I have been taking Lamictal for 3 years now and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It was amazing how well it stabilized my moods! It made me feel more normal than I had in years. I have nothing to compare it to though since it was the first drug we tried.

I went without it for about 2 weeks once when I didn't have the money for my Rx and I noticed the difference within a few days. And I was no fun to be around. Even I didn't want to be around myself!

I swear by it but I know everyone is different and is affected differently by meds. Good luck if you go ahead!

I take Lamictal also and have been slowing increasing my levels (I'm highly sensitive to meds and severly allegic to a few) and I have been very pleased with the results. The only side effects I have noticed are head aches.

I also take other medications for depression and anxiety but really like the Lamictal for the mood stablizing factor. I haven't had any manic episodes at all.

I have been on medications for many, many years now and have to change frequently but so far so good (about 6 months) now on this particular drug. Hope this helps.

its been a life saver for me but personally it does nothing for an elevated mood... I take seroquel and abilify to help with that.. it really really helps with the depression... not heard of it triggering mania tho

Good luck with it

A lifesaver for me as well, I take it with Abilify to balance out the mania and agitation, the combo works like a charm for me.

That's true. It's generally considered better for depression than mania. That's why I took it with lithium, which is great for mania. Are you taking it alone? And are you BP-1 or 2? They will sometimes put BP-2 people on it alone, but not often BP-1ers.

I like it and I have been on it for a year. I also take antidepressants and Abilify (anti-psychotic) for mania and irritability. The work great together and the Lamictal evens out your mood. Hugs

I have been recently(within the past week) put on limictal as the mood stabilizer and luvox as my antidepressant. I tend to be on the depressive side of things(with only 1 known manic episode),which i believe is bipolar 2, however I am questioning if I am in some kind of mixed state right now.....not too sure so I have to wait until I talk to my psychiatrist next. I am suffering a great deal and am awaiting a bed opening in the local hospital under my psychiatrists care. Thanks for all the replies!

I have been on Lamictal for (and pardon me; it's all been a medication-chaning blur) a few months now and I am up to 450 mg and i feel better. A lot less rage, but a more heightened sense of my depression and OCD. The other day, I accidentally took twice my dose, and TRUST ME, you do not want to do that. It was the most frightening thing i have been through. My hubbie says he sees no difference, but he always sees everything as anger if it's not a feeling to his benefit. That being said, there are side-effects to everything you take. Some good, some bad. Weigh out the differences and that is the best choice. I am on 5 different meds currently, but Lamictal is, by far, the best. I take a lot of sleep meds and other things to smooth out the rage i feel. (I can feel it coming when I start to feel like i can take on anything)
Do Not go to web MD fro your info, I warn you.
I work in human research, and that is the one place you never go to get info.

I was on Lamictal for about four years and on about 450 mg.. I do not find that it worked for my rapid cycling and seemed to lose efficacy during the past year or so. It did help with the depression - to keep it from getting disabling, because when I went off, I got extremely severely depressed. But it was not worth the migraines it was causing me and some other problems with tooth decay and me feeling sick to my stomach every morning. It's like it got toxic for me, even when I cut down to a lower dose. I think I was on it too long and too high of a dose. It seems to work for a lot of people, however and apart from what I have described, the initial and longer term side effects were really seemingly non-existent until I figured out what it was doing that I thought was coming from somewhere else.

I wanted to say that I can't prove my tooth decay was due to lamictal but I saw something about it online and I can't figure out why I had so much tooth decay in one year or so when I don't eat sugar and take care of my teeth. But I am also older (43) and I just think this med is too much for me as a female. So don't let that scare you. It's my own conclusion based on what I noticed and read that I had not read about before when I started the med. I read it can happen to a small percentage of people. But then you can read something else, etc. ad nauseum.....

Took Lamictal and no did nothing for the highs, which is my main problem. So back to Lithium, however like most I use both with a anti-deppressent, and something for anxiety.

I also heard you say you have been on it for two weeks, almost no stabilizer or anti deppressant works that fast. you need to give it like 3-5 weeks.

As for Lamictal It was nice for the lows.

have found lamictal to be very effective in treating depressive side of bp