# Lamotrigine



## thy

I am starting lamotrigine soon so I decided to collect as many stories about it as I could from this site. I am not selecting for positive or negative experiences so there shouldn't be any selection bias in that respect. Hopefully this will be useful for anyone considering lamotrigine. If you have any experience of taking lamotrigine and I have missed it, please post. I'll probably add to this list as and when I can be bothered. There is a table of results summarising these stories further down the thread.

*If you are included in the list below and you have more up to date info on your experience with lamotrigine, please post on this thread. *

Results

See "collectors meta-discussion" thread if you want to see more of a discussion on how the following results were arrived at.

This gives n = 70 and 25 responders, which gives a *response rate of 36%*.

9/70 = *13% experienced near or complete remission*
16/70 = *23% experienced significant improvement in their symptoms *
7/70 = *10**% experienced a worsening of their symptoms *
14/70 = *20**% were unable to tolerate*

*Guest_tinyfairypeople_**

Lamictal helped me a LOT for the first 5 days I took it. I won't say anything else because you didn't want to hear any negativity. By the 5th day I was on 25mg I felt like I would be better from dp any day.

*Jay*

Im on my first week of 25 mg and haven't noticed too much.

I just started Lamotrigine about 2 weeks ago. I am on a relatively quick titration schedule, increasing by 25 mg a week (now at 75 mg). Normally people go up 25 mg every 2 weeks. This is mainly to avoid The Rash which usually appears in the first 2-8 weeks of starting lamotrigine (can occur after, but rarely). I have been cautious but not paranoid about the dermatological side effects and haven't seen any of them. I feel something but I'm not entirely sure what it is. I have been feeling more like myself, it's a subtle feeling but it is something. I know some members on this site found relief with less than 100 mg, and never increased it, but I am almost at 100 and would not say my DP is being controlled sufficiently. Most people with DP who benefit significantly from lamotrigine do so at 200 to 400 mg, maybe even higher. It may not be anything miraculous yet, but I get a distinct feeling from this medication that seems like it is altering me at my foundation. None of the antidepressants/antipsychotics/other medications I am on and have been on in the past seem to have this feeling. Hopefully that is a good sign. It will be a long titration but hopefully a successful one.

I am at 100 mg as of this week, still going to titrate up some more to the 200-400 mg range. Something is happening for sure. No other drug agents I have been on have even remotely touched the DP. Once today I was looking at the items on my desk and for a few seconds things had some depth and I felt odd (somewhat real?). I would describe it as a form of sensory overload, minus the accompanying increased DP severity. It also feels like it re-activated some of the other drugs I am on, feeling happier. Just letting you know that I feel _something_ from this drug and am optimistic that a higher dose would result in some substantial relief. I hope things go well at your doctors appt.

I personally didn't notice anything until I was taking approximately 100 mg but it's a pretty wacky anticonvulsant from what I hear, mileage definitely varies. My DP is constant with a flare-up of symptoms during certain stressors. I've noticed the Lamictal reduces _some_ of my DP symptoms when it's at a baseline, but doesn't do too much during the stressor situations. Nevertheless I am pretty content with what it's doing so far.

haven't been on this site for months - lamictal 600 mg =







for me

*S O L A R I S*

Ive almost been taking it a month. on a dose of 25mg twice a day, so 50mg daily. It took a few weeks to work, but in my case, I had to add other medications to the mix to get the results I needed. 50mg works fine for me, I never tried escalating the dosage.

Im currently on 50 mg of Lamictal. I never bothered to increase the dosage, because I know it wont cure DP. Right now it feels right, so im sticking with the low dosage.

*Sketch2000*

I'm on the "london combo" - SSRI, klonopin, and lamictal. My lamictal dosage is 150mg. When using Luvox and klonopin, I was still having DP spells and really bad Derealization. But once I added Lamictal it lifted...I still have episodes, so I'm not DP free, but the combination most definitely works. I think it took a few months to really kick in, as you have to titrate the drug very slowly and be very careful with it. But once you get to the 100mg and above I think you will feel the difference.

My SSRI is Luvox 200mg daily, I take 2.5 mg of klonopin daily, and 150mg of Lamictal daily.
* I'm not "cured", but I am much, much better.

I saw my psychiatrist today and will be increasing my lamictal to 200mg.

From the research I did when I first joined this forum, the average dosage for people who had great success with the "london mix" was a average to high dosage of the SSRI of their choice (the most common SSRi was some form of lexapro), 1.5 mg of klonopin, and 250 mg of lamictal. The reason for me increasing mine.

If I don't get significantly better after the lamictal increase, maybe i should request the intravenous version (if this is possible). Studies from the most recent book indicated that it provided immediate and complete remission for some patients of DP.

Well...off topic or not...the "London Mix" has saved my life....don't get me wrong...I still suffer from DPD...and unlike others on this forum (I've been coming on and off since June 2008).....believe mine to be a serious neurological condition.....
not to be "cured" by vitamins (possibly helped)...nonetheless, i do my fair share of brain food, vitamin regimen, and exercise, etc...

*Absentis*

I started feeling better when I titrated up to 50 mg. I forget how many days that took, but it was pretty quick. I'm still at that dose and it still works. I took 25 mg at night and it kicked it right away. Prior to being prescribed it I had done my research and I knew that I would need to titrate up to a high dose before any effects would be felt so I don't think the placebo effect was the explanation. I've been on a low dose ever since and it's helped.
Since then I've gone up to 150 mg simply because my psychiatrist is a firm believer that it helps with depression and anxiety so I went along with the dose increase. It hasn't altered how much DP/DR I have but it hasn't hurt either so I still think that there are a sub-section of people with DPD that respond positively to low doses of lamotrigine.

I take lamotrigine, and it has done the most in reducing the severity of my DR. I also take clonazepam to take the edge off the comorbid anxiety. Seeing as they're both anticonvulsants, I'm not surprised they both work. 
(My physician believes my symptoms emanate from some sort of epileptic activity in my left temporal and occipital lobes, and when he put me on lamotrigine and I got better, it strengthened his hypothesis.)

*no3one*

I don't have the exact time line but I started out on 15mg of lamotrigine and went up slowly after until I got up to 650mg in about a year's time. I was on 650mg for a while but I had problems with balance, tremors and forgeting stuff so I couldn't stay on it that high for long. It was the only thing that worked and worked like it did. [I also take lithium and methylphenidate] It was amazing! It helped within the first (I think it was...) day or so but then it seemed to just not be there any more after about a week or 2. It was "working," just I didn't notice the differences because they weren't as drastically different as they were the first time. I thought about going off it but I didn't really have any other choices at the time so I figured what the hay. After the 650mg made me twitchy and spacier, I started dropping it down. Now I'm at 300mg. I tried to go lower but that didn't work out. 
I also took risperidone with the mix when things were particularly bad. I don't remember how long I took it this last time (I was on it several years before too). After my brain got "put in line" I was able to go off it. I do keep some handy in case though. I was on it for about 8 months...?I 've been off risperidone for about, dang, maybe a year now.

*Wael*

I really like lamotrigine so far. First week on 25 and first days on 50 was a bit confusing, but not really annoying. then, a couple of days later i noticed that i had more energy at evenings/night, i was brighter when i went up in the morning, my eyeside improved and sexual functioning increased (more libido,more intense orgasm). I was really surprised, because i prepared myself that it would at least take a month and a higher dose to feel some effects. But now im 3 days on 75 mg, i feel like im more foggy and have less energy, perhaps due the titration? Or going to fast ( from 25 to 75 in 13 days)
I have no significant side effects, except for some insomnia. Well i keep pushing, i can always back to 50 mg a day.

Back to 50 mg. My psy told me that is probably around my effective range. But im not sure, maybe im just placeboing it. I notice that its activating, so its probably the best to take it in the morning. Now im taking it around dinner, and in the evenings i feel better and quite energetic. But because i used to take it before bed time, i was more bright when i woke up. Now slightly more foggy when i in the morning. Just have to figure it out. Perhaps 25 in the morning, 25 in the evening

I stopped taking lamotrigine. It was a drug that, for the first, really did something for my dp and gave me energy in a nice way. But i couldn't control it. After some time i got agitated, more exhausted, overstimulation, swollen lympf nodes and pain in my neck. So i became unstable of this stabilizer. But there was something in it, that really touched the dp itself for some brief moments. In a couple of months im going to try gabapentin/neurontin.
It is something strange with dp and drugs. I think there is a part of the brain that is over-stimulated and a part that is under-stimulated. Everytime i take some medication, it stimulates the under-stimulated, but also stimulates the overstimulated part and vice versa, so the dp remains. But thats just a gut feeling.

*Sleep walker *

I have been taking lamotrigine since 2004--100mg X 2, morning and evening. I love it! It ressurected me from a death-like state.I started off at 25mg and increased gradually every week. I am glad I didn't follow my every daily feeling to decide if it was working. With or without a med one can feel different everyday because of the fluctuating nature of this syndrome and also the body's needing time to adjust to any new med. I patiently stuck with it week by week until-behold! I felt consistently better at 100mg X 2 and I waited until I knew it wasn't any placebo effect. For most of those I know that have been helped by lamotrigine, the dosage has been 100mg X 2.
Maybe your effective dose may be lower, but my advice to you, with any med, unless it makes you feel dreadful is (1) to be patient and wait for a real response over several days.
Also, note well that (2) lamotrigine is short-acting and I would definitely recommend splitting the dose.
I hope this helps and good 'luck', man.

p.s. lamotrigine has intrinsic antidepressant properties. 
I use it with clonazepam to control excess anxiety during the day but I do still need an antidepressant. 
I'm saving to buy escitalopram (Lexapro) as the others just don't cut it for me.

I found that the only way to determine my most efficacious dose was to keep going up until all improvement stopped.
I tried to go higher than 200mg but there was no gain so I left it there.

I have been on it for 7 yrs and counting; 100mg X 2 daily; *worked and works like a charm *(along with clonazepam). It has been a life saver for me.
Add up all the positives from things that I've ever taken all put together doesn't approach Lamictal's effects. 
It's a pity it doesn't work like that on everybody; we are all so different.

A couple of side effects I noticed: speech enunciation deteriorated; remembering people's names got very difficult; I had a odd change in my gait.

*rightwrong99*

Im up to 100mg of lamictal now. I noticed within the first week that it basically stopped my thoughts and lessened dissociative symptoms alot. It made my DR worse for about 4 days but then things got better. I still find it a little weird... like my brain is too quiet. I also firmly believe that no medication cures dp and therapy is the only way out.

*Aokiji*

I have recently recovered from *DP* which I had for 6 months with the help of a drug call *Lamictal*.

*First Week( 20th - 26th) January*
No changes at all in DP. This is to be expected since I just start taking the drug at it lowest level of *25mg*.
*Second Week(27th - 2nd) January*
Between Monday and Wednesday I notice some changes in my body. The tension head aches that I have had for a number of years has returned plus I can feel the pain in my right leg that always hurts me. 
Between Thursday and Friday sexual desires return, Erection and libido improve. Orgasm fell a bit normal. Sexual graphic material aka Porn has some effect on me as it did before.
*Saturday 3rd February*
A deep sense of sadness is there along with other emotions. The death of my father and the lack of emotional bond is very strong in mind. And I start to cry and can feel true sorrow. It is not the hollow feel as with DP. The tears running down my face plus the internal sorrow, I can feel it all. There is still some DP but it is just in the background.
*Sunday 4th February *
A dramatic improvement in condition. Cognitive skills have improve. A desire to read and write has returned. Memory has greatly improved. My five senses are working fine. I have a mood. This is noticed by my Godmother and Sister. But most of all I able to think in a logical manner and have a definite feeling of self.
*Thursday 20th February*
I am up to *100mg* of *Lamictal* a day and I feel great. All of my sense are sharp even better than before. My brain operates at a high level because most of my fears, insecurities and normal worries do not effect me as it did before. My body feel great and everything seem to be *working 100%*.

I am currently on 50mg of Lamictal daily for DP. I have recovered completed from DP as a result of this drug, which I started about two months ago with no side effects whatsoever. After an evaluation from my P Doc last Monday, I was given the all clear to continue taking Lamictal to manage my DP. I have a six month prescription for this drug. My P Doc was very happy to hear that I had recovered with this drug since the DP is so difficult to treat.

During the titration period which is two months, I saw improve in my DP as early as two weeks and at 50mg I was fully recovered. This is very usually since most patients report changes at least 200mg to 250mg or at higher level of 400mg. The drug is normal used in combination with an SSRi & Clonazepam, this is preferred treatment method of the DP Research Unit in London. This is great for me since as my body changes throughout my lifetime, I will be able to increase my dosage if necessary

Life is awesome right now and has returned to normal. I never had any form of mental illness while growing up and I did not get DP from recreational drug use like so many on this site.The pills are very small and it is a simple task, so I have no problem with or taking this drug. I hope this drug can be beneficial to you or others as it was to me. DP is a condition that take away the joys of life and the simple pleasure that many take for granted.

*DP_swe*

The plan:
A treatment with Fluoxetine (SSRI) and Lamotrigine with a very slow and gradual dose increase: 
starting off at 25mg Lamotrigine and 10mg Fluoxetine with a dose increase off (25mg and 10mg respectively) every 10 days.

I am currently on a relatively small dose (125mg Lamotrigine, and 20mg Fluoxetine). I chose yet not to increase the dose anymore because I am able to function good enough with this dose.

As I am not fully recovered I would like to claim that the medical combination has left me with some relief til the degree that I am not as obsessed with this illness anymore.
The illness still bothers me daily but not to the same extent. Since the meds I have been able to get back to the university and I function better than expected.

It has been a hell trying to convince arrogant doctors to give me these meds but I totally recommend anyone to try it out.
The only side effects I have noted are fatigue and very vivid dreams.

I am able to function quite well as of now. I will be waiting for things to stabilize and then possibly try for an increase during the summer break.

As with many drugs it might be a pain in the beginning but usually gets better when the body gets used to it. Lamotrigine is a slow acting drug, when you've reached the dose of 100mg you will feel the effects of 25mg. It needs at least 6 weeks to have full effect.

I find it strange that you mention mood swings, Lamotrigine is actually a mood stabilizer. And I feel much more stable in my mood since the new drugs.

Lamotrigine didn't do any wonders for me. Nothing in regards to brain fog.

I tried Lamotrigine+Fluoxetine without any success in regards to the DPD symptoms. It had an impact on the depressive symptoms though.

*jenny_11*

Lamotrigine didn't work for me. It made my symptoms much worse & at first I thought that it was because taking the medicine every day reminded me of the condition. It also caused mood swings for me. I've heard that it works for some people though.

*Living in a fog*

I have been on lamictal started out at 25mgs and quickly went up to 100-125mgs in about 2-3 weeks. I think i went as high as 200mgs but felt something in the 100-125 range worked fine. I was also on celexa 20 mgs and 1.0mg-1.5mgs of klonopin. It did not get rid of my DR(i don't have DP but DR instead). It just made me care less about it. You are probably wondering why I am back its because i started to slip back into a hole again. If you want to know the side effects I can tell you what I experienced but I am not sure if it came from the celexa or the lamictal. Nausea, constantly grinding my teeth, sexual dysfunction, diarrhea and gas. Most of the symptoms went away except for the sexual dysfunction but thats why they make viagra. I just started lamictal 100mgs and celexa 20mgs today as I would like to get out of the hole that i managed to slide into. I didn't want to start out slowly on the lamictal since I did not get a rash the first time so why not start at the dose that felt comfortable to me. I am also taking 2mgs of klonopin but I hope to get it back to 1.0- 1.5mgs as in my previous experiment. I take it luke that ur about 25 yrs old by your screen name. i have 22 years on you therefore you may not experience the sexual dysfunction as you are so much younger and your testosterone levels are probably a lot higher then mine. I have never stopped the klonopin since I am dependent/addicted to it.

Well its been 4 weeks since I have been on lamictal 100mgs and Klonopin 2mgs. I have to say that it is working I still have DR but I am less apprehensive about it . I stopped taking the 20mgs of celexa 2 weeks ago since the side effects did not go away( in the past most side effects went away after about a week). I added 12mgs of ephedra to give me extra energy in place of the dreaded SSRI-celexa. I never thought much of SSRI's for my DR though it may have helped with my depression. I feel I am doing better because I am taking my first real vacation(11/21-11/29) in about 6 years. I will be going up to Manitoba, Canada (I live in NY) to do some hunting in the canadian bush. I realize there may be people here that don't agree with this activity but it was something that I enjoyed before I had DR. 5-6 weeks ago I could barely leave my house

I am presently on lamictal 150 mgs and 2mgs klonopin. I have been on the lamictal since around 10/9. I started at 100mgs but in the last 2-3 weeks upped it to 150mgs. I do feel better there are times when I believe my DR is gone- it may be wishful thinking or that I am preoccupied with something that I do not notice it. Its weird its not like the DR has gone away completely but its like it does not bother me as much. I want to see how I do on 150mgs and may up it to 200mgs when I see my doc

Started 10/9 100mgs around 12/05 I upped it to 150mgs then app 1/05 I went to 200mgs. I have noticed a slow but steady improvement in my condition. I will say one thing 3 days after I went to 200mgs I noticed a greater change. I knew that it takes time for it to build up in my system and what I was feeling was the 150 mg dose not the 200mgs dose therefore I decided to drop back down to 150mgs. I remember from my past experience with this med that 150mgs seemed to be allright. I will stay at this dose and maybe go up if I feel that I have leveled out. I am also taking 2mgs of klonopin-1mg p.m., 1mg a.m. and 50mgs of benadryl to sleep at night. I am improving as people have noticed a change in my behavior. I have been at this point before and if this is as good as it gets I can accept it but hopefully it will dissipate with more time.

*Guest_marjorie*

the following cocktail has given me nearly complete relief. Lamictal (lamotrogine) 300 mg; Zoloft (sertraline) 25 mg; Tofranil (imipramine) 10 mg; Klonopin (clonazepam) 4 mg. All taken at bed time in one giant gulp of chemicals. From my own experience and what I've read, it's especially important to combine the Lamictal with an SSRI.
Lamictal gave me a headache and made me a bit wired for the first few days. My vision was also a bit blurry. All went away quickly; I'm not aware of any side effects now.

And, yet again, the Lamictal + ssri + tricyclic + Klonopin is the same structure, with different doses, that Dreamer describes.

*Dreamer*

I have had sucess, but not "nearly complete relief".
Me: Lamictal 200mg, Klonopin 6mg, Nortriptyline 50mg, Celexa 40mg

My depression has been worse recently, but I'd chalk that up to chronic negative life experiences recently, isolation, and the chronicity of the DP. Who knows? I've alwas been depressed.

I've tried a few times to up the Lamictal, and I can barely stay awake. I'm thinking I might try to slowly lower the Klonopin a couple mg/up the Celexa (for the depression?), and maybe be able to up the Lamictal.

I have "better quality of life", but I wouldn't say "nearly normal" by a mile.

I say, a combo might be the best w/Lamictal.

No side effects at all up to 200mg. Also, as I always forget to say, it takes TIME for Lamictal to reach the proper level in your blood. I was ready to give up on it... my doctor begged me to give it more time. I noticed subtle differences after getting to 200mg and being on it about 4-6 weeks. If the psychiatrist hadn't begged me to give it a further try, I would have never gotten the benefit.

For me, and as others have said, the change is VERY subtle. It takes a while for this to build up in the blood. I truly recommend giving it a real chance. My doctor explained, if you've just started 150mg, it won't reach that level in your blood for a while, hence the need for patience.
Again, the effect is very subtle, yet profound. For me it took away "fear" of the DP/DR. Put it more in the back of my mind. Has helped me "distract myself" even though my DP/DR is chronic. No cure here, but improvement in the quality of my life. And that is very important.

Back in 1999(?), my psychopharmacologist added Lamictal to my combo of Klonopin, Celexa and Nortriptyline. I'm also 24/7 chronic DP/DR for over 30 years. No let-up, not even in my dreams. I'm also very anxious, and when stressed the DP gets BAD.
My doctor's goal, before I stopped seeing him (I moved out of state), was to push the Lamictal and subsequently take me off of my other meds. But I have been afraid to touch the entire combo until recently, as it has been the most effective -- no cure though -- and I started with meds at age 15. (Call me Guinea Pig). (I've also gone through several extremely stressful years involving separation from my husband, a move, the death of my mother, etc.)

I am now decreasing the Nortriptyline VERY slowly, (everything will go VERY slowly -- still no bad effects as I see), and will decrease the Celexa slightly, then the Klonopin somewhat. This may take a year if not longer, probably two. I am still afraid of removing the Klonopin which really saved my rump back in 1987 and has kept me afloat since.

But after eliminating the Nortrip, and lowering the Klonopin, I may INCREASE the Lamictal which I haven't been able to do.... over 200mg I become very sleepy. (But this is attributed to the fact that I'm on the other meds -- the combo undoubtedly contributes to the sleepiness when the Lamictal is increased.)

The effect of Lamictal for me at 200mg/day added to my other meds (particularly the Celexa) has been very subtle yet very important. It lessens the "fear" of the DP/DR. It's almost impossible to articulate. And what really worked miracles for me, and has never stopped working is 6mg/Klonopin ... the first med to significantly decrease the DP/DR -- no other benzo did ANYTHING for me. They all did NOTHING ... didn't even help my anxiety.

*I also believe, for me, Lamctal is most effective with the Celexa (or SOME SRI for others), but I may be wrong about that. But, I need to say that, as it is possible some failed attemps here with Lamictal alone might have been more effective with an SSRI.*

*AND Very interesting about the Bipolar connection:*

1. I believe over the years I was misdiagnosed -- or a significant part of my makeup was not recognized properly. I have certain Borderline characteristics which may actually be on the Bi-polar spectrum. I would say I have what they are now calling "mood dysregulation" vs. full blown Borderline. I am also almost certain my mother was high functioning "Borderline". Note: I do not self-harm, cut, etc. and neither did she -- she was also a psychiatrist, but she had what may have been brief episodes of paranoia on and off. :? (A lovely combo there.)

2. So many years of experimenting with meds, I found that I am also very resistant to the effects of many meds and frequently need higher doses of things to feel any effect positive or negative. I don't get many negative side-effects from my meds. But I also need higher doses to feel any positive effect. (Hence the 6mg/Klonopin I've been on for years.)

*Bottom line, Lamictal may be an excellent med to try for those who have mood dysregulation/Bi-polar. I've said this numerous times, that my psychiatrist back in LA at UCLA had great success eliminating serious chronic DP in some patients with bipolar disorders ... using Lamictal alone.

So there seems to me to be a subgroup of people who have Bipolar, or what is now an antiquated term I believe -- Borderline, with DP who might respond well to Lamictal.

I was on a number of other "mood stabilizing" meds... Depakote, Tegratol, etc. They did nothing for me... good or bad.

Lamictal helped me significantly with both mood fluctuations AND the DP/DR -- both in extremely subtle ways, but in hindsight, I see the effect as being rather dramatic.*

Since I've been on Lamictal since 1999 or thereabouts. It HAS helped me at 200mg. Less fear of the DP/DR. Put it more in the back of my mind. Also REALLY calmed my moods. I have heard of this subtle difference from at least one or two others.
I was already on Klonopin 6mg/day, Celexa 40mg/day. This may have had some effect on my positive result.

Also, patience, patience, patience. I've mentioned this time and time again. It takes a long time for Lamictal to build up in your system. I felt NOTHING -- no side effects, NOTHING -- until I was at 200mg for about 4-6 weeks. My shrink begged me to stay on it to give it a good chance.

Others here who have come and gone have felt some improvement, subtle, no cure, etc.

Push it if you feel comfortable doing it, but give it a good try. The effect is subtle, yet it makes a difference *at least in my case and I can't speak for anyone else. And there are SO many variables for each of us, it is so hard to know what really helped.*

*tori*

I've been taking lamictal for four weeks. I started on 25mg and i have to increase the dosage every 2 weeks by 25mg until i reach the target dosage of around 200mg. I am also taking Citalopram 40mg. I have been managing to cope a lot better with my dp since taking lamictal but it hasnt dissapeared.. I have heard that most people notice their symptoms reducing around 125mg. Don't expect miricals with the Lamictal but apparently it reduces or gets rid of the symptoms completley for 40% of dp patients who take it. Lets hope everyone here is in that 40%. My depression has become a lot worse..but..i am not sure if this is because of lamictal or due to the fact that my anti-d's were cut from 60mg to 40mg when i started lmctl.

*luke1979*

it's been 4 weeks since i started lamictal, 2 weeks on 50mg and 2 weeks on 100mg, im gonna move upto 150 tonite, stay on that for 2 weeks, then 200mg for 2 weeks and prolly finish up at 250mg, of course if it starts to like help me a lot ill stop at whatever dose that happens.
how do i think it's going... hmm well it's certainly not made anything worse, but i dont think at this stage it is really doing much.
ive made a few changes to my life, which maybe helping me, or maybe the lamictal made those changes possible.. hard to tell really.
bassically im back working and enjoying it. work gives me enough distraction to sorta allow me to concerntrate on other things, rather than my whole mental state. im not sure weather it's just the work helping me, or if the lamictal is sorta giving me the right state of mind to get out there and get things done.

bassically.. at this stage, no major breakthroughs with the lamictal, but i do think my situation is improving.
my advice would be to give it a go, ive had none side effects at all, and it may be benificial for you.
as far as my thoughts on being on meds, hmm at this stage im only taking 3 meds, mirtazipine (45mg), lamictal (100mg) and diazepam (when needed, about 5mg, once a week).
it doesnt worry me too much being on meds, id prefer not to be, but if they are helping me live my life, im ok with it.
i dont look at being on meds to be a long term solution, i see them as being something to help me get over a problem, much like you would take meds if you were sick with something else.
but if i have to stay on meds for a long time (years).. so be it, like i said, id rather not be on meds, but for the moment i need something to help me and hopefully this mix of meds will help.

currently im taking 150mg, all in one dose at nite, with the mirtazipine 45mg, at the same time. about the only side effect i get, about an hour after i take them, i start to get pretty sleepy, but i find if im busy ill keep myself awake and the tiredness wears off after about an hour and a half.
i dunno if thats the lamictal, or the mirtazipine or both, either way it doesnt worry me.
i also find with the combo i dont have to take it at the exact same time each nite, generally i take it at 8pm, but sometimes, if ive gone out to a party or something, i wont take it till i get home...11pm type thing.
at this stage, im not really feeling any major improvements, but at 150mg, im still bitt below my target dose of 250, so im trying to be patient, im also considering changing the anti'd if at 250 i dont get any results.

I had been following this website for a while and stumbled across Lamictal, I figured I might as well give it a shot, so convinced a very understanding doctor to trial it. I stayed on the Avanza (45mg) as I had read that combining Lamictal with an anti-depressant could help even more. So I started the Lamictal, small dose to begin with and then over the course of maybe a couple of months eventually got my dose up to 200mg (I think). Initially it didn't do much, but slowly I started feeling these glimpses of normality, sometimes so fleeting that it may have just been a few minutes.. I remember one of the first times I was walking my friends dogs on a beach and watching the sunset, I felt it just seemed normal, like the air was fresh and I could breathe, my mind was clear and so on. It didn't last but over the next few months those periods of clarity/normality become more frequent and lasted longer.

I would say that 6 months into Lamictal I found myself much much better, I had started back at work, was socialising with people but more importantly I just felt comfortable. I had my moments of crap but could often put those times down to external factors. I began to slowly forget about DP/DR.

So anyways I stayed on the combo of Lamictal and Avanza for about 2 years (I think) and then slowly came off both without any major issues.

About 4 years ago I found myself in the DP/DR fog again, this time I was much more determined not to let it take over my life. I had enough knowledge about the condition not to let it destroy my life again. So I battled on, this time tried the old distraction technique and tried to improve my general health.. Tried a number of different vitamins and supplements, exercised a lot, gave up drinking and focus more on work and productive activities in my life.
This all helped to not let the DP/DR take hold of my life the way it had once done. I managed a somewhat successfull relationship with a girlfriend (although we have since broken up.. A good thing in the long run though lol) I have maintained a successful career and climbed the corporate ladder, built a house, have all the toys a man could want and so on. Sadly I still have DP/DR but I refuse to let it have any control over my life.

I guess I'm just trying to show others that Lamictal certainly can help, I'm going back for a second attempt. Strangely I remember saying to myself when I thought it was helping that if I even lapse into DP/DR again I wouldn't hesitate going back on it.. It has taken me 4 years to living up to that quote but I think it's a good idea to try it again.

*Guest_murman*

I'm slowly getting on the Lamictal train. I'm hyper-sensitive to drugs so I just started taking it at 12.5 mg per day - in 2 days I go up to 25 mg for 4 more days and then up to 25mg. twice daily. I guess I'll go up to the recommended dose if I can (150-250 mg range you all recommend).
One of the things that scares me is that I've been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea resulting from a childhood accident to my nose. I fear that the lamictal and/or the Xanax XR might induce more sleep apnea. I know benzos repress respiration to an extent. Has anyone else had problems with medication/breathing/sleep apnea. Just curios to know if anyone knows of any research being done or experience.

I'll keep everyone posted on my Lamictal progress (I've had un-relenting DP for 18 years!!!) so if it can help me, it means there is hope for others..

*indigo*

my DP dissapeared at around 250mg, that was in combo with Anafranil .... and I dont get any side effects from the lamotragine only from the anafranil..

*qbsbrown*

I am in the process of beginning the Lamictal + SSRI combo, which i've read about the 40 percent sucess rate. Couple questions.
I also have access to klonopin, which i think i will use, seeing as my DR is caused by anxiety.

Lamictal did get me out of depression during the second week of it, something no SSRI could alieviate. I was sleeping all day, now with lamictal, it's 6-8 hours sleep, and pop right up. Kinda scares me, seeing as i've always been a sleeper in my whole life, but perhaps growing up now.

*David*

I've already posted on several occasions on Lamictal. I was already on Prozac and started last November on Lamictal, increasing by 50mg every two weeks. I'm now up to 375mg and two weeks away from my final dose of 400mg. This is through the DP research unit in London.
I've had no side effects at all and only positive stories. I keep a brief note of my symptoms in my diary and so far I have gone 13 days without any symptoms!

apart from the occasional odd sensation - that I have not felt any of what I call DP symptoms eg feeling disconnected from people and the environment around me, not knowing where my voice is coming from etc

Regarding various posts about Lamictal on its own or with an SSRI such as Prozac or an SSRI on its own, Lamictal works better with an SSRI. An SSRI on its own DOES NOT improve DP symptoms.

*StandAlone*

I've been taking lamictal for about 2 months and have noticed minor success. I feel that it has made me feel more grounded, and maybe less depressed. I was told that lamictal might give me some energy though, and that has not been the case. My psychiatrist really doesn't get what I tell her. I'm looking for a med that can help with my anxiety, but not make me feel zonked, exhausted.

I have been on lamictal in the past and decided to give it another try because I liked the way I felt on it. I don't think it could be successful on its own, in my case. In the past I have had bouts of mania so my psychiatrist is really skeptical on what she gives me. She has put me on latuda to help balance out the chance of that happening again.

Anyone got any ideas on medications that work good with lamictal. I'm mainly looking for some energy/motivation, along with help concentrating, and lastly some anxiety relief. I know that's a lot haha, but I'm willing to take multiple meds to help with most of this.

I take the klonopin at night and I take it occasionally so i don't become dependent on it. For me I've noticed a little less anxiety and depression, but mainly ive noticed more physical balance if that makes sense

I finally reached 200 mg of lamictal, not what I expected really. When I first started lamictal I noticed some energizing properties. When I went up on it, its made me almost more tired and a little calmer. On its own i'm not to hopeful of it. I'm really waiting for my psych to come up with another med that will work well. I think i'm gonna go as high as i could on the lamictal, I just really feel like I need another med in this situation. No one has been able to help me with this.. I'm looking for a med that helps long term anxiety but doesn't make me feel drained.

my anal psych won't prescribe me an SSRI because she convinced herself i have a mood disorder. I don't know whether to believe her because i have severe insomnia, but even on mood stabilizers i don't sleep. So i really don't believe it, but yeah i guess ssri's can make people with insomnia or bipolar screwed even more. I think lamictal though is sort've protecting that from happening, am I right? This could be important info because many people said lamictal works great with ssri's, just afraid itll fuck up my sleep more.

*tazi*

When I hit 200 mg of lamotrigine my dp noticeably improved. I am actually trying to get off clonazepam, if you want long term recovery why take something which causes dp when you withdraw?

i was pretty screwed until i hit 200 mil of lamotrigine, now i can at least function, and the doctor said he may put it up even more to see if theres anymore improvment. Im seeking phychotherapy but as this was drugs triggered[ although io was going through a massive amount of stress.. im not sure wether to ask for trauma therapy or just cbt? [ i did experience trauma when a teenager

*steveouk*

Started an SSRI when I was 17 and life improved to the point where I tried to come off them at 28. Three months after coming off the drug I was left with extreme anxiety and in a constant state of DP/DR. It has left me completely bedbound and hugely depressed. Stayed in a psychiatric hospital for 3 months last year with very little benefit.

Psychiatrist went away and did some research and came back with Lamotrigine as it seems to be the only medication with any evidence base to it. I have tried Pregabalin which I believe is a similar class of drug in the past but this only made my DP/DR much worse. I felt very numb and almost high.

I'm currently on 20mg Escitalopram (lexapro).

Just popped my first 25mg tablet a few hours ago. One thing that's really worrying me is the vivid dreams. I'm already having VERY strong nightmares every night that leave me waking up covered in sweat and rather confused. I don't want anything else to add to this. I'm also worried of any further sedation side effects. The depression and the 24 hour bedbound life is already causing massive fatigue problems.

My plan is to stay on 25mg for a fortnight to see how I tolerate it.

There is absolutely no suspicion of bi-polar with me as my moods don't fluctuate much past being depressed and being super depressed. I've just been given this purely as a DP drug

A quick update: I already suffer from extremely vivid dreams/nightmares that cause me to wake up several times throughout the night drenched in sweat and leave me feeling VERY sleeping the next day. Strangely enough, this morning I am awake at 8am and not feeling the need to go back to sleep which is VERY unlike me. I also don't recall any nasty dreams last night and I didn't wake up in the usual sweaty state. Might not have anything to do with the new drug. Time will tell.

Its day 6 of my medication and I feel awful. My anxiety has been really heightened since starting these drugs. By day 3 I noticed physical side effects such as terrible acid indigestion in the back of my throat, dizziness, muggy cloudy head and sleepiness.

I can honestly say at this stage that my derealisation is much much worse. It caused me to have a panic attack which I haven't had in quite a few months due to the heightened feelings of DP/DR. I am irritable and agitated too. Been playing an online quiz game on my phone with friends and I'm getting very angry at losing which is totally out of character for me. My already very vivid dreams are becoming more and more vivid where they now resemble real life much more convincingly.

I don't know how much of this is the drug or how much of it is the thought of being on the drug. I'm naturally very anxious anyway and I don't like taking unknown medication.

Time is also confusing me. Whatever time it is, it doesn't feel like it. It's 2pm right now but it just doesn't feel like it.

Again, I can't say how much of it is the drug and how much of it is me. I know that I'm taking this drug to try and help with dp/dr but for whatever reason my dp/dr is much worse.

It's bad to the point where I'm scared to be around anyone. My dad is meant to be coming over tonight to have dinner with me but I'm really frightened about that. It means I have to talk to someone and connect with someone but my brain just can't handle that.

Getting sick of this. Basically left with no options after this. Not sure how much longer to keep up this drug.

Day 9 for me today. Been a crazy week but I think everything is starting to settle. I think a mixture of anxiety and being sensitive to medication has caused me to experience side effects, maybe placebo, maybe not.

DP/DR wise - not sure yet. Still early days and still on a very low dose (25mg).

Anxiety wise - This isn't an anti anxiety drug but anxiety for me is a knock on effect of the DP/DR feelings. Since they are going slightly, the anxiety has gone slightly too.

My only real CON at the moment is my vivid dreams. I have always had them thanks to the SSRIs but now they are REALLY strong. I have MASSIVE trouble waking myself up from these dreams and when I do wake, my bottom half is always dripping wet with sweat. Basically I am useless until about 2pm at the moment. I'm really hoping this side effect wears off.

I'm on 50mg now and haven't yet seen much change apart from the vivid dreams that I don't like as I don't feel like I've had a full nights sleep

these drugs aren't getting a chance to work as they are absolutely ruining my sleep to the point of exhaustion the next day. So instead of trying to go outside or do something productive with my day, I will lay on my sofa under a blanket forcing myself not to take a nap.

I'm thinking I might stop this drug too. I'm not really willing to go much higher than 50mg which I've been on for almost a month now. It's strange because my real vivid dreams have calmed down a bit but so have the little positive effects of the drugs. Since the vivid dreams went a week ago, I've been back in a state of complete unreality. I keep getting anxious over the time for some reason. It never really 'feels' like the time it really is. Suddenly the sound of my own voice is really bothering me and it doesn't sound like me when I'm on the phone. I'm again, having huge difficulties being around someone. I tend to spend my days staring at the wall or ceiling for hours. Just can't stop staring at nothing.

Decided to pack in this drug. I understand I'm not giving this drug a full chance as I'm only up to 50mg but I don't like being on medication due to side effects. I will continue with my Escitalopram as I don't believe I'm ever able to come off an SSRI, which is why I'm in the situation I'm in now.

Last year when I came out of the psychiatric hospital I had a good couple of months and that was without the lamotrigine. I'd rather work hard on trying to mentally adapt to my DP/DR than block it out with drugs. I'm going to continue to eat really well, exercise when I can etc.

*deathsitcom*

I have to say I've been struggling with mental health issues all my life, with depression starting already in my childhood and becoming really bad in my twenties (I'm 35 now), so I guess I already had a disposition for this condition. But I sorta managed to get along until in late 2012 shit really hit the fan. Don't wanna talk about it in all detail, let's just say I had to face a combination if psychologically traumatizing events (emotional abuse by a pretty much insane girl, death of my father, way too much stress, burnout....) that started a downward spiral of depression and extreme anxiety. With the anxiety came the dissociation and this wierd dream-like, disconnected feeling. After a few months the anxiety gradually left, but dp/dr didn't....so here I am, pretty much messed up.

So far I don't have much experience with Lamotrigine, I just started a few days ago with 25 mg, just like you, and going to increase the dosage slowly. Seems to take quite a while until the effect kicks it. Let's see where this will get us.

I'm still taking Sulpiride, it's an antipsychotic, but acts as an antidepressant at lower doses. Never had good experiences with SSRIs, that's why I'm trying this. Hope that works.

I don't notice much change after the first week on Lamotrigine, neither good nor bad. All I can say is, I've been feeling very down lately, total lack of drive and motivation, depression, derealization....you name it. If this lifts, I know that something is working, but so far it hasn't. I've been having pretty vivid dreams though, is that somehow connected to the drug?
Will raise the dosage to 50 mg soon.

I'm taking 50 mg now, still too early to say much about results. For the last couple of days I've been having some sleeping problems though, which negatively affects me of course, so I'm going to try lowering the dosage of my other med, Sulpiride for now. Drive and motivation is still pretty low, but I hope at least I can get some exercise done next week.

To me it seems, the feelings of unreality and dp are slightly diminished, but my depression has become worse, feeling terrible actually

Update from me: I'm far from doing good, but I've been worse. Hard to tell where this is going right now, but I'm slightly optimistic. Also was just prescribed Citalopram as an add-on, curious what this will do. If only I was more patient, frustrating that everything takes months...

all I can say is I tried it for 6 months and it didn't help me. On the flipside, at least it was pretty much the only med that didn't cause even more discomfort (compared to antipsychotics and SSRIs). Maybe I'll give it another shot in the future.

*texas2006*

I started 50 mg two days ago. I feel a little less anxious although admittedly could be placebo effect at this point. I looked back through my list of meds notes and I was at 125mg at one point in time back in the day (can't remember how long I was actually on it for).

Just titrated to 100 mg today. 50 mg didn't do too much for the week and a half I was on it. May have to get up to 200mg or greater to see anything though.

I'm 1 week into 100 mg and no problems so far. I am having about a 20% reduction in my DP/DR for a few hours every afternoon but that fades away and could be attributed to the past mild success I've had with Wellbutrin before. Titrate to 200mg next Tuesday.

I'll titrate up to 400mg if I don't have any sides to make sure I give it a fair shot. I'm also going to drop wellbutrin and switch to an SSRI like the DPRU recommends if I don't see any benefits from the Wellbutrin + Lamictal combo at an appropriate dose.

For me, I don't really care what dosage I have to take... I would just like to feel normal again. I can function, I'm a professional engineer and have had a regular job for the last five years. Main symptoms are physical tension, double vision, spaciness, visual fog, floaters, etc. All the good stuff. It used to be really bad at the beginning but over the years improved somewhat.

If it wasn't for buspar and dexedrine, I'd still be at square one.

It's been about 5 days now on the 200 mg dose of lamictal and have not really noticed any differences in anything yet.... possibly helping slightly with sleep though. I am on 300mg of Wellbutrin as well which potentially makes it worse. I will probably bump the lamictal up in another few weeks to 300mg or 400mg (not sure which one yet). Next plan would be to drop the Wellbutrin and switch to an SSRI.

I switched from wellbutrin to clomipramine to supplement the 200mg Lamictal i'm currently on. No changes so far for better or worse.

On 100 mg of Clomipramine and 200 mg of Lamictal now... I think I've been starting to notice some of the DP/DR easing up over the past few weeks. I'll keep you guys in the loop as I continue to titrate the clomipramine.

Here's a brief update:

1) Lamictal - up to 300 mg. No real side effects, no real help
2) Added 250 mg of clomipramine. Some side effects, not too bad. Didn't help
3) Modafinil - no help
4) Naltrexone - could only take 50 mg and puked my guts out for days. Discontinued, not sure if it would have helped
5) Currently on Brintellix and tapering up.

*oo_oo*

I´m on 100mg of Lamictal right now. I got it 3 weeks ago from a doctor in Bangkok (because it´s pretty easy to get medications there) and started with 25mg. The first 3 days nothing happened, but on the 4th day I felt in the evening like I was before DP. I think my DP was gone almost 90%. I was remembering stuff from my childhood and it felt like it really happend to me and not like I was an observer. It was awesome to be back in this state after more than 6 years of constant DP. On the next day I was back to the DP "normal", but the next days my DP started to fade again. This time it wasn´t so strong like before, but my vision was clearer and my thoughts not so cloudy. Right now I think that 30% of my DP is gone and from time to time it fades even more.

Now I´m thinking about to decrease the amount back to 50mg, because the best effect I had with 25 and 50mg and with 100mg I feel like I have seasickness without throwing up.

I can recommed everyone who´s suffering from DP to try Lamotrigine! Over the years I tried a lot of things, but this helped me most.

*missjess*

I'm almost on 25mg myself..,I started at half a tablet to avoid the rash. I'll be on 25mg in a few days and so far a huge improvement is my mind!! No more freakish thoughts and songs going thru my head constantly...my mood is better and overall I'm quite liking this med so far. Oh and vivid dreams!! I always had vivid dreams before this drug but now they are even more intense but I quite like that 
I can honestly say I feel at peace

I remember when I tried lamictal I was hyper for like 3 or 4 days, irritable and weird mood swings, insomnia, weird dreams but then after about a week or so it started to feel right and my mood was stabilized and I just felt better! It even improved my ocd.

*cltool9*

it's only the 3rd day on 25mg and so far no rash, my mood has definitely improved somewhat i noticed and last night i didn't have as vivid of dreams as i did the night before.

well i noticed a change today, first day i haven't had a crying spell but i've been really restless/hyper and my eyes feel so heavy and tired at the same time, so weird.

i actually am having trouble with random crying spells i made it 2 days without them and had a really bad one today, is it possible that the lamictal is causing this would you know? is there like an adjustment period, i'm only on 25 mg but i increase to 50 in 2 days, i also get really hyper sometimes

upping the dosage to 50 mg tomorrow and i see my therapist sometime next week so hopefully i can get an SSRI to go with this

well, i don't know if the lamictal is starting to help or if it's my attitude toward this or both, but it's getting a little easier to deal with, except for being outside and around people, i can talk and have a good time but it's like i'm listening to myself talk, i try to ignore it and what not, but i don't feel like i'm all there, but being around friends is a great distraction and i'm trying to keep pushing myself, it's getting easier to just accept it, ignore it and shrug it off and not worry about it so much

it's getting a little easier to bare but it's still hell (the feeling of not being myself, i feel like i have split seconds of lucidity though) it's just really annoying and when i catch myself thinking about it i have a small panic attack that lasts about 2 seconds, i feel like i'm in someone elses body ugh and i've actually been getting very angry, i used to be terribly OCD before this happened and i hated when someone said "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ" or "Goddammit" now i find myself saying it all the time. i'm hanging in there though

i really am having doubts of sticking with this stuff, it seems i'm extremely sensitive to medicine, i think i'm just going to stick with an SSRI and the newer stuff, this old stuff is kicking my ass, and the dreams are so damn life like it's scary, good luck to those of you who will continue but i really don't think i can.

ugh, i can't take it, these dreams are getting worse and worse, i literally can't tell when i'm dreaming and when i'm awake. i definitely feel like the lamictal is making my dp so much worse because I didn't feel like i was switching bodies until i started taking it, i really don't know, i really don't.

*karrilho67005*

I have started lamotrigine about 4 weeks ago. I am also taking 200mg of Sertraline.
My main complaints were:

-Anxiety (Social and Generalized)
-DP/DR
-Some sleep issues
-Emotional Apathy (lack of energy and tired easy, also. I think this is just the consequence of chronic DP/DR for about 3 years)

After starting the lamotrigine my anxiety is nearly gone! Even if I don't sleep that good (or out of hours, from like 3, 4 or 5am to 1pm), which was usually a death sign for my anxiety the next day, I don't feel specially more anxious. I also have been sleeping a little better!

I am currently taking 150mg of Lamotrigine, going to start 200mg tomorrow. I have yet to see an improvement in my dissociative symptoms and with my emotional apathy! I usually only respond to high doses of medication because I'm quite a big guy xD. I'm crossing my fingers for this to solve my DP/DR!

Just wanted to give you an update. I am currently taking 200mg of Lamotrigine, 200mg of Sertraline and ocasionally Propanolol for tachychardia.

As I said before, my anxiety is really low, on a day to day basis, being almost mostly reserved for antecipatory moments, such as the time before a social encounter or before having a test and also for moments of extreme tiredness, but these are normal. Still I can reach an even lower point of anxiety, of course.

My sleep doesn't bother me much anymore! Sleeping badly makes me tired and I still have low energy, and low resistance compared to a few years ago. I've also gained some weigth so that's probably a factor ahahah

But the most positive news is... *drumroll* My feelings are returning! I felt extreme chills from listening to music and I started feeling them again after reaching 200mg!!! The visual aspects of DP/DR are still unnafected, though, but I think it's just a matter of dosage!

So, in summary:

Current Complaints:

-Visual DP/DR
-Tiredness and lack of energy
-Still emotionally apathetic, but better!

Future treatment plans:

-Exercising and maybe a diet change
-Increasing lamotrigine gradually. Target dose is 400mg

I'll leave an email response I got from Dr. Mauricio Sierra, one of the leading specialists in DP worldwide:

Dear Joao,

I think your initial response to lamotrigine is quite promising. We normally recommend a target dose of 400 mg/day, and have found that patients who respond to it, do so normally at higher doses. 
I would recommend that you continue making 50 mg increments every two weeks until you reach the target dose, unless of course you benefit from lower doses.

*kristikristi65*

I'm starting lamictal tomorrow. I'm currently on 50 mg of Zoloft and .5 mg of ativan

Saw the doc today. He figures since my zoloft cured my DP before and now it's not, that we should switch SSRIs. Starting 10 mg of lexapro tonight and then eventually we will add the lamictal

*jenny1*

As others have noted THIS DRUG TAKES TIME TO WORK....a long time, ten years ago I had my first experience with dp... mostly derealisation and felt crippled by it for about 18 month. During those 18 months I visited numerous psychiatrists who to me it was a symptom of depression and prescribed medication in accord when none of them worked i even had ECT. Eventually I found this site, diagnosed myself and was led to the Depersonalisation unit at the institute of psychiatry in London.

Dr Sierra, ( the psychiatrist there ) officially diagnosed me with dp and suggested I take Lamotrigine togther with the Celexa I was already taking. The climb up to a therapeutic dose of Lamotrigine is slow. i was told i probably wouldnt even start to see any benefits until I at least reached 150mg. When I got to that point I did notice some positive effects and these slowly increased together with the dose increase up to 300mg. After i had been on this full dose for a couple of months I can truely say I no longer had dp.

The message i want to convey is that in total it took me 6 months from when i started the lamotrigine till when i felt better. I dont want to belittle any bodies struggles with this med and of course if the side effects are intollerable then i can understand why you might need/want to stop it. But in my opinion you would be doing yourself a total diservice if you didnt try to reach the therapeutic dose, which the institute of psychiatry believes is 300-400mg. Once I got used to the drug the only side effects I really got from it were some bad headaches.

This drug may or may not help you, it may make a subtle or a dramatic difference to your dp but if it were me i wouldnt want to think I had missed out on something that could potentially free me from dp.

*Westcoast Ghost*

I'm starting today on 25 mg and will up it to 50 in a week. I'll have to stay on 50 for a month, until I can see my psychiatrist again. Then I plan to increase. I'm excited and hoping this will work! Fuck DP.
EDIT: I'm taking it in combination with escitalopram (Lexapro/Cipralex).

*optimusrhyme*

Im up too 100 mg of Lamictal a day. I notice my mood is overall better, though it hasn't really helped my dp/dr yet... I've noticed im way more emotional and my feelings have returned a bit. I haven't had any side effects at all.. aside from the first cuple nights I took it I woke up drenched in sweat.
Im going to continue forward to 200 mg and I will keep everyone updated.

*vvector*

I've had good luck with lamotrigine for several years. It might be of note that I've consistently been prescrived 600mg a day, which I am under the impression is rather high. Of course, mileage varies, but it takes this much to ease things up a bit for me.

After many years of screwing around with various meds, it just -happened- one day that I was feeling better, took a look at my situation and realized I had been unintentionally shifted into clonazepam, lamotrigine, and imipramine (clomipramine's father).

*valleygirl<3*

I did and the first few days it felt like my dp would go away at any second. And then I started noticing that I was having hyperawareness. And that hyperawareness rapidly progressed to the point where every thought I had and every movement I made felt like it was being screamed at me. It got to the point where the over awareness was so disorienting that I had to lay completely still in a dark room with my eyes shut. It was HELL. Needless to say I stopped taking it. I actually went through 12 different medications from antidepressants to anticonvulsants to antipsychotics and found that every single one of them made my dp worse. No medication helped even in the slightest. So I went off of everything and stuck to sublingual b complex and vitamin d3 and now I have no depersonalization and only mild derealization. I don't think that medication is the answer because dp and dr are a defense mechanism not a mental illness. You cannot correct a natural defense mechanism anymore than you can cure a sneeze. Yes, it doesn't feel normal but it's not an illness.

*RamonX*

my trial with Lamotrigine was very short lived, because I got dangerously high blood pressure after two days of taking it. This shouldn't discourage other people though, because it is not a known side effect, and should be extremely rare.

*Angela2006*

I tried it until I was at 200 for six months, and it did nothing, but I know that it has helped many people on this site.

*birdiehead*

i just started it with celexa. i'll keep you posted. it takes a long time to get into your system. so far my body pains/numbness have diminished a bit but i'm only on 25 mg and it hasn't been a week.

i have it bad and it doesn't seem to be going away soon. i have to figure out how to cope with a horrible daily existence. got progressively worse from 18 to 35.

* the big bad i said no!*

i have been taking this combination of medication (ssri + lamotrigine) for over 3 months now, starting at a low dose of lamotrigine and building up to 250mg. i set all my hopes on this medication combo as the dp research unit recommends it and it has quite a high success rate, but i dont think its working. but by not working, i mean its not ridding me of my depersonalization and derealization. however it has made me alot more motivated to do things and try and get on with my life i.e going out more, trying to get a job etc. but because of this, im feeling much more frustrated that dp/dr wont go away! i feel its holding me back and motivation alone dosent seem enough, i want and need to actually feel better to be able function correctly with all this new found motivation. i also still get very anxious but seem to be able to supress it alot better, but i wish that would stop too. im thinking of stopping this medication and actually giving up on medication altogether since ive tried so many. if anyone has any advice on what to do it would be much apreciated.

oh yeah.... the ssri im on is sertrline and im thinking that maybe its worth changing that first to a different one (maybe prozac) to see if it makes a difference before i think about stopping.

spoke to my phychiatrist today and he's told me to come off the lamotrigine and stick with the sertraline antidepressant, but maybe at a higher dose. He has also referred me for a course of obsessional/dp focussed cognitive behavioral therapy which im keen to try as ive never experienced any talk therapys before. I used to believe that medication was the only path to a cure or even just some improvement of symptoms, but after trying so many i now think otherwise. I also realise i need to put some effort in and not just rely on taking a load of pills.

*university girl*

i'm on 600 mg seroquel, 40 mg paxil and just started lamotrigine at 25 mg.

lamo did nuttin for me.

*Life Sentence?*

I just took my first Lamotrogine today. I'm building up from 25mg to 200mg. It will be in addition to the Zoloft and Klonopin that I have been on for years now. Truthfully, I have little faith anything good will come of it. It has been 18+ years for me with constant, non-stop DPD. But here goes. I will keep you all posted.

I was medication free for the first 4 - 5 years of this thing, and it never went away. Since then I have only been medication free for a couple week, before I tried Marplan, and that was hell!
I feel that I have given the no meds. thing more than enough of a chance. Now I just want to try everything I can! I'll either get cured or die trying....

I have worked my way up to 300mg of Lamictal, and have been on that dose for a little over a month. If there is any improvement, it is fairly minor.
FYI, I am also on Sertraline and Clonazepam.

I haven't really noticed any side effects, good or bad. :?

Unfortunately, I do not have better news to report. Lamotrigine was not my magic bullet. I still remain on 150mg, because it does seem to have lifted my spirits a bit...but I am not sure why? I've found that my sense of humor has been a little more prominant, and I real slightly more care free? Strange, but far from any cure. Seriously considering Provigil as the next step....

I had spent several months on 300mg of lamotrigine, with no lifting of DPD. I am currnently back down to 150mg. In my case, I would have to say that lamotrigine is not the answer.

*spert23*

I was on Lamictal, and I got the rash....it sucked. I'm actually thinking about coming off meds, but I am on such a low dose of Seroquel (100 mgs), that if its working (which it is) without side effects (there are none), then what's the point? I'm hate the fact that I am on meds, but if its helping the process, then why the hell not? Really though, it comes down to working as hard as you can to get better. It can happen, I've been mj-induced DP for a year, and I've noticed that my hard work can pay off. After all, its you that controls your thoughts, in the end.

*Guest_**

I was put on Lamictal about 10 days ago and in the first few days it REALLY helped. By day 5 I was feeling really happy and hopeful. My dp has gone back to where it was before (because of environmental factors and probably the fact that the medication has started to level out in my system and I need to increase the dose). I have noticed in the past couple of days that some major changes are occuring. The first being that my vision is normal (pre dp vision). With dp my vision is usually flat and 2-d. That is gone. I also have started to remember a lot about my life before dp and feel the emotions connected to those memories. This is something that was impossible before. With dp I could remember very little of my life before dp and what I did remember felt like I was recalling something out of a book I once read. None of it seemed like it really happened to me. I would have maybe one or two memories here and there. In the past couple of days it has been like the flood gates have opened and I have reconnected to my old life. I remember more things than I could list, I can feel emotions connected with those events, and I know that those events did happen to me. They don't seem unreal anymore. 
Right now I am on 25mg of lamictal daily. Because of the type of medication it is, you have to increase your dose slowly at 14 day intervals. The therapudic dose is 200 mg a day so I have a lot of room to move up before I will be at the therapudic dose. I initally had only one side effect, akathisia, which has since gone away. I am about 4 days away from being able to increase my dose and fully plan on doing so.

Anyways, like I said, I am having pretty bad dp/dr right now but I am also am having positive effects from the medication and feel like any small step toward recovery is reason for hope and to celebrate. There are far too few success stories on here and it leaves the rest of us without hope. So if I can give a little hope, I will.

I'm on 100mg. I found that when I was taking Clonazepam with Lamotrigine, I felt really good. I might ask to go back onto Clonazepam.

*comfortably numb*

Im on lamotrigine for bipolar disorder and i must say the stuff works great. It has helped stabilize my moods much better then any other medication ive been on. It has greatly reduced the symptoms of my bipolar and has pretty much put some of them into remission completly. Im only on 125mg's a day yet but i could have been up to 200mg's a day now except for some insurance bullshit. But i will raise my dose to 200mg's a day soon to get my bipolar under control as best i can.
I have no idea if lamotrigine has had any effect on my dp/dr and brain fog because the clonazepam im on has totally put it into remission for the past 2 years. I was treated with clonazepam and diagnosed with anxiety, panic disorder and the dp/dr that goes along with that long before i was put on lamotrigine or even knew i was bipolar.

I get no side effects from it at all really except insomnia which is a small price to pay for all the benefits i get from it. I havent had any rashes or anything like that which is great.

i had dp/dr and brain fog all my life up until about 2 years ago when it totally went into remission and stayed there as well. It was pretty constant all my life but it waxed and waned in severity. Sometimes it went away completely for a few days or so but this was only because of recreational drugs i took such as magic mushrooms and weed.
When i went on clonazepam i was already taking amitriptyline for depression (i didnt know i had bipolar at the time) and codeine for some chronic pain that i have.

It only took about 1mg of clonazepam to pretty much abolish my dp/dr and brain fog. It took a little less then a week for it to go away after starting on clonazepam. The anxiety and panic attacks stopped within a day but the dp/dr and brain fog gradually lifted over the course of little less then a week. It was like looking at the world through new eyes and it actually took some getting used to not having dp/dr and brain fog.

This drug has basically no side effect's for me at all. I think it might be giving me abit of insomnia but thats about it.

I don't know if it's having any effect on my dp/dr and brain fog as im basically cured of it thanks to clonazepam. im on 6mg's of clonazepam a day

*stoemmekluut*

Having been on Venlafaxine and Lamotrigine (+ Clonazepam) myself, I feel like reviving this thread

I believe these medicines did work for me to a great extent: I was on Venlafaxine already and Lamotrigine made a difference very quickly. For months (a year maybe) I felt close to remission thanks to this cocktail. So good that I wanted to and did get off the SNRI, with some difficulty but it worked.

Now I'm on 200mg Lamotrigine and also take minute amounts of Clonazepam and Alprazolam. And I was wondering what effect it actually still had, if any, on the DPDR. Quitting smokes and relapsing, I noticed, changed the metabolisation of Lamotrigine greatly inducing terrible side effects (bio-availability increases when you quit and makes you go mad). But is it still doing something for the DP?

Unfortunately, I don't fully trust my current psychiatrist; I feel he's too much of a take-no-chance kind of guy and that's why he wants to put me on antidepressant again. He was very concerned about the break-up with my fiancee, asked me about suicidal thoughts, etc. Granted, my DP returned strongly a few weeks after but that doesn't have to imply that the solution is to put me on SSRI or SNRI again, does it? What if the Lamotrigine didn't have any effect anymore wrt to DPDR, to start with?

So far, I noticed that too high a dose of Lamotrigine makes me anxious and agitated while too low a dose lets me exhausted and depressed. At least, that is what I learnt from the abrupt variations induced by nicotine.

I've become very wary of changing treatments and would be interested in the insights of the (numerous, it seems) people here who are or have been on Lamotrigine.

*psychiatrysucks*

Lamotrigine was a disaster for me. I had severe headaches while tapering up combined with horrendous all day anxiety. That is when my dp first started. After the Lamictal trial to treat my mood instability. Now I have dp chronic and have had it for a year. Im not saying not to try Lamictal, but I am saying that it does have side-effects for some people and not to play around with too much medication (which I did). In addition, Dr. Simeon says Lamictal does not treat Dp or is very unlikely to do so. Hate to break all the excitement.

THis medicine triggered dp for me. Either that or it did a great job of speeding up its progression.

*berlin*

My Lamactil has been increasing in increments of 25mg every two weeks. So far so good. I started on 100mg on Friday past. It is being combined with a tricyclic AD. But today I felt I had to mention to my Dr that I think my derealisation has become worse.
Insidious as this condition is I couldn't quite put my finger on the moment of a full return to the disturbed perception. And ironically I had never realised that I had journeyed so far from the fuzzy photosensitive dissociation until just now and I have slipped back in...
I described it as being very sensitive to light, my children flashing torches, tetchy if my partner stood with the light behind while trying to talk to me. Almost like my experience of migraine but not quite.
My Dr being unfamiliar with the drug and its use in these circumstances thought that id be best to come off it, but Id like to keep on trying.
Has anyone else had this sort of 'relapse' ?
Strangely my emotional connection continues to become noticeablly better

Its probably worth looking at my post on stopping Cipramil because I think its at that point that my experience began to change significantly. As an end to that post I have directed all other attention to the 'Regaining Reality' part of the forum, because although Iam still in the midst of this fog there has been distinct connection (however nanosecond brief) with my emotions and memories. And thats all been recently (within the past three or four months out of almost four years 24/7) So thats got to be positve (although I know that it sometimes feels like wishful thinking. :? )
As you have read, unfortunately my perception and connection with my surroundings has lapsed, I have gone backwards when I hadn't even been aware I had moved forward!

I hadnt really attributed the improvement on Lamictal, more to the return to an antidepresant I had experienced before. But who knows? As they say all experiences are personal. I do want to continue though, to see if this is just a little setback. I want to give it a proper try before my already nervous gp decides that she doesn't want prescribe it any longer!

I certainly think it is worth a try, remember that Iam using a tricyclic AD and not an ssri as used in the research.

I really do believe for whatever reason that it is the Lamictal which is not agreeing with me. Since my post the derealisation has become a lot worse, Iam also a little clumsy and find some fine motor skills diminished, eg tying my shoe laces, picking things up and dropping them. I was so concerned over the weekend all I could think of was decreasing my dose to come back down. 

I'm on my way down the dose. My perception is back to the glaring shallowness which characterised the worst of the begining of my experience. I really don't believe that it is down to the amytriptiline. Feel a bit miserable about it.

*gimpy34*

Lamictal made me extremely sensitive to light. A lot of anticonvulsants do that. Some antidepressants have made my light sensitivity worse but every anticonvulsant I have taken, across the board, has made me more photosensitive.

I have taken Lamictal, Neurontin, Trileptal, and Keppra. And pretty much all the benzos if you count those.

I've been on and off Klonopin for 4 years. Trying to stay off. Has made me dumb and fatigued. It exacerbates my DR as well. It does help DP in the context of a panic attack or anxiety though.

Lamictal didn't make me depressed but I didn't find it as helpful for panic attacks... and my photosensitivity was driving me nuts. I turned into a vampire.

Lamictal, with me, made my DP a little worse, not much, but it helped stop intrusive thoughts, like my mind moving a million miles per hour after a binge.

*brian3*

So yesterday I had my appointment with Dr. Daphne Simeon in NYC. We decided to start me on Lamictal, since nothing else has helped me thus far (I've tried and failed with Cymbalta, Concerta, Zoloft, Seroquel, Abilify, and Wellbutrin). I'm also on 150mg of Trazodone for sleep, which seems to work well.
We plan on adding an SSRI (Viibryd) to it if I don't respond at all.

I'm on my second day of 25 mg, and it's going to take a while to build up the dose. So far haven't noticed anything, but I was told I'll have to get up to at least 100 mg before there's any chance of a response...so that should take about 8 weeks. She also told me I can go as high as 300 mg. So, it will definitely take a while to get the dose up, but I'm hoping it's worth it and I notice some improvement. I'll keep you guys posted.

So I haven't noticed anything yet, but I'm still on 25 mg. I'll update once I get to 50.

Went up to 50mg today. 25 in the morning and 25 at night. No difference in DP symptoms as of right now. I'll update again once I get to 75mg.

Went up to 75 mg today, and will continue to ramp up the dose by 25 mg once per week. Haven't noticed much of a difference in my symptoms yet, but I may feel slight improvement. It's hard to tell...I'll check in again here next week when I reach 100 mg (supposedly the lowest dose that can alleviate the symptoms).

Up to 100 mg now, and I'm starting to feel something. Not sure what it is, but I'm feeling improvement. Vision seems a little improved, and the blank mind may be slightly less blank, lol. Ill update once I reach 125 mg on friday.

Haven't noticed much of a difference going from 100 to 125, but I go up to 150 tomorrow.

Up to 175mg and feeling a bit better. I'm not sure if it's because I've been keeping so busy, or if the med is actually working. I plan on adding an SSRI (Viibryd) after getting up to the maximum dose of lamictal (300mg).

Im on 200mg right now and I plan on going up to 300mg.

Just wanted to update my progress. I have another appointment today with Dr. Simeon and plan on starting Clonazepam and Viibryd. Also, I'm on 200 mg of Lamictal now. The other day I took 400 mg because I forgot to take it the prior day, and I felt great. It doesn't do much for the dissociation, but it really seems to clear up my head, and do a lot for the depression/anxiety that comes from having DP.

Dr. Simeon bumped up the lamictal to the maximum dose of 300mg and I feel like I'm nearly rid of depression. I think the DP has improved a bit as well..it is definitely still there but i'm not as consumed by it. This is more so because of the lack of depression..i'm keeping so busy that the DP is still there but more in the background, while it was much more noticeable during the depression. She wants me to continue with the lamictal for four weeks before starting Viibryd.

Just wanted to give you guys an update...during my last visit with dr simeon, i told her more of my symptoms (tiredness, brain fog, cognitive impairment) and she actually reccomended a sleep study, stating that a few of her patients with depersonalization ended up having sleep apnea, and she has seen the dp/dr remit once the sleep apnea was treated. I took her reccomendation and requested a sleep study from my GP. Once the results came back, i found out i tested positive for severe sleep apnea. I haven't been treated yet, but dr simeon told me she expected id improve quite a bit once my apnea is treated with CPAP. Ill keep you guys posted. 
Also, still on the same meds (lamictal 300mg, trazodone 150mg for sleep) with a new addition (nuvigil 50mg to combat the fatigue and cognitive impairment from sleep apnea).

Nuvigil has also shown promise in treating depersonalization disorder. Im only on 50mg, the lowest possible dose and have only noticed slight improvement in cognition and fatigue, but once the dose is raised i expect to feel even better.

*opie37060*

I've have been taking lamictal for about a year now. The highest dose i got to was 300mg but had to lower it because it was giving me pain and cramps in my legs. But i usually take around 200mg daily and for me I don't think I can even tell if it helps. I want to think it helps but honestly don't know. If that makes any sense.

*insaticiable*

Hey, I've been on Lamictal for 3 years now. I take it mostly due to its mood stabilization effects since I have Borderline Personality Disorder. It helps a lot in that regards, but I don't know how much it helps with DP/DR since I was taking it already a year prior to developing the dissociative symptoms. It does take a long time to build up to therapeutic doses, but I guess I lucked out on that regards because when I was hospitalized in 2009 and put on it, the doctor raised my dose from 25 mg to 350 mg within a WEEK. Crazy, but thank God I didn't develop any adverse side effects or anything like that.Max dose is 400 mg, but it is dangerous to get to THAT high of a dose. Highest I ever went was 350 mg.

*aloof*

Lamictal did nothing for me btw when I tried it.

*staples*

Lamictal did help balance my mood which was good and this was also matched with an SSRI (Cymbalta I believe). I can't really remember if it did anything for the dissociation though. I didn't come near 300mg, so maybe that could have also been an issue.

*Plur*

I tried Lamictal briefly, slightly lifted DP, but had a sharp increase in anxiety/restlessness/couldnt sit still. I had to go off it cuz it ramped me up to much..

*Guest_Le Chat_**

I am one person who has responded to to "anticonvulsants" -- clonazepam (Klonopin) and lamotrigine (Lamictal) -- I take the generics and thank God for the health plan I have they are $10 for a three month supply -- the generic. I had no trouble switching from label to generic either. And brand name Lamictal is very expensive.

You never know what will or won't work. At this time I would say I vote for the combo I'm on. My diagnosis however is severe GAD, chronic DP/DR, panic attacks, and clinical depression. The Lamictal not only made me "less afraid" of the DP/DR -- very subtle, inexplicable change in how I THOUGHT about it -- but also did act as a mood stabilizer. In my case I am not bipolar or borderline, but I could become extremely ... "overworked" "angry" and it was not appropriate in certain situations. I was stunned when my husband was the first to notice THAT slow change in me, before I did or my doctor.

I am at 200mgs. I am female, 115lbs. It took a few months to get to that dose and it didn't add the effect to Klonopin until that time.

*Rawry*

I personally have had great success w/ lamictal. I didn't notice any positive effects (with the exception of a more stable mood that reduced the lows that previously led to drug abuse) until I reached a dose of 200mg. I feel as though my experience is unique to others but a little while after being on that dose I had a flood of old memories come into my brain. It was truly awesome considering so many of my past memories were incredibly foggy or simply non existent. I couldn't remember memories from when I was very young that I used to be able to nor could I remember the majority of high school and college was a bit blurry as well.

I didn't realize how many memories I couldn't recall nor how many remained in my mind until this rush of memories came back to me. After the inital intense experience, more and more came back to me over the next three days and then somewhat leveled out. I was still consistantly recalling more and more as time went on however. I've found this drug GREATLY reduces my visual snow and helps stop random/illogical trains of thoughts. I imagine this has a lot to do with ketamine abuse (although my DP/DR/VS came from a traumatic tripping experience with many drugs involved) and general dissociative drug abuse.

Besides all of the positive benefits listed above I most certainly have reduced DP/DR and a reduction in anxiety because of this. I am much more spacy without this med and am very happy with it. I have zero side effects from with the exception of what I assume would be a reduced spectrum of emotions. I feel as though the increase in human connection cancels this out but may effect non social aspects of my life.

*arxiloxos*

I also just started lamictal nearly two weeks ago. I haven't noticed anything yet, but I'll be increasing my does to 50 mg in a few days.

*Beatriz*

I've been dealing with DRDP for 2 years 24/7 (yes, I got the no-rest, no-space-between-episodes, constant version). I also have depression and anxiety, but DRDP is the cause of everything else. I've been on countless meds, and recently I started lamotrigine.
The night before yesterday (a few days after my doctor put me on a higher dose of lamotrigine - 100mg) my DRDP worsened SO MUCH out of a sudden. It got even more unbearable than it always has been, and consequently my depression went up the roof. I've been freaking out, panicking, crying the whole day because it's strong. It's never been this strong, and trust me, it's been REALLY strong for a long time. I completely lost it and my doctor was worried about me, so he called me.
He said it's possible that I got so much worse because we increased the dose too fast, so I'm back to 50mg a day and we're gonna wait a few days until I start 100mg again...

I stopped taking lamotrigine, my doctor and I really came to the conclusion it made me feel even worse. Now I'm taking Revia (apparently it's a new one...) + Prozac + Effexor.

*sciphi*

I have been on it about 3 months (also taking Klonopin), and titrated up from 25mg, going up 25mg almost every week. Currently at 200mg. I have yet to feel anything, but that's not uncommon - many people get up to 250 or 300 before feeling it.

*Lamotrigine* (25mg/day): Used for ~14 days at the same time as citalopram. Extreme side effects similar to flu came out of nowhere and forced me to discontinue. I didn't see anything positive come out of lamotrigine. After stopping, I went back to baseline within a few days.

*hennessy*

Lamictal 200mg helped me a lot. Really helps brain fog and dr.

*Fatoush*

Lamictal. Its wonderful but not for dr /dp

*RafinhaBrasil*

Lamictal 20mg - did nothing for me

*sophiasmith*

Lamotrigine helped me enormously with two dp symptoms. Before I took it, I didn't feel connected to my body or my voice. I also felt so detached that I was utterly terrified all the time, and this included feeling as if I was seeing in black and white, but also as if there was no light. It helped so much with these things that I really feel as if it saved my life. 
I was told I could safely put the dose up higher and higher, and this eventually caused terrible problems and worsened some of my other symptoms permanently. I then stopped taking all medication and found that the benefits and the things that were worse both remained.

I tried the new treatment combination of citalopram, (an SSRI), and a modern anti- convulsant called lamotrigine. It actually took away some symptoms: I stopped feeling as if I was totally unconnected to my body and as if my body was made of air. I felt I could see colours where before they felt grey and lifeless. Things stopped seeming completely two-dimensional. I didn't feel like a robot, and my voice changed from sounding robotic. I stopped feeling as if everything around me was dancing around in a very disorientating way. Life became bearable and not a moment-to-moment endurance of complete horror and terror. But when I put the dose up to a high level to try and get more benefit, I got other unpleasant effects, and some of the other depersonalisation symptoms got worse. When I stopped taking the medication because even when I reduced the dose again I couldn't get rid of the bad effects, I found that both the positive effects and some of the negative effects still continued - and it has been several years now. One result of that medication is that my system seems weaker now, and every time I get ill my depersonalisation seems to get slightly stronger, permanently.
My guess is that I could have had a purely positive experience with this drug combination if I had been much more cautious about the dosage and if I had had someone monitoring me until the dose was stable ( the policy at the Maudsley hospital in London at that time was to let your GP, who knows next to nothing about psychiatry, do the monitoring, and to see you only occasionally).

*revdoc*

Hi - I've just been moved up to 100 mg of Lamotrigine, and am experiencing unpleasant feelings of dizziness and wooziness. I've only been on this dose for two days and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if this effect is likely to go away over time.
(I'm also on 60mg of Citalopram.)

Lamotrigine combined with citalopram has been the first drug in 17 years of medication to really help me. It reduces anxiety, makes me feel less flat, more spontaneous and more myself, in touch with reality. It's still incresing in help after several months. I'm on 300mg a day. I'm not the type to be messianic about anything but I can'y stress enough how much it's helped me. I've been able to concentrate on reading, creating web graphics and other things for the first time in years.
It's by no means a cure, but it's really helping, which I would not have thought possible after 28 years of depersonalisation.
The negatives are sleelessness and a slightly manic feeling, which is funny as it's also prescibed for manic depression.

When I hit 180mg I started to wake early and be unable to get back to sleep again, which wasn't horrible but made me tired during the day. I kept myself going with caffeine, and it all caught up with me a few days later. Now I sleep during the day if needs be.
I reckon this drug will be all over the place in the next few years. It makes you feel more lively and less anxious at the same time.

*Guest_allan35_**

I also take lamatical and have recently moved up to 200 mg. As the doseage moved up I experienced some dizziness as well. So far it has only lasted a couple of days and then fades. It has not gone away, but is minimal.

*nfishe0882*

Lamotrigine made me extremely anxious and gave me severe migraines, so I couldn't keep taking it.

*nemesis*

Soley Lamotrigine for the time being as the SSRIs seem to make me more aggitated. I'm into my third day on Lamotrigine and Im beginning to feel more stable and connected as each moment passes by. This definitely seems to be the right med.

this is one of the only medication that has improved my memory and concentation at the same time as keeping me on an even keel. Truly some great stuff after it starts working.

*pfpc*

Just started lamatical 3 weeks ago and immediately noticed improvement, primarily in my mood and anxiety levels. So far, no improvement with my DR, but I'm still in the early stages, yet, still at 50 mg/day.

*enigma*

I'm presently on 200 mgs Lamictal, and I'm not absolutely certain at this point, but I think I may be starting to feel a bit of an improvement with it (my mood/energy levels seem to be improving, and the world feels slightly more 3-D). If this keeps up, I may have my doctor take me all the way up to the maximum dosage (about 500 mgs, I think) over time and see what happens. (Barring side effects.)

*rainboteers*

I am on 25mgs and I will be working up slowly to a therapeutic dosage... I don't notice anything on this small dose... but no side effects bothering me so far either. I am taking the lamictal in combination with celexa. I will update once I get to a dosage that can help

*Guest_eva_**

I am on 500mgs which sounds a lot I guess. The max. dose is 1000 though - the DRU at Kings have prescribed this much in extreme cases. I combine it with an SSRI and it has had a profound effect. I am still depersonalised but am fully functioning, able to laugh/cry and coping sufficiently to communicate how I am feeling without descending into panic or catatonia. This drug really does help.

*AussiePheonix*

I think I triggered DP/DR 12 months ago as a result of a drug induced panic attack (XTC + Weed).
However DP/DR really flared up after taking pills three (3) months ago overseas (fucked my holiday BIG time!).
Since then I have been in a living HELL. Become suicidal, went into suicide watch in hospital.
I am now in a private psychiatric hospital in Sydney for the last 4 weeks. 
I have tried several medications and now on 30mgs Lovan (Prozac) and 25mgs of Lamicital.
Its seems to be making a difference I have had two days now where my mood has been much better.
Its amazing how much mood effects DP/DR.
DP/DR is still there but it's MUCH MUCH easier to accept it and get on with other things and stop obcessing about it when is reasonable.
The plan is to increase my baseline mood to a level that makes DP/DR acceptable and I'm stable enough to leave the hospital.
Certainly my suicidal ideation has stopped and there is now some hope!
I firmly believe medication is often essential to combat this. Whilst it may not stop DP/DR, it certainly enables us to function. 
Love to hear about your expierences with medication in particular lamictal (lamotrigine).

Hi there,
I can believe I'm writing this, but I have recovered.
Snapped out of DP/DR 4 days ago and hasn't been back since.
Coinciding with this was a remarkable mood positive mood change.
I have been in a private phyc hospital for almost 7 weeks to allow me to focus on recovery.
The medication combination that has resulted in this is:
Prozac + Lamotrigine. I've reached 150mgs
I will provide more details/updates ...

Unfortunately I have relapsed. 4 days DP completely went away, then it came back.
I'm going to keep pushing the lamotrigine up and see if I can get a sustained recovery.
Least I can see its possible. I'll keep you posted!
I'm hoping that short recovery was a glimmer of what's to come. 
My Phyc reckons I need to practice mindfulness meditation and that will get rid of DP

*plaidpajamas*

I suffered with it like crazy for 5 years then I got on lamictal and it went away for 6.
I got on Lamacital. I was CURED! Mostly.
I couldn't believe it was GONE! (mostly).

It's back now. It's been 6 months.

When I was DPDR for 5 years I thought I would never get better. 
Than I did! I was able to live a full life for the last 6 years!
I was (and still am) EXTREMELY grateful for that experience because I guarantee I appreciate life more than most anyone else could ever imagine.
NOT being DP after being DP for so long feels like being born again.

It came back :/
I increased my lamacital. Got on naltrexone, too. I feel better but I'm still DP.
I don't have to "act" like myself because of the med increase but it's still frustrating.

*resinoptes*

Lamotrigine is good. The only drug which helped me. I'm still on it and I don't notice any problems. It doesn't address DP at the core level, but it helps reduce the overstimulation quite well.

*ed*

I tried Lamotrigine a number of years ago - alongside the Paroxetine I was on.
I didn't notice any effect. But I now wonder if I was tried on a high enough dosage; it can be taken up to 400mg and I think the max I was on was 200mg.

*peacedove*

I think week 7 at 100mgs. DP is still the same if not worse. I'm stickin it out til I get to 250mgs for a month.

My DP is baaaad. Worse than normal I think, I don't know if it's the Lamictal or some changes in my life.
I also have had DP since I was a little girl. Maybe Lamictal doesn't work as well for those of us who have had it practically forever.
I'm still gonna stick it out though... I'm at 100mgs now and I'm not gonna call it quits til I'm on 250mgs for at least a month.

I tried Lamictal (lamotrigine) and well it didn't cure my DP... and I think it made me have mood swings... I also remember being very tired when I was on it. I think I was on a pretty high dose... 200mgs or so...

It's weird cuz I think it's prescribed most of the time to help mood swings but with me I think it caused them. I probably wrote about its affects on me on this site but I don't feel like searching right now. But anyways... while it didn't cure my DP I think it may have helped cuz I seemed to be much more emotional and preoccupied with that much of the time.

*Tom Servo*

Considering how sh*tty this condition is and the fact that the risk of getting 'the rash' is only 3 in 1000 I figured it is worth a shot as well.

So after 8 days at the 50 mg level, I really think I feel a bit more alert and energetic. It could be placebo effect I guess, but I'm not inclined to get that. In fact I'm normally convinced that stuff WON'T work (and I've usually been right), so it probably isn't just my imagination.

The only down-side so far is a tendance to examine to death every single bug bite or whatever, making sure it isn't a sign to head to the ER. I'm prone to heat rash, eczema (how the hell do you spell that stupid word? Nothing looks right), fever blisters, and crap like that anyway, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to tell bad rash from good. I guess if it starts to look like something medeval, or if I could have been a no-makeup extra in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I may have to give the stuff up. So far so good, though.

I'm only at 100 mg, but I feel better than I did a couple weeks ago. I swear, I actually get a kind of buzz off the stuff one in a while. I'm taking it with an MAOI, though, not an SSRI. I don't think anyone really knows what to expect from that combination. I talked to the pharmacist, and the fact that MAOIs are enzyme inhibitors may increase the half-life of lamotrigine, so it may be building up in my system faster than normal.

*dalailama15*

I have all the core DP symptoms (constant and long-term) and I'm now into the third month of Lamictal (lamotragine) along with Wellbutrin. And so far nothing. 
I am perhaps a little more detached from my daily behavior, and I have bits of songs in my head any time I am not really concentrating on something else. Also my dreams seem a little. . . dead, with quite a bit of just verbal stuff. I have no idea if this is connected to the combo, or really, how new these things even are. 
At any rate, I will see the mental health professional who can write scrips in three weeks or so, and plan on switching to a regular SSRI, to augment the lamotragine, instead of the Wellbutrin.

The start of my severe and chronic _depersonalization _(not anxiety, not depression) is also, by all evidence, at least _connected_ to THC (and I know it is more than that.)

150 mg of Wellbutrin, two times a day, now for over a year. 
At first It seemed to make a big difference, and I did quit smoking and begin other positive changes in behavior. But this seems to have worn off, and the 300 mg, now for quite a long time, feels as if I could just as well be swollowing M&Ms

I am now taking the same 300 mg along with 300 mg of lamotragine. I am well into this trial and the only effects seem to be (slightly) negative.

The formula calls for lamotragene (which I now know I can easily tolerate--no fatal rash or weird behavior) plus, _specifically_, an SSRI. Your experience, as well as everybody else's, makes me a little more confident in making the lamotrigine/SSRI combo the new (and perhaps last) plan. Also, I feel I need to loose the Wellbutrin, just to see what it may or may not be doing.

What is left after this is maybe a tryciclic (which will pretty much finish off the ADs --with the exceptoon of MAOIs) or something a little exotic, like Pfovigil (whigh I had never heard of and now, certainly, will look at) or one of the more specifically dopamine-related drugs. And after that, I will probably give up on psychopharmacology all together, for fear that I am just making things worse.

First started the Wellbutrin, then more recently (3 months now) the lamictal. And it seems to have increased my DP, a little, as well.

MY last post on this trial reported nothing particularly good but nothing particularly bad as well. Now into the fourth month and at a theraputic dose, and I don't like it. 
Changes: I don't seem to be getting much REM sleep. I fall asleep fine, no insomnia, but my sleep is a little shallow and my dreams are strangely verbal, not visual. And when I wake, I immediately have some song going in my head, which can change to some words, without a rest. This kind of stuff has always happened, but not so autonomously, so constant, and not at the second I wake up.

I seem, perhaps, a little more verbally facile, but a lot more abstracted from my speech. I kind of watch my self speak at a breakneck pace, and I'm not sure if I am not being a little . . . weird.

Much more forgetful than ever before. I am making mistakes at work, just forgetting things I am supposed to do. I made a mistake driving yesterday that could have been a life-changing disaster because of inattention. Today I walked around where I was working before I left to be sure I didn't leave somthing. And still ended up leaving two important things at the site.

Life seems more dreamlike, especially with memory. That is, recalling what I did this morning is like recallig a dream. I can piece most of it together, but if fades fast, unless I have something specifically to associate. Yesterday is harder. Forget last week.

None of these things are completely new (except the kind of verbal dreams) but they are more constant and intense than they have been in a long long time, and are actually hampering my day to day life (as opposed to any long term life, which seems already to have been damaged beyond repair.

This could be something specific with the properties of wellbutrin, and I _still_ might stay on the lamictal, this time with a real SSRI, because of the kings college thing. But only if the MHP convinces me that the wellbutrin is dissimilar enought to the ssri that it would make a difference.

*Newky*

Hi all, just wanted to let you know how I've done with Lamotrigine so far.

I'm at the 5 week mark on a 25mg titrating schedule (so one week into 75mg). So far the overall experience hasn't been great, my DPD is actually the worst it's ever been, and the effects of the lamotrigine seem like it could be contributing to it... Feel very light and floaty, depth perception is off, body is much more numb and painless than before, bouts of extreme agitation, insomnia and a few other negative effects.

I'm continuing on to 100mg as I've heard this is the low end of the therapeutic dosage, but I don't think I could continue to 125 or 150 and not discontinue unless I had some hope that it could get better!

*cl1mb123*

Hey.. I just joined this forum today after doing some research. I have been suffering from DP for a year now after a traumatic event related to drug usage.

I wanted to let you know that I am on Lamictal. I started at 25.. 50.. 75.. and now I am on 100. I had gone up to 150 but I felt really 'numb', so I went back down to 100. Throughout my entire experience with Lamictal, my DP has NOT gone away.. but the anxiety related to the DP has decreased tremendously. I often think about suicide and my DP still, but the 'scariness' of it being there is immensely less than it was when I was figuring out how to cope with this. I don't get the bottomless pit feeling in my stomach as often as I used to.. most of the time when I get scared, it is because I am convincing myself (or trying to unconvince myself) that this DP is permanent.

Before I started lamictal, I couldn't eat or do anything.. I couldn't function at work. It was awful.

TLDR:

Lamictal has helped me out tremendously in that it helps me deal with the DP, but the DP has not gone away. I am not on any other medications, by the way.

I'm on Lamictal only. I started at 25mg, 50mg, 100mg, then 150mg. Though it isn't even much, when I was on 150mg, I felt sort of numb.. so I went back down to 100mg. However, even when I started at 25mg I felt like I instantly felt somewhat better. To be clear, the DP is 100% still there.. but the fear and the bottomless pit in my stomach is less often and is not as bad as it used to be.

The psychiatrist diagnosed me as having mania and possibly bipolar 2 disorder. To be clear, I went through a lot of things before I finally found this psychiatrist who actually helped me (and I'm doing therapy too). I've been on it for exactly 6 months now.

I often still think about suicide (because I wonder if this is permanent) and I definitely still have DP episodes and think about DP a lot.

This weekend is actually the 1 year anniversary of the start of my DP (after a drug usage / traumatic experience).

Not sure if this helped anyone, but thought I'd let you know that it was miraculous for me. Now if it could just got away completely.. where's the switch? Kidding.

*TickleMeElmo*

Ive suffered derealisation and depersonalisation for more than 10 yrs solid as a result of a panic attack post taking ecstacy...only once and to fit in. Ive always been terrifiex of taking medication like i cant escape the fact it is in my body and its changing who i am. Would really love to get there by rationalising my way out of things but even with therapy its proved impossible.

I desperately want a normal loving and connected life, 10 yrs of this is about all i can take. Very upsetting. Symptoms now include a terrible memory as i am not really present at events and an inability to listen or concentrate...
On 40mg of citalopram at the moment, not really sure what thats doing but have managed to get lamictal prescribed which i am starting today. Very scared and disappointed with myself that i feel the need to do it but got to give it a shot life is way too short.

even after 2 days of lamictal i notice a slight difference. Thats 25mg

I haven't posted since I've been taking Lamictal. So far sadly no relief from the depersonalisation but I think the depression and and chronic rumination has approved by about 50%. I took a couple of months off work in November to do with stress, so going back to the same office (where tongues wag) I've been feeling like a complete loser and under the microscope...but since ramping up the Lamictal a bit (to 150mg) I have been able to calmly shrug it off sometimes, almost as a reflex. Usually I'd be sitting at home agonising over every thought, feeling or action I'd made during the day to work out what I'd done wrong and how I could correct it to be accepted by everyone.Although this was always in me, since being disconnected it is extremely painful as a I want to connect but it doesn't quite work inside (if that makes sense). So far I have taken:

- 25mg for 2 weeks (mild effect on the depression, but noticable as I had been very low indeed)
- 50mg for 2 weeks (oddly I didn't feel any benefit from increasing to this. if anything I felt very slightly worse. Hard to judge)
- 75mg for 2 days (realising I was supposed to titrate up to 100mg at this point, I switched up after a couple of days. No appreciable difference. Slightly less depressed)
- 100mg for 1 week (fairly significant reduction in depression, rumination. Generally a bit more relaxed and able to be more calm internally at work. As a result my sense of humour has returned a little bit and work relationships have slightly improved - despite some people ducking their head when they walk past after my time off)
- 150mg 2 days so far (as with 100mg but slightly more pronounced benefits)

Also taking Citalopram 40mg although to me this feels like a placebo.

Don't get me wrong, I still want to curl up into a ball often but part of me now realises that is not helpful and is more motivated to get on with my life. Its easier to get up in the morning, I sometimes look forward to work and I am able to turn the TV off in the evening and be with myself a bit rather than dissasociating from my discomfort even more.

** Something strange though which I've noticed, I have been getting headaches for a while (I assume because of the depression) which have abated a little, but when I stand up quickly and I get dizzy for a moment everything becomes real while my head is spinning and things come into focus - assuming I don't panic and fight it. My headache also goes.*

Forgot to mention, I have read that many people get to a point where its like a light goes on in their head or a switch just flips, but my experience so far is that for symptoms other than the depersonalisation itself the effect of Lamictal has been linear.

So update on the medication:

I went up to Lamictal 200mg and 40mg of Citalopram, apart from a slight lift in depression and feeling a little bit less wobbly there was no effect at all on the DP. Very sad  I was really hopeful on this front, sadly it was not to be.

*bipo*

Just been described Lamictal and Anafranil.

I started 2 weeks ago at 25 mg lamotrigin. This week went up to 50 mg. Next week I will increase to 100 for 2 weeks and then raise to 200 mg. So it's scheduled for 6 weeks in total. I haven't started Anafranil yet because of withdrawal from Seroxat right now. But in 2 weeks I will start Anafranil.

I start 100 mg lamictal on wednesday. Right now I take 50 mg a day and don't feel anything yet. Will probobly start Anafranil next week. Going to see my psychiatrist on Friday. My problem is derealization,have never had depersonilazion.

I have now been taking Lamictal 200 mg for 2 weeks. Unfortunetly I don't feel anything yet. Today I started Anafranil 50 mg/day.

*sputnik*

_Lamotrigine has worked quite well for me for almost a decade _but I really would like to be med free now.

My DP/DR started at around 16. It reached a brutal peak after an unprecedented panic attack with flashbacks of pre-teen sex abuse, being let down by my parents etc, when I was 25. For the first time then, I went to the psychiatrist and _tried a number of meds before Lamotrigine, the first one to have noticeable benefits with virtually no side effects_. I believe I could have broken down totally, lost my job and ended up socially isolated and suicidal back then were it not for the Lamotrigine.

As far as the psychotherapy goes, I believe many things have improved. But I think (analytical) therapy has now reached its limits. Even the therapists agree with me that making sense of the past was a very necessary thing (and largely a success) but it did not cure some symptoms like my _DP/DR, which reappeared the two times I tried stopping Lamotrigine._

I mentioned a recent attempt at stopping Lamotrigine to my psychiatrist today and we talked about the workings of the brain, how it supports cognition and emotions, etc. When I said that it would have been unbearable to go faster than -25mg every 3 weeks, and that 150mg was hardly bearable even after weeks, he replied with two remarks. (1) two brains may be very different but two experiments with the same brain (in adulthood) will be very similar (2) brains have slow and limited plasticity in adulthood and a condition acquired earlier in life may leave traces for life (even if not psychosis). Now, before I give up on the idea that I will be medicated for the rest of my days, I'd like to try alternative ways to sustainably stop Lamotrigine.

_Lamotrigine was a life-saver for me. My DP/DR subsided and almost went away for years_._ I can't attribute it all to Lamotrigine (been on Zoloft later replaced by Effexor in the first two years of the treatment, and then there was of course the talk therapy). So, for the past 7 years or so, I've been on Lamotrigine only, plus small doses of benzos "on-demand" (clonazepam, alprazolam)._

One thing I noticed, which has been unfortunately almost overlooked by researchers, is that nicotine (and other common meds or foods) influences the metabolism of Lamictal. Given that many psychiatric patients are smokers, this is hardly understandable that so little attention was paid to this. I noticed it during a attempt at quitting cigs because the sort of anxiety and skin rash that suddenly appeared and went sky-rocketing looked very much like Lamictal side-effects, not nicotine withdrawal. Otherwise said, if you consume (or inhale) stuff which acts on the same protein in the liver in charge of Lamotrigine metabolisation, especially if the consumption pattern changes, dosing may very well have to be adapted. My psychiatrist didn't know about it but said it made a lot of sense from what he knew about the hepatic function.

*Guest_Karine_**

I tried Lamictal 2 weeks, first week I was feeling nauseated, and weirdo, and when I upgraded to 25 mg, I was sick as hell all night. I throwed up many times and couldn't take care of my son the day after. Very sick. So, lucky are the people who tolerate it, but unfortunately, I think maybe it's not all the people who can tolerate it  I talked to the Dp unit at London about that, and he said that then it's not the right med for me.

*livinginhell333*

i have been on it for like 2 and half weeks. taking 50. not really any difference. might actually be more dped. if that is even possible. so far i am kinda dissappointed. i heard it takes 5 weeks to get into your system, so i will wait.

*misterjxpct*

I took Lamictal last year for several months. Was on Lexapro and Klonopin or Ativan for a while and then I added Lamictal, working up to 200 mg. I don't think it did much for me. I didn't notice any difference in my DP. When I came off them, I felt better. I've had DP for 20 years and I got it from taking LSD.

*esshall*

I took Lamictal first, 400mg daily (mediocre results). Then I added Depakote. _Within a month I improved greatly_; within two months I was feeling so happy, I felt like it might be working. _About 9 months later now, I feel almost 100%_. I had done TONS of other meds that never worked, so placebo effect really doesn't do much for me. I didn't even know what Depakote was when my Neuro prescribed it, so I truly believe it's the medicine, in addition to my usual coping skills, of course. 
Isn't it thought DP/DR occurs during brain hyperactivity? Read this, it's just a standard description of Depakote, kinda makes sense why it may help DP/DR.

http://www.netdoctor.../100004490.html

*side note, I'm a 19 year old guy, currently attending a university in CA. 
I've been suffering from DP/DR since 11/21/07 (4 years). I say "suffering" because _I'm at about a 90% now_, and consider this condition to always be a part of me, even if I get to 100%. It's been the heaviest experience of my life; I'm sure many people here can relate. I want to "forget" these horrible years, but I never want to actually forget this part of my life and who I've become. DP/DR will always be a part of me, even if I fully recover.

This combo was GREAT for me.

_My vision is back to being fairly normal. It used to be very flat._
I also think for some people, it is purely chemical, all in the brain. I feel this is how it is for me. I woke up one morning back in 2007, and just snapped just like that. Very fortunately, I was never beat as a child, or had any major traumatic experiences in my life. Therefore, this seems like a brain-disfunction, not a psychological mechanism to cope with pain.

It's never about not being anxious; anxiety sucks but it's a result of DP (for me). No one understood that it was because I feel weird that I'm anxious and depressed. 
So I went to a neurologist. I said "my hands look funny, I hear myself talking, people sound muffled, and it feels like there's plastic wrap around my face."
_Lamictal helped maybe about 15% (once I got up to 400mg)._ I told my neuro I still wasn't satisfied, and he added Depakote. I had never heard of it, but just went with it blindly without high expectations.

Like I said, _I've been on the combo now for about a year. It's been amazing feeling myself get better._

So,
500mg Depakote (morning)
400mg Lamictal (night)

_ I feel about 90% good now,_ which is an absolute miracle compared to how I felt. I know the medicine was the biggest factor, but keep in mind it's also the positive attitude.

I haven't seen a Lamictal+Depakote combo anywhere...

Vision was weird. Flat. Sometimes I felt like I was staring at something but I couldn't quite see it as I wanted to. Like it hit my eyes and I knew it was there, what it was, and that I wanted to see it...but something made it seem slightly distant or vague. _Now my vision is just about normal for the most part. _Plenty normal enough to cope with without any complaints. Usually gets worse around nighttime.

The time when my vision was/still is kinda the absolute worse is around dusk, right after the sun sets. I know I have a COMPLETELY different feeling right now, it's much easier for me to be encouraging, but I remember feeling absolutely horrible, and it was really hard to accept the "weirdness" of everything.

If it happens to be a drug related thing (mine MAY have been, but there was such a long gap between the time I did the drug and the time I got sick, like 3 months clean before it happened) I have a theory. I think that since drugs essentially mock binding proteins that trigger the release of neurotransmitters, the brain gets caught in a "funk" where it is releasing the neurotransmitters when it has no trigger or need. Like a glitch with misfiring.

I always felt like I sort of forgot who I was, I would talk and even laugh but be sort of confused about who was really talking and laughing. That was my absolute hardest thing to deal with. 100%. I would (and still do) think back on my entire life when I was a little kid and think about all the experiences I remember, and it would remind me who I am, and just because things feel/appear odd and disorganized, it doesn't mean anything has really changed. It's our brains that have changed, not who we are!

_ I myself am still not 100%,_ but I remember when I felt HORRIBLE.

I told psychiatrist I smoked a little pot and he said right away, that could definitely have caused it. I was also under a lot of stress at the time, so I'm not sure.

Apologies everyone -- a year later since revisting this thread. I hope some of you have had success.

My life has been so busy, and _DP, although not completely gone, has been swept under the carpet. _

*Solveig*

Hello - reading your posts reminded me quite a bit of the experiences I've had with DP and post ibogaine. I am also on Lamictal (250 mg) and working with a neurologist. _The Lamictal has helped somewhat. It's definitely helped me sleep, which is something I was unable to do until I started on it_. Sleep is so important! _It's helped calm the crazy, frenetic activity in my brain that felt like a constant seizure. But it's not enough to feel like I have a good quality of life. And halfway through every day it feels like it stops working until about 7 or 8 pm._ I get dizzy sometimes with the Lamictal and definitely experienced weird lymph node pain when I was initially titrating. I also get dizzy with the DP, so this isn't much different. I have some post-traumatic anxiety related to the ibogaine experience. The SSRI I tried nearly killed me with serotonin syndrome type effects. Benzos also really messed me up. _The Lamictal is the only drug that has helped._ Maybe another seizure med would also help? I do think the ibogaine seriously disrupted the voltage-gated sodium channels in my brain, so it makes sense that a sodium-channel blocker would help correct that.

_Lamotrigine works for me_, and, at one point in my life I would have felt guilt over that, but today I have no shame in saying that lamotrigine is a healing drug for me.

Lamotrigine has allowed me some respite from the atrocious aftermath of ibogaine. _It quiets my mind enough to make life bearable and has, for the most part, given me back normal vision._ My vision was distorted, as if I were on a hallucinogenic trip, which I guess I was...a neverending hallucinogenic trip from hell. Today, _I am able to sleep and function without feeling like my brain is on fire. I am able to continue on with life. It isn't the life I wanted, it is far from the brain I used to have, but it is something I can live with._ I searched and searched for natural methods of healing, to no avail. I found solace in a pharmaceutical drug. _It is what helped me to live_, and that's all that matters.
What ultimately pulled me into some semblance of reality was lamotrigine. From the beginning, I felt that my brain was having some sort of seizure. I could not properly explain the phenomenon of the insane "electrical" energy pulsing through my brain, distorting my perception and causing severe psychological, neurological, visual, and auditory suffering. The closest thing I can liken it to is an endless mushroom trip gone horribly awry, a never-ending hallucinogenic trip from hell. I believe that the ibogaine, in combination with DP/DR, caused abnormal brain functioning that was similar to an atypical type of seizure. _When I began lamotrigine at 25 mg, I experienced the first true, albeit very small, reduction in symptoms. With each increase in dosage, I have experienced similar results, and I can honestly say that my life has reached a point of bearability. It is by no means comparable to the brain I had prior to ibogaine, but it is bearable. _Prior to lamotragine, every second of the day was torturous and accompanied by the constant thought, "What the fuck happened? What the fuck happened? Holy shit, what the fuck happened?".

I am now taking 700 mg of lamotrigine, which is way above the maximum recommended dosage of 400 mg. It is my belief that the tolerance of such a high dose is indicative of the severe malfunction of my brain. I know I could never have handle such a dose prior to ibogaine.

*DruidScientist*

took it for awhile, got to a medicinal dose, took it to higher dosage all the while developing progressively worsening flu-like symptoms
I think it was 400mg when i stopped
Didn't do anything for the dp except make it more difficult to manage with all the other layers on top of it
It made parts of my head feel strange as well
Took about three days or so to get back to normal

*jaffah*

Hey, my name is Alexandre,i come from France (so excuse me for my bad level in english) and i am new on dpselfhelp.Like a lot of peoples on this website, my dp start after a bad trip when i was 17 with hashish near 3years ago. The day after this bad trip, i do not feeling myself, my home dont appear like real (i know it was my home but it looks strange ) ,when i saw me in the mirror, it was as if it's not me (very scared!) and i didnt feel my body .Iknew something was wrong and burn.After that i remark that i couldnt think anymore and that i was anestesiate of my emotions i had not affection anymore and i dont feel my hunger. I tried to go to school but i couldnt concentrate and i think i became crazy or schizophrenic. So i went to a psychiatre who said me that it could be a psychosis and give me zyprexa but it dosent work at all. In the lengt of thos 3years i couldnt do anything because i do not feel pleasure anymore and i wanted to kill myself all day...I meet 10 psy, make psychiatric hospital, they all say that it was a depression but i knew that is was not only that (in France, it is not like in Usa or England, they dont know that it is possible to have chronical depersonalization!!). I tried many treatment because i knew that something wrong in my brain functionnement (effexor seroplex abilify lithium solian zyprexa xeroquel xanax lexomil tercian ) but anyone help me at all. Recently, since one mounth i take lamictal (lamotrigine) because after reading some studies it feels like the best treatment for dp may be with naloxone naltrexone and rtms. Day after day i feel me better, more in the reality, i can think (not enough than in the past but it progress ) , i feel my legs when i walk and i can feel emotions not as in the past but it progress to. I had not hope before using this treatment but now i have more and more hope. So keep the faith, anybody can cure of dp/dr









*TDX*

At this moment I have the 2 packages of Lamotrigine. Nothing will prevent me from taking it. I have a chance of 50 to 70% that it improves my symptoms.

If Lamotrigine does not work alone. I think I'd ask for Vortioxetine.

The maximum I want to reach is 300 mg in the morning and 300 mg in the evening, which would be 600 mg/day. I want to get as high as side-effects permit or to a maximum of 600 mg/day. If 600 mg/day don't work I will ask for Vortioxetine.

First week: 25 mg/day.
Each week 25 mg will be added. The dose is divided. I will take it in the morning and in the evening.

I've done it. I took my first pill Lamotrigine. Don't notice an effect, which I expected at this low dosage.
Today took my second pill Lamotrigine. No positive or negative effects.
There is no beneficial effect, but no side-effects, too. But I'm still at 25 mg/day, which is the lowest dosage. According to the DPRU most patients don't notice an effect below a daily dosage of 100 mg/day.

I decided to drop the Clozapine over the course of the next days, because I read that the longterm usage of antipsychotics can cause *brain damage*. If the Clozapine had actually improved my symptoms I would have continued to take it nonetheless. I like it's sedating effect, but this alone is not worth the risk. I think I will later add Mirtazapine again as sleep aid.

At the moment I'm taking Lamotrigine 75 mg/day: 25 mg in the morning and 50 mg in the evening. I don't notice any effects. No good effects, but also no bad effects. At the moment it's like a placebo.

I'm now taking Lamotrigine 100 mg/day.

Effects: None.

I'm at 125 mg/day: 75 mg in the morning and 50 mg in the evening. I suspect that, along with the absence of Clozapine and Mirtazapine, it might cause my problems to sleep. This is quite distressing, but I realize that I have to hang in there. I didn't notice any improvement.

*frenchguy*

hi everyone, i'm new here,
been depersonalised for 7 month now
at first got precribes *abilify (aripiprazol)* and did nothing but worsen by dp at both low dose (*5mg*) and higher dose (*15mg*).
now got prescribed* lamictal (lamotrigine) *by my doctor started 3 weeks ago at 25mg and am now at *50mg* and going in 2 days at 75mg. so far might have seen some slight improvement as less OCD and elevation in mood but nothing drastic but i am still at a low dose.
i'll keep you update if your interested.

took 75 mg today, might be a little more in touch but not sure, nothing really to mention

started taking100mg of lamotrigine today.havn't noticed anything yet. i am starting to feel like medication just have no effect on me

so so far i might be seeing a little improvement with 100 mg lamictal, i'm really not sure, as it's seems to work by stabilizing me. 
i've also started taking bacopa and piracetam, might also add some choline.

*luctor et emergo*

In 2007 I have tried 200mg/d Lamotrigine for 6 weeks in combination with 75mg/d Citaprolam.
No effect, which makes perfects sense as the period was way too short... little did I know back then.

Tomorrow I will start with Lamotrigine for the second time, we will have more simultaneous anecdotal experience.

Currently at 200mg/d, no rash or side-effects. Updosing will be 25mg/d, until a therapeutic effect is reached,
a blood test has determined the blood value (therapeutic range is relatively wide, 2.5mcg/mL to 15 mcg/mL).

I think I should first stop at approximately 500mg/d and then wait a few weeks.

Today I will reach 350 mg. The only effect I noticed the last few nights are slightly more vivid dreams and some sweating.

Wondering what the differences are between the brand Lamictal and the generic Lamotrigine?

As my overall anxiety is still quite severe since I quit Clonazepam in december 2014 to the point it still affects my work and daily routine,
I plan to add brand Prozac to Lamotrigine. Prozac / Fluoxetine is used by some family members to alleviate their general anxiety.

Maybe I will wait a few weeks so this thread has a new entry of valid anecdotal evidence, maybe not...

Lamotrigine 400 mg/d + added Prozac 20mg/d in the hope to reduce my anxiety disorder + panic attacks and off course dpd, drd.

No side-effects. I will try this dose for a week although I'm inclined to updose faster as my tolerance for medication is relatively high.

If by adding Prozac this thread isn't the proper one to post in anymore, please let me know an anternative one.

After deliberation with my unknowing psychiatrist regarding quitting cold-turkey. She asked her collegues and a dermatologist. We outweigded the coloured tongue against withdrawal symptons which I experience today.
We deceided I will continue on 200mg/d untill my tongue is clean. 
Fingers crossed.

After a week on 200mg/d and a week on 250mg/d I'm now trying 300mg/d.
My tongue still has a colouring on it, but it doesn't hurt and it stays about the same size.

There are no noticable improvements on my dr, dp.

update: again on 300mg/d, no differences, tongue still looks a bit strange, but doesn't hurt.
Will up the dose of prozac to 40mg/d, if nothing happens the upcoming months, maybe I will switch to escitalopram / lexapro.

After trying more than a dozen meds I start to think my body and mind are practically resistent.

400 mg/d, nothing... and the tip of my tongue is still redder than normal.
Don't know if it is Lamotrigine related though.

450 mg/d, waking up with cold night sweats, this sucks.

Prozac, going to 50mg/d.
Maybe I should get a serum test first.

*thy*

11 months of chronic DP. Symptoms have varied very little. Trigger was period of stress which led to some anxiety which led to a moment of very high anxiety or panic which led to DP. Not on any other medication.

25 mg per day for first 2 weeks:
Day 1: Popped the first 25 mg pill. 
Day 3: usually feel sleepy and a bit sick after taking each pill, but that seems to wear off after a couple of hours. What mood I do have seems slightly more calm. Sense of smell seems slightly more enhanced but that could be placebo.
Day 7: Drowsiness seems to have lifted. Dreams are more vivid, and I wake up earlier.
Day 11: I think I've started to notice some very subtle improvements. Like many other people on here seem to have described, it seems to be making the DP easier to deal with somehow, though there is no significant change in the DP yet. It seems to have a calming effect. Side effects: still makes me slightly sleepy for a couple of hours after taking it. Some occasional muscle twitches. 
Day 14: DP seems to have been pretty bad the last couple of days. Not sure if its due to the medication, will continue anyway.

50 mg per day for the next 2 weeks: 
Day 16: Have had a constant ringing in my right ear for the last 2 days, pretty sure its a side effect. Also increase in thoughts about wanting to end it. Vision seems slightly clearer. 
Day 18: DP seems to be as bad as its ever been. DR slightly improved. Colours seem more intense and things seem more artificial, like a cartoon. I still find the idea of taking medication kind of weird, and I have no idea how its going to improve my DP, at the moment it seems to be making it slightly worse. Still have ringing in my right ear. 
Day 26: Noticed some changes. Easier to read peoples faces, hold conversation, and look people in the eye. Its definitely doing something but its pretty subtle so far.

75 mg per day for the next 2 weeks:
Day 32: no side effects. No real change in the DP. It has a weird effect on dreaming. I close my eyes and I seem to start dreaming almost immediately.

100 mg per day for the next 2 weeks:
Day 43: First day at 100 mg per day. Not much additional to report. No side effects. 
Day 51: Nothing

150 mg per day for the next 2 weeks:
Day 58: 2nd day on 150 mg. no change in the DP. feel like my mind is really quiet.

200 mg for the next 2 weeks
Day 73: peoples faces seem a bit easier to read. nothing much. no side effects.
Day 83: Last day at 200 mg. Nothing additional.

Day 98: After 14 months of incredibly slow but steady progress, and probably an improvement of about 15% in my symptoms, my symptoms have reverted completely back to how they were 14 months ago, after I accidentally inhaled secondary smoke from a joint my friend was smoking in his car 5 days ago. Probably the worst mistake of my life. Any gains I had from taking this medication have been wiped out. So now my options are either to kill myself or start all over again. Will have to think about it.

*gunstor*

I was on Lamo for about 10 months in total. It was quite good at first as long as you can get past all the terrible rash - then it was like I was building up a tolerance to it and had to take more and more to get a result. In the end I was up to about 300mg daily and my DP was really bad - never been as bad as that in 27 years. I am using natural supplements + modafinil /mindfulness/exercise now - personally dont think anything beats this recipe for getting on with life and not worrying about my DP

*Victor Ouriques*

For me taking up to 200mg was like drinking water,no effect on dp/dr whatsoever and no side effects too.But it seemed to help a little with the BFEP and some floaters.

*Aly*

It doesn't help my anxiety or DP/DR, but it significantly helps my depression.

*REB*

As you know, i'm also a blank minder. I started Lamictal a few months ago and i have now reached the max dose of 300mg and i can tell you that the are results are somewhat encouraging.
The feeling of unrealness hasn't changed, nor has the debilitating cognitive impairment. Writing down these few sentences has already taken me close to two hourse with frequent breaks.
So there's that..

But basically, the Lamictal has given me back some of my drive, some of my feels. I'm more assertive. It's marginal, but still noticable. Instead of spending 14 hours in bed per day i'm now down to 13h. It's that kind of improvement, which is way more than i ever dared dream of. I think just feeling better is important or at least beneficial in overcoming DP. 
I'm improving at the speed of geology.
I'm gonna ask my doc to increase the dose to 400mg and maybe even 500mg over time in combination with other pharmaceuticals.

_I absolutely think you should give it a try_

I'm also stacking Lamictal with mega doses of Liposomal vitamin C, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, L-Carnatine, Glutathione, ZMA, Fish oil, CoQ10, Yohimbine, and B-12.

Lastly, i'm planning on incorperating a hardcore training and diet regimen in my Jihad against DP/DR/BM. If that doesn't work. GG.

*Queen Frick*

My doctor started me off on a low dose and I never really noticed how much it helped until I stopped taking it and had the worst DPDR. Now I have a higher dose and feel great with it.


----------



## TDX

I have made a table of the results where I assigned to each username a number between 3 and -3.

0 = No improvement, or no improvement of DP-symptoms clearly stated.
1 = Minimal improvement
2 = Significant improvement
3 = Almost or entierely remission.
-1/-2/-3: Worsening of symptoms.

+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| User | Max Dosage per day | Outcome |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| Guest_tinyfairypeople_* | 25 mg | 0 |
| Jay | 25 mg | 0 |
| Solaris | 50 mg | 0 |
| Sketch2000 | 150 mg | 2 |
| Absentis | 150 mg | 2 |
| no3one | 650 mg | 0 |
| Wael | 50 mg | 0 |
| Sleep walker | 200 mg | 2 |
| rightwrong99 | 100 mg | 2 |
| Aokiji | 100 mg | 3 |
| DP_swe | 125 mg | 0 |
| jenny_11 | Unknown | 0 |
| Living in a fog | 200 mg | 0 |
| Guest_marjorie | 300 mg | 3 |
| Dreamer/Guest_Le Chat_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| tori | 200 mg | 0 |
| luke1979 | 150 mg | 0 |
| Guest_murman | 12.5 mg | 0 |
| indigo | 250 mg | 0 |
| qbsbrown | Unknown | 0 |
| David | 400 mg | 3 |
| StandAlone | 200 mg | 0 |
| tazi | 200 mg | 2 |
| steveouk | 50 mg | 0 |
| deathsitcom | 50 mg | 1 |
| texas2006 | 200 mg | 1 |
| oo_oo | 100 mg | 2 |
| missjess | 25 mg | 0 |
| cltool9 | 50 mg | 0 |
| karrilho67005 | 200 mg | 2 |
| kristikristi65 | Unknown | 0 |
| jenny1 | 300 mg | 3 |
| Westcoast Ghost | 50 mg | 0 |
| optimusrhyme | 100 mg | 1 |
| vvector | 600 mg | 0 |
| valleygirl<3 | Unknown | 0 |
| RamonX | Unknown | 0 |
| Angela2006 | 200 mg | 0 |
| birdiehead | 25 mg | 0 |
| the big bad i said no! | 250 mg | 0 |
| university girl | 25 mg | 0 |
| Life Sentence? | 300 mg | 0 |
| spert23 | Unknown | 0 |
| Guest_* | 100 mg | 2 |
| comfortably numb | 200 mg | 0 |
| stoemmekluut | 200 mg | 3 |
| psychiatrysucks | 100 mg | 0 |
| gimpy34 | Unknown | 0 |
| brian3 | 300 mg | 0 |
| opie37060 | 300 mg | 0 |
| insaticiable | 350 mg | 0 |
| aloof | Unknown | 0 |
| staples | 300 mg | 0 |
| Plur | Unkown | 1 |
| Rawry | 200 mg | 2 |
| arxiloxos | 50 mg | 0 |
| Beatriz | 100 mg | -2 |
| sciphi | 200 mg | 0 |
| | 25 mg | 0 |
| hennessy | 200 mg | 2 |
| Fatoush | Unknown | 0 |
| RafinhaBrasil | Unknown | 0 |
| sophiasmith | Unknown | 2 |
| revdoc | 300 mg | 2 |
| Guest_allan35_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| nfishe0882 | Unknown | 0 |
| nemesis | Unknown | 0 |
| pfpc | 50 mg | 0 |
| enigma | 200 mg | 1 |
| rainboteers | 25 mg | 0 |
| Guest_eva_* | 500 mg | 0 |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+ 
On this list are n = 71 users (which is more than the 32 patients in Sierra et al's retrospective study). Of this users 17 had a significant effect from Lamotrigine, which yields a response rate of 23.9%. This is much lower than what the Depersonalization Research Unit said.

It's also different to their studys:

-Sierra et al 2001: 6 of 11 patients (54%) responsed.
-Sierra et al 2003: 0 of 9 patients (0%) responded.
-Sierra et al 2006: 18 of 32 patients (56%) responsed.
-"Overcoming DP-Disorder": 50% respond to Lamotrigine alone, 70% to Lamotrigine+SSRI

The question is which number is "right".


----------



## TDX

Good idea. I didn't think about that. I deleted all people with a max. dosage below 100 mg. Result:

+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| User | Max Dosage per day | Outcome |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| Sketch2000 | 150 mg | 2 |
| Absentis | 150 mg | 2 |
| no3one | 650 mg  | 0 |
| Sleep walker | 200 mg | 2 |
| rightwrong99 | 100 mg | 2 |
| Aokiji | 100 mg | 3 |
| DP_swe | 125 mg | 0 |
| jenny_11 | Unknown | 0 |
| Living in a fog | 200 mg | 0 |
| Guest_marjorie | 300 mg | 3 |
| Dreamer/Guest_Le Chat_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| tori | 200 mg | 0 |
| luke1979 | 150 mg | 0 |
| indigo | 250 mg | 0 |
| qbsbrown | Unknown | 0 |
| David | 400 mg | 3 |
| StandAlone | 200 mg | 0 |
| tazi | 200 mg | 2 |
| texas2006 | 200 mg | 1 |
| oo_oo | 100 mg | 2 |
| karrilho67005 | 200 mg | 2 |
| kristikristi65 | Unknown | 0 |
| jenny1 | 300 mg | 3 |
| optimusrhyme | 100 mg | 1 |
| vvector | 600 mg | 0 |
| valleygirl<3 | Unknown | 0 |
| RamonX | Unknown | 0 |
| Angela2006 | 200 mg | 0 |
| the big bad i said no! | 250 mg | 0 |
| Life Sentence? | 300 mg | 0 |
| spert23 | Unknown | 0 |
| Guest_* | 100 mg | 2 |
| comfortably numb | 200 mg | 0 |
| stoemmekluut | 200 mg | 3 |
| psychiatrysucks | 100 mg | 0 |
| gimpy34 | Unknown | 0 |
| brian3 | 300 mg | 0 |
| opie37060 | 300 mg | 0 |
| insaticiable | 350 mg | 0 |
| aloof | Unknown | 0 |
| staples | 300 mg | 0 |
| Plur | Unkown | 1 |
| Rawry | 200 mg | 2 |
| Beatriz | 100 mg | -2 |
| sciphi | 200 mg | 0 |
| hennessy | 200 mg | 2 |
| Fatoush | Unknown | 0 |
| RafinhaBrasil | Unknown | 0 |
| sophiasmith | Unknown | 2 |
| revdoc | 300 mg | 2 |
| Guest_allan35_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| nfishe0882 | Unknown | 0 |
| nemesis | Unknown | 0 |
| enigma | 200 mg | 1 |
| Guest_eva_* | 500 mg | 0 |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+

This way we have n = 55 and 17 responders which would yield a somewhat higher response rate of 30.9%


----------



## TDX

If I also delete all users with an unknown dosage this yields:

+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| User | Max Dosage per day | Outcome |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+
| Sketch2000 | 150 mg | 2 |
| Absentis  | 150 mg | 2 |
| no3one | 650 mg | 0 |
| Sleep walker | 200 mg | 2 |
| rightwrong99 | 100 mg | 2 |
| Aokiji | 100 mg | 3 |
| DP_swe | 125 mg | 0 |
| Living in a fog | 200 mg | 0 |
| Guest_marjorie | 300 mg | 3 |
| Dreamer/Guest_Le Chat_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| tori | 200 mg | 0 |
| luke1979 | 150 mg | 0 |
| indigo | 250 mg | 0 |
| David | 400 mg | 3 |
| StandAlone | 200 mg | 0 |
| tazi | 200 mg | 2 |
| texas2006 | 200 mg | 1 |
| oo_oo | 100 mg | 2 |
| karrilho67005 | 200 mg | 2 |
| jenny1 | 300 mg | 3 |
| optimusrhyme | 100 mg | 1 |
| vvector | 600 mg | 0 |
| Angela2006 | 200 mg | 0 |
| the big bad i said no! | 250 mg | 0 |
| Life Sentence? | 300 mg | 0 |
| Guest_* | 100 mg | 2 |
| comfortably numb | 200 mg | 0 |
| stoemmekluut | 200 mg | 3 |
| psychiatrysucks | 100 mg | 0 |
| brian3 | 300 mg | 0 |
| opie37060 | 300 mg | 0 |
| insaticiable | 350 mg | 0 |
| staples | 300 mg | 0 |
| Rawry | 200 mg | 2 |
| Beatriz | 100 mg | -2 |
| sciphi | 200 mg | 0 |
| hennessy | 200 mg | 2 |
| revdoc | 300 mg | 2 |
| Guest_allan35_* | 200 mg | 0 |
| enigma | 200 mg | 1 |
| Guest_eva_* | 500 mg | 0 |
+-------------------------+--------------------+---------+

We would have n = 41 and 16 responders, so a chance of 39%.

But the 25% might still be relevant, because the people with a low dosage might have discontinued the Lamotrigine, because of intolerable side-effects. This must be taken into accound, because in real life you cannot benefit from a medication you can't titrate high enough, because of side-effects. So this case is equivalent to non-response.


----------



## thy

What about people who stopped taking the drug because of bad side effects or they were unable to tolerate it (even if they are on a dose of less than 100mg per day or they have an unknown dose)? We should probably still include them? For example, RamonX.


----------



## thy

User Dosage Per day (mg) Able to tolerate? Outcome Disregard? Trigger Other meds
Guest_tinyfairypeople_* 25 Yes 1 (i) ? ? 
Jay 600 Yes 1 ? Yes
S O L A R I S 50  Yes 1 (i) ? Yes
Sketch2000 200 Yes 2 ? Luvox,klonopin
Absentis 150 Yes 2 epileptic activity clonazepam
no3one 300 Yes 1 ? lithium,Ritalin
Wael 50 No 1 ? ?
Sleep walker 200 Yes 2 ? clonazepam
rightwrong99 100 Yes 2 ? ?
Aokiji 100 Yes 3
DP_swe 125 Yes 1
jenny_11 Unknown No -2
Living in a fog 150 Yes 2
Guest_marjorie 300 Yes 3
Dreamer/Guest_Le_Chat_* 200 Yes 1 
tori 25 Yes 1 (i) 
luke1979 200 Yes 2
Guest_murman 12.5 Yes Unknown (i)
indigo 200 Yes 3
qbsbrown Unknown Yes Unknown (ii)
David 375 Yes 3
StandAlone 200 Yes 0
tazi 200 Yes 2
steveouk 50 No -1
deathsitcom 50 Yes 1 (i)
texas2006 300 Yes 1
oo_oo 100 Yes 2
missjess 25 Yes 1 (i)
cltool9 50 No -1
karrilho67005 200 Yes 2
kristikristi65 Not yet started Unknown Unknown (i)
jenny1 300 Yes 3
Westcoast Ghost 25 Yes Unknown (i)
optimusrhyme 100 Yes 1
vvector 600 Yes 2
valleygirl<3 Unknown No 1
RamonX Unknown No 0
Angela2006 200 Yes 0
birdiehead 25 Yes 1 (i) 
the big bad I said no! 250 Yes 0
university girl 25 Yes 0 (i) 
Life Sentence? 300 Yes 0
spert23 Unknown No 0
Guest_* 100 Yes 2
comfortably numb 125 Yes Unknown (ii) 
stoemmekluut 200 Yes 3
psychiatrysucks Unknown No 0
berlin 100 Yes -1
gimpy34 Unknown No -1
brian3 300 Yes 1
opie37060 200 Yes 0
insaticiable 350 Yes Unknown (ii)
aloof Unknown Yes 0
staples  Unknown Yes 0
Plur Unknown No 1
Rawry 200 Yes 2
arxiloxos 50 Yes Unknown (i)
Beatriz 100 No -2
sciphi 200 Yes 0
25 No 0
hennessy 200 Yes 2
Fatoush Unknown Yes 0
RafinhaBrasil 20 Yes 0 (i)
sophiasmith Unknown Yes 2
revdoc 300 Yes 2
Guest_allan35_* 200 Yes 0
nfishe0882 Unknown No 0
nemesis Unknown Yes 1
pfpc 50 Yes 0 (i)
enigma 200 Yes 1
rainboteers 25 Yes 0 (i)
Guest_eva_* 500 Yes 2
AussiePheonix 150 Yes 1
plaidpajamas Unknown Yes 3 
resinoptes Unknown Yes 1 
ed 200 Yes 0 
peacedove 200 Yes 1 
Tom Servo 100 Yes Unknown (ii)
dalailama15 300 Yes -1
Newky 75 Yes -2 (i)
cl1mb123 100 Yes 0
TickleMeElmo 200 Yes 0 Drug use 
bipo 200 Yes 0 ? 
sputnik Unknown Yes 3 abuse/panic attack 
Guest_Karine_* 25 No 0 ?
livinginhell333 50 Yes 0 (i) ?
misterjxpct 200 Yes 0 Drug use (LSD) 
esshall 400 Yes 3 Spontaneous
Solveig 700 Yes 1 Drug use (Ibogaine) 
DruidScientist 400 Yes 0 ?


----------



## thy

Results

See "collectors meta-discussion" thread if you want to see more of a discussion on how the following results were arrived at.

This gives n = 70 and 25 responders, which gives a *response rate of 36%*.

9/70 = *13% experienced near or complete remission*

16/70 = *23% experienced significant improvement in their symptoms *

7/70 = *10**% experienced a worsening of their symptoms *

14/70 = *20**% were unable to tolerate*


----------



## luctor et emergo

Currently at 200mg/d, no rash or side-effects. Updosing will be 25mg/d, until a therapeutic effect is reached,

a blood test has determined the blood value (therapeutic range is relatively wide, 2.5mcg/mL to 15 mcg/mL).

I think I should first stop at approximately 500mg/d and then wait a few weeks.


----------



## luctor et emergo

Today I will reach 350 mg. The only effect I noticed the last few nights are slightly more vivid dreams and some sweating.

Wondering what the differences are between the brand Lamictal and the generic Lamotrigine?

As my overall anxiety is still quite severe since I quit Clonazepam in december 2014 to the point it still affects my work and daily routine,

I plan to add brand Prozac to Lamotrigine. Prozac / Fluoxetine is used by some family members to alleviate their general anxiety.

Maybe I will wait a few weeks so this thread has a new entry of valid anecdotal evidence, maybe not...


----------



## thy

luctor et emergo said:


> Wondering what the differences are between the brand Lamictal and the generic Lamotrigine?


I'm not actually sure what the difference is. Google probably has the answer somewhere.

Thanks for the update.


----------



## luctor et emergo

Lamotrigine 400 mg/d + added Prozac 20mg/d in the hope to reduce my anxiety disorder + panic attacks and off course dpd, drd.

No side-effects. I will try this dose for a week although I'm inclined to updose faster as my tolerance for medication is relatively high.

If by adding Prozac this thread isn't the proper one to post in anymore, please let me know an anternative one.

edit: 450mg/d Lamotrigine


----------



## luctor et emergo

Anyone who reads this, do not updose Lamotrigine as fast as I did!

(0 to 450mg/d in <3 weeks). I thought the side effects would not appear,

as I used Lamotrigine in 2008 without problems. Wrong thought...

Tuesday I noticed a colouring on the tip of my tongue, did not think much

of it untill yesterday. It is a rash, one of the many side effects.

I paniced like hell, was sure I had Stephen Johnson Syndrome and thought I was going to die.

The GP and the psychiatrist said it was related to the medicine as the symptom is in their handbook.
Google and forums provided more clarity.

Now the strange thing is, some people tell you to stop right away because of SJS,
but there are also many who consider this a mild side effect and keep on using.

If one stops for more then 5 half-lives (approx. one week) you have to start all over again at a slower pace.

What do you guys think? Anyway this is a warning from someone who did not have patience because he is becoming desparate.


----------



## Max XR

luctor et emergo said:


> Lamotrigine 400 mg/d + added Prozac 20mg/d in the hope to reduce my anxiety disorder + panic attacks and off course dpd, drd.
> 
> No side-effects. I will try this dose for a week although I'm inclined to updose faster as my tolerance for medication is relatively high.
> 
> If by adding Prozac this thread isn't the proper one to post in anymore, please let me know an anternative one.
> 
> edit: 450mg/d Lamotrigine


I thought lamotrigine by itself was good for anxiety? Or is it for only certain types?

Also, the general consensus seems to say lamotrigine of 200mg+/day helps with DP or is it less?


----------



## luctor et emergo

It's >400mg/d according to dr. Sierra (ex-King's College.

It can help with anxiety, I added prozac because this helped family members + there are (anecdotal) reports of combining Lamotrigine with a SSRI for dpd, drd.

After deliberation with my unknowing psychiatrist regarding quitting cold-turkey. She asked her collegues and a dermatologist. We outweigded the coloured tongue against withdrawal symptons which I experience today.
We deceided I will continue on 200mg/d untill my tongue is clean. 
Fingers crossed.


----------



## LostTheRealness

I took today the fourth time Lamotrigin. 1x 25mg at evening. So, lets assume that my dp will go away in 2 weeks or 3 or 4... When my dp is gone, must I always take Lamotrigin or can I taper Lamotrigin and the DP will also be away?


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> I took today the fourth time Lamotrigin. 1x 25mg at evening. So, lets assume that my dp will go away in 2 weeks or 3 or 4...


Thanks for the update. Please keep us updated on how it goes. I hope it goes well for you!



LostTheRealness said:


> When my dp is gone, must I always take Lamotrigin or can I taper Lamotrigin and the DP will also be away?


Good question, I'm not sure what the answer is. I suppose its possible that you could slowly come off lamotrigine and the DP could remain reduced, but I have no idea how likely that is.

At the back of the CBT book written by the KCL unit, it says "When people have a good response to lamotrigine, we advise them to stay on the medication for a year before gradually reducing down to zero. The withdrawal can be done over a period of two or three weeks."


----------



## LostTheRealness

Ok, thanks. Yes, I will.

An other question: My doctor said to me, that i should take 1x 25mg in the mornig and 1x 25mg in the evening when Week 2 begins.
But here I read, that we should raise the dose all 2 weeks and not all 1 week.

Best I take 1x25mg at evening for 2 weeks, or?


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> Ok, thanks. Yes, I will.
> 
> An other question: My doctor said to me, that i should take 1x 25mg in the mornig and 1x 25mg in the evening when Week 2 begins.
> But here I read, that we should raise the dose all 2 weeks and not all 1 week.
> 
> Best I take 1x25mg at evening for 2 weeks, or?


I am doing 25 mg for 2 weeks, then 50 mg for the next 2 weeks (25 morning, 25 evening), then 100 mg for the next 2 weeks (2x25 morning, 2X25 evening)....


----------



## LostTheRealness

Okay, thanks! Works Lamotrigin for you?


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> Okay, thanks! Works Lamotrigin for you?


Nothing yet


----------



## LostTheRealness

Is it dangerous when I raise the dose up after 13 days and not after 14?

I take 1x 25mg at night and in 2 days I must take 1x in the morning and 1x in the night. But I dont want to wait, I will take it tomorrow...


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> Is it dangerous when I raise the dose up after 13 days and not after 14?
> 
> I take 1x 25mg at night and in 2 days I must take 1x in the morning and 1x in the night. But I dont want to wait, I will take it tomorrow...


Im not sure, but I doubt it would make much difference


----------



## LostTheRealness

hmmm.....


----------



## LostTheRealness

Had migraine in the morning, when I started taking 1x 25mg also in the morning. Is it accident or is it from lamotrigine? My doctor practise says it is not from lamotrigine... I throw up second times today...


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> Had migraine in the morning, when I started taking 1x 25mg also in the morning. Is it accident or is it from lamotrigine? My doctor practise says it is not from lamotrigine... I throw up second times today...


Headache is a very common side effect from lamotrigine. Being sick is also a very common side effect. If either continues or gets significantly worse I would go back to your doctor (who unfortunately sounds like a bit of an idiot). Its possible that your migraine is not due to lamotrigine, but I think its unlikely. This is just my view, i have no medical expertise.


----------



## Victor Ouriques

For me taking up to 200mg was like drinking water,no effect on dp/dr whatsoever and no side effects too.But it seemed to help a little with the BFEP and some floaters.


----------



## luctor et emergo

Did you stop at 200mg/d? As 400mg/d seems to be the therapeutic dose according to King's College.


----------



## LostTheRealness

But some people also write that 25mg or 50mg helped by dp and that they recovered... crazy...


----------



## thy

LostTheRealness said:


> But some people also write that 25mg or 50mg helped by dp and that they recovered... crazy...


Who's that?


----------



## LostTheRealness

It was here in the forum. When I find, I will post here.


----------



## luctor et emergo

Thy and TDX have done an extensive search, see page one of this thread.

update: again on 300mg/d, no differences, tongue still looks a bit strange, but doesn't hurt.

Will up the dose of prozac to 40mg/d, if nothing happens the upcoming months, maybe I will switch to escitalopram / lexapro.

After trying more than a dozen meds I start to think my body and mind are practically resistent.


----------



## luctor et emergo

400 mg/d, nothing... and the tip of my tongue is still redder than normal.

Don't know if it is Lamotrigine related though.


----------



## luctor et emergo

450 mg/d, waking up with cold night sweats, this sucks.

Prozac, going to 50mg/d.

Maybe I should get a serum test first.


----------



## luctor et emergo

500 mg/d, no cold night sweats.

Prozac 60mg/d.

Effects, nothing.

How about the other Lamotrigine users, thy, TDX and others, what are your current experiences?


----------



## thy

luctor et emergo said:


> 500 mg/d, no cold night sweats.
> 
> Prozac 60mg/d.
> 
> Effects, nothing.
> 
> How about the other Lamotrigine users, thy, TDX and others, what are your current experiences?


Shame nothing is happening for you. Nothing here either, at least nothing very noticeable, now on 150 mg/d. Will probably add citalopram if I get to 200 mg/d and still see nothing.


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## luctor et emergo

thy said:


> Shame nothing is happening for you. Nothing here either, at least nothing very noticeable, now on 150 mg/d. Will probably add citalopram if I get to 200 mg/d and still see nothing.


Ah for you it's also a pity. What will be your maximum dose of Lamotrigine?

I will ask for serum tests to determine the concentration of both meds.

The switch to citaprolam sounds logical, based on the research papers et cetera. Will switch in a few months.

Good luck with reaching a therapeutic dose.


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## thy

luctor et emergo said:


> What will be your maximum dose of Lamotrigine?


Probably about 500 but I'm not really sure.


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## TDX

I will try to reach the 600 mg/day.


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## luctor et emergo

At 600mg/d, and you guessed it, nothing.

60mg/d of Prozac seems too much, one of the first medications for me with side effects.

Shaking hands, feeling agitated and nervous, so back to 40 mg/d.


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## luctor et emergo

This week 800mg/d Lamotrigine + 30mg/d Prozac.
Maybe the general fear + panic attacks are less, too early to be certain.

Tried Wellbutrin for a week as a third medicine, not good, so I stopped immediately.

I've been on Lamotrigine for 3,5 months now. What does the anecdotal evidence + research + trials say about user periods?

It's seem that an abundance of glutamate is not one of the factors that keeps my dp, dr fuelled, as I also tried Kepra for months.

There is Topimarate, but does it make sence also to try this?


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## Guest

I just started Lamotrigine 2 weeks ago at 50 mg once per day.

My dose was just upped to 50 mg twice per day (100 mg total).

I think it makes me feel more "spaced out" after taking it in the morning. But than the spaciness fades away as evening approaches. I haven't had any other side effects or therapeutic effects that I am aware of yet. I'm also taking 5 mg of Olanzapine per day.


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## TDX

> There is Topimarate, but does it make sence also to try this?


Look at the following:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21742442

This hypothesis predicts that there might be persons with DPD who do not respond to Lamotrigine, but do so to AMPA-antagonists. He suggests a trial with the AMPA-antagonist NBQX, but this seems to be an experimental drug that is not approved for anything.

Regardings Topiramate in many publications it is assumed to be an antagonist of Kainat- and AMPA-receptors (both are glutamate receptors). I don't know if this was proved. I've also read that it worked in animals trials against the effects of NMDA-antagonists which might speak for a possible anti-depersonalisative effect. To my knowledge there is only one human trial, which unfortunately only tested reaction time (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15450676).

But if it really blocked AMPA-receptors Topiramte might be worth a try, but it's not known which dose is required to work against depersonalization, if it works at all. If you try it you should also prepare yourself to some unpleasent side-effects, especially in a high dosage, because Topiramte is a very dirty drug with lots of side-effects,


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## luctor et emergo

TDX said:


> But if it really blocked AMPA-receptors Topiramte might be worth a try


I'm in. Will see my psychiater on Thursday.

My first "plan" is to combine lamotrigine with escitaprolam, as discussed in

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/53497-lamotrigine/

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/53798-lamotrigine-lexapro/

https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2050-7283-1-20 which I haven't studied yet

Elliott first mentions escitaprolam and later on citaprolam, a bit confusing.

As the london mix is mentioning an ssri (for example escitaprolam or citaprolam) + lamotrigine + klonopin (which I'll NEVER use again)

If this doesn't work, topimarate is een option. Hoping to switch to this while on lamotrigine, or combining it for a short while as mentioned in fora

Curious if upping lamotrigine to 1000 mg/d this week makes any difference whatsoever, probably not.

Will keep you guys updated.


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## luctor et emergo

Back to 400mg/d Lamotrigine + 1000mg/d Leviracetam + 30mg/d Fluoxetine.

Anxiety is a bit less the past weeks, my guess it's from Fluoxetine which also helps family members.

Still, Escitaprolam is next, replacing Fluoxetine.


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## Guest

Lamotrigine made me feel worse. More spacey.

I only took it for one month though. I got up to 100 mg.

Maybe I didn't try it out long enough?


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## TDX

> Maybe I didn't try it out long enough?


Difficult to say. It's recommended by the DPRU to reach 400 mg/day or even more.

For me Lamotrigine does absolutey nothing. I am at 500 mg/day. But no positive or negative effects. It's like a placebo.


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## luctor et emergo

Since 10 days ago, I'm no longer on lamotrigine.

Again disappointing that it didn't bring positive results regarding dp, dr...

Now it's extreme tiredness during the day, a result of the body readjusing itself.

My tapering schedule was very fast, eventually dropping from 2x200mg/d, to 200mg/d, to zero in 3 weeks time.


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## TDX

I will try the combination with Fluoxetin for some time. If this does not work, then I am done with Lamotrigine.


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## luctor et emergo

Fingers crossed for the combination.


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## TDX

> Im gonna start with Lamotrigine therapy next week does anyone have an idea of how long I will have to wait to probably see improvements and if I dont when would be an ideal time to safely say its not working?


We don't really know. The maximum recommended dosage is 400 to 600 mg/day, depending on how far you want to go. If you don't notice an effect while being on that dosage for a few weeks then lamotrigine failed to help you.


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## WithYourSigh

I was treated with 250 mg of Lamotrigine alone during 2012-2013. My symptoms improved significantly, although I was still very much depersonalized. As an adverse reaction, my sleep quickly deteriorated: I woke repeatedly during the night, woke during my sleep and was active unconsciously, woke while unsure whether I am in reality or in a dream, woke in a state where I was aware I was not asleep but unable to move, and experienced vivid dreams from which I woke with immense anxiety. I discontinued treatment due to said adverse reaction, which was then alleviated somewhat but did not fully subside to this day. An appointment with a neurologist specializing in sleep disorders has been set to November.


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## sebastian

I'm just about to start Lamotrigine and happened upon this thread. Thanks, Thy, for compiling all this. It's been hugely helpful.


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## TDX

> micropsia and teleopsia; erectile dysfunction; libido loss; itchy scalp; hair loss; emotional blunting; memory loss; dyslexia; tremors; semi-blank mind and nearly every symptom imaginable that has a connection to low dopamine.. hope I didnt trigger an underlying Parkinsons disease...


Things like that are the risk you accept whenever you try a psychiatric drug treatment. There is always a bit of russian roulette involved in it. Stilll such a reaction to Lamotrigine is rare. In fact it seems to be one of the more tolerable anticonvulsives. Thus I doubt you can really infer such a dopamine theory. Problems like the ones you experienced would have to be much more common in order for it to hold. But who knows, maybe in your special it messed you up just the way you described.

The effect of Lamotrigine on me was the opposite to yours: It did not have any effects, even not on 600 mg/day. Just like a placebo.


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