When I initially started Lamictal, it made me hypomanic. Reading your post, I wonder if perhaps it is having the same effect on you. In my case, I stabilized after a couple of weeks at 100 mg and have been on the medication for almost 11 years. However, I would encourage you to speak with your doctor, especially if you continue to experience rapid speech/lack of focus/difficulty sleeping. Wishing you the best!

It wound me up as well.... Are you discussing with your doctor what's going on in your life??

That'll be how you find stability on a med..... xo

Man, it just sucks medicine hopping and all the side effects and changes. Im going to see how i feel when i increase. But i have an app with him next month to see how everything is going.

I haven't been prescribed Lamictal. It's an anticonvulsant and a popular bipolar medication, so I thought it would help prevent hypomania and mania? It seems to cause it… I'm now concerned about BP meds because it seems they could make me worse. The Flexeril muscle relaxant I was taking when added with the serotonin I get from light therapy, mirtazapine, and Paxil cause me to develop a moderate case of serotonin syndrome. I was thinking of switching muscle relaxants from Flexeril to Skelaxin, but it can also because serotonin syndrome! Anyone have experience with various muscle relaxants with BP 2?

On an 'edge' Pretty...perhaps a call to pdoc now....wouldn't want a 'sprained ankle' in those high heeled shoes with 'pink' eye shadow. Rapid speech and hopping subject....could?

Well, thanks for all your comments. The medicine lamictal is a mood stabilizer. It leans more and seems to help more with depression. Some meds do that. Like abilify is very effective in getting rid of bipolars mania. And lamictal is good more for depression so I could see where it would cause mania. Its just, hypomania doesnt sound all that bad. Like, i see where it could get bad if it turned into mania then full blown psychosis but if it doesnt reach that far is it thay awful?

For me with BP 2, hypomania can make me feel a bit euphoric or irritable. It can lead me to do a bit more online shopping than I should. It also makes me goal-directed and looking at further education programs to do online. Then the next day when I'm not hypomanic reality hits and I know taking online courses will not completely be hands-free so I don't want to do it. Also, I have enough certificates and degrees. Furthermore, I can't work so what's the point. I will be 51 in September and my husband's going to retire in less than 4 years so hopefully by then I'll be more stable physically and mentally so we can travel. So, I find hypomania to be usually harmless but it can be embarrassing when I have acted a bit too humorously and loudly and fast talking at family get-togethers. I find stress and too much light therapy or other serotonin increasing meds to trigger my hypomania. 6 and

Maul, i also show those traits. I legit keep a full schedule or else i feel incomplete and like find myself searching for something anything. I have two jobs, fantastic two kids, an absolute amazing husband but i still make lists upon lists upon list of stuff to do when i get home or at work. I legit have to stop, slow down and chill and stick to one thing, complete it, then move to the next or else im a whirlwind, a unstoppable tornado. I do a lot of talking and sharing also. I usually dont get to embarrassed unless i say something inappropriate at work. I mean, not being a perve, but maybe that i wouldnt of said or shared with certain people. So, you still get hypomania. What medicine do you take? Im bipolar 1 so i skyrocket into oblivion sometimes like with out my meds or on the wrong meds.

I can't think of much to say except be patient. Learning to be still and relax is much more valuable than most people realise. If I decide anything now I will usually wait a few days before changing or doing anything because so many ideas just come and go like the wind.

Thank you for that advice. Im literally learning eceryday my symptoms, self control, regulation nd so much more. Its hard but in the long run, it will help much damage from being done.

So, we've not officially met, as I was in the hospital dealing with some medical stuff when you came on the Board.

I've been BiPolar for 30 years, I've also worked in the Mental Health field and still Volunteer in this field.

I'm going off what you've said in both of your Posts. You have a new DX of BiPolar 1, which means your Pdoc agrees you go more towards the Manic Pole with some Depression...

Lamictal is an Anti-Seizure medication. You'll find on this site most of us refer to our meds as what they are, yes they are off-label Mood Stabilizers, but are generally from 2 classes of meds, Anti-Seizure and Anti-Psychotics. Lithium is the only actual Mood Stabilizer and its a mineral.

When you have BiPolar I, if your Mood Stabilizing med is ramping you up, that can be a bad thing. If it continues you need to talk to your Pdoc about it.
The goal for treatment and management of this Disorder is to reach stability...and you don't sound like you're at a stable point yet. You sound like you're going 100 mph and never stop and not because you particularly enjoy it, but because you don't want to let the crash happen if you try to make the "hamster wheel" stop.

I'm very familiar with that concept. I was married for 25 years, spent 12 years in University, raised 2 sons and have had a Professional career since I was 20. I've also been BiPolar for 30 years, and have other medical crap to deal with. My brain tends to stay in hamster wheel mode unless I consciously calm it down, I've learned to do that with various therapies and coping skills. I've been on meds every day for 30 years, currently on a maintenance cocktail because I'm stable for 9 years now.

You asked, "...hypomania doesnt sound all that bad....is it thay awful?" Firstly, most BiPolars don't have Psychosis with their Manic Eps. But staying Hypomanic, yes it is that awful. The human body/brain is not meant to go at warp speed constantly, never wanting to shut down, always keeping busy, not letting your mind rest. Then there's the problem of most people don't realize when Hypomania turns into full blown Mania until your hip deep into it and having to do damage control to get back out of it. A lot of bad and stupid things can be accomplished when your Manic. That whole part of your brain that controls reasoning/responsibility/morals just says, "screw it I'm out, go f*ck your life." Getting back from that is not easy. And you have kids and a husband to consider, not just you.

Soooo....if the Lamictal doesn't calm down in the next week or 2 at the most, I'd meet with your Pdoc and see what he thinks. Learning Breathing and Relaxation therapies can be a big help as well as many other coping skills to deal with daily stress and the BiPolar symptoms. Managing this Disorder is a lot more than just meds, and the more you manage it and your life around it, the better the meds work and the less different types of meds you have to deal with.

Kat

Thank you for taking the time to look through my posts. Thats cool you got experience in the mental health field. With my degree and also working if the mental health field, I cant help but feeling somewhat of a hypocrite sometimes. Goofy I know. Is anyone familiar with what Clubhouse International does for people with mental disorders or familiar with what it is even? Both my jobs are within the same field but sort of different areas. What sort of work did you do for the field? Sorry, (i guess I shouldnt apologize buttt) when I signed up for this website, I had decided I was always going to be brutally honest with all that I put in relation to my bipolar 1 as I think it makes the results I get more effective, honest and relatable. Also, i may share something that someone relates to that they may not be able to share themselves. With that being said, I understand the consequences of hypomania amd the stages that come next. It is a fairly new diagnosis compared to many on here but I like to believe I am well educated in the area also being in the field working and my degree is in the field. Its is a diagnosis of about 4 years now it just has recently been affecting my life with change of meds, moods and ect. I love learning and a firm lover of new knowledge. So, I enjoy the feedback from others, sharing opinions, experiences and knowledge.
Now, as for lamictal, I plan on talking to my doctor Monday as now ive required a rash on top of both my legs. I know the rash is rare but I have one. In my 26 short yrs of life I do not remember having one rash in my life and day 7 or 8 of Lamictal(that has a history of it, black label on it) I get a rash. I have started creams, unscented and un everything body wash, teetree oil, special lotion, vitamins, and immune system drops. They cover sunburn, detergents, perfumes, bug bites and everyfreakinthing else. So if this doesnt work then it looks like im going to have to quit the meds anyway. Thank you for taking the time to read this (of course im writing this before I am sure you read it lol insert smiley face emoji)

Hey,
I appreciate honesty and openness. Anyone on the site will tell you, you can ask me any question and I'll give you an honest answer. Yes I'm familiar with Clubhouse Intl. Are you a Social Worker or what do you do with their organization? I'm a retired Clinical Psychologist. I currently do volunteer work with a couple different groups, i.e. Teens who Self Harm and Newly Diagnosed BiPolar Young Adults. I also work a Suicide Hotline a few times a month and I'm on a DBT Peer Support/Review Board.

I do still work in my secondary field of Accounting but only part-time as I'm supposed to be retired/semi-retired...whatever. My brain likes to be kept busy, if its not kept busy it tends to well, go wandering off on hamster wheel journey's and that's not a good thing for anyone.

The rash associated with Lamictal is a particular rash associated with Stephens Johnson Syndrome. I've had that reaction to Lamictal years ago and had to stop it. But most Pdocs will automatically stop Lamictal if you get any kind of rash, so don't be surprised if yours does....they tend to be overly cautious with it.

What other meds have you used to control your Manic Eps?

I work wthin the actual clubhouse facility as a generalist. We refer to it as a psychosocial rehabilitation facility (sounds kinda professional huh). But, i know what your saying about keeping busy. I have to have something going on or I feel some sort of incompleteness. I have a second job where I teach state mandated classes including domestic violence, alcohol and other drugs, retail fraud, anger management and a few others. I absolutely love and adore both my jobs. Both fairly new since March. Where the hell where you when I was a child haha. I could have used someone to talk ti about self harm. Or even when I was first diagnosed, I could have used someone. Sounds like very rewarding jobs and that you are impacting and helping many lives. Thats awesome. Good for you and those that you help. When I was first diagnosed, the doctor had given me some crazy concoction of meds that were all irrelevant to my diagnosis, made me agin weight, and i was a f_in slug. Everything was sooo heavy is how I can describe it. So I quit. Then abilify. After maybe three years i quit. For various reasons but I knew I had to quit to see who id be without them i neede dto be proven to that I had what I had and that it wasnt a mistake or stress induced and what not. Next, lamictal and where here. Rash and hypo mania. Other prescriptions I take are adderall for my ADHD which is awfully embarressing as an adult, clonopin that i get 60 of a month and maybe take, lets say, a quarter of uno(one) pill in the whole month. I got a build up of those. They do come in handy when i have no chill and im at the top of my roller coaster ride. Or for sleep. So, really, I dont believe my mania is in check by any sorts of prescription. I do have an absolutely amazing husband whom I adore( and I think he likes me a little((wink face))). And he has been helping me these last couple weeks. I let him know and he understand sthat importance of me following a strict schedule to keep my brain in check. Food check, vitamins check, sleep check, social activity chrck. Abc and d(all of the above). When im on 100% he helps me prioritize and calm down. Make lists of things to do so i dont confuse myself and stress me out. I seem to have been blessed with an incredible support system.

Nothing to be embarrassed about having ADHD as an adult. My oldest son, who's 29, a few years older than you has ADD, has had it all his life. He's a Firefighter, has been through the Army, is in the Army National Guard Reserves (a Weekend Warrior) and has to take meds for his ADD. He rotates between Adderall and Concerta for tolerance purposes because he's been on meds since he was 4. He also has heart and respiratory issues to deal with so his dosages are low, but he's learned other coping skills to use with the meds to help him slow his brain down and be able to concentrate on what he's doing. He also does a lot better in a high-action paced job and has known he was going to be a Firefighter since he joined our local Volunteer Fire Department at 15. He could never sit in an office or work at some customer service counter and be successful. When he was in the Army he was an M1 Tank Armor crewman, always loved to shoot at targets.

Lists are good when your dealing with Hypomania and Mania, I'm a list person, but I also deal with OCD and keep a very organized, regulated life and schedule. I feed off being busy and multi-tasking, but it can easily go too far and slip over the edge so the reins have to be kept pretty tight at certain times of the year like end of year and tax season.

I don't have kids at home, my younger son is 21 and still in University, and my Significant Other lives in VA while I'm in NC so we we're not underfoot with each other 24/7.....after being married for 25 years....I prefer and enjoy my solitude and peace at times. I do have a very strong support group though and those are very important parts of managing this disease. So I'm glad that you have a husband who helps you manage yours.