# Starting Lamictal (lamotrigine) today...Wish me luck!



## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

In combination with 1.5 mg of clonazepam and 100 mg of sertraline daily I'll now be starting at 25 mg of Lamictal and titrating up to 100 mg over a period of 5 weeks. After that I meet with my psych to assess whether or not I should titrate to a higher dosage (studies suggest 200-400mg works best for DP). Wish me luck and cross your fingers that I don't get the rash! lol


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

...good luck :mrgreen:


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Thanks!


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

Good luck.

I'm sure you won't get a rash!

Keep us up to date on your progress.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Okay, within an hour of taking the Lamictal everything got really weird. But in a good way. I was sitting in my therapists office and everything was just so fucking funny! I kept fighting the urge to laugh. I feel so happy! I just want to giggle. :lol: How strange.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

that is strange but cool


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

After I got home I was super fucking tired, though. So I guess it's a good thing I took it at night. I probably shouldn't drive on it either until I get used to it or whatever. The Funny is gone but I wonder if it'll come back when I take it again tonight.


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## Conjurus (Oct 25, 2008)

invisible.ink said:


> Okay, within an hour of taking the Lamictal everything got really weird. But in a good way. I was sitting in my therapists office and everything was just so flower* funny! I kept fighting the urge to laugh. I feel so happy! I just want to giggle. :lol: How strange.


I want one.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

I'd send you one in the mail, Jesse, but then I'd probably have Homeland Security banging at my door thinking I'm a terrorist. :shock: :lol:


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Fucking goddamn bullshit! Motherfucking asshole fuck! lol I got the rash. But it is very mild and hardly noticeable. But on the side of my neck of all places! :evil: Grr. At least my hair can hide it.
Edit: Hey! It let's me say motherfucker! lol 
Edit2: Nevermind. It only lets me say motherfucking. I hate flowers and buttercups now.


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## Conjurus (Oct 25, 2008)

invisible.ink said:


> flower* goddamn bullshit! Motherfucking asshole flower*! lol I got the rash. But it is very mild and hardly noticeable. But on the side of my neck of all places! :evil: Grr. At least my hair can hide it.
> Edit: Hey! It let's me say buttercup*! lol
> Edit2: Nevermind. It only lets me say motherfucking. I hate flowers and buttercups now.


lol


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

The dreaded rash aka stevens-johnson syndrome is pretty rare more then likely you got one of the non harmful rashes that you sometimes get with lamotrigine and other anti-convulsants. Carbamazepine also carries a risk of stevens-johnson syndrome amoung it's many other warnings. Still watch it to make sure it does not spread and tell your doctor. If it starts to spread stop taking it.

I wish lamotrigine gave me the giggles :evil: . That is a odd reaction ive never heard of that happening before with lamotrigine. I get no effects at all from it and wouldnt know i was taking it except for the fact it stabilizes my moods. It's one med that i thankfully don't get any side effects from.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

comfortably numb said:


> The dreaded rash aka stevens-johnson syndrome is pretty rare more then likely you got one of the non harmful rashes that you sometimes get with lamotrigine and other anti-convulsants. Carbamazepine also carries a risk of stevens-johnson syndrome amoung it's many other warnings. Still watch it to make sure it does not spread and tell your doctor. If it starts to spread stop taking it.
> 
> I wish lamotrigine gave me the giggles :evil: . That is a odd reaction ive never heard of that happening before with lamotrigine. I get no effects at all from it and wouldnt know i was taking it except for the fact it stabilizes my moods. It's one med that i thankfully don't get any side effects from.


The rash only lasted 36 hrs and was very mild so my psych told me not to worry about it and just inform her if it comes back. Yeah, the lamictal makes me feel pretty euphoric about an hour after taking it and then I just get tired. lol Good stuff.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

So, the lamictal is still going well. It helps to stabilize my mood a bit. I don't really get the euphoric feeling after taking it anymore but I think that was just my body adjusting to it. It's been keeping my DP pretty mild (I'd say about a 4 on my scale) so hopefully it will get better as I continue to titrate the dosage.


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

Great news. Hope this keeps working for you. What ended up making you want to try this drug? I don't know much about drugs but is it commonly used with DP/DR? Just wondering how many people would have tried it, maybe it can be helpful for many more people with wider use.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Matt210 said:


> Great news. Hope this keeps working for you. What ended up making you want to try this drug? I don't know much about drugs but is it commonly used with DP/DR? Just wondering how many people would have tried it, maybe it can be helpful for many more people with wider use.


Studies done by Daphne Simeon in NY and Anthony David in London have shown that when added to an SSRI and/or benzo, Lamictal can reduce or eradicate DP/DR. But it doesn't work for everyone.


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## Absentis (Jul 10, 2007)

Invisible.ink, I'm so glad Lamictal is helping you! It's great to hear when someone finds relief, and I find it especially special when it's a means with which I've found success.

Its been a while since I read the literature on lamictal, but if I recall correctly, of the people who responded well to it there were two groups; some responded to low doses, and others to high doses. If I were you I wouldn't be too quick to titrate your dose upwards, since you may find relief at a low dose. Personally, I'm only at 75 mg even though the recommend titration guidelines would have me at least at 150 mgs. As a student I'm very leery of the potential cognitive side-effects that occur at high doses, for obvious reasons!

I hope lamictal brings you relief for a very long time.


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Absentis said:


> Invisible.ink, I'm so glad Lamictal is helping you! It's great to hear when someone finds relief, and I find it especially special when it's a means with which I've found success.
> 
> Its been a while since I read the literature on lamictal, but if I recall correctly, of the people who responded well to it there were two groups; some responded to low doses, and others to high doses. If I were you I wouldn't be too quick to titrate your dose upwards, since you may find relief at a low dose. Personally, I'm only at 75 mg even though the recommend titration guidelines would have me at least at 150 mgs. As a student I'm very leery of the potential cognitive side-effects that occur at high doses, for obvious reasons!
> 
> I hope lamictal brings you relief for a very long time.


Absentis,
I am titrating my dosage under the supervision of my psychiatrist. I was prescribed the Orange Starter Kit which contains: 25 mg for 2 weeks, 50 mg for 2 weeks, and then 100 mg for 1 week. At that point I have an appt. with her to evaluate whether we need to go higher, lower, or maintain the 100mg dosage.


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## Ty010 (Feb 10, 2009)

your dp sounds pretty severe (probably spelled that wrong), but I hope it stays on a low scale for you with your new medication.

Also, may I ask you how DP was induced for you? Mine was drug induced and doesn't seem as bad at all. I really hope your DP/DR stays at a low level and you eventually make a somewhat recovery from this shitty disorder :\


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

Ty010 said:


> your dp sounds pretty severe (probably spelled that wrong), but I hope it stays on a low scale for you with your new medication.
> 
> Also, may I ask you how DP was induced for you? Mine was drug induced and doesn't seem as bad at all. I really hope your DP/DR stays at a low level and you eventually make a somewhat recovery from this shitty disorder :\


Yes, at times my DP/DR can be extremely severe and it is a struggle to maintain my sanity (or at least it feels like it).
My DP was most likely trauma induced since I've had episodic DP as long as I can remember (the first episode I clearly remember I was walking home from the bus stop in 1st grade and it only lasted about 10 min). It became chronic on January 29, 2007 during a severe bout of depression.
It is starting to get under control and things are getting easier for me.
I also hope you make a recovery. Because even if it doesn't seem that bad it still sucks.


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## scylla (Nov 5, 2008)

invisible.ink said:


> is starting to get under control and things are getting easier for me


That's great! I hope from now on it will be better and better


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

scylla said:


> invisible.ink said:
> 
> 
> > is starting to get under control and things are getting easier for me
> ...


Thanks, Arabel!


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## Ty010 (Feb 10, 2009)

invisible.ink said:


> Ty010 said:
> 
> 
> > your dp sounds pretty severe (probably spelled that wrong), but I hope it stays on a low scale for you with your new medication.
> ...


It does suck, and even if I make a recovery I'm likely to have schitzophrenia (however you spell it) because my mother has it. Or maybe I'll be lucky, and live a normal life. My DP/DR was drug induced, just 16 years old, tried pot. Only had it for a month, but I stay bussy with school and my friends, and it's off my mind alot. But it's still there for now anyways. Maybe one day I'll just be with my friends and it will slip away. maybe not.

But I started prozac a few days ago, it seems to help abit. And I'm probably gonna start taking vitamins to balance it out also.

Thanks for wishing me a good recovery and I hope you recover aswell.


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## Matt210 (Aug 15, 2004)

Hey Ty,

I'm sure you won't develop schizophrenia. I know it has a genetic component to it, but Schizophrenia affects such a small portion of the population that I really doubt even with genetic predisposition that you'll be likely to get it (less than 1% of the population). Wish I had exact stats to comfort you but I know that even in identical twins - two people that share the same genetic makeup, the incidence of schizophrenia is less than 50% if one twin has it.

These are people with identical genetic codes. You and your mother obviously share some genes but they are not even close to being identical. Don't spend any time worrying about it. I know three people who have a parent with schizophrenia. None of them have ever developed it (I know this is a small sample size, but you get the idea).


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## Ty010 (Feb 10, 2009)

Matt210 said:


> Hey Ty,
> 
> I'm sure you won't develop schizophrenia. I know it has a genetic component to it, but Schizophrenia affects such a small portion of the population that I really doubt even with genetic predisposition that you'll be likely to get it (less than 1% of the population). Wish I had exact stats to comfort you but I know that even in identical twins - two people that share the same genetic makeup, the incidence of schizophrenia is less than 50% if one twin has it.
> 
> These are people with identical genetic codes. You and your mother obviously share some genes but they are not even close to being identical. Don't spend any time worrying about it. I know three people who have a parent with schizophrenia. None of them have ever developed it (I know this is a small sample size, but you get the idea).


Thanks matt, but I'm not really worried about it, but it is comforting to hear that


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