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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sjb on August 21, 2002, at 7:17:59
Hi,
I've just started Lamictal under the advice of a Sport PDoc. He said he's had good luck with athletes on it. I'm afraid of the side effects, and of course the weight gain potential. I also binge eat, big time. Anyway, the first 4 days I take 25mg, I think and then double. He's going to recommend to my regular PDoc that I taper off of Luvox and perhaps augment with Effexor. However, he said that Lamictal has good AD properties on it's own, as mood stablizers go.
Any advice/experience would be appreciated. I know everyone reacts differently. He did say that I may have blurry vision for the first few days but that would go away. He also seemed to think that if rashes weren't a problem for me on anything else, and the dose is small to start, it shouldn't be a problem.
Posted by Coffee on August 22, 2002, at 21:19:07
In reply to Lamictal - just started, what to expect, posted by sjb on August 21, 2002, at 7:17:59
sjb,
Ican't tell if I just placed a post or erased it. Here is the summary in case if flew into e-space.I take 350 mg Lamictal and augment with 600 mg lithobid.
No problems at all. No blurry vision, no weight gain,no dizziness,no sleepiness.
Seems good as a mood stabilizer and anti- depressant.
Go VERY slowly in increasing the dose. Read past posts. If you get the rash you are done with the med so be prepared to be patient. I think it is worth it.
Good luck!
Posted by sjb on August 23, 2002, at 9:05:30
In reply to Re: Lamictal - just started, what to expect » sjb, posted by Coffee on August 22, 2002, at 21:19:07
Thanks - trying hard to be patient but in a real bad way now. Lethargic and just ate a bunch of donuts and bagels. Started on 25mg 3 days ago, with ok to go to 50 after 4 days. Others have recommended 2 weeks, so want to make sure with my regular PDoc first. Concerned about rash but want to feel better. Now I just want to sleep and fantacize about dying or never waking up.
Posted by Coffee on August 23, 2002, at 20:20:30
In reply to Re: Lamictal - just started, what to expect, posted by sjb on August 23, 2002, at 9:05:30
Do you think that the lethargy and eating are related to the lamictal or just part of the underlying problem? Many pdocs recommend a 25 mg increase per week. It worked okay for me. Still it is slow. It is one of the real drawbacks of the med. Perhaps you can augment with something else while you build up the dose? That is how I ended up on the lithobid - waiting for the lamictal to increase. Hang in there and let me know!
Posted by sjb on August 26, 2002, at 9:06:10
In reply to Re: Lamictal - just started, what to expect, posted by Coffee on August 23, 2002, at 20:20:30
I've had the eating problem way before started Lamictal. I just started last Tuesday at 25mg. Remains to be seen if it will help or hurt as I think it's too early to tell. I believe it has a bit of a stimulant effect for me, however, so far. I see my PDoc today and we will discuss augmentation. My wean off of Luvox and try Effexor again. Sports doc also recommended Revia for the binge eating, but I'm very wary of that. (If you don't know, it's a drug commonly used for alcoholics but has shown promise for binge eaters. I tried it once, for one day, and felt so nauseaus and fatigued, I threw it out. These effects are supposed to pass after a few days. However, as an athlete who likes to train daily, I'd rather not go through that unless it seems like the only helpful option.)
This is the end of the thread.
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