# Started Lamotrigine/Lamictal, how long until effect?



## Emily Ann

Hi there.

I started Lamotrigine 2 days ago. It's the only thing I'm taking so far. I am taking 25 mg for now.

IF you had success/felt better with Lamotrigine, could you please tell me how long it took to feel the effect?

If you didn't feel better on Lamotrigine, please don't post because it will just make me feel bad and lessen my hope.

Any other tips about what meds to tyr adding to Lamotrigine or whatever I welcome too!

Peace.


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## Guest

Emily Ann said:


> Hi there.
> 
> I started Lamotrigine 2 days ago. It's the only thing I'm taking so far. I am taking 25 mg for now.
> 
> IF you had success/felt better with Lamotrigine, could you please tell me how long it took to feel the effect?
> 
> If you didn't feel better on Lamotrigine, please don't post because it will just make me feel bad and lessen my hope.
> 
> Any other tips about what meds to tyr adding to Lamotrigine or whatever I welcome too!
> 
> Peace.


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. I know the therapudic dose is around like 250mg, so you may have a ways to go. You can only titrate up like 25 mg at a time every 2 weeks.


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## Jay

I had read in _Overcoming Depersonalization & Feelings of Unreality_ (D. Baker, et al):

"In the early stages of treatment, most people feel little or no benefit from the lamotrigine. Usually it's not untill the dose reaches 100 mg per day that people notice some reduction in their symptoms of [Deperosnalization]. The 'right dose' varies between individuals. Most people who benefit significantly from lamotrigine do so at a dose between 200 and 400 mg per day, but others need a much higher dose. Some people report that the symptoms of [Depersonalization] have completely lifted, while others say that the symptoms are still present but are less intense, and have less of an impact on their lives"

that's from the doctors...

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

Hope this helps

~ Jay


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## 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.


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## Sketch2000

S O L A R I S said:


> 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.


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.


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## 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.

Edit: I'm sure I have more details in my post history, but the idea of going through a couple hundred posts doesn't appeal to me.


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## 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. My doc tells me that in a lot of cases the brain can "heal itself" to a certain extent, and after it gets "put in line" (my words) a high dose isn't necessarily required. Some people are able to go off meds altogether. Hmmm, imagine that. Now I'm at 300mg. I tried to go lower but that didn't work out. Yes, I worked with my doctor and her permission to play with the dose on my own and the time to take it.

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. I really have to figure out my time line. I could be completely off - I mean about the meds.


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