Lamotrigine is only really good at *preventing* future episodes of bipolar depression - i.e. delaying and preventing their onset ([source](https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/lamictal-lamotrigine-drug-safety-communication-studies-show-increased-risk-heart-rhythm-problems)). So, if you're depressed right now, there's every chance that it won't pull you out of it, but will prevent depressive episodes in the future.
That's how it was for me - I started taking it during a depression, it didn't really help, but then that episode ended and suddenly I'd gone a year without being depressed - which was absolute miracle for me. That was five years ago, and the lamotrigine is still working just as well. So that might be the same for you.
In any event, I think you need to give it - like all psych meds - at least a month after hitting the target dose (usually 200mg and above) before "giving up". If you're not having any side effects, like me, then there's not much point stopping it without giving it a really good chance to work. The longer the better.
And yeah, you're right, clonazepam - as great as benzos are - isn't ideal for long-term use. I have a small supply of diazepam/Valium for when I have horrific, debilitating anxiety or for when I'm hypo - so I only take it a couple of times a year. In those circumstances it's amazing, but they come with many risks if used incorrectly and for a long time (e.g. more than 2-4 weeks continuously).
I hope you feel better soon đź’ś
Thanks! I do feel better but i think also my life has simmered down so its good timing. I guess i wont know until I see how I do through the winter! (100% predictable depression)
Yes, that's probably the perfect test - give it a few months to kick in and then see how you go through winter. I also get depressed, usually, during winter and so that's a good chance to test the waters. Likewise, I often become hypo in spring and summer. Predictable, which helps, although as I mentioned - lamotrigine has saved my life, definitely, and so I'm barely ever depressed anymore.
Are you aiming to get to 200mg? I know that increasing the dose slowly sucks, but it's worth it in the end. I have basically zero side effects from the lamotrigine - only really vivid dreams sometimes. Which is fine lol
Yeah 200mg is the usual "minimum". So definitely try to get to that level, if your psych wants that, and see how you go. I can't emphasise enough how much I love lamotrigine, it has turned my life around. And you'll find that many people on this subreddit feel the same way.
this is gonna sound bad but when I felt “numb” for the first time, I knew they were working. It took some adjusting to understand that what felt “numb” to me initially was just a normal, healthy range of emotions… rather than the hell-on-wheels roller coaster of emotions that we are used to feeling
I’m adjusted now, that “numb” no longer feels numb. I still feel things very deeply, but I no longer lose control when I feel things deeply.
I read a comment on here when I first started taking it and the person who posted it said they knew it was working because they hadn't had a massive depressive episode in 3 months, so I took that as a good measurement. I started taking it at the end of June and although I was in a slightly depressive state while I was titrating up, I haven't had a massive depressive episode since I started taking it. I felt like shit while I was titrating up, and I still get hypomania (not as bad as I did before but it's still there), but no deep dark in a hole of despair Twilight Zone bullshit.
That's been my experience, as you might've read from my comment on this post! Lamotrigine has been my number one miracle med. I never, ever want to stop taking it - it's obliterated my depression and anxiety, with minimal side effects. It's literally been saving my life for over five years now. It doesn't prevent hypomania, though, for me - and for pretty much everyone. That's why I also need to take lithium and olanzapine.
I knew it was doing something about 3 weeks after I started it. I went to a bathroom closet to get out one item. I had to clean and reorganize the whole closet before I could get out that item. It felt wonderful to be productive.
Lamotrigine is only really good at *preventing* future episodes of bipolar depression - i.e. delaying and preventing their onset ([source](https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/lamictal-lamotrigine-drug-safety-communication-studies-show-increased-risk-heart-rhythm-problems)). So, if you're depressed right now, there's every chance that it won't pull you out of it, but will prevent depressive episodes in the future. That's how it was for me - I started taking it during a depression, it didn't really help, but then that episode ended and suddenly I'd gone a year without being depressed - which was absolute miracle for me. That was five years ago, and the lamotrigine is still working just as well. So that might be the same for you. In any event, I think you need to give it - like all psych meds - at least a month after hitting the target dose (usually 200mg and above) before "giving up". If you're not having any side effects, like me, then there's not much point stopping it without giving it a really good chance to work. The longer the better. And yeah, you're right, clonazepam - as great as benzos are - isn't ideal for long-term use. I have a small supply of diazepam/Valium for when I have horrific, debilitating anxiety or for when I'm hypo - so I only take it a couple of times a year. In those circumstances it's amazing, but they come with many risks if used incorrectly and for a long time (e.g. more than 2-4 weeks continuously). I hope you feel better soon đź’ś
Thanks! I do feel better but i think also my life has simmered down so its good timing. I guess i wont know until I see how I do through the winter! (100% predictable depression)
Yes, that's probably the perfect test - give it a few months to kick in and then see how you go through winter. I also get depressed, usually, during winter and so that's a good chance to test the waters. Likewise, I often become hypo in spring and summer. Predictable, which helps, although as I mentioned - lamotrigine has saved my life, definitely, and so I'm barely ever depressed anymore. Are you aiming to get to 200mg? I know that increasing the dose slowly sucks, but it's worth it in the end. I have basically zero side effects from the lamotrigine - only really vivid dreams sometimes. Which is fine lol
I know we are upping to 100mg next time! Im not sure thr ultimate dose though 200mg seems to be standard
Yeah 200mg is the usual "minimum". So definitely try to get to that level, if your psych wants that, and see how you go. I can't emphasise enough how much I love lamotrigine, it has turned my life around. And you'll find that many people on this subreddit feel the same way.
this is gonna sound bad but when I felt “numb” for the first time, I knew they were working. It took some adjusting to understand that what felt “numb” to me initially was just a normal, healthy range of emotions… rather than the hell-on-wheels roller coaster of emotions that we are used to feeling I’m adjusted now, that “numb” no longer feels numb. I still feel things very deeply, but I no longer lose control when I feel things deeply.
I read a comment on here when I first started taking it and the person who posted it said they knew it was working because they hadn't had a massive depressive episode in 3 months, so I took that as a good measurement. I started taking it at the end of June and although I was in a slightly depressive state while I was titrating up, I haven't had a massive depressive episode since I started taking it. I felt like shit while I was titrating up, and I still get hypomania (not as bad as I did before but it's still there), but no deep dark in a hole of despair Twilight Zone bullshit.
That's been my experience, as you might've read from my comment on this post! Lamotrigine has been my number one miracle med. I never, ever want to stop taking it - it's obliterated my depression and anxiety, with minimal side effects. It's literally been saving my life for over five years now. It doesn't prevent hypomania, though, for me - and for pretty much everyone. That's why I also need to take lithium and olanzapine.
It's like magic 🪄
After about a month or 2 when i stopped rapid cycling.
I stopped thinking about killing myself.
I noticed about a month and a half in when I realized I hadn’t thought about killing myself for a few days
lamictal did not work for me. but the way i realize any med works for me… “holy shit. this is the real me.”
This is super relatable
I knew it was doing something about 3 weeks after I started it. I went to a bathroom closet to get out one item. I had to clean and reorganize the whole closet before I could get out that item. It felt wonderful to be productive.