Help Experiences with Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

[NightmareTour]

I take Lamictal as an antiepileptic, but I know some people take it for bipolar disorder too.

I started taking it a couple of weeks ago now at 25mg doses twice a day. I started noticing double vision after the first few days. My doctor sent me to A&E, where they just told me there was nothing wrong with my eyes. My dose was recently raised to one 25mg dose and one 50mg dose, and after a few days my double vision got worse (sometimes I even see a third, much fainter image far above the other two), I've started getting nausea at random points throughout the day, and my appetite has pretty much disappeared. About an hour after my dose, I've also been getting some other weird and nearly unbearable visual and mental effects that I'm honestly not sure how to explain.

I can usually go back to sleep after my morning dose, but I'm genuinely terrified of taking my evening dose, and I'm being raised up to two 50mg doses in a few days. So far the advice I've received is basically just to stick with it and hope that the side effects go away once I'm up to my full dose.

Is anyone else here taking this medication, and if so, have you experienced anything like this? Does it go away?

I'm really scared of raising my dosage again, because I know it's just going to get worse, and I can't even imagine what it might be like.

 

[Buffy5120]

So i got double vision about two years ago from zoloft. It had to do with the dosages going up to fast. I also had sensitivity to light where when I look at light it bothered my eyes especially driving. It slowly went away but i still have it if i get really stressed. Honestly doctors lie so much to get your money it just saddens me and doesn't surprise me that this happens. i would taper off the drug slow... but i mean if u need for seizures then idk...but yeah even after getting double vision from zoloft i also got tinnitus and they even saw small seizures on an eeg but i never had a seizure and the tinnitus thankfully went away...but i also got off the drug within like a week or two so i wasnt on it for long.....these drugs are poison i swear and the doctor probably knows all the side affects it causes. Do you also see green/blue spots and after images to light?

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I took this medication and didn't have vision problems, but I just did an online search and what you're experiencing is a known side effect. I didn't read anything that said it goes away or doesn't. Personally, I'd take ownership of my own health and tell the doctors I refuse to take it and to prescribe a different medication right away so that the seizures don't return. I'd be concerned that the med could do permanent damage. Fuck that! If they fit an attitude, I'd ask what they would do if they were the ones experiencing double vision, nausea, etc.

I'm sorry you're going through this. I wish the best for you, and if that includes fighting for yourself, I hope you kick some ass. The doctors don't have a right to make you take a medication with side effects like this.

 

[NightmareTour]

So i got double vision about two years ago from zoloft. It had to do with the dosages going up to fast. I also had sensitivity to light where when I look at light it bothered my eyes especially driving. It slowly went away but i still have it if i get really stressed. Honestly doctors lie so much to get your money it just saddens me and doesn't surprise me that this happens. i would taper off the drug slow... but i mean if u need for seizures then idk...but yeah even after getting double vision from zoloft i also got tinnitus and they even saw small seizures on an eeg but i never had a seizure and the tinnitus thankfully went away...but i also got off the drug within like a week or two so i wasnt on it for long.....these drugs are poison i swear and the doctor probably knows all the side affects it causes. Do you also see green/blue spots and after images to light?

I've had some issues with green/blue after images from light, but I did have it sometimes before I started taking the medication and honestly thought it was normal. It definitely happens more since I've started taking the meds though, now I'm thinking about it.

 

[Emily_Numb]

Absolutely rate Lamotrigine as a mood stabiliser. Probably the best one I've ever used. You have to increase the dose verrrrrrry slowly though. It can cause rashes and some unwanted side affects if you increase the dose too quickly and in too big of a jump in mg.

My final dose was 150mg which took me 14 weeks to get up too. I started in 25mg and every 2 weeks I increased it by 25mg from memory. It's a very good drug in my opinion but you need a doctor who has some sense prescribing it and getting the doses right. I've heard of so many people going from nothing to 100mg in 2 weeks and ending up in hospital with rashes. Scary stuff.

Take it correctly, be patient and it can work wonders. I can't say if your side effects are from dosing issues or not, but it certainly seems to be a possibility. No doctor in their right mind should be putting anyone on 50mg of Lam as a starting dose. Not to mention increasing the dose again shortly after. Absolute negligence. You need to find a better doctor.

 

[Sorrygoodbye]

I just recently stopped taking 200mg of Lamictal so I could switch to a different medication. I think it made me more paranoid, but that was about it. I didn't notice any side effects or an improved mood. Sorry you are having bad side effects with it. Any doctor that tells you to stick with a drug even if the side effects are greatly impacting your daily life has got to go. Hopefully, you can find a doctor that's more understanding.

 

[Emily_Numb]

I just recently stopped taking 200mg of Lamictal so I could switch to a different medication. I think it made me more paranoid, but that was about it. I didn't notice any side effects or an improved mood. Sorry you are having bad side effects with it. Any doctor that tells you to stick with a drug even if the side effects are greatly impacting your daily life has got to go. Hopefully, you can find a doctor that's more understanding.

Funny you say that about the dose thing. I found if I took any more than 150mg it made me a lot worse and actually pretty sketchy and paranoid. The plan was to go to 200mg but I just couldn't tolerate it at that level. 150mg worked a charm though.

 

[Sorrygoodbye]

@Emily_Numb I'm both happy for you, and incredibly jealous.

 

[Emily_Numb]

@Emily_Numb I'm both happy for you, and incredibly jealous.

Oh don't be. I absolutely loved it and then in one of my manic episodes I decided I was actually super human and didn't need any medication anymore whatsoever because my brain is just too high functioning for these stupid doctors to understand and me being manic was actually how I was supposed to be functioning.

Cut long story short, I came off about 4 different meds all under no care or supervision whatsoever and now I can't get my psychiatrist to re-prescribe because of issues with my GP who is a total asshat.

Good old mania and delusional thinking eh?

 

[fox21132113]

Lamotrigine 225mg has been my constant for two years I believe. I take it in the morning. I can't remember if I had mental side effects, but I have success with it now. We just trade out my antidepressant every year. They added nalproxine to my agenda, and I feel like absolutely shit!

 

[Emily_Numb]

Lamotrigine 225mg has been my constant for two years I believe. I take it in the morning. I can't remember if I had mental side effects, but I have success with it now. We just trade out my antidepressant every year. They added nalproxine to my agenda, and I feel like absolutely shit!

I honestly find antidepressants need changing every year or so as I really beleive they stop working or your body somehow adapts to them. I'm not convinced they do a great deal in the grand scheme of things but we take them anyway 'just in case' they do.

 

[fox21132113]

I honestly find antidepressants need changing every year or so as I really beleive they stop working or your body somehow adapts to them. I'm not convinced they do a great deal in the grand scheme of things but we take them anyway 'just in case' they do.

Exactly, hoping that they work. Then the lows come and it's time to change. Love big pharma, glad my meds are free at least

 

[FatalSystemError591]

Why are they increasing the dosage if you're reporting negative, quality of life altering side effects from it? That's not what a doctor should do.

Also I take Lamictal for bipolar depression. I'm getting up there on my dosages and the nausea and appetite are things my psychiatrist asks me to watch for every time. He is always checking in on me about that. I never got the double vision part of it but I definitely feel a decrease in appetite and sleep.

 

[NightmareTour]

Absolutely rate Lamotrigine as a mood stabiliser. Probably the best one I've ever used. You have to increase the dose verrrrrrry slowly though. It can cause rashes and some unwanted side affects if you increase the dose too quickly and in too big of a jump in mg.

My final dose was 150mg which took me 14 weeks to get up too. I started in 25mg and every 2 weeks I increased it by 25mg from memory. It's a very good drug in my opinion but you need a doctor who has some sense prescribing it and getting the doses right. I've heard of so many people going from nothing to 100mg in 2 weeks and ending up in hospital with rashes. Scary stuff.

Take it correctly, be patient and it can work wonders. I can't say if your side effects are from dosing issues or not, but it certainly seems to be a possibility. No doctor in their right mind should be putting anyone on 50mg of Lam as a starting dose. Not to mention increasing the dose again shortly after. Absolute negligence. You need to find a better doctor.

Yeah, I'm having my daily total dose raised by 25mg every week, which is MUCH faster than yours was being raised. The prescription and plan was actually given to me by one of my city's lead neurologists... I guess that says a lot about the quality of healthcare.

Why are they increasing the dosage if you're reporting negative, quality of life altering side effects from it? That's not what a doctor should do.

Also I take Lamictal for bipolar depression. I'm getting up there on my dosages and the nausea and appetite are things my psychiatrist asks me to watch for every time. He is always checking in on me about that. I never got the double vision part of it but I definitely feel a decrease in appetite and sleep.

Honestly, the healthcare service here is just falling apart. Having doctors refuse to listen to you is a common experience now. They all seem to believe they know better than you about your own body, and if anything that you describe deviates from what they think, you must be faking.

I'm trying to get someone to listen to me, but at this point they could be giving me literal poison and the NHS would respond with "Well I'm sure the doctor who prescribed it knew what they were doing."

 

[Shiro20]

I take one of 100 mg after breakfast in order to slow down my depressive episodes, it's the one that has helped me a lot with it I use it since the end of 2018 and at first it gaves me more suicidal thoughts but then I realized it was normal at the beggining. So this med don't give me much second effects It is a great med for me anyways I always have those bad days

 

[k75]

I did not like lamictal. I didn't experience vision problems, but I did have a rash reaction that was scary. Had to go to the hospital and was immediately taken off of it. It was not Stevens-Johnson syndrome, like I guess is the fear, but any rash while on that drug is not a good sign. It didn't seem to do much for me, anyway.

 

[Buffy5120]

Wow thats weird i got a rash too crazy what these drugs can do thats why after i got a gene test which shows which medicines work the best and which ones you should avoid. And what do you know zoloft was something i shouldnt of been on doctors are idiots

 

[NightmareTour]

Small update: I'm now getting nausea at random points throughout the day, and if my judgement is right I'm probably going to start throwing up for real before my dose gets raised.

I've got an appointment with an eye specialist though, because apparently that's going to help somehow?

 

[Chupacabra 44]

Personally, I wouldn't accept any doctor challenging the personal truths inside of my own body, nor would I continue to utilize a physician who increased my dosage of a medication that was causing my body harm, especially if other options for medication are available.

The medical field is EXTREMELY limited in what it can and can't do. Diagnostics, although one of the better areas within the medical field, isn't fool proof. Any physician who believes with 100% certainty that because you came out unscathed from your eye exam that you should have your medication increased is a moroon and doesn't comprehend the short comings of the field. Find a competent physician and have them find you a medicine that works well for you.

Not what your asking, but I've been on Lamictal on two different occasions for bipolar disorder. Each round lasted six months and I perceived no side effects, nor did I preceive any benefits and I came off each time.

Against common sense, an extremely bright and competent psychiatrist convinced me to try Lamictal for a second time. There won't be a third trial as I'm fully convinced Lamictal doesn't work for me.

 

[Buffy5120]

Small update: I'm now getting nausea at random points throughout the day, and if my judgement is right I'm probably going to start throwing up for real before my dose gets raised.

I've got an appointment with an eye specialist though, because apparently that's going to help somehow?

Genesight.com genomind.com

 

[NightmareTour]

Another update: Eye specialist found nothing important, I have to try really hard not to throw up as soon as I take my meds now. Apparently I need to see an optician before they can confirm the meds are the problem though, because that's different to an eye specialist somehow.

 

[Mm80]

Never been lucky enough to drive one.
My brother bought me one of those gift experiences for my birthday but the company went bust sadly.

 

[NightmareTour]

Never been lucky enough to drive one.
My brother bought me one of those gift experiences for my birthday but the company went bust sadly.

Please help me out here, is this a joke or a post in the wrong thread? I'm dumb lol

 

[Mm80]

Please help me out here, is this a joke or a post in the wrong thread? I'm dumb lol

Really sorry i misread the title as i dont have my contact lenses in. Thought it read...experiences with Lamborghini

 

[NightmareTour]

Really sorry i misread the title as i dont have my contact lenses in. Thought it read...experiences with Lamborghini

I don't have any experiences with a lambourghini either, but we can dream I guess. I had no idea they went bust though.

 

[Mm80]

I don't have any experiences with a lambourghini either, but we can dream I guess. I had no idea they went bust though.

No it was just the company that provided the test drives as a gift lol.

 

[Baba]

Oh don't be. I absolutely loved it and then in one of my manic episodes I decided I was actually super human and didn't need any medication anymore whatsoever because my brain is just too high functioning for these stupid doctors to understand and me being manic was actually how I was supposed to be functioning.

Cut long story short, I came off about 4 different meds all under no care or supervision whatsoever and now I can't get my psychiatrist to re-prescribe because of issues with my GP who is a total asshat.

Good old mania and delusional thinking eh?

I completely relate to this description of mania. Sounds perfectly normal to me . My psychiatrist saw me just the once before lockdown, put me on 50mg Lamictal, upped to 100mg then 200mg all in a three month period. Fortunately after running around in every increasing manic induced circles, I not only had an immaculately clean house and bleached to death hands but I also managed to get myself gradually down to 25mg and have now been off it completely for 3 weeks. I hope you manage to get things sorted with the asshat

 

[Deleted member 1768]

I take Lamictal as an antiepileptic, but I know some people take it for bipolar disorder too.

I started taking it a couple of weeks ago now at 25mg doses twice a day. I started noticing double vision after the first few days. My doctor sent me to A&E, where they just told me there was nothing wrong with my eyes. My dose was recently raised to one 25mg dose and one 50mg dose, and after a few days my double vision got worse (sometimes I even see a third, much fainter image far above the other two), I've started getting nausea at random points throughout the day, and my appetite has pretty much disappeared. About an hour after my dose, I've also been getting some other weird and nearly unbearable visual and mental effects that I'm honestly not sure how to explain.

I can usually go back to sleep after my morning dose, but I'm genuinely terrified of taking my evening dose, and I'm being raised up to two 50mg doses in a few days. So far the advice I've received is basically just to stick with it and hope that the side effects go away once I'm up to my full dose.

Is anyone else here taking this medication, and if so, have you experienced anything like this? Does it go away?

I'm really scared of raising my dosage again, because I know it's just going to get worse, and I can't even imagine what it might be like.

If you can do so change your med. to Lamictal, the brand name. What you are reporting are symptoms from the generic. Long time epileptic, who managed less than a week on the generic. Been on the brand name for years now. They make me sleepy, but they work, and I can keep them down. Good luck.

 

[NightmareTour]

If you can do so change your med. to Lamictal, the brand name. What you are reporting are symptoms from the generic. Long time epileptic, who managed less than a week on the generic. Been on the brand name for years now. They make me sleepy, but they work, and I can keep them down. Good luck.

I'm trying to get them to change the medication, or at least get them to listen to me when I say that it's what's causing me the problems. At the moment though, they're insisting that they rule out absolutely everything else, even if that means ignoring half of the symptoms and the fact that I KNOW it started almost immediately after starting the medication. Hopefully after this eye test they'll finally listen and not just send me off for some other random tests.

They also don't seem to be a big fan of giving me branded meds, probably because they cost more.

 

[Deleted member 1768]

I'm trying to get them to change the medication, or at least get them to listen to me when I say that it's what's causing me the problems. At the moment though, they're insisting that they rule out absolutely everything else, even if that means ignoring half of the symptoms and the fact that I KNOW it started almost immediately after starting the medication. Hopefully after this eye test they'll finally listen and not just send me off for some other random tests.

They also don't seem to be a big fan of giving me branded meds, probably because they cost more.

They cost a LOT more. But the generic is not going to help if you end up throwing them up before they dissolve. I got to a point where the pill would go down and come right back up. What kind of szs. do you have?