I was prescribed Lamictal for my bipolar disorder. I have severe mood swings which is referred to as mood cycling. Lamictal is a mood stabilizer that takes the edge off of the manic or hyper phase of bipolar and makes the depression phase less intense. Here’s the side effects I am experiencing now that I have quadrupled my Lamictal dosage.
I have been on Lamictal for a 29 days. During the first two weeks on Lamictal you take 25 milligrams. The next two weeks, you take 50 milligrams. Week five, you take a whopping 100 milligrams of Lamictal. This period of dosage adjustment is called titration. Increasing your Lamictal dosage too quickly can result in unbearable side effects.
I noticed an immediate effect after taking my first Lamictal dose. I felt sort of dumb because I couldn’t remember anything and had trouble putting my thoughts into words. After increasing to 50 milligrams in week three, I began getting migraine headaches, but my moods were definitely beginning to level out a bit. Today was m my first 100 milligram dose and I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about the new side effects that I would experience.
The 100 milligram pill is intimidating in size alone. I have noticed a drastic difference with my first dosage increase, and 100 milligrams of Lamictal is four times my original dose! I have heard some side effect horror stories of intense rashes and unbearable headaches that come with the increased dosage of Lamictal. I also knew, however, that once you get the appropriate dose of Lamictal, your mood improves drastically!
After my first 100 milligram dose of Lamictal, I felt sort of dizzy and nauseous. I felt high, plain and simple. A car could have crashed through my living room and I wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow. Stress doesn’t really effect me the way it used to. I used to get really depressed or angry for no reason. My emotions would cycle out of control throughout the day. Now I am mellow and calm while feeling pretty content.
The mood that I have noticed being a recurring problem is depression. Bipolar lets me know that it is still there by causing me to cry out of nowhere. I know that I am still getting used to Lamictal and will keep increasing my dosage until my mood stabilizes, but I didn’t expect my depression to keep coming back. Now that I have increased my dose, I am hoping to say goodbye to the depression for good. It’s too early to say for sure, but keeping my bipolar stabilized will take time.
Lamictal side effects range from scrambled thinking to insane rashes, but with regular communication with your doctor these side effects can be alleviated. I haven’t really noticed a big change in side effects from Lamictal now that I am on the 100 milligram dose. I didn’t get a headache like I usually do after taking it, though. That’s a plus and I hope my Lamictal induced headaches go away for good.
The benefits of Lamictal heavily outweigh the side effects. I suggest to anyone just starting Lamictal to keep taking this medication and keep your doctor up to date with your progress. Your body will have to adjust to Lamictal just like it does with any medication. Having your life back to normal is possible with Lamictal. Keep this in mind if you get discouraged by the Lamictal side effects.
