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Tips for tapering off Lamictal (lamotrigine)


Altostrata

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On 10/02/2018 at 1:38 AM, robcbar1 said:

Hi all - I asked this question on a separate thread and looking for some immediate help.  I've been taking 5 mg of Lamictal for about 30 days to help quell my SSRI WD.  It's not doing anything for me and may actually be making some of my symptoms worse (namely derealization and tinnitus).  I'd like to stop but scared I'm going to get additional WD symptoms.  Have I been on it for a short enough time where I can cut down to 2.5 mg?  I know a 50% decrease is never advised but I hoping it's ok since I haven't been on it too long?  Any insight would be much appreciated.  Thanks.         

 

My personal opinion is that I think it would be better, as RubyTuesday suggested, to try a 10% reduction and keep notes on paper.  If you feel okay you could try another 10% reduction sooner than the 4 weeks, eg between 2-3 weeks after.  I think tapering carefully would be better than risking too fast a taper.

 

On 22/08/2011 at 6:46 AM, Altostrata said:

Removal of lamotrigine can cause a nasty rebound of "alerting," i.e. anxiety, restlessness, and sleeplessness.

 

Yes, I think going cautiously is your best option.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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10 hours ago, RubyTuesday said:

Hi, This is a good question, I would be cautious and just try 10% reductions even though you have been on a short time, only because I also tapered off Lamictal and the depression was severe triggered by tapering. Of course I was on it for much longer, about 4 years, and also to help with SSRI withdrawals (11 years). I had tablets which dissolved in water so I used a beaker and took out 10% at a time. On the other hand since you have only been on a month you may well be fine with a faster taper. You can always give it 3 days and then play it by ear, reinstating and then going slower if the situation warrants. Good luck with that!

Hey Ruby - I went down to 2.5mg for 2 days last week and it was disastrous: major rebound anxiety and akathesia.  It's scary how powerful these drugs are even at small doses.  So I'm going to hold where I am for a bit @ 5 mg.  How are you doing overall?    Can I send you a message to learn more about how you converted Lamictal to a liquid?  I have the 5mg dissolvable tabs but I'm clueless on using a beaker etc.  

21 years of daily SSRI use in total...

Paxil                                                                                                                                                 1995-1998

Zoloft (50 mg)                                                                                                                                 1998-2002

Lexapro (10 mg)                                                                                                                              2002-2015    (**August 2015, Lexapro “stopped working" after near death of my 1.5 yr. old son**)

Lexapro (15/20 mg) - increasing dose only made SEs worse                                                     Nov 2015 - Mar 2016

Zoloft (25/50 mg) - made derealization worse                                                                            Mar 2016 - Jul 2016

Celexa (20 mg) - made symptoms worse                                                                                    Oct 2016 - Jan 2017

Remeron (7.5 mg) - helped me eat and sleep for 4 nights, then went bad                               Jan 2018 (stopped after 2 weeks)

Lamictal (5.0 mg) - horrific withdrawal                                                                                        Jan 2018 - Oct 2020

TODAY - 100% DRUG FREE 

(Trialed Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta - severe reaction, couldn't tolerate longer than a few days)

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Yes of course you can message me, I will say more later today. I am not surprised you got a bad rebound from a small drop. Every time I took a small drop, (I think it took me over 2 years to taper 50 mg) I got nasty suicidal depression mixed with a feeling that someone was banging me on the head. I am doing great and please do check in.

 

2002: "Situational depression" 2002-2010:Prozac.Birth Control.2011 Short trials: Paxil, Celexa, Lexipro, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Ativan- Gee, Doc never mentioned protracted AD wd syndrome. Imagine that. 2011-2015. Lamictal. Seroquel. Remiron. 2012: "Complex post traumatic stress disorder." Fast taper of Remiron jumped off June 2013. Slow tapers ever since of Seroquel & Lamictal.  crippling muscle spasms. crying fits. panic attacks. akathisia. nerve twitches. the jitters. the heebie jeebies. de-personal/realization. numbness. tingling. fatigue. lethargy. nightmares.insomnia. weird images. eye pain.vertigo. dizziness. brain zaps. and on and on and on. withdrawal? side effects? which drug? impossible to know. Stopped Seroquel October 2015.  Stopped Lamictal  March 2016. Had more severe muscle/joint spasms that paralyzed me for 3 days at a time, last episode was March 2017.Going back to work as of February 2018 after 14 years off full-time work due to the crippling effects of psych meds. Check out Robert Whittaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" for  his breakdown of the rates of mental disability  since the introduction of Prozac into the human population. Best solutions for me: Social support via AA meetings. Acupuncture. Meditation. Dance. Nature. Yoga. Social support online with psych med survivor community. Nutrition. Exercise. More outdoor time. Go sit in the sunshine for 5 minutes. Touch a tree. Breathe deeply.

 

 

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I purchased a small graded 10 milliliter thingey at the drugstore, that came with a dropper. Rather than dropping 10% of each previous dose, as recommended, that was too much math for me, as I had no help from a doc or a pharmacy, I dropped 1/10th of my lowest dose of a 25 mg tablet, I think about every two weeks at the end. I had tapered down from 50 to 25, I don't remember exactly how. I dissolved my little white tab in water, and agitated it vigorously with a long spike thing that my son ordered for me off the Internet (he was studying Chemistry) and took out, using the dropper, 1/10th, then

2/10th etc. and threw it away and swallowed the remainder. This went on for about a year I think. I was down to about 3/10th of the dose when there was a full moon eclipse and I happened to get into a conversation at the public library with a total stranger who was trying to homeschool a very bright and difficult son, as I had done several years earlier, and deal with the local school system, who are all total idiots. I felt so inspired remembering this phase of my life, before being poisoned by psych meds, that when I came home and stared at the remaining Lamictal, I was simply unable to put it into my body so I just didn't. That being said, I still had mind boggling suicidal depression in waves for about 6 months afterwards, I signed up for college classes but was unable to complete any of them, and I couldn't get myself back to ballet class either although I had done that after jumping off Seroquel and still being on Lamictal. Around 6 months out a period of slow & steady improvement commenced although Christmas season of 2016 (I jumped off in March of 2016) I again had terrible waves of godawful deppression. Since then the depression has been slowly & steadily lightening up and I am left with a feeling not unlike I used to have after LSD trips when I was in my early 20s, sort of a feeling of being flat and empty, but okay, and able to begin again. Anyway hope that helps, everyone is different, but the thing is, you can always speed up the taper, but it's harder to slow it down and still deal with the withdrawal effects. Best of luck!!!

2002: "Situational depression" 2002-2010:Prozac.Birth Control.2011 Short trials: Paxil, Celexa, Lexipro, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Ativan- Gee, Doc never mentioned protracted AD wd syndrome. Imagine that. 2011-2015. Lamictal. Seroquel. Remiron. 2012: "Complex post traumatic stress disorder." Fast taper of Remiron jumped off June 2013. Slow tapers ever since of Seroquel & Lamictal.  crippling muscle spasms. crying fits. panic attacks. akathisia. nerve twitches. the jitters. the heebie jeebies. de-personal/realization. numbness. tingling. fatigue. lethargy. nightmares.insomnia. weird images. eye pain.vertigo. dizziness. brain zaps. and on and on and on. withdrawal? side effects? which drug? impossible to know. Stopped Seroquel October 2015.  Stopped Lamictal  March 2016. Had more severe muscle/joint spasms that paralyzed me for 3 days at a time, last episode was March 2017.Going back to work as of February 2018 after 14 years off full-time work due to the crippling effects of psych meds. Check out Robert Whittaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" for  his breakdown of the rates of mental disability  since the introduction of Prozac into the human population. Best solutions for me: Social support via AA meetings. Acupuncture. Meditation. Dance. Nature. Yoga. Social support online with psych med survivor community. Nutrition. Exercise. More outdoor time. Go sit in the sunshine for 5 minutes. Touch a tree. Breathe deeply.

 

 

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16 hours ago, RubyTuesday said:

I purchased a small graded 10 milliliter thingey at the drugstore, that came with a dropper. Rather than dropping 10% of each previous dose, as recommended, that was too much math for me, as I had no help from a doc or a pharmacy, I dropped 1/10th of my lowest dose of a 25 mg tablet, I think about every two weeks at the end. I had tapered down from 50 to 25, I don't remember exactly how. I dissolved my little white tab in water, and agitated it vigorously with a long spike thing that my son ordered for me off the Internet (he was studying Chemistry) and took out, using the dropper, 1/10th, then

2/10th etc. and threw it away and swallowed the remainder. This went on for about a year I think. I was down to about 3/10th of the dose when there was a full moon eclipse and I happened to get into a conversation at the public library with a total stranger who was trying to homeschool a very bright and difficult son, as I had done several years earlier, and deal with the local school system, who are all total idiots. I felt so inspired remembering this phase of my life, before being poisoned by psych meds, that when I came home and stared at the remaining Lamictal, I was simply unable to put it into my body so I just didn't. That being said, I still had mind boggling suicidal depression in waves for about 6 months afterwards, I signed up for college classes but was unable to complete any of them, and I couldn't get myself back to ballet class either although I had done that after jumping off Seroquel and still being on Lamictal. Around 6 months out a period of slow & steady improvement commenced although Christmas season of 2016 (I jumped off in March of 2016) I again had terrible waves of godawful deppression. Since then the depression has been slowly & steadily lightening up and I am left with a feeling not unlike I used to have after LSD trips when I was in my early 20s, sort of a feeling of being flat and empty, but okay, and able to begin again. Anyway hope that helps, everyone is different, but the thing is, you can always speed up the taper, but it's harder to slow it down and still deal with the withdrawal effects. Best of luck!!!

Thank you for these details. It sounds complicated.  How does liquid ml correlate to mg???  I reread your signature history and it sounds like you've been through a lot.  March marks 2 years of protracted withdrawal for me after 20 yrs of SSRI use.  I literally feel like the walking dead right now.  I've begged anyone who will listen for help (docs, therapists, naturopaths, people on SA) but haven't seen any improvements.  I am very concerned that I'm not going to heal.        

21 years of daily SSRI use in total...

Paxil                                                                                                                                                 1995-1998

Zoloft (50 mg)                                                                                                                                 1998-2002

Lexapro (10 mg)                                                                                                                              2002-2015    (**August 2015, Lexapro “stopped working" after near death of my 1.5 yr. old son**)

Lexapro (15/20 mg) - increasing dose only made SEs worse                                                     Nov 2015 - Mar 2016

Zoloft (25/50 mg) - made derealization worse                                                                            Mar 2016 - Jul 2016

Celexa (20 mg) - made symptoms worse                                                                                    Oct 2016 - Jan 2017

Remeron (7.5 mg) - helped me eat and sleep for 4 nights, then went bad                               Jan 2018 (stopped after 2 weeks)

Lamictal (5.0 mg) - horrific withdrawal                                                                                        Jan 2018 - Oct 2020

TODAY - 100% DRUG FREE 

(Trialed Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta - severe reaction, couldn't tolerate longer than a few days)

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robcbar - RubyTuesday is probably making a solution from the tablets.  The concentration, how many mg in a ml, is completely flexible.

 

You recently dropped from 5 mg to 2.5 mg, probably because it's easy to cut a tablet in half.  Having found that reduction was too large, you may want to try increasing to a dose of 4.5 mg, a 10% reduction from 5 mg. Let's continue this conversation in your introduction topic.

 

For reference on making a liquid: Making a liquid from a tablet or capsules .

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Yes, that. What scallywag said. About the reduction technique.

As for feeling like the walking dead, this is not uncommon. How fast did you taper the SSRI or did you cold turkey? In any event, best to taper the Lamictal as slowly as humanly possible. Have you tried acupuncture? Acupuncture was the most helpful for me.

You will definitely heal. We are all built to heal. Best wishes. Feel free to reach out any time.

Ruby

2002: "Situational depression" 2002-2010:Prozac.Birth Control.2011 Short trials: Paxil, Celexa, Lexipro, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Ativan- Gee, Doc never mentioned protracted AD wd syndrome. Imagine that. 2011-2015. Lamictal. Seroquel. Remiron. 2012: "Complex post traumatic stress disorder." Fast taper of Remiron jumped off June 2013. Slow tapers ever since of Seroquel & Lamictal.  crippling muscle spasms. crying fits. panic attacks. akathisia. nerve twitches. the jitters. the heebie jeebies. de-personal/realization. numbness. tingling. fatigue. lethargy. nightmares.insomnia. weird images. eye pain.vertigo. dizziness. brain zaps. and on and on and on. withdrawal? side effects? which drug? impossible to know. Stopped Seroquel October 2015.  Stopped Lamictal  March 2016. Had more severe muscle/joint spasms that paralyzed me for 3 days at a time, last episode was March 2017.Going back to work as of February 2018 after 14 years off full-time work due to the crippling effects of psych meds. Check out Robert Whittaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" for  his breakdown of the rates of mental disability  since the introduction of Prozac into the human population. Best solutions for me: Social support via AA meetings. Acupuncture. Meditation. Dance. Nature. Yoga. Social support online with psych med survivor community. Nutrition. Exercise. More outdoor time. Go sit in the sunshine for 5 minutes. Touch a tree. Breathe deeply.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎02‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 12:00 PM, RubyTuesday said:

Yes, that. What scallywag said. About the reduction technique.

As for feeling like the walking dead, this is not uncommon. How fast did you taper the SSRI or did you cold turkey? In any event, best to taper the Lamictal as slowly as humanly possible. Have you tried acupuncture? Acupuncture was the most helpful for me.

You will definitely heal. We are all built to heal. Best wishes. Feel free to reach out any time.

Ruby

I'm currently down from 5mg to 3.8mg in about 3 weeks.  I know that's too fast but I really need to get off of this drug as it's making my protracted WD symptoms much worse.  I don't know if I'd survive 10% every 4 weeks based on my first 10% drop.  The derealization, agitation, and suicidal depression that comes with each drop is insane.  I had no idea Lamictal was such a nasty drug, even at this very small dose.  Please share any advice or positive vibes. 

21 years of daily SSRI use in total...

Paxil                                                                                                                                                 1995-1998

Zoloft (50 mg)                                                                                                                                 1998-2002

Lexapro (10 mg)                                                                                                                              2002-2015    (**August 2015, Lexapro “stopped working" after near death of my 1.5 yr. old son**)

Lexapro (15/20 mg) - increasing dose only made SEs worse                                                     Nov 2015 - Mar 2016

Zoloft (25/50 mg) - made derealization worse                                                                            Mar 2016 - Jul 2016

Celexa (20 mg) - made symptoms worse                                                                                    Oct 2016 - Jan 2017

Remeron (7.5 mg) - helped me eat and sleep for 4 nights, then went bad                               Jan 2018 (stopped after 2 weeks)

Lamictal (5.0 mg) - horrific withdrawal                                                                                        Jan 2018 - Oct 2020

TODAY - 100% DRUG FREE 

(Trialed Prozac, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta - severe reaction, couldn't tolerate longer than a few days)

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Yes it is a nasty drug. I personally felt like someone was beating on my head with a hammer every time I took a drop. You are doing GREAT!!! 

If you want to PM me your real name I will place it in my own favorite prayer circle. Totally optional.

Big Hugs!!!

2002: "Situational depression" 2002-2010:Prozac.Birth Control.2011 Short trials: Paxil, Celexa, Lexipro, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Ativan- Gee, Doc never mentioned protracted AD wd syndrome. Imagine that. 2011-2015. Lamictal. Seroquel. Remiron. 2012: "Complex post traumatic stress disorder." Fast taper of Remiron jumped off June 2013. Slow tapers ever since of Seroquel & Lamictal.  crippling muscle spasms. crying fits. panic attacks. akathisia. nerve twitches. the jitters. the heebie jeebies. de-personal/realization. numbness. tingling. fatigue. lethargy. nightmares.insomnia. weird images. eye pain.vertigo. dizziness. brain zaps. and on and on and on. withdrawal? side effects? which drug? impossible to know. Stopped Seroquel October 2015.  Stopped Lamictal  March 2016. Had more severe muscle/joint spasms that paralyzed me for 3 days at a time, last episode was March 2017.Going back to work as of February 2018 after 14 years off full-time work due to the crippling effects of psych meds. Check out Robert Whittaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" for  his breakdown of the rates of mental disability  since the introduction of Prozac into the human population. Best solutions for me: Social support via AA meetings. Acupuncture. Meditation. Dance. Nature. Yoga. Social support online with psych med survivor community. Nutrition. Exercise. More outdoor time. Go sit in the sunshine for 5 minutes. Touch a tree. Breathe deeply.

 

 

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Lamictal is a very nasty drug.  I have been tapering for the past 2 1/2 years and these lower doses are tough.  I'm at 10mgs down from 200mgs.

 

I just have come out of horrible wave after pushing my taper the last two drops.   Though I too have wanted to push through this last phase, I continue to face the fact that the impact of Lamictal on my nervous system won't let me.  I chose some videos on YouTube at random and heard again how necessary it is to go slow at the lower doses due to the medication being at it's highest concentration point (my understanding and my words).  It goes against everything our bodies seem to want us to do, which is to move out of pain. 

 

I empathize with what you are going through and very much understand your frustration about the protracted wd symptoms of Lamictal.

 

I too recommend acupuncture (Acupuncture - Posts #6 & #8 - not detox or stimulation) or some kind of soothing body treatment to help calm your nervous system.  It helps a lot.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
added link to acupuncture topic

9/2013-4/2014:  After moms death, was prescribed a series of meds for short periods of time that didn't work. Zoloft, Lexapro,  Nortriptyline, Liquid Prozac, Cymbalta. 

1/2014-9/2014. Clonzapam: Given Lamictal, stopped Clonzapam at .125mgs  

1/2015-4 2017 Remeron: 41.25 -0.025mgs

7/2015-11/2018 Lamictal: 200mgs-0.05 mgs Had paradoxical reaction to Lamictal wd, broke my heart to take a benzo but wasn't sleeping. 

3/28/2019 -2/5/ 2021  Clonazapam: 0.625mgs-.00115 Med Free 

July 27th, 2022**Severe Setback due to surgery/ anesthesia. 

9/7/22-10/4/22 Trazadone 50-100mgs for sleep, 10/13/22-11/13/22 Trazadone 1 mg to stabilize

10/4/22-11/20/22 Remeron 7.5mgs (for sleep doesn't work) 11/20/22 7.3 - 12/31/22 6.3 

2023: 1/18/23 6.1 - 6/6/23 3.6  6/16 3.4  6/28 3.0 7/12 2.7  7/28 2.5 8/11 2.2 8/23 2.0  9/5 1.8  9/16 1.6  9/30 1.4  10/13 1.2  10/26 1.0  11/9 0.8  11/22 0.6  12/6 0.4  12/23 0.2.

2024 1/4/24  Remeron/Mirtazapine free 

Additional Support:  Armour Thyroid 75mgs, Magnesium Glycinate 300-500mgs,  L-theanine 

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Hibari, it sounds like it's time you took a vacation from tapering. Stay at 10mg lamotrigine for some months, then resume tapering. Congratulations on getting down so far!

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hi-

I'm on 250 mgs of lamictal and currently tapering off of Effexor. I appreciate the thoughtful, specific and sober approaches to getting off of these meds. My goal is to be med free. I already feel better and alive in a way that I forgot about. Will stay close to this forum. Thank you to everyone who contributes here. 

 

250 mgs of Lamactil from 2007 to present

Systematically tapered for 7 months off 225 mgs of Effexor 

OFF EFFEXOR COMPLETELY JULY 11, 2018

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You are not alone PollyJ and taking it step by step will get you there. 

 

9/2013-4/2014:  After moms death, was prescribed a series of meds for short periods of time that didn't work. Zoloft, Lexapro,  Nortriptyline, Liquid Prozac, Cymbalta. 

1/2014-9/2014. Clonzapam: Given Lamictal, stopped Clonzapam at .125mgs  

1/2015-4 2017 Remeron: 41.25 -0.025mgs

7/2015-11/2018 Lamictal: 200mgs-0.05 mgs Had paradoxical reaction to Lamictal wd, broke my heart to take a benzo but wasn't sleeping. 

3/28/2019 -2/5/ 2021  Clonazapam: 0.625mgs-.00115 Med Free 

July 27th, 2022**Severe Setback due to surgery/ anesthesia. 

9/7/22-10/4/22 Trazadone 50-100mgs for sleep, 10/13/22-11/13/22 Trazadone 1 mg to stabilize

10/4/22-11/20/22 Remeron 7.5mgs (for sleep doesn't work) 11/20/22 7.3 - 12/31/22 6.3 

2023: 1/18/23 6.1 - 6/6/23 3.6  6/16 3.4  6/28 3.0 7/12 2.7  7/28 2.5 8/11 2.2 8/23 2.0  9/5 1.8  9/16 1.6  9/30 1.4  10/13 1.2  10/26 1.0  11/9 0.8  11/22 0.6  12/6 0.4  12/23 0.2.

2024 1/4/24  Remeron/Mirtazapine free 

Additional Support:  Armour Thyroid 75mgs, Magnesium Glycinate 300-500mgs,  L-theanine 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi I’ve been tapering down Lamotragine from 100 mg/day for around 3 years.  I’m at 7.8 mg in oral suspension from Walgreens.  I’m tapering 0.05-0.1 mg every few weeks and maintaining a technical job and marriage. I get strong feelings of hopelessness and try to get extra sleep and not do any damage to self or others. I really want to be done but taking time to allow brain to adjust.  The suspension is 1mg/ml and I use a plastic syringe. Ps my real name is not Art.

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  • 1 month later...

Has anyone who has taken lamictal ever develop bleeding gums?  I have always had excellent oral hygiene, and never had this issue, but two weeks after starting lamictal, I notice blood everytime I brush.  I have seen anecdotal stories of gum issues, but it is not on the side effect list.

 

I also seem to have some usual facial pain (anywhere from jaw to cheekbone to eye socket).  

 

Thanks

PAST

Gabapentin:  about 6 months in 2015, 300-900 mg, cold turkeyed Sept 2015 (at same time dc'd Klonopin)

Klonopin: June 2014- Sept 2015; 1mg tapered over 6 mths, dc'd at 0.25mg, withdrawal hellish (perhaps because of concurrent dc of gabapentin)

Mirtazepine: Jumped off at 2.4 mg. (stable in 8 months).

Seroquel:  June 14 - July 24, 2016, 25 mg alternate nights; smaller doses for shorter periods. Total use about 3 months 

Lamictal: March 19, 2018 - 1 mg; March 23 - 1.25 mg; April 6 - 2mg. Discontinued at 2 mgJuly 1, 2018 due to Steven Johnson Syndrome.

 

CURRENT

Supplements: Vit D, turmeric

Naturethroid: 65 mcg for hypothyroidism

Trazodone: Oct 2015 - June 2016; 75 mg tapered over 2 mths, intense w/d after 3 weeks. Reinstatement: 07/25/16 - 25 mg; updosed 08/03/16 - 50 mg;  10/01/16-  62mg; 03/24/17 dropped to 50 mg (stable in 2.5 months)

                           Current psych meds: Trazodone 50 mg

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I've never heard of bleeding gums from Lamictal, but what do I know.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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22 hours ago, Altostrata said:

I've never heard of bleeding gums from Lamictal, but what do I know.

 

Hi Alto,  

 

Looks like I have to thank WD for the bleeding gums.  Yesterday it was gone, as is this morning.  Whether it was a lamictal start-up issue or WD, I'll never know, but I'm glad it seems to be gone.

 

Thanks for responding

PAST

Gabapentin:  about 6 months in 2015, 300-900 mg, cold turkeyed Sept 2015 (at same time dc'd Klonopin)

Klonopin: June 2014- Sept 2015; 1mg tapered over 6 mths, dc'd at 0.25mg, withdrawal hellish (perhaps because of concurrent dc of gabapentin)

Mirtazepine: Jumped off at 2.4 mg. (stable in 8 months).

Seroquel:  June 14 - July 24, 2016, 25 mg alternate nights; smaller doses for shorter periods. Total use about 3 months 

Lamictal: March 19, 2018 - 1 mg; March 23 - 1.25 mg; April 6 - 2mg. Discontinued at 2 mgJuly 1, 2018 due to Steven Johnson Syndrome.

 

CURRENT

Supplements: Vit D, turmeric

Naturethroid: 65 mcg for hypothyroidism

Trazodone: Oct 2015 - June 2016; 75 mg tapered over 2 mths, intense w/d after 3 weeks. Reinstatement: 07/25/16 - 25 mg; updosed 08/03/16 - 50 mg;  10/01/16-  62mg; 03/24/17 dropped to 50 mg (stable in 2.5 months)

                           Current psych meds: Trazodone 50 mg

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  • 9 months later...

hello, I've been tapering off of lamictal for 3 years. I have been going very, very slowly with long periods of resting from tapering in between.  I started at 100mgs and now I'm at around 37mgs.  I have also tapered completely off of Cogentin and I'm also working on tapering abilify, was at 5mgs and now i'm at 4mgs of abilify.  this has been a very challenging process.  I'm preparing to make another reduction of lamictal. I'm gathering my supports and preparing for what will come with the with drawl. I am recommitting myself to the process knowing that no matter how bad I will have to feel,  we must keep our eyes forward. better health is ahead. we must continue moving forward in the process and slowly by slowly my health will be restored. thank you for your support.

2004 -started medication and was put on many different kinds with many changes. Seroquel and Depakote.  

2007-cold abrupt stop. began Abilify

2014- abrupt stop restart Abilify.

2015- abrupt stop -- put on Abilify injection.  then Abilify oral. Lamictal. Cogentin.

2016- began slow taper of Lamictal 100mg, taper of Cogentin 10mg. taper of Abilify 5mg. 

2019- 37.5mg of Lamictal. 0 of Cogentin, 4mg of Abilify.

2020- abrupt stop began Risperidone .5mg, Rexulti 1mg, Propranolol 10mg

2021 November began taper of Risperidone .5mg to .4375mgs,December-tapered of Risperidone .4375mgs to .375mgs 

2022 January- tapered of Risperidone .375mgs to .3125mgs, February 20 -tapered Risperidone from .3125mgs to .25mgs, March 27- began transitioning for a month risperadone.25mgs tablets to liquid .25ml. May 1-taper risperidone from .25ml to .225ml. June 1- risperidone .225ml to .20ml. July 1 risperidone .20ml to .18ml.  August 8 .18ml risperidone to .16ml risperidone. September 13 .16ml risperidone to .1ml risperidone. Oct 13 .1ml risperidone to .07ml risperidone. Nov 12 .07risperidone to .05ml risperidone

2023 march 6 .o7ml risperidone

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  • 5 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

About Lamictal withdrawal:  It was Googling "Lamictal withdrawal" that led me to Gianna Kali's site Beyond Meds back in 2009, which was the first step that led me to tapering off all the psych meds. At that time she said that her "Lamictal withdrawal from hell" page was by far the most visited page on her site, and she was still saying that years later, and it may still be the case. Apparently there are a lot of people experiencing problems and looking for help.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Here is her latest, posted in 2018, lots of comments from people about Lamictal from the Furious Seasons website, probably other stuff too. I haven't read all of it. https://beyondmeds.com/2007/07/26/lamictal-comments/

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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I have read through some of these now, they aren't especially helpful for tapering, mostly just people freaking out about withdrawal. If you need confirmation that tapering Lamictal is just as problematic as tapering any other psych drug, you can get that.  But if you are here you probably already know that. 😕 

17 hours ago, Rhiannon said:

Here is her latest, posted in 2018, lots of comments from people about Lamictal from the Furious Seasons website, probably other stuff too. I haven't read all of it. https://beyondmeds.com/2007/07/26/lamictal-comments/

 

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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Rhiannon, have you seen a dose/occupancy chart for Lamotrigine?  

 

I am glad to read you are feeling better! 

My psychiatric drug history goes back, on and off, to 1999.  This is my taper chronology:

Jan. 2018:                        900 mg  Lithium                      1 mg Risperidone               250 mg Lamotrigine 

Jan. 2018:                        0 mg  Lithium*                        1 mg Risperidone               250 mg Lamotrigine 

Jan. 2019:                        0 mg Lithium                           0.625 mg Risperidone       175 mg Lamotrigine

Jan. 2020:                       0 mg Lithium                           0.260 mg Risperidone       175 mg Lamotrigine

Feb. 2021:                        0 mg Lithium                           0 mg Risperidone              175 mg Lamotrigine

August 2021                    0 mg Lithium                           0 mg Risperidone              0 mg Lamotrigine

*I had to cold turkey lithium because of life-threatening side effects.

Measuring doses: The Withdrawal Project at the Inner Compass Initiative website, which explains how to do the microtaper to make it as smooth as possible   Nutrition: The Clean Gut Diet by Alejandro Junger, MD, and Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements.  Psychological: "Dr. Bruce H. Lipton Explains How To Reprogram The Subconscious Mind" (on YouTube) and PSYCH-K (an alternative healing modality).  

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On 9/20/2019 at 12:41 PM, carefulprayerful said:

Rhiannon, have you seen a dose/occupancy chart for Lamotrigine?  

 

I am glad to read you are feeling better! 

No, the only ones I've seen are what's here on SA, I don't think there's one for lamotrigine. I tend to assume it has the same kind of curved shape as the other drugs, just based on how difficult it is to taper at lower doses anecdotally.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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I did a google images search and did not find a dose occupancy chart but did this chart: 

 

Therapeutic plasma levels in relation to dose

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059131107002452

(Scroll down.)

 

It’s roughly consistent with the dose occupancy charts for the other drugs. 

My psychiatric drug history goes back, on and off, to 1999.  This is my taper chronology:

Jan. 2018:                        900 mg  Lithium                      1 mg Risperidone               250 mg Lamotrigine 

Jan. 2018:                        0 mg  Lithium*                        1 mg Risperidone               250 mg Lamotrigine 

Jan. 2019:                        0 mg Lithium                           0.625 mg Risperidone       175 mg Lamotrigine

Jan. 2020:                       0 mg Lithium                           0.260 mg Risperidone       175 mg Lamotrigine

Feb. 2021:                        0 mg Lithium                           0 mg Risperidone              175 mg Lamotrigine

August 2021                    0 mg Lithium                           0 mg Risperidone              0 mg Lamotrigine

*I had to cold turkey lithium because of life-threatening side effects.

Measuring doses: The Withdrawal Project at the Inner Compass Initiative website, which explains how to do the microtaper to make it as smooth as possible   Nutrition: The Clean Gut Diet by Alejandro Junger, MD, and Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements.  Psychological: "Dr. Bruce H. Lipton Explains How To Reprogram The Subconscious Mind" (on YouTube) and PSYCH-K (an alternative healing modality).  

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  • 10 months later...

Hi @Rhiannon, @brassmonkeyI was hoping you could help me with my Lamictal taper. I was doing fine with reducing my dose of Lamictal by 10% every 4 weeks or more until I got to 40mg and I went into a bad wave. I updosed to 45mg Lamictal and I'm starting to stabilise again at this dose. Its been 2  weeks at 45mg and I wont taper again until I feel more stable.

 

I've decided to try micro tapering (brass monkey slide method) and have bought a jewelers scale but I'm unsure if I can taper the Lamictal tablets this way. Can I crush the tablets into powder? Once I've crushed the tablet how long can they last in gel caps for?

 

Thank you.

May 2014 - July 2015 0.5 Clonazapam (cold turkey off)

October 2014 - November 2014 took Beta Blocker Propranolol (fast taper off)

December 2014 - began 2.5mg Lexapro worked up to 30mg Lexapro over 3 months

December 2014 - 2 mg Valium started sometimes took up to 6 mg Valium

April 2015 - started 25mg Lamictal worked up to 100mg Lamictal

April 2015  - began taper 4mg Valium. Stopped Valium 

July 2015 - stopped crumb of 2mg Valium

September 2017 began taper 30mg Lexapro.

February 2018 last dose Lexapro 1.25mg

October 2020 - Began 10% taper of Lamictal Dec 2019. was going ok until tapered from 45mg - 40mg. 

September 2023 - on the 13th of September 2023 I took my last dose of Lamictal 0.1mg. Finally psych med free!!

 

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I am unfamiliar with those methods. I tapered Lamictal by dissolving it in water, a little beaker marked in 10 milliliters (?). I tossed my 25 mg tablet in there in the morning, dissolved it, discarded one unit, then 2, etc. until I got down to about 3/10th of the 25 mg then jumped off because the moon was full, a lunar eclipse, and I just couldn't take it anymore. But I had horrendous suicidal headaches for several weeks afterwards.

2002: "Situational depression" 2002-2010:Prozac.Birth Control.2011 Short trials: Paxil, Celexa, Lexipro, Wellbutrin, Xanax, Ativan- Gee, Doc never mentioned protracted AD wd syndrome. Imagine that. 2011-2015. Lamictal. Seroquel. Remiron. 2012: "Complex post traumatic stress disorder." Fast taper of Remiron jumped off June 2013. Slow tapers ever since of Seroquel & Lamictal.  crippling muscle spasms. crying fits. panic attacks. akathisia. nerve twitches. the jitters. the heebie jeebies. de-personal/realization. numbness. tingling. fatigue. lethargy. nightmares.insomnia. weird images. eye pain.vertigo. dizziness. brain zaps. and on and on and on. withdrawal? side effects? which drug? impossible to know. Stopped Seroquel October 2015.  Stopped Lamictal  March 2016. Had more severe muscle/joint spasms that paralyzed me for 3 days at a time, last episode was March 2017.Going back to work as of February 2018 after 14 years off full-time work due to the crippling effects of psych meds. Check out Robert Whittaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" for  his breakdown of the rates of mental disability  since the introduction of Prozac into the human population. Best solutions for me: Social support via AA meetings. Acupuncture. Meditation. Dance. Nature. Yoga. Social support online with psych med survivor community. Nutrition. Exercise. More outdoor time. Go sit in the sunshine for 5 minutes. Touch a tree. Breathe deeply.

 

 

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Unless it is the extended release type there should be no problem with crushing you tablets. I would continue to stabilize just as you are for a few more weeks and then try the homemade gel caps at the same dose. Some times people have a reaction to changing the form of their medication and need a few weeks with no other changes to settle in. After you've settled in on the homemade  gel caps you can start your Brassmonkey Slide.

 

The crushed material will stay good for several weeks if you keep it in a dark bottle in a cool dry place. I usually made up my capsules a week at a time, but when I was traveling I would make six weeks to two months worth and had no problems.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • 1 year later...
On 9/10/2013 at 7:49 PM, Rhiannon said:

 

I think Gia says she also had nausea when tapering Lamictal. 

 

Not surprising--these drugs disrupt so many things in so many ways that they can have paradoxical effects that don't always seem to make sense.

 

In my case I think the working nights is contributing too.  Apparently there's something about the liver having its own circadian rhythm which is slower to reset than the melatonin/pineal one.

 

But the vomiting thing has been much less of a problem once I resigned myself to the fact that I'm just not going to be able to taper Lamictal faster than maybe 2 mg a month (more like 1.5 really).

I just wanted to add my anecdotal experience with lamictal and nausea for future reference in hopes it will help someone else in the future.  I also got intense nausea with vomiting and other GI upsets (for my first 2 cuts, 1-2 days after a cut) and then more mild nausea occasionally 1-2 days after a cut.  I've been tapering for 4.5 months and this withdrawal symptom hardly happens and when it does, it's very mild.

1993- Ritalin (unsure of of Dosage 1996- Discontinued ritalin, started dexedrine (10 mgs) 1997- started Clonodine for sleep issues from dexedrine (tapered off of it around 2002)

2007- Trazadone for sleep (not sure how long I was on it, it was less than 2 years, could have been way less) 2011-  6 month taper off Dexedrine 
2015- Lamictal (250) 2015 - Seroquel, Latuda, prn gabapentin, PRN Propranolol, haldol and PRN Ativan (discontinued all (except Ativan, propranolol and gabapentin) 1-2 months after starting)

2017-Lamictal, September:  started taper down

 2018- Lamictal-  March- down to 150, decided to pause taper 2018- Gabapentin- Discontinued PRN Gabapentin in October2019- Ativan- discontinued PRN Ativan immediately

2022- Lamictal- April- started the taper again

2022- Lamictal- Currently at 40 mg (as of 4/6/23)

currently 37.5 mg (as of 5/22/23) then I paused 

- Currently taking PRN propanolol  very infrequently might consider going off of it once my lamictal taper is done 

Current supplements- Magnesium glycinate, vitamin B, pure cbd oil,Vitamin D, Ginkgo biloba, fish oil, DIM, Skullcap tincture,

Intro post: Here

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Thank you all for sharing your collective experiences and wisdom on this. some days I feel so alone in this lamictal journey--- my friends are empathetic and supportive but they don't understand the extent how slow and difficult and impactful withdrawal can be. 

 

It's really heartening to hear from people who have been through their own journey with Lamictal and have come out on the other side.

1993- Ritalin (unsure of of Dosage 1996- Discontinued ritalin, started dexedrine (10 mgs) 1997- started Clonodine for sleep issues from dexedrine (tapered off of it around 2002)

2007- Trazadone for sleep (not sure how long I was on it, it was less than 2 years, could have been way less) 2011-  6 month taper off Dexedrine 
2015- Lamictal (250) 2015 - Seroquel, Latuda, prn gabapentin, PRN Propranolol, haldol and PRN Ativan (discontinued all (except Ativan, propranolol and gabapentin) 1-2 months after starting)

2017-Lamictal, September:  started taper down

 2018- Lamictal-  March- down to 150, decided to pause taper 2018- Gabapentin- Discontinued PRN Gabapentin in October2019- Ativan- discontinued PRN Ativan immediately

2022- Lamictal- April- started the taper again

2022- Lamictal- Currently at 40 mg (as of 4/6/23)

currently 37.5 mg (as of 5/22/23) then I paused 

- Currently taking PRN propanolol  very infrequently might consider going off of it once my lamictal taper is done 

Current supplements- Magnesium glycinate, vitamin B, pure cbd oil,Vitamin D, Ginkgo biloba, fish oil, DIM, Skullcap tincture,

Intro post: Here

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  • 5 months later...

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for all the advice about using lamotrigine, it has been very helpful to me.

 

As advised by my psychiatrist, I started Lamotrigine 4 months ago to ease Efexor withdrawals and it worked well but I did notice a strange dip though in my mood lately.

 

In search for the optimal dosage I increased the Lamotrigine from 10mg to 12,5mg about 3 weeks ago. At got some side effects (brain zaps and a headache) but overall I was still ok and my nerve pain disappeared. But then after a couple of days my mood dropped quite suddenly and I felt more depressed / anxious than I've been in a while. A real uncomfortable feeling 😟

 

10mg to 12,5mg seems like a small increment, could this be the culprit? What are your experiences here?

It can be just another wave in my recovery though but it feels out of place.

 

I also started to feel a little agitated at 12,5mg, I think 10mg should probably be my maximum dosage.

 

Greetings,

Simon

* 2018 - 2020: Nortriptyline 50mg + Venlafaxine 225mg

* 2021: Nortriptyline taper 50mg to 0mg in 12 months

* 2022: Venlafaxine tapering 225 to 50mg in 4 months
--

* Diagnosis of Major Depression

* Current antidepressants: Venlafaxine 182.5mg, Nortriptyline 9mg

* Additional medication: Lamictal 10mg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had a terrible day today. Generally, when it comes to the Lamotrigine, I’ve been diluting 300mg of it in 54ml of water and removing 2ml to get 290mg.

 

I was still facing a lot of mental sludginess when doing that, so I had to try something different.

 

Yesterday, I ingested 2 x 100mg pills of Lamotrigine directly (without diluting them), and diluted 100mg in 20ml water (which gives 5mg/ml) and removed 2ml of that to get 90mg from it. So, 200mg undiluted lamotrigine + 90mg diluted lamotrigine.

 

When I woke up today, I felt unusually groggy and sleepy. I did a couple of things here and there and went back to sleep again. Then I woke up in the afternoon at like 14:15. I was feeling sickly. I kept moving around doing this and that and because I was feeling like crap, I started fearfully thinking of adverse reactions and ended up having a panic attack 15:20. My heart rate went to 150bpm. My chest was pounding and my toes became numb.

 

I had a panic attack like this once before (unrelated to me making any changes to Lamotrigine) and I ended up going to a hospital. Echocardiogram, Troponin-i, CT angiogram, ECG were all normal then.

 

The problem is, I can’t make out whether I’ve just had a panic attack now due to apprehension or whether the increased heart-rate actually has something to do with the change in the method of Lamotrigine intake.

 

Prior to 2022, I used to take 300mg Lamotrigine directly without any dilution. Just like regular pills. I didn’t have such problems. But it looks like my body has gotten used to the diluted version of the drug and hence I feel like crap now.

 

But even when using the all-pills-diluted method, my mental functionality is screwed up. I made this change hoping to get good results. Now, I’m afraid of using the 2 pills undiluted + 1 pill diluted method again today.

 

Any idea guys? I won’t consider anything you say as a substitute for medical advice. Just asking for information. In ordinary situations, I would have gone to a doctor instead of asking on a forum. I don’t want to get entangled in psychiatry again due to a transient moment of distress.

 

It’s 18:28 here now and I’m walking around, doing my stuff just fine (though I'm still a bit groggy). I do feel afraid though.

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I did not check this out earlier, but there seems to be a lot of information regarding Lamictal causing heart rhythm problems. Hard to separate what is what. Simply a run-of-the-mill panic attack or Lamotrigine related. My heart health is good otherwise.

 

I'm also thinking, if I have to switch back to solid Lamotrigine instead of diluted, I should start with 25mg solid + 265mg diluted Lamotrigine and change it that way I think. Is that a better approach?

 

Edit: Just to make a clarification in some of the info in my previous post. Except yesterday, I’ve been diluting 300mg of Lamotrigine in 54ml of water and removing 1.8* ml (not 2ml) to get 290mg.

I think I will revert back to the old method for today.

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  • 4 months later...

Is 5 mg immediete release or extended release or does it come in both? I have a prescription for this and it doesn’t say anything but cheweable tablet..

2009 Escitalopram 10mg

April 2013 got off August 2013 reinstated 

July 2015 Ketipinor 50mg (Quetiapin)

April 2021 got off Quetiapin 4w taper

May 2021 tapered off Escitalopram 

9 August 2021 back on Escitalopram 2,5mg. Down to 2 mg. Updosed to 2,2mg August 24 Down to 2mg September 2

Updosed to 3mg Sept 28 

December Still holding ❤️

June 9 2022 2,9 mg

June 19 2022 2,85 mg

December 2022 switched syringes and realized i am actually taking 3,4 mg

Supplements vitamin E 400 magnesium malate a fraction of 400, Rosita Cod liver oil

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Please ask your pharmacist.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

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On 8/21/2011 at 11:46 PM, Altostrata said:

Half-life is 25.4 to 32.8 hours.

Is this for immeditate release or for xr?

2009 Escitalopram 10mg

April 2013 got off August 2013 reinstated 

July 2015 Ketipinor 50mg (Quetiapin)

April 2021 got off Quetiapin 4w taper

May 2021 tapered off Escitalopram 

9 August 2021 back on Escitalopram 2,5mg. Down to 2 mg. Updosed to 2,2mg August 24 Down to 2mg September 2

Updosed to 3mg Sept 28 

December Still holding ❤️

June 9 2022 2,9 mg

June 19 2022 2,85 mg

December 2022 switched syringes and realized i am actually taking 3,4 mg

Supplements vitamin E 400 magnesium malate a fraction of 400, Rosita Cod liver oil

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