[Emm Lura]

Has anyone tried lamictal and had any bad side effects? I've been doing a little online research on it and most of the sites say the same thing. The only thing I haven't seen was short term memory loss or not being able to concentrate. Is this normal? I'm feeling a little weird and groggy out of it. I know it probably takes a little while to fully kick in, but I was just wondering if this was normal.

[J_9]

How long have you been taking it?

[Emm Lura]

How long have you been taking it?

This will only be my third day. This morning when I woke up and got ready for work I kind of felt like I was in a dream. I kept zoning out when I was driving too. I mean I was aware of everything that was going on around me but honestly I only remember bits and pieces of it. It's kind of hard to explain really but the symptoms worry me a bit. I go to the counselor on the 20th (which is actually my 20th birthday lol) and hopefully I'll be over the beginning symptoms by then and be a little more used to it.

(By the way, that little tiny paragraph just took me about a half an hour to write, I kept forgetting what I said and I repeated myself a few times so I had to delete a lot of it.)

[KBC]

Have you tried to look for the side effects listed with this medication?

I will chat more with you about my experience with it, if it would help, I only ask that you keep an open mind and understand it will be MY opinion,not necessarily what you will go through.

[J_9]

You are only on your third day. While I understand that they side-effects are concerning you, it takes approximately 4 - 6 weeks to achieve therapeutic relief. Which basically means over the next 4 - 6 weeks these side-effects will diminish.

You should take care when driving or involved in hazardous activities until you reach the therapeutic level.

[quiltjoe]

Has anyone tried lamictal and had any bad side effects? I've been doing a little online research on it and most of the sites say the same thing. The only thing I haven't seen was short term memory loss or not being able to concentrate. Is this normal? I'm feeling a little weird and groggy out of it. I know it probably takes a little while to fully kick in, but I was just wondering if this was normal.

I also am bipolar II. I tried lamictal last summer and was sick all summer. Fatigued and confusion. I say tell your doc and get off it.
quiltjoe

[Emm Lura]

You are only on your third day. While I understand that they side-effects are concerning you, it takes approximately 4 - 6 weeks to achieve therapeutic relief. Which basically means over the next 4 - 6 weeks these side-effects will diminish.

You should take care when driving or involved in hazardous activities until you reach the therapeutic level.

Thank you but I had no idea it took that long. Ha, no wonder I've been feeling so weird. :D Well I've been dealing with this for as long as I can remember so a few more weeks will be fine. I think it's the worst when I first wake up because I take it right before bed. Maybe if I take it about two hours before I hit the sack I'll feel better when I wake up.

[Emm Lura]

I also am bipolar II. I tried lamictal last summer and was sick all summer. Fatigued and confusion. I say tell your doc and get off it.
quiltjoe

And this was even with the ramp-up pack where you start with 25mg a day and then work your way up to 50 and then to 100? What are you taking now?

[quiltjoe]

My doc was perscribing it on a rampped-up schedule. It just wasn't for me. Now I'm on lithium and effexor, the combination seems to work OK.

[J_9]

Remember, not every medication is for every person. Sometimes finding the right med or the right combo can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

It takes time perserverence and commitment to finding what works right for you.

[Emm Lura]

Well patience has never been a real strong suit of mine, but I HATE being like this. It's terrible not having any control over my emotions and if that means digging in that haystack for years that's what I'll do to not be on this roller coaster for the rest of my life. Also, the yucky side effects are diminishing since my body is getting used to the new chemicals. :D

[KBC]

Emm, I am having a rough time with my meds right now also.

Patience is a hard learned trait, I know that for sure... :)

I wonder if this all comes from the water in your area( I grew up in Cincinnati area... )

JUST KIDDING... :p

ANYWAY, for being on the roller coaster, yeah, its just for today, you might not need these medications forever, then again, you might! Keep the open mind about this. Besides, what else do you have to do but get better, it could be worse, you might have never found a treatment for what your going through and be stuck like you were.

Hope you feel better soon, and keep writing in here, I for one, would like to hear from you to see how you are doing when you stabilize.

Ken

[Emm Lura]

I wish they had something that I could take when I do have a swing because I get so tempted to take my pill for the day and it'll only be at like noon. (I take them around 9pm or so) Life has been very full of stress lately. My car is driving me crazy. It keeps breaking down while I am driving and it's making a clicking sound that it so loud I have a migrane by the time I get to work. Thank goodness I'm going to get a new car tomorrow. Also, I am the sales manager at my store and one of my employees just quit. I had to come in early and now with my other employee on vacation I'm working my butt off! I'm also in the process of moving into another apartment and I have to be out of mine by the 20th (which is my birthday).

All these things and quite a few more that I won't bore you all with are just adding up and sometimes I just wish I could handle it better. I like to think that I am a strong young lady because of all the things I've been through in the past. My mother is an alcoholic and a crack addict (also she was a very violent bipoar type). My father is also an alcoholic and was never there for me, him living in Ohio and me in Florida all my life. I have forgiven both of them for the hard times I have endured and now I live close to my father that I used to refer to as the "dead beat."

Forgiveness is a very hard thing to do to those who have scarred you for life and made it so hard for you to open up and love someone again. I feel that I am a strong person for doing this. But, sometimes I feel like I'm so weak and I cry and cry over nothing. My life is so overwhelming sometimes that it likes to get the best of me.

I know I'm rambling and I am sorry. I guess I just needed to get some of that off my chest. I never really open up to anyone and tell them my story. I feel like they will just turn running because they will think I've got too much baggage. (It's happened before) I can't talk to my fiancé about a lot of things because he doesn't understand. He's had as close as you can possibly get to a perfect life. Wealthy happy family so full of love it almost makes me sick with jealousy.

Okay there I go again. Ha ha sorry. I'll keep you posted on this and hopefully I'll start feeling more of the actual medicine and less of the side effects soon.

Thank you for taking the time for reading this, it really means a lot.

[Emm Lura]

Thank you, you definitely just made my day a bit better. :D

[KBC]

Emm,

Your post is EXACTLY what I use this site for, its kind of a written journal, but for all to see, can't keep it hidden when its posted:)

Don't need to apologist for anything, let it out.Who is judging you? YOU?:p

I believe your on the right track,(even if you can't express yourself to the significant other yet)You will soon enough.

As to the long term resentment for the father, I am one who was looked at,by my son anyway, as the deadbeat also,(long story short, His mother restricted our life after the divorce)My daughter is with me,having seen the addictive behavior of her mother and wanting a better life( even with this emotionally unstable deadbeat... lol)She is on her way to a happy future,2 jobs... bad car... just turned 21,Hmmm...

Look inside for the happiness you make for yourself, not what you perceive others to have, some of those 'other peoples' happiness is just smoke in the wind,(My family can seem quite happy and functional to the outside world, while we might be in bad turmoil inside closed doors)I say that because of your views about his family, It isn't always greener... but you never know...


Anyway, Good luck with the job,new car,and meds, Keep us appraised,

Ken

[KBC]

Hi, Has the side effects calmed down for you a little now?

Just thought I would check in and see, let me know will you?

Ken

[Emm Lura]

Yeah they have but I'm scared that they will come back as soon as I start the 50 mg. I do have a TERRIBLE headache though but that might be from the stuff they used to teflon-ize my car inside and out. Haha. It probably is. Or it might be because I took my meds around midnight because that's when I finally got home to do it. (Busy day... got my car and was moving into my new apartment and all that good stuff)

[KBC]

That sounds exciting,Car/Moving.

Remember,always take the meds at a regular time( mine are 6 and 6,its easier to remember that way:))

Yeah, headaches happened for me too, might just be getting acclimated to them.

Hope the new place is all you hope it will be.

Ken

[Emm Lura]

I stayed there last night with Ry. It was great. I fell right asleep (AT THREE AM!! I hate moving ha ha)

It is just hard to take them at the same time every day because sometimes I work nights and sometimes I work during the day. :(

Oh well I'm getting a little more used to it.

Thank You for your concern and your continued support. It really means a lot.

[KBC]

Always makes me smile when I see you write back, each post is more and more alive!

Wish you the best.

Stay away from too much work, look for balance in your life, you have got a lot of it ahead of you:)

Ken