Posted by Cindylou on April 10, 2002, at 6:42:19
In reply to Re: Going off Lamictal. Sigh..., posted by SLS on April 9, 2002, at 17:59:10
Hi Scott,
I hear ya, as far as the "temporary blip" this improvement I feel must be ... I suspect the same thing, since it has happened many times before. And you are probably right, that Lamictal could have a place in my treatment somewhere down the line. I never got higher than 125 mg because of the bloating and worse agitation/fatigue. Those side effects may have gone away given time, but I didn't have the gumption to stick it out.SO, I'm just going to wait it out and see what happens without the Lamictal, then what happens with Omega 3 and possibly Nortriptyline ... if I fall apart (which is a strong possibility), I will get on some more aggressive treatment and forget about trying to have another baby. I'm not sure if we can adopt, though, since I've been treated with these meds -- I don't know what adoption agency policies are on that. (We were thinking of adopting from overseas ... ) But that's a whole other topic!!
Thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. Your last two points made my day!
cindy
> Ø Last night I decreased the Lamictal from 75 mg to 50, and I have to tell ya, I feel better now than I have in weeks! I wonder if the Lamictal was backfiring on me (other drugs have done that after they have run their course.)
>
>
> I have seen quite a few people describe feeling better upon decreasing the dosage of Lamictal. I don’t think it is anything more than a temporary “blip” mood-lift due simply to the change, and that it is not a prognosticator of a stable improvement at the new dosage. If you have not done well on Lamictal at dosages of between 200-300mg, I don’t think you will do any better at lower ones. A few people have claimed a therapeutic window from time to time, but the assertions never seem to last for very long. Hopefully, my impressions are just plain wrong.
>
> How high a dosage have of Lamictal have you tried? Were cognitive side-effects getting in the way of reaching 300mg? How long were you at your highest dosage?
>
> I must say that your “blip” improvement sounds like Lamictal might still have a place in your drug treatment. It could play a critical role in the effective combination you will surely come up with. For me, I don’t get any benefit from a tricyclic unless I am also taking Lamictal 300mg. Conversely, I receive no benefit from Lamictal unless I am also taking a tricyclic.
>
> Keep thinking and hoping. Two things have kept me going for all of these years:
>
> 1. I know what it is like to live a life without depression. I experienced it once for about six months, and I have thus far deemed it worth the painful wait.
> 2. I am always thinking. If I can come up with a treatment alternative that I have not yet tried, I can’t exclude the possibility that I will enjoy the life I alluded to in #1.
>
>
> - Scott
poster:Cindylou
thread:102494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020408/msgs/102598.html