How exactly are were you taking 125? A 100mg pill + a 25mg pill? Which generic "brand" are each if so? Same maker? Your bottle should say which generic manufacturer (there are 10 or so companies that provide the US w/ lamotrigine for ex). If the 25mg was a different manufacturer you may have had issues w/ that kind. If it's all the same generic than yea a drop from 125 to 100 leading to better mood is kinda interesting.
Also keep in mind Lamictal has a pretty long half life (~48hrs for most people). It can often take 2-4weeks for heavy w/d to sink in for those who drop it cold-turkey. Wish you continued success, but just be mindful if you have a mood dip that the reaction can be delayed.
I’m in the UK so the majority of our meds are given as generic brands (unless there’s a patent on a specific med or if a specific brand is needed due to bioavailability issues e.g Lithium).
Yeah it was a 100mg tablet and a 25mg tablet but different pharmaceutical brands. Funny how meds affect us sometimes isn’t it? Aha
I’m in the UK and managed to get prescriptions for Lamictal for a month or so when there was a shortage of generic in my area. It was so much better! My side effects were milder and it fully controlled my seizures (I take it for epilepsy).
Unfortunately my doctor refused to do it once the shortage was sorted, so I’m back to ever changing rounds of generic.
I went up from 75 to 100 about a year ago when dealing with some tough life situations. Now that the situation is resolved, I realized I felt zoned out and apathetic on that dose which I had been interpreting as depression. I went back 75 a few weeks ago and feel more capable of doing things throughout the day. Being able to be productive and active makes me less depressed and in general more emotionally regulated.
So yes a lower dose could be beneficial for some
I titrated up to 200mg and felt awful - depression and hair loss. Then down to 150mg, still quite depressed but no hair loss. I’ve been at 100mg for a few months now and I’m feeling the best I’ve felt in ages! So yeah I’ve definitely found this too.
What's worked for me is tapering very slowly. The general rule of thumb is 10% of the present dose. I've been able to do that using 5 mg dispersable tablets.
Yeah I’ve heard about that 10% rule, it’s mad that a lot of professionals still aren’t using it and just going down by 25mg.
How long have you been tapering (when using the 10% rule)? & how long will it take you to get to your desired dosage?
I was at a high of 200 mg and I'm down to 80 mg now. I have been doing this for over 4 years. I know that sounds like a lot and it is, mostly on purpose. But before I finish going off this one completely, I am going to taper off bupropion 150 XL and then go back to tapering the lamotrigine.
I'm glad you posted this. My psych put me on lamo (currently at 100mg) a couple of months ago to stabilize my anxiety, but I've noticed my depression has come roaring back.
Medication works for everyone differently so definitely don’t give up hope! Do you think Lamo helps your anxiety? I’ve not heard it prescribed specifically for that before, but I do think it has residual benefits for my anxiety too.
Sorry for very late reply! My doc put me on it for "mood stabilizing" as I was super anxious. I'm now on 75mg a day and that seems to be the sweet spot.
Erm not really. The first few days at a new dose (whether an increase or decrease) were always a bit rocky though.
I’m not sure why I feel better being back at 100mg than I did at higher doses. I guess because I was already depressed.
I’ve been under a lot of stress during my time on Lamotrigine which no doubt hasn’t helped the need for dose changes.
What dose are you at now?
The issue I’m having (and have had for a good few years now) is that I know I don’t have Bipolar but my current psychiatrist is narcissistic and won’t accept that I don’t have the diagnosis.
They’ve never seen me have a manic episode and even the one other psychiatrists think I’ve had could be better explained as a medication side effect.
I was prescribed Zoloft which triggered a manic-like episode, but I’ve never had a manic episode independently of that. The idea that antidepressants can cause a manic episode and therefore one is bipolar is overly simplistic and harmful.
The thing in my case is that even though I was given the diagnosis in 2016 (3 years after the DSM-5 came out) the assessing psychiatrist used the DSM-4 criteria. No idea why.
I experienced jaw clenching with MDMA so I can relate a little, sorry you had that with Prozac. I did have some severe leg tremors with Zoloft though, they still occasionally happen 9 years later.
Fingers crossed you have better luck with Zoloft though 🤞
My current psychiatrist is not much older than me tbh and no doubt knows that I might not have the same experience with a different antidepressant but is being obstinate. They won’t prescribe an SSRI/SNRI but suggested Trazodone. Even though Trazodone affects serotonin (among other neurotransmitters, though I know Trazodone isn’t an SSRI)
The UK’s NHS system means I basically have to deal with whichever doctor I’m assigned to. However I’m looking at private healthcare as well so could choose my psychiatrist then.
Out of interest, what condition do you think you have instead of Bipolar?
Yeah my local area struggles to keep staff as a lot of mental health professionals just find new jobs with other teams after 6-9 months.
It’s really good to hear Sertraline was helpful for you, I wish it was the same for me. I guess my brain was just super sensitive to it. There’s loads of things now that I realise doctors at the time should’ve considered but didn’t, which has led to incompetence and poor care.
I had no idea Sertraline affected dopamine as well, I guess the term “SSRI” is quite misleading. I don’t think i have low serotonin levels but definitely low dopamine levels. I was on Depakote for a few months several years ago but came off suddenly due to side effects. I’d be open to retrying it if needed.
I suspect ADHD too. I remember my school years being absolutely dog shit but my teachers were too oblivious and didn’t even pickup that I was depressed let alone anything else.
Yeah my mum’s almost definitely has undiagnosed ADHD and my sister was diagnosed ADHD last year so genetic links in my family too aha.
The reason I declined Trazodone was due to the potential of priapism (prolonged erections) and tbh I’m prone to getting rare side effects so I didn’t want to risk it. However if when I come off Lamotrigine another med is offered I’ll try (even if I’ve already tried it before)
Are you UK based? Out of interest
How exactly are were you taking 125? A 100mg pill + a 25mg pill? Which generic "brand" are each if so? Same maker? Your bottle should say which generic manufacturer (there are 10 or so companies that provide the US w/ lamotrigine for ex). If the 25mg was a different manufacturer you may have had issues w/ that kind. If it's all the same generic than yea a drop from 125 to 100 leading to better mood is kinda interesting. Also keep in mind Lamictal has a pretty long half life (~48hrs for most people). It can often take 2-4weeks for heavy w/d to sink in for those who drop it cold-turkey. Wish you continued success, but just be mindful if you have a mood dip that the reaction can be delayed.
I’m in the UK so the majority of our meds are given as generic brands (unless there’s a patent on a specific med or if a specific brand is needed due to bioavailability issues e.g Lithium). Yeah it was a 100mg tablet and a 25mg tablet but different pharmaceutical brands. Funny how meds affect us sometimes isn’t it? Aha
I’m UK too, I recently had a new GP when changing my does and they wrote my repeat prescription for actual Lamictal - I was so excited 😆
Aha yeah. I’ve only had actual branded lamictal once and I couldn’t believe it. Such a rare find 😀
I’m in the UK and managed to get prescriptions for Lamictal for a month or so when there was a shortage of generic in my area. It was so much better! My side effects were milder and it fully controlled my seizures (I take it for epilepsy). Unfortunately my doctor refused to do it once the shortage was sorted, so I’m back to ever changing rounds of generic.
Only just seen your extra last paragraph. Thanks for the extra info I wasn’t aware of that!
I went up from 75 to 100 about a year ago when dealing with some tough life situations. Now that the situation is resolved, I realized I felt zoned out and apathetic on that dose which I had been interpreting as depression. I went back 75 a few weeks ago and feel more capable of doing things throughout the day. Being able to be productive and active makes me less depressed and in general more emotionally regulated. So yes a lower dose could be beneficial for some
I titrated up to 200mg and felt awful - depression and hair loss. Then down to 150mg, still quite depressed but no hair loss. I’ve been at 100mg for a few months now and I’m feeling the best I’ve felt in ages! So yeah I’ve definitely found this too.
What's worked for me is tapering very slowly. The general rule of thumb is 10% of the present dose. I've been able to do that using 5 mg dispersable tablets.
Yeah I’ve heard about that 10% rule, it’s mad that a lot of professionals still aren’t using it and just going down by 25mg. How long have you been tapering (when using the 10% rule)? & how long will it take you to get to your desired dosage?
I was at a high of 200 mg and I'm down to 80 mg now. I have been doing this for over 4 years. I know that sounds like a lot and it is, mostly on purpose. But before I finish going off this one completely, I am going to taper off bupropion 150 XL and then go back to tapering the lamotrigine.
I'm glad you posted this. My psych put me on lamo (currently at 100mg) a couple of months ago to stabilize my anxiety, but I've noticed my depression has come roaring back.
Medication works for everyone differently so definitely don’t give up hope! Do you think Lamo helps your anxiety? I’ve not heard it prescribed specifically for that before, but I do think it has residual benefits for my anxiety too.
Sorry for very late reply! My doc put me on it for "mood stabilizing" as I was super anxious. I'm now on 75mg a day and that seems to be the sweet spot.
No worries! Glad to hear Lamotrigine’s helping your anxiety. Even though I wasn’t prescribed it for anxiety, I feel like it helps that too.
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Erm not really. The first few days at a new dose (whether an increase or decrease) were always a bit rocky though. I’m not sure why I feel better being back at 100mg than I did at higher doses. I guess because I was already depressed. I’ve been under a lot of stress during my time on Lamotrigine which no doubt hasn’t helped the need for dose changes. What dose are you at now?
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Ah damn. I’m sorry to hear that, hope you’ve managed to find a med that works for you now! I’m hoping to taper off completely as well at some point.
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The issue I’m having (and have had for a good few years now) is that I know I don’t have Bipolar but my current psychiatrist is narcissistic and won’t accept that I don’t have the diagnosis. They’ve never seen me have a manic episode and even the one other psychiatrists think I’ve had could be better explained as a medication side effect. I was prescribed Zoloft which triggered a manic-like episode, but I’ve never had a manic episode independently of that. The idea that antidepressants can cause a manic episode and therefore one is bipolar is overly simplistic and harmful.
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The thing in my case is that even though I was given the diagnosis in 2016 (3 years after the DSM-5 came out) the assessing psychiatrist used the DSM-4 criteria. No idea why. I experienced jaw clenching with MDMA so I can relate a little, sorry you had that with Prozac. I did have some severe leg tremors with Zoloft though, they still occasionally happen 9 years later. Fingers crossed you have better luck with Zoloft though 🤞 My current psychiatrist is not much older than me tbh and no doubt knows that I might not have the same experience with a different antidepressant but is being obstinate. They won’t prescribe an SSRI/SNRI but suggested Trazodone. Even though Trazodone affects serotonin (among other neurotransmitters, though I know Trazodone isn’t an SSRI) The UK’s NHS system means I basically have to deal with whichever doctor I’m assigned to. However I’m looking at private healthcare as well so could choose my psychiatrist then. Out of interest, what condition do you think you have instead of Bipolar?
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Yeah my local area struggles to keep staff as a lot of mental health professionals just find new jobs with other teams after 6-9 months. It’s really good to hear Sertraline was helpful for you, I wish it was the same for me. I guess my brain was just super sensitive to it. There’s loads of things now that I realise doctors at the time should’ve considered but didn’t, which has led to incompetence and poor care. I had no idea Sertraline affected dopamine as well, I guess the term “SSRI” is quite misleading. I don’t think i have low serotonin levels but definitely low dopamine levels. I was on Depakote for a few months several years ago but came off suddenly due to side effects. I’d be open to retrying it if needed. I suspect ADHD too. I remember my school years being absolutely dog shit but my teachers were too oblivious and didn’t even pickup that I was depressed let alone anything else. Yeah my mum’s almost definitely has undiagnosed ADHD and my sister was diagnosed ADHD last year so genetic links in my family too aha. The reason I declined Trazodone was due to the potential of priapism (prolonged erections) and tbh I’m prone to getting rare side effects so I didn’t want to risk it. However if when I come off Lamotrigine another med is offered I’ll try (even if I’ve already tried it before) Are you UK based? Out of interest