IhateWesternMeds: Please help me. i need to taper off of last 25 mg of lamictal

[IhateWesternMeds]

I'm at my wits end. I can't seem to drop below 25 mg of Lamictal without feeling very sick and diving into intense depression/low mood and my brain begins to feel like it's vibrating and I can't handle the slightest issue. I've even tried the pediatric dose of 5mg combined to equal 20 mg so as to help and that was too much. I can't deal with this. Please provide feedback. Please, somebody help me. This medicine makes me feel awful every day when it wears off. Every night I feel sick. Every single night! And, I cannot add an antidepressant or I develop serotonin syndrome, or at least the symptoms if it - which is horrendous ( yes, it's actually worse than my end of daily

day fatigue and flu-like feeling). I feel stuck on this Lamictal!

 

There has to be a way off of this!

 

Thank you.

[Fresh]

Hello  Ihate westernmeds  , welcome to SA.   You've landed in just the right place and will find loads of information on this site.

 

I'm not sure how lamictal fits in , but there's a comprehensive section on Tapering  that may be helpful. One thread is called "My celexa-lamictal Taper Nightmare".   Others who have experience with this med. will be able to advise you or you can contact them.

 

Sorry you're in such a rough place.    You're in good company here.

 

Best wishes   ,   Fresh

[Wildflower0214]

My guess would be that you may be attempting to taper too quickly. There is some good information about tapering here which suggests dropping by 10% of your current dose. If you are cutting 5 mg from 25 mg you are attempting a 20% decrease. It sounds like this may be too fast for your body to adjust.

 

I'm sure a mod will be along soon to help further. Welcome.

[Petunia]

Welcome IHWM,

 

I'm sorry you've been having problems with reducing Lamictal and as Fresh mentioned, you have come to the right place for help.  When you say you feel sick every night, do you mean nausea? Are you having any other symptoms?

 

What dose have you tapered from and how have you been tapering so far?  Are you taking any other drugs?

 

It sounds like you have been reducing too fast.  We generally suggest tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising.  Please carefully read through this topic with information specific to tapering off Lamictal:

Tips for tapering off Lamictal (lamotrigine)

 

Once you get back to us with more details about your drug history and situation, we will be in a better position to offer support and suggestions.

 

Petunia

[Rhiannon]

Have you come down to the 25 mg from a higher dose? What was the highest dose you were at, and when were you at that dose, and how fast did you come down to the 25 mg? Are you taking any other meds or supplements?

 

I've been tapering Lamictal for many years now (along with my other meds) and it's really a bear for me. I taper it 1 mg at a time, but when I get to 25 mg I will probably be tapering by 1/2 mg.

 

Lamictal's a funny one, some people find it easy to get off, others find it horrific. Gianna Kali of the website Beyond Meds says that her page Lamictal Taper From Hell has gotten more hits than any of her other pages from the day she put it up. (It was searching for Lamictal withdrawal that led me to that page, which actually is what led me to the whole tapering adventure I'm on now).

 

And unfortunately it doesn't seem to be unusual for people to get to a place where they feel bad when they take it but way worse when they don't. I've been lucky so far with that, but I'm doing an exceptionally slow taper.

 

If you're going to hang out here, it would be helpful if you could put your psych med history in your sig line, like this:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

Include other meds you have taken or are taking, and meds you've come off, and how fast. Your past history on pretty much any psych drug has a big impact on how things go down the road with pretty much any psych drug, as it turns out.

 

I highly recommend looking around the site and reading the topics pinned at the tops of pages and following the links in those topics. We have a huge amount of information and experience here, there's a lot to learn.

 

Basically, my guess is that you have tapered down too fast and it's catching up with you at the lower doses, which is a big chunk of why you're feeling so crappy right now. (There's a lag time effect with reducing these drugs.) Plus you've been trying to get off that 25 mg too fast, and you've gone up and down on your dose, which causes a destabilizing effect, which just makes us feel even sicker.

 

Anyway, welcome to the forum, and hopefully what we can offer will be what you need.

 

PS:  HIGHLY recommend reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker, before you talk to your doctor about this or any other psych drug again. Also, check out the website "cepuk.org".

[Altostrata]

Welcome, IHWM.

 

Lamotrigine is sometimes dosed twice a day. This might help you.

 

Do you still have your 20mg and 5mg tablets? You could gradually move taking the 5mg tablet an hour or two later for a few days until you're taking the doses 12 hours apart.

 

With a liquid, you can gradually reduce the 20mg dose by 10% or less per month to start, and see how that works for you.