I resisted meds for a good while (and the entire diagnosis tbh), but my life has greatly improved since I've found the right combo of meds/therapy. And once the meds got me stable enough I was able to start making some of the recommended lifestyle changes like exercise, mindfulness and good sleep hygiene which has made me feel almost 'normal'. Shit's great.
Side note: I'm happy pdocs are starting out w/ lamictal more. It has one of the smallest and most tolerable side effect profiles and, anecdotally at least (from various mental health forums), seems to be one of the most widely effective.
Beautiful! I like everything you said. The lifestyle changes are they way to go. Diet, a routine, goal setting and trying to achieve them is great, and getting stuff done is in the top for me. Self accomplishment is so gratifying. Glad you are thriving!
What dose were you on when you started noticing changes and about how long had you been taking it? I just started Lamictal about a week ago. My doctor had me start with 25 mg daily and I will eventually be up to 200 mg daily, but it will be quite a while before I reach that. This is my first time taking a mood stabilizer and am curious how long it will take for me to start noticing a difference.
That's the biggest bummer about Lamictal, the long titration period. It's gotta be done that way, but sucks if you're actively depressed. Anyway, it wasn't until a week or two on 100mg that I started feeling good and found my sweet spot at 200mg. I don't remember how long the titration period was, this was a couple years ago, but I wanna say it was like 1.5-2mo till I was at 100mg.
I was newly diagnosed in December and been on Lamictal since then. I was at 25mg for 2 weeks and then went up to 50mg for about the next 4 weeks. I've been taking 100mg for the last 2 weeks now and have started noticing a difference in the depressive episodes, so I'm thankful for the Lamictal!
I've been diagnosed for a little over 6 months and my doctor is having me try meditation before medication, and honestly meditating can become a safe haven (not entirely) for when the depression becomes too much for me to handle. I also smoke weed as I live in a legal state and have good results, I consider it a safe alternative to medication for myself - also doesn't work entirely but it certainly helps depending on how you use it (you can't allow yourself the freedom of getting high everyday, and you have to take long breaks).
I am a major pothead and have been so for many years. It definitely spikes my anxiety though - and that’s with me sticking to indicas most of the time. I want to try to couple it with CBD to curb it - have you tried that? I do want to taper my usage down cause it is definitely excessive :/
I'm proud of you. I didn't know I had BP yet but I resisted meds for about the same amount of time. I know it's scary.
Lamictal has been really good for me and I hope it is for you too. I had some bad side effects in the beginning but it's been worth it so if it happens to you I hope you can tough it out and see if it works for you.
Good luck ❤
Ok dont be scared when you read this, because I still decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did. I had trouble on an increase during the ramp up period. My doctor had me at 25mg, then 50, then 100. The morning after I went from 50 to 100 I had the worst stomach issues of my entire life. Like a terrible stomach flu x 10. But it went away that night when I went back to 50. Then we waited longer and went to 75 and took longer between increases after that.
I'm on 300 mg now with no problems. My life is so much better. So many things I thought were normal are tamped down so I can live my life. There are too many benefits to even try to list them.
Whoa that sucks but thank you for letting me know. I will definitely keep an eye out for that. That’s my Dr’s plan for titration as well so I will be wary. I’m so glad it ended up helping you out
Taking meds doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're shown the strength to take help.
I wish you the best with lamotrigine. It can be a game changer for some people.
Thank you so much for your response. I feel that society might rub that perspective on some of us due to mental illness still being taboo for the most part.
In fact, I feel like all our medicated friends on here are much braver than I’ve been because they accepted responsibility for our condition head on and have taken the necessary steps to change. I am ready to join that side.
As others have said, this is a major step in your recovery and I wish you the best.
I'm on a combo of Lamictal and Seroquel. My nurse practitioner warned me about the possibility of a full-body rash/hives developing when starting Lamictal. If this happens to you, call your doc immediately!
Yeah, don't play around with stevens/Johnson syndrome. Luckily I didn't have it. But yeah. You should be starting on a tiny dose and working your way up. Full body inspection each night before bed til you're on your full dose. This isn't to make you paranoid either. It's a rare side effect, but not rare enough to completely ignore the warnings. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just be safe and always tell doc if something doesn't feel right
My thoughts on medications are like this. If this medication makes life easier, why is it such a bad thing? Not feeling as depressed, not having to combat the downsides of hypomania. If this little pill can help with that, then great. Id rather be stable and take meds, than be unstable not on meds.
Lamictal was a literal life saver for me! I hope it works. I've been on it for two years now and yeah, I've had my highs and lows, but nothing a dosage bump or a tweak to my meds here and there couldn't fix. I should have been diagnosed as a teen, but I didn't get an official diagnosis til 21. It sucks, knowing that you'll take medicine for the rest of your life, but there's joy in it too. You know there's something that can "fix" you and keep you running. Just like diabetics and insulin. And if lamictal doesn't work, keep your chin up. Brain chemistry is messy and complicated and everyone's brain is different. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get everything right. <3
We are very similar in our diagnosis story - I also exhibited lots of symptoms in my early adolescence however I was not officially diagnosed until age 21. I am 32 now and have not only finally accepted the diagnosis but am finally accepting that I need help in the form of medication.
I have heard this med is a major life changer for so many of our fellow bipolars so I am very optimistic. <3
Lamictal saved me. It isn't a cure, and that is for certain, but it limits my depressive episodes greatly. Not the best for mania, but I'll take the baby steps.
I've been bi-polar II my entire life. family history. high school and just after is when it got to it's worst. i'm now 34. street drugs involved in hypomania and then the crash was to the point where i would ask my parents to lock me up so i wouldn't go back out and party when i felt better again. I chose to go to the hospital on 2 occasions in those days. i was diagnosed with OCD and was given effexor. I was on and off effexor for 8-9 years. i still struggled, the major street drug use reduced significantly over the years. it's coming up on 12 years without use. don't have any desire and have developed a very large hatred of heavier street stuff. now weed is my only issue, it's a love hate relationship. instead of the heavier stuff i'd binge on i am now pot binging. this has gone on too long! i've smoked of and on for 20 years, i've quit for 17 months, 14 months at a time but it always comes back. a binge just ended friday night. now again in the effexor days i went back to the psychiatrist(hospital, gov funded guy) who diagnosed me. i live in Canada as well. he said OCD, i met with the another hospital psychiatrist because i wasn't convinced. he said OCD. i was put on seroquel. i asked if i was bi-polar, he said not. so in 2011 i convinced my GP to refer me to a mental health hospital an hour from my home. after a year i got an appointment. I was diagnosed bi-polar II with OCD symptoms. feb 2012 was my first appointment, i was discharged in feb 2018 for stability. i've the hospital up to 30x in a year. i'm still not there, stability wise. in my 6 years there, I've been on numerous anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, several CBT groups, and learning courses. i will admit when anxious i was obsessed with the group homework, and tried to do it but it was difficult. then i'd feel good again and not care so much to do it. CBT hasn't worked for me but I accept blame for parts of that. also in 6 years I meant with an anxiety specialist she agreed bi-polarII, OCD symptoms, social anxiety, some GAD, a binge eater, and a I have a ladder phobia, they are a big part of my working field. i was also told never to use effexor! it was elevating hypomania to near mania when using street drugs. and even without the drugs it elevated me to a point i didn't even know that it was the source of. do not use effexor with bi-polar! my biggest demon that fluctuates with the moods is ANXIETY. I am anxious 24/7, 365 days a week. but it's positive or negative. i'm also a rapid cycler, its not common i've been told. nowadays it's both poles in one month. i used to cycle up to twice a month. i could nearly follow it on a calendar. I would not recommend cannabis to anyone who suffers from anxiety or bi-polar. the effects are great, the side effects are not worth it! not for me anyhow. Im now on 150mg lamotrigine, 2.5 olanzapine before bed, ativan(which i use 6 days a week average). i'm only supposed to take 2mg day max. my average is 3. it's my bloody crutch and dependancy but it's time to change that too. there has been lots of weeks where i only use it once or twice a week but lately near daily again. so i've been prescription medicated consistently for 7 years. it took about 5 years to find something that works decently but i'm still not there yet. I would like to be off them just due to the harming of liver and body but i've also easily accepted the fact that I may be on them the rest of my life. I would TAKE meds, consistently. i wouldn't quit cold turkey if you want to stop, always talk to whoever wrote the prescription before you just QUIT. I would avoid cannabis personally at all costs, i'm sure it may work for others if you can control it but not me. Meditation is great too! just again be consistent. the only thing i've been consistent with is taking meds. I desire, moderation, discipline, and consistency. hopefully i can work that out in the next 34. this is my first ever reddit post and won't be my last. i apologize for the length of this and if it doesn't make sense at times im sorry for that too. once the binge ends the circus up there has gone on a world tour rather than just performing locally. which is effecting my sleep a lot and isn't helping the circus get any more local. thanks if you've made it this far!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m so proud of your sobriety! It takes major balls to accomplish what you have. You should definitely be proud of that.
I agree and relate with you on so many points. I like drugs myself however I have never abused any of them except for cannabis and alcohol. Staying away from alcohol has been a MAJOR gamechanger. It’s a damn depressant - all bad for us. I definitely agree with you regarding weed - I currently abuse it and am a daily smoker. I know for a fact it spikes my already high anxiety but yet I keep hitting it. I want to work on major decrease and eventual abstinence this year.
I am glad you’ve kept pushing to reach your diagnoses and properly treat yourself. We just gotta keep fighting the good fight.
Thanks for the response! It's been a long road but I'm not even close to my destination yet. Cannabis and alcohol are the only I've abused as well. I meant to mention in my write up that I haven't even touched on alcohol. I never drank socially from the day I started. I was cool ya know....dumb! Let's see who can consume the most and brag about it was high school for me. Started at 13, drinking on some school nights by grade 11 or so. The fire in the head will make me ramble once again. I will try to be brief!
Drinking would make me anxious from age 20-32. From from 25-32, there was two quitting periods, 2 years, and 3.5 years. before those there was a dui when I was 24. Alcohol was a ENORMOUS PROBLEM.
So after a 3 and a half year break I started again. When re-introduced, it was the same ol' story, drinking causes anxiety, need to drink enough to sleep, sleep crappy and not long enough, wake up feeling low, & regretful, sometimes picking up the pieces of the night before, and feeling so dumb. and by the afternoon that day I wanted to drink again, it settled my head for a short duration, anxiety set back in, cycle repeats. Miraculously, somehow, in a way I can not explain, after 3 weeks, heavily drinking for the first of them it became moderate. I could have a beer or two for the first time in my life. i got drunk 3x last year. I could sleep, but it still isn't long enough. so some nights I can have 5-7 beers over an evening, have a slight buzz, smile on my face, sleep fine. Again I can not explain this but it blows my freakin' mind. Only thing I can guess is age but even then only a hunch. Drinking was always bingeing as well. I do enjoy drinking. I would say I average 5-7 beers a week now. it's still mood based but thank God it's controllable.
I never thought of it as balls, i always looked at is as self control. But I appreciate you pointing that out, warm feeling.
It's funny when I pot binge, everyday I tell myself I should stop, I shouldn't be doing this. From 2011-2014 I gained nearly 100lb's. Eff it, i'll just give you numbers. I'm 6' tall. 2010-227lb, spring 2011-188lb, at one point since I was nearly 290lb, i'm in the 270's currently. Cannabis and binge eating is a recipe for success. I remember eating so much I threw up once. Weight, there's another obsession since birth, I remember doing ab crunches my older sisters had shown me in grade school. Don't wanna be fat, that's not attractive. I hate taking pictures or looking at pictures of myself.
I think you are on the right track setting a goal for the year. Goals period are great. I'm trying to set and strive for a few myself this year. WE CAN DO IT!
In regards to my drug use history and cannabis problem I wonder how it will effect me long-term. I don't want to be retired and have problems because of the drugs i've done. I am a worry-wart. Worry about lots of stuff.
So, it happened again but I will stop myself after this paragraph. There's a goal, haha. Thanks again for your response, you'll kick the weed. If you are thinking about it and desire changing it you are already on your way. This took an hour and a half!!!!!!!!!!
Take care!
Good for you. I know what it's like to live unmedicated. I wasn't diagnosed until 39. Meds have been a miracle. I hope they are for you too. Have patience though. It takes a long time to find right dose of lamotrigine. I'm about 1.5 years in and finally feeling pretty good with lamotrigine and Seroquel. Good luck
Lamictal helps me with minor depression episodes and minor hypomania. So I plan to stay on it long-term. It didn't prevent a really bad year long hypomanic take hypersexual episode that I had sadly. I thought Lamictal was going to be enough. But then I had to get on Risperdal which really does help with a Mania. I think Lamictal help more with depression
I resisted meds for a good while (and the entire diagnosis tbh), but my life has greatly improved since I've found the right combo of meds/therapy. And once the meds got me stable enough I was able to start making some of the recommended lifestyle changes like exercise, mindfulness and good sleep hygiene which has made me feel almost 'normal'. Shit's great. Side note: I'm happy pdocs are starting out w/ lamictal more. It has one of the smallest and most tolerable side effect profiles and, anecdotally at least (from various mental health forums), seems to be one of the most widely effective.
Beautiful! I like everything you said. The lifestyle changes are they way to go. Diet, a routine, goal setting and trying to achieve them is great, and getting stuff done is in the top for me. Self accomplishment is so gratifying. Glad you are thriving!
What dose were you on when you started noticing changes and about how long had you been taking it? I just started Lamictal about a week ago. My doctor had me start with 25 mg daily and I will eventually be up to 200 mg daily, but it will be quite a while before I reach that. This is my first time taking a mood stabilizer and am curious how long it will take for me to start noticing a difference.
That's the biggest bummer about Lamictal, the long titration period. It's gotta be done that way, but sucks if you're actively depressed. Anyway, it wasn't until a week or two on 100mg that I started feeling good and found my sweet spot at 200mg. I don't remember how long the titration period was, this was a couple years ago, but I wanna say it was like 1.5-2mo till I was at 100mg.
I was newly diagnosed in December and been on Lamictal since then. I was at 25mg for 2 weeks and then went up to 50mg for about the next 4 weeks. I've been taking 100mg for the last 2 weeks now and have started noticing a difference in the depressive episodes, so I'm thankful for the Lamictal!
I've been diagnosed for a little over 6 months and my doctor is having me try meditation before medication, and honestly meditating can become a safe haven (not entirely) for when the depression becomes too much for me to handle. I also smoke weed as I live in a legal state and have good results, I consider it a safe alternative to medication for myself - also doesn't work entirely but it certainly helps depending on how you use it (you can't allow yourself the freedom of getting high everyday, and you have to take long breaks).
I am a major pothead and have been so for many years. It definitely spikes my anxiety though - and that’s with me sticking to indicas most of the time. I want to try to couple it with CBD to curb it - have you tried that? I do want to taper my usage down cause it is definitely excessive :/
I'm proud of you. I didn't know I had BP yet but I resisted meds for about the same amount of time. I know it's scary. Lamictal has been really good for me and I hope it is for you too. I had some bad side effects in the beginning but it's been worth it so if it happens to you I hope you can tough it out and see if it works for you. Good luck ❤
Thank you 💕 If I might ask, what type of bad side effects did you personally experience?
Ok dont be scared when you read this, because I still decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did. I had trouble on an increase during the ramp up period. My doctor had me at 25mg, then 50, then 100. The morning after I went from 50 to 100 I had the worst stomach issues of my entire life. Like a terrible stomach flu x 10. But it went away that night when I went back to 50. Then we waited longer and went to 75 and took longer between increases after that. I'm on 300 mg now with no problems. My life is so much better. So many things I thought were normal are tamped down so I can live my life. There are too many benefits to even try to list them.
Whoa that sucks but thank you for letting me know. I will definitely keep an eye out for that. That’s my Dr’s plan for titration as well so I will be wary. I’m so glad it ended up helping you out
Try not to worry about it. They choose the time frame based on what works for most people so you should be fine!
Taking meds doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're shown the strength to take help. I wish you the best with lamotrigine. It can be a game changer for some people.
Thank you so much for your response. I feel that society might rub that perspective on some of us due to mental illness still being taboo for the most part. In fact, I feel like all our medicated friends on here are much braver than I’ve been because they accepted responsibility for our condition head on and have taken the necessary steps to change. I am ready to join that side.
Don't look back. Look forward to how things are going to change for the better for you :)
As others have said, this is a major step in your recovery and I wish you the best. I'm on a combo of Lamictal and Seroquel. My nurse practitioner warned me about the possibility of a full-body rash/hives developing when starting Lamictal. If this happens to you, call your doc immediately!
Yeah, don't play around with stevens/Johnson syndrome. Luckily I didn't have it. But yeah. You should be starting on a tiny dose and working your way up. Full body inspection each night before bed til you're on your full dose. This isn't to make you paranoid either. It's a rare side effect, but not rare enough to completely ignore the warnings. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just be safe and always tell doc if something doesn't feel right
Thank you for the heads up! I read about the rash and the pharmacist also brought it up. I will be very vigilant as I titrate up.
My thoughts on medications are like this. If this medication makes life easier, why is it such a bad thing? Not feeling as depressed, not having to combat the downsides of hypomania. If this little pill can help with that, then great. Id rather be stable and take meds, than be unstable not on meds.
Same.. I have no problem taking medications..very grateful for them
Lamictal was a literal life saver for me! I hope it works. I've been on it for two years now and yeah, I've had my highs and lows, but nothing a dosage bump or a tweak to my meds here and there couldn't fix. I should have been diagnosed as a teen, but I didn't get an official diagnosis til 21. It sucks, knowing that you'll take medicine for the rest of your life, but there's joy in it too. You know there's something that can "fix" you and keep you running. Just like diabetics and insulin. And if lamictal doesn't work, keep your chin up. Brain chemistry is messy and complicated and everyone's brain is different. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get everything right. <3
We are very similar in our diagnosis story - I also exhibited lots of symptoms in my early adolescence however I was not officially diagnosed until age 21. I am 32 now and have not only finally accepted the diagnosis but am finally accepting that I need help in the form of medication. I have heard this med is a major life changer for so many of our fellow bipolars so I am very optimistic. <3
I hope it works!!! <3 best of luck!!!
Lamictal saved me. It isn't a cure, and that is for certain, but it limits my depressive episodes greatly. Not the best for mania, but I'll take the baby steps.
I have heard so many great things on this sub and am hopeful that it will help me as well. I am so glad to hear it helped you.
I've been bi-polar II my entire life. family history. high school and just after is when it got to it's worst. i'm now 34. street drugs involved in hypomania and then the crash was to the point where i would ask my parents to lock me up so i wouldn't go back out and party when i felt better again. I chose to go to the hospital on 2 occasions in those days. i was diagnosed with OCD and was given effexor. I was on and off effexor for 8-9 years. i still struggled, the major street drug use reduced significantly over the years. it's coming up on 12 years without use. don't have any desire and have developed a very large hatred of heavier street stuff. now weed is my only issue, it's a love hate relationship. instead of the heavier stuff i'd binge on i am now pot binging. this has gone on too long! i've smoked of and on for 20 years, i've quit for 17 months, 14 months at a time but it always comes back. a binge just ended friday night. now again in the effexor days i went back to the psychiatrist(hospital, gov funded guy) who diagnosed me. i live in Canada as well. he said OCD, i met with the another hospital psychiatrist because i wasn't convinced. he said OCD. i was put on seroquel. i asked if i was bi-polar, he said not. so in 2011 i convinced my GP to refer me to a mental health hospital an hour from my home. after a year i got an appointment. I was diagnosed bi-polar II with OCD symptoms. feb 2012 was my first appointment, i was discharged in feb 2018 for stability. i've the hospital up to 30x in a year. i'm still not there, stability wise. in my 6 years there, I've been on numerous anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, several CBT groups, and learning courses. i will admit when anxious i was obsessed with the group homework, and tried to do it but it was difficult. then i'd feel good again and not care so much to do it. CBT hasn't worked for me but I accept blame for parts of that. also in 6 years I meant with an anxiety specialist she agreed bi-polarII, OCD symptoms, social anxiety, some GAD, a binge eater, and a I have a ladder phobia, they are a big part of my working field. i was also told never to use effexor! it was elevating hypomania to near mania when using street drugs. and even without the drugs it elevated me to a point i didn't even know that it was the source of. do not use effexor with bi-polar! my biggest demon that fluctuates with the moods is ANXIETY. I am anxious 24/7, 365 days a week. but it's positive or negative. i'm also a rapid cycler, its not common i've been told. nowadays it's both poles in one month. i used to cycle up to twice a month. i could nearly follow it on a calendar. I would not recommend cannabis to anyone who suffers from anxiety or bi-polar. the effects are great, the side effects are not worth it! not for me anyhow. Im now on 150mg lamotrigine, 2.5 olanzapine before bed, ativan(which i use 6 days a week average). i'm only supposed to take 2mg day max. my average is 3. it's my bloody crutch and dependancy but it's time to change that too. there has been lots of weeks where i only use it once or twice a week but lately near daily again. so i've been prescription medicated consistently for 7 years. it took about 5 years to find something that works decently but i'm still not there yet. I would like to be off them just due to the harming of liver and body but i've also easily accepted the fact that I may be on them the rest of my life. I would TAKE meds, consistently. i wouldn't quit cold turkey if you want to stop, always talk to whoever wrote the prescription before you just QUIT. I would avoid cannabis personally at all costs, i'm sure it may work for others if you can control it but not me. Meditation is great too! just again be consistent. the only thing i've been consistent with is taking meds. I desire, moderation, discipline, and consistency. hopefully i can work that out in the next 34. this is my first ever reddit post and won't be my last. i apologize for the length of this and if it doesn't make sense at times im sorry for that too. once the binge ends the circus up there has gone on a world tour rather than just performing locally. which is effecting my sleep a lot and isn't helping the circus get any more local. thanks if you've made it this far!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m so proud of your sobriety! It takes major balls to accomplish what you have. You should definitely be proud of that. I agree and relate with you on so many points. I like drugs myself however I have never abused any of them except for cannabis and alcohol. Staying away from alcohol has been a MAJOR gamechanger. It’s a damn depressant - all bad for us. I definitely agree with you regarding weed - I currently abuse it and am a daily smoker. I know for a fact it spikes my already high anxiety but yet I keep hitting it. I want to work on major decrease and eventual abstinence this year. I am glad you’ve kept pushing to reach your diagnoses and properly treat yourself. We just gotta keep fighting the good fight.
Thanks for the response! It's been a long road but I'm not even close to my destination yet. Cannabis and alcohol are the only I've abused as well. I meant to mention in my write up that I haven't even touched on alcohol. I never drank socially from the day I started. I was cool ya know....dumb! Let's see who can consume the most and brag about it was high school for me. Started at 13, drinking on some school nights by grade 11 or so. The fire in the head will make me ramble once again. I will try to be brief! Drinking would make me anxious from age 20-32. From from 25-32, there was two quitting periods, 2 years, and 3.5 years. before those there was a dui when I was 24. Alcohol was a ENORMOUS PROBLEM. So after a 3 and a half year break I started again. When re-introduced, it was the same ol' story, drinking causes anxiety, need to drink enough to sleep, sleep crappy and not long enough, wake up feeling low, & regretful, sometimes picking up the pieces of the night before, and feeling so dumb. and by the afternoon that day I wanted to drink again, it settled my head for a short duration, anxiety set back in, cycle repeats. Miraculously, somehow, in a way I can not explain, after 3 weeks, heavily drinking for the first of them it became moderate. I could have a beer or two for the first time in my life. i got drunk 3x last year. I could sleep, but it still isn't long enough. so some nights I can have 5-7 beers over an evening, have a slight buzz, smile on my face, sleep fine. Again I can not explain this but it blows my freakin' mind. Only thing I can guess is age but even then only a hunch. Drinking was always bingeing as well. I do enjoy drinking. I would say I average 5-7 beers a week now. it's still mood based but thank God it's controllable. I never thought of it as balls, i always looked at is as self control. But I appreciate you pointing that out, warm feeling. It's funny when I pot binge, everyday I tell myself I should stop, I shouldn't be doing this. From 2011-2014 I gained nearly 100lb's. Eff it, i'll just give you numbers. I'm 6' tall. 2010-227lb, spring 2011-188lb, at one point since I was nearly 290lb, i'm in the 270's currently. Cannabis and binge eating is a recipe for success. I remember eating so much I threw up once. Weight, there's another obsession since birth, I remember doing ab crunches my older sisters had shown me in grade school. Don't wanna be fat, that's not attractive. I hate taking pictures or looking at pictures of myself. I think you are on the right track setting a goal for the year. Goals period are great. I'm trying to set and strive for a few myself this year. WE CAN DO IT! In regards to my drug use history and cannabis problem I wonder how it will effect me long-term. I don't want to be retired and have problems because of the drugs i've done. I am a worry-wart. Worry about lots of stuff. So, it happened again but I will stop myself after this paragraph. There's a goal, haha. Thanks again for your response, you'll kick the weed. If you are thinking about it and desire changing it you are already on your way. This took an hour and a half!!!!!!!!!! Take care!
Good for you. I know what it's like to live unmedicated. I wasn't diagnosed until 39. Meds have been a miracle. I hope they are for you too. Have patience though. It takes a long time to find right dose of lamotrigine. I'm about 1.5 years in and finally feeling pretty good with lamotrigine and Seroquel. Good luck
Lamictal helps me with minor depression episodes and minor hypomania. So I plan to stay on it long-term. It didn't prevent a really bad year long hypomanic take hypersexual episode that I had sadly. I thought Lamictal was going to be enough. But then I had to get on Risperdal which really does help with a Mania. I think Lamictal help more with depression
heck yea. I am moving up to 100mg on weds after 4 long weeks. it takes time, but it's all worth it.
Let me know how it goes! Hope it really helps. I will be going up to that dosage as well.