Lamotrigine - how long does it take to see a difference on anxiety with Lamictal?

Thank you so much for answering my question! I kinda feel hopeless but have no other choice than hoping lamictal will come through for me for my cyclothymia and my anxiety. I am also taking 1mg of risperidone before going to bed. Thank you so much for getting back to me and I wish you all the best!

Hi - I have also been prescribed lamictal that worked wonderfully for me ten years ago. I suffer from panic disorder gad and ptsd. I am petrified that for some reason it will react differently this time and make my anxiety worse my dr says you won’t know until you try which I full well know but I want to get better and my anxiety is totally not letting me do that. Any suggestions? I know it sounds insane I want to get better but too scared to take meds so I’m just suffering.

Don't let your anxiety do the talking for you! You're miserable and your doctor just prescribed a medication that gives you a light at the end of the tunnel. It's true you won't know for sure that it'll work but what other option do you have? Living miserably and unhappy? Take a leap of faith and start taking your medication.
I was a basket case until my psychiatrist suggested lamotrigine along with my other daily meds... I almost couldn't even leave my house and the thought of driving threw me into anxiety attacks. Now I'm not 100% but I'll happily settle for 95%.
Try to find things that takes your mind off your anxiety. Yoga, meditation, take a long walk, read that novel, watch an interesting TV show.
Take care and just go for it.

Thanks for your comment Wildcat. I know that my anxiety is doing the talking and I need to try it like I said it has worked wonderfully in the past. I took it at night slept etc and panic was gone
Do you have any suggestions when starting? I know I’m going to take like a quarter of a pill and titrate up but any other pointers? Sorry to be a pain.

@Mamadylanforever412, thank you for joining the conversation! Don't feel alone, we are right there with you. I also suffer from GAD and have certain traits of panic disorder. I've been suffering from this for the past year and a half. It started when I was 19 and now I am 21. I can only imagine that you must be afraid of trying medication again but as WC said, you can only know if you try. Unfortunately, that's how the psych world works. We can't have exams done to see exactly what our body will need, it's trial and error :/ My suggestion would be to go ahead and try new medication, I guess that worst case scenario would be that you end up switching to another because Lamictal didn't work for you. I'll be praying for you!

Wildcat, thank you so much for your feedback. I can't put into words how much I appreciate it. oI am right there with you on driving anxiety. I used to looooove driving but since my GAD started, I have been hating it. I avoid it as much as I can just because of how anxious I get. I have also developed social anxiety as I prefer to be home whenever anxiety comes. I also used to love being outside running errands, now I avoid it as well. Seems like everything I once loved now is unbearable:( Do you have any words of encouragement? Thank you:)

I have also been on prozac for 4 months. It hasn't made anything worse, it has helped somewhat but hasn't made a huge difference to be honest. Should I give that more time?

@mama,
You're not a pain... you're a member of a community that shares information and experiences.
You know about the titration and the only other thing that comes to mind is potential side effects.
The most common are:
headache, dizziness;
blurred vision, double vision;
dry mouth, nausea, diarrhea;
drowsiness, tired feeling;
sleep problems.
Now don't think that you'll have all of these side effects... most people don't... but if you do they're generally mild and resolve within days to a week or so.
Just for the record, I didn't have any at all.
Please post again if you have more concerns, okay?

@G*disgood,
The funny thing about my driving is that I still get a little nervous in anticipation but once I'm in the car and moving I'm perfectly fine.
As far as the Prozac if you're still on a low dose you may need to increase it. Have you told your doctor how you're feeling? Everyone responds differently to these medications but you've been on it long enough for what's considered a fair trial and you may not be on the therapeutic dose that's right for you.
Don't do the "what if's" if you can help it. Look for improvement and keep a positive attitude!

Thank you WC! I am currently on 30mgs of Prozac. My psych hasn't increased it just because he made the new addition of lamictal and risperidone so we are hoping that makes the change happen. :)

Hey @WC, I hope you’re having a good day, take care my friend.