix of medication because I have been able to function (albeit while still feeling depressed) and meet responsibilities/deadlines, etc. But after a seemingly endless period of feeling flat, I am nearing the edge of my rope. I'm thinking of examining my Lamotrigine dose, first. I am not sure whether it would be logical to raise or lower the dose. On one hand, the relatively high dose I am on at the moment may be causing me to feel "flat", draining the motivation that I need to live a decent life. On the other hand, Lamotrigine is supposedly an effective antidepressant at higher doses (up to 600 mg?), and I might just not be at an appropriate dose to fully address those symptoms.

To be clear - in the past, I have had some pretty extreme highs and lows. I have not had that recently. This is why in the past 2 years I have settled for being "passable" rather than "excellent" with regards to mental health and happiness. Unfortunately, 2 years of mediocrity has been slowly eating away at my sanity, even without manic psychosis and super-deep depression.

I'd like to hear about your personal experiences with Lamotrigine, if possible. No, I'm not asking for psychiatric advice. I would just like to know how dosage has affected other people's mood and motivation while on Lamotrigine.

Thank you all so much

Hello

I have a relatable experience. I have been on 400mg Lamotrigene for a long time now, and my mood, too, has been flat. I just don't have much going on with me emotion-wise. I feel like a zombie. It's almost as if I have symptoms of depression- sleeping 12 hours a night, little interest in activities, etc. But I'm not depressed. I have actually for a brief moment or two had slight feelings of hypomania, but it doesn't stick, I go back to being a zombie. I finally got my NP to lower my meds, but she decreased my Lamotrigene to 200 instead of lowering the Latuda. I'm eagerly waiting to see a change. I hope this somewhat helps.