Posted by Minnie-Haha on March 7, 2005, at 20:32:11
In reply to yes... another question: Lamictal, posted by Spriggy on March 7, 2005, at 18:08:33
> I am becoming either pathetic or obsessed with learning all I can about these meds. Before long, I'll be put on meds for OCD. You just wait.
>
> Anyway, about Lamictal, does it do anything to help with anxiety as well as depression/mood swings?In your post 2-3 days ago you asked about Lamictal and I think I replied then about my experience, but just in case I forgot: I am BP2 and OCD. I also spent over a year trying to figure out whether my depression caused my anxiety or my anxiety caused my depression. I'm trying to accept the fact that it's kinda a chicken-and-egg sort of problem, and the important thing is to just get on with my life. Find a combo that works.
I was on Lamictal for 6-8 weeks and it was brightening my mood, but about the time I had to get off it (I got a rash), I started wondering if it might be "activating" me and/or making me a bit agitated or anxious.
If you think you might be bipolar, I don't think Lamictal alone is gonna work for you. You can try it -- some have had success with it as a monotherapy -- but you may have to look for a combo of a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. Try the Lamictal. Maybe it will work for you, but if it doesn't, may I suggest Trileptal? I used Depakote for 2-3 years, and it did a good job on my depression, at least at first, but I gained so much weight on it that THAT started to make me depressed. I switched to Trileptal and slowly started losing the weight. Unfortunately, Trileptal doesn't work as a monotherapy for me (not for many, I think), so I have to take an AD too.
poster:Minnie-Haha
thread:467920
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050304/msgs/467989.html