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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 4, 2002, at 11:26:45
[Posted by sweetmarie on June 4, 2002, at 10:23:03]
>
> I know that I`ve already posted about this, but I`m getting really really worried.
>
> I have a headache that has been going on for over 5 weeks now, which doesn`t seem to respond to painkillers. My psychiatrist put the dose of my Lamotragine up from 250 mg to 300 mg 10 weeks ago, and I`ve had this headache (as I said) for over 5 weeks now. It is very hard to budge, and sometimes is so bad that I can`t even move.
>
> I saw my GP last week, and we decided thatI`d go back to 250 mg, and I`ve been back on this dose for 6 days now. My mood was not affected at all by the increased dose (it wasn`t any better or worse), so I thought it would be OK. But I still feel very ill (sick) and the headache is still with me.
>
> I have never really suffered from side-effects before this, and don`t know how they work - Will it take a while for the side-effects to subside? It`s absolutely unbearable and my mood is as bad as it ever was, i.e. before I started making any kind of recovery. After 4 years of severe depression, I have managed to start actually getting better. It`s very slow, but it`s definitely been forward progress - maybe a 1/3rd of my week is good now, as opposed to me being suicidal ALL the time.
>
> PLEASE can anyone shed any light on this for me? People around me seem to take it for granted that my current (huge) slump in mood is the result of the headaches. I have certainly not been able to do anything more than the bare minimum since the pain got so bad - I`ve missed my counselling session with my community nurse because of it; I`ve had to cancel my `confidence building` course, that I have previously been going to; I have been sleeping very badly (and having nightmares when I do sleep) ... it`s a nightmare.
>
> As I said, the increase of 50 mg made absolutely no difference to my mood, and I am fine with the lowered dose. But could I be having `withdrawal` symptoms? I`m REALLY sorry about this ramble, I`m just a little desperate.
>
> If anyone could get back to me on this I`ll be really grateful.
>
> Anna.
Posted by sweetmarie on June 4, 2002, at 11:54:09
In reply to HELP - Very Worried ... Side Effects « sweetmarie, posted by Dr. Bob on June 4, 2002, at 11:26:45
Dr BobSorry about that - it`s been a while since I posted, so I`m not up to date. Thanks for forwarding my post.
Anna.
Posted by Ritch on June 4, 2002, at 12:50:18
In reply to Re: HELP - Very Worried ... Side Effects » Dr. Bob, posted by sweetmarie on June 4, 2002, at 11:54:09
>
> I know that I`ve already posted about this, but I`m getting really really worried.
>
> I have a headache that has been going on for over 5 weeks now, which doesn`t seem to respond to painkillers. My psychiatrist put the dose of my Lamotragine up from 250 mg to 300 mg 10 weeks ago, and I`ve had this headache (as I said) for over 5 weeks now. It is very hard to budge, and sometimes is so bad that I can`t even move.
>
> I saw my GP last week, and we decided thatI`d go back to 250 mg, and I`ve been back on this dose for 6 days now. My mood was not affected at all by the increased dose (it wasn`t any better or worse), so I thought it would be OK. But I still feel very ill (sick) and the headache is still with me.
>
> I have never really suffered from side-effects before this, and don`t know how they work - Will it take a while for the side-effects to subside? It`s absolutely unbearable and my mood is as bad as it ever was, i.e. before I started making any kind of recovery. After 4 years of severe depression, I have managed to start actually getting better. It`s very slow, but it`s definitely been forward progress - maybe a 1/3rd of my week is good now, as opposed to me being suicidal ALL the time.
>
> PLEASE can anyone shed any light on this for me? People around me seem to take it for granted that my current (huge) slump in mood is the result of the headaches. I have certainly not been able to do anything more than the bare minimum since the pain got so bad - I`ve missed my counselling session with my community nurse because of it; I`ve had to cancel my `confidence building` course, that I have previously been going to; I have been sleeping very badly (and having nightmares when I do sleep) ... it`s a nightmare.
>
> As I said, the increase of 50 mg made absolutely no difference to my mood, and I am fine with the lowered dose. But could I be having `withdrawal` symptoms? I`m REALLY sorry about this ramble, I`m just a little desperate.
>
> If anyone could get back to me on this I`ll be really grateful.
>
> Anna.
Hi Anna,There are others here that have had experience with headache associated with lamotrigine that could help better, so maybe they will jump in with some suggestions. Anyhow, can you attribute the headache to the Lamictal? In other words, is Lamictal the only medication that you are taking? The reason I ask is that some meds can raise Lamictal blood levels (such as Depakote, i.e.), which would result in the same thing as a big dose increase of the Lamictal. Have you done any blood monitoring of your Lamictal? That dose is a little on the high side. You may need to monitor the levels and decrease the Lamictal a little more. Has your GP or pdoc suggested something (other than pain killers)to add to help relieve the headaches? Can you describe what kind of headaches that you are experiencing? Are they migraine-like (one-sided) associated with nausea, or are they more like severe tension headaches?
hope you get better,
Mitch
Posted by sweetmarie on June 5, 2002, at 5:22:13
In reply to Re: HELP - Very Worried ... Side Effects » sweetmarie, posted by Ritch on June 4, 2002, at 12:50:18
> Hi Anna,
>
> There are others here that have had experience with headache associated with lamotrigine that could help better, so maybe they will jump in with some suggestions. Anyhow, can you attribute the headache to the Lamictal? In other words, is Lamictal the only medication that you are taking? The reason I ask is that some meds can raise Lamictal blood levels (such as Depakote, i.e.), which would result in the same thing as a big dose increase of the Lamictal. Have you done any blood monitoring of your Lamictal? That dose is a little on the high side. You may need to monitor the levels and decrease the Lamictal a little more. Has your GP or pdoc suggested something (other than pain killers)to add to help relieve the headaches? Can you describe what kind of headaches that you are experiencing? Are they migraine-like (one-sided) associated with nausea, or are they more like severe tension headaches?
>
> hope you get better,
>
> MitchHi Mitch
Thanks for replying (I was beginning to think that no one would).
I`ve always had headaches - since long before I started taking any `psychiatric` medication. I`ve come to the conclusion over the years (30-odd now)that these are tension headaches, and I have usually managed to get rid of them with ordinary painkillers.
This particular headache is like a severe tension headache - a kind of tight band of pain around my head, that virtually never lets up. My psychiatrist upped the doses of 2 of my medications approx 10 weeks agao - he put my Mirtazapine up from 30 mg to 45 mg, and my Lamotragine up to 300 mg from 250 mg. This was because I hit a VERY `sticky` patch back around February, which was mainly to do with quite a lot of `external` stuff going on. The headache appeared about 5 weeks ago, and as a result my GP advised me to lower the Lamotragine dose back to 250 mg. This was a week ago now.
I`ve looked up the side effects of my other meds - Mirtazapine and Venlafaxine, and headache is not listed as a side-effect of these, so I can only assume that it`s the Lamotragine (and both my psychiatrist and GP tend to agree). Yesterday, I started getting very dizzy as well, and have been both dizzy and a bit feverish ever since. I hardly slept last night.
Apart from the severe headache (which leaves me totally immobile at times), I am also very depressed again. I think that this is probably the result of the headache and the fact that it`s prevented me from doing almost anything for the past few weeks. As for any other remedy suggestions, I have only been prescribed Co-codamol and Ibuprofen, which doesn`t work. I have an appointment with my GP next week to review the situation. I`m just extremely worried that I`m slipping back into the severe depression again, just as I was beginning to come out of it.
Anyway - that`s it, really. I`m hoping that it`s `withdrawal`, and wil get better after awhile. I`m just at the end of my rope about the whole thing. I don`t get my bloods checked out - when I was in hospital last year I did, but not since. I just don`t know.
Anyway, thank you so much for replying - it was very kind of you. I guess I`ll wait and see - don`t really know what else I can do. It would help if I had some idea of how long side-effects take to subside; my GP reckoned about 10 days - I guess she would know.
Thanks again,
Anna.
Posted by Ritch on June 5, 2002, at 9:28:13
In reply to Re: Lamotragine - V. Worried - Further Symptoms » Ritch, posted by sweetmarie on June 5, 2002, at 5:22:13
Posted by sweetmarie on June 5, 2002, at 10:06:58
In reply to good luck-let us know what happens.. (nm) » sweetmarie, posted by Ritch on June 5, 2002, at 9:28:13
Posted by Zo on June 5, 2002, at 23:43:54
In reply to Re: Lamotragine - V. Worried - Further Symptoms » Ritch, posted by sweetmarie on June 5, 2002, at 5:22:13
Anna,I just had to reduce my Lamictal dose because of The Lamictal Headache. . .and this was ten months into treatment, with no other change in the program. Maybe I got better?
I went from 250mg. (which, when added to my other meds, totally vanished my lifelong depression) to 225mg and then 200mg within a week's time. . .and kinda crashed. If a vegetable can be said to crash. Depression lurked.
But then it evened out! Sooo. . .maybe hang in, maybe really tweak the Lamictal, I mean, shave it by milligrams! It looks like my dose is now somewhere around 212mg. I get 25mg pills, in addition to the 100s, to slice more accurately.
BTW, too much Lamictal is, for me, really awful - besides The Headache (and you're right, it's sort of migrainey but not, and Imitrex didn't touch it) my head felt *packed* with static, I got dizzy. . .stumbled and sprained my foot.
I understand, if one is in trouble, but it's usually best not to increase two meds at once. . .else how can one measure the effect. But you knew that.Here's another synchronous thing: when my Lamictal level fell a little too low, not only did my sleep suddenly fall apart - and it had been sooo good - I got Very Worried about the Long Term. . ! Those thoughts themselves were a result of the dip in blood levels; although one does worry, this Very Worried had a particular feel to it. . and has retreated again as I've pushed the Lamictal molecules back up. When my dose is right, I don't worry about the longterm - even though my prognosis is in reality not terrific. . .but you know what, it was the addition of Provigil that, come to think of it, really put me in the Now. I mean, The Now!
So I wish you luck, you have every reason to be optomistic, mine was a "hopeless case". . .keep us posted!
Zo
Posted by Nala on December 19, 2002, at 15:39:03
In reply to HELP - Very Worried ... Side Effects « sweetmarie, posted by Dr. Bob on June 4, 2002, at 11:26:45
Are you still experiencing the Headaches? I also am experiencing the same symptoms you describe and I am taking Remeron 45mg and Eskalith 450mg CR. My pdoc thinks it's the Remeron.
Nala
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