[shrinkingchica]

Does anyone have any experience with this drug??

I am kind of afraid of taking it because a rare side effect is a skin-eating disease. That creeped me out enough to say "no" to my psychiatrist but now I am wondering if it might be worth it to give the drug a try.

Now, I realize that everyone is different and that the meds will work for everyone differently and that your experience might not be mine, ect. But, no one has gotten that adverse side effect, have they???

[HeatherAngel]

I was on this drug from October '06 through early February '07. I can assure you, I did NOT get a flesh-eating disease, though I was just as creeped out about it as you are!!

I did have HORRIBLE side effects, however, but I don't want to scare you. As you say, it will affect everyone differently, almost certainly. I was actually prescribed Lamictal for a mis-diagnosis of bipolar disorder; I was then prescribed Seroquel to combat the effects of the Lamictal. In the end, a different psychiatrist noted the mis-diagnosis, upped the Seroquel, took me off the Lamictal and I am like a new person. In fact, without this, I wouldn't be on these boards, because I was not stable enough to be committed to losing weight (or anything else for that matter!!) before March.

I doubt this story will help you, but I am happy to discuss this further if you feel it is helpful in any way.

By the way, you are SUCH an inspiration to me - congrats on all your hard work and success thus far!

Heather

[soulnik]

I've been on Lamictal for over 2 years and it's been a WONDER DRUG for me. The skin thing is not any kind of flesh eating disease (that I've heard of) but is a rash that people call the "Lamictal Rash." It IS rare but serious. Your doctor should have you start taking it VERY, VERY slowly. It took me about 8 weeks just to get up to the thereputic dosage and then from there another 4 weeks to get to a dosage that worked well for me. I've had to adjust a few times since then.

I've suffered from chronic, severe depression since high school (I'm 34 now) and have been on and off meds since my early 20's. I've never been on any med that's a cure but this one (combined with Topamax) has kept me more or less stable for the past 2 years. I still have bouts of depression but definately not nearly as severe they COULD be. You gotta weigh the risks vs. the possible advantages.

I am SUPER obsessive about researching meds (had a bad experience with a stupid doctor once). There is a lot of good info online about Lamictal. Remember it's the internet so view it all with a cautious eye and don't consider any of it real medical advice (even from people who say they're doctors). One site I like is crazymeds.com. Another, where people talk about their experience with meds, is dr-bob.org.

[Erin Jayne]

I was a mess before I got some psychiatric help and Lamictal has made me a functioning person when combined with Elavil. But I just did get up to my dose of 200 mg of Lamictal per day and in a month and a half I've gained about 10 pounds. I am not sure exactly which med is causing it but I wonder if anyone else experienced this with Lamictal. 7 pounds were added in one week! I know I have a problem with overeating but that's ridiculous.

[squishy1]

I've been taking Lamictal for a few years now and it is AMAZING. I've had the best results on it. I went through just about every antidepressant out there and just about every psychiatrist in my area before I was correctly diagnosed as bipolar. Then I was prescribed Lamictal and I've been darn near perfect ever since. It really has worked wonders for me. I've never had any side effects at all, only super great results!
I didn't experience any weight gain or anything. It actually helps with weight loss for me, because being bipolar makes it hard to stick to things and stuff and the Lamictal keeps it under control so I can stick to routines and all that.

[mccrew_the_jew]

Ditto on the above posts.

I've been on 300+ mg of Lamictal for a while now (treating bipolar disorder), and it has worked wonders. I have never had any adverse effects... as was mentioned above, the whole rash issue is very serious but also very rare, and is really the only serious side effect to speak of.

I also saw someone mention weight gain... I don't think this was caused by the Lamictal (perhaps it was the other medication?) because I very explicitly told my doctor that I refused to take anything that would cause me to gain weight, that would only make me more miserable. He assured me that this is not a side effect of Lamictal.

I would say go for it, all the way. You are started on a very small dose (it greatly lowers the risk of getting the rash), but don't give up... once you're on 50-100 mg, you start to notice a difference.

Hope that helps!

-SJ

[shrinkingchica]

Thanks so much for your replies!
It has really eased my fears. And, I did do a bit of research on it (thanks soulnik for the suggestion/reminder).
I am going to bring it up again next time I see my doc.