Speeding up Lamictal

No, we are telling you to take your doctor's advice and NOT do it faster. Say you do it faster, and you get the rash- you will be taken off of the medication, therefor not even experiencing the effects you are looking for in this medication. Not only is it my opinion, but any medical professional would tell you to up the dose slowly. I don't think you are understanding how serious this is.

And, just like most medication there may be other side effects going into it (and some may last). The rash being the most important one to keep an eye on. You might not be experiencing any other side effects currently, but increasing quickly and not allowing your body adequate time to adjust may add some uncomfortable side effects. Sometimes similar when weaning down or coming off of. You want to get better sooner rather than later, and I get that. Doctors give medical advice because of their knowledge in the area. Some can be questionable. If you are still adamant about increasing it more quickly, maybe consult with another doctor if you question your current doctors ability to give proper medical advice. Good luck irregardless of what you choose. I hope you find the medication to be helpful.

-- Sun Sep 03, 2017 1:42 pm --

And on another note. I am decreasing my dose and having to do it in increments of 25mg every 2 weeks. It is frustrating but I would like to be cautious. I had no side effects when going onto it but decreasing it has made me feel very tired and the first couple days I was quite depressed, along with a couple other symptoms. Everybody is different and it is hard to detect how we may respond to certain things.

You're essentially asking us if you should go against your Doctor's advice. We actually aren't even allowed to do that according to the forum rules. Also we gave you as much advice as we could without breaking them.

Sure, but what if I don't get the rash?

That is PRECISELY why you have to do it slowly. If you do it fast, you are just asking to get it. Is it really worth it? Here you have 2 options- do it as per doctor rules and increase slowly, or go against doctors rules, get the rash, and have to be taken off of it. As another user said, if you don't agree with your doctor, get another doctor and see what they say. But I can guarantee you they will say the same thing. That is just how this medication works.

Re Jellybeanery: But I don't think option number two is that cut and dry. You are saying: if I don't do what the doctor says, I will 100% get the rash. I'm sure, even the doctor wouldn't agree with that.

-- Sun Sep 03, 2017 7:54 pm --

It is worth it because I am in a great deal of pain to the point where I am no longer functional, living with my parents, and someone who used to be a pretty high achiever. That is why it is worth it. Because I am miserable and despair for nothing in the world more than to be emotionally stable again

I'm not saying you will 100% get the rash, but I am saying 100% that no doctor in their right mind would raise the dose faster. As YOUR doctor said. As the psychiatrist in the hospital told me. As did my NP. So that's THREE medical professionals and their professional medical advice, NOT OPINION, plus myself, and 2 other users here. But you are 100% certain that nobody knows what they are talking about. You wanted advice, and this is what we gave you.

I can understand you wanting to get better, but medications take time. It took me THREE YEARS to find medication to make me somewhat stable, and in this time, I was hospitalized SIX TIMES. I am not functional. I am awaiting disability. So I know how it feels. And it took me almost a full year to get to the maximum dose of 400 mg Lamictal.

I almost feel like you are trolling us with this topic. It seems no matter what facts and experiences we throw at you, you are going to go against your doctor's rules.

I also feel trolled. I'm done contributing to this. Nothing rushed is done right.

tsterr wrote:What should I look for as signs of a rash? I do feel a bit itchy, but there is no redness.

-- Mon Aug 28, 2017 12:08 pm --

After how long of being on the medicine will one notice a rash, if they are going to get one?

Please for your safety ask your doctor as we are not professionals. We can only speak from experience and everyone's experience can be very different. Don't put your life at stake and talk to your doctor and follow doctor's orders. You just don't know what may happen.

tsterr wrote:I am open to your facts and options, but they have mainly confirmed what the doctor said. I posted to see if potentially someone would convince me that my plan is more dangerous than I thought, but it seems that with the right amount of caution and looking for a rash, I should be fine doing it a bit faster

Our experiences are just that. But yours can be very different. I am locking this thread as it has been discussed plenty.