Lamotrigine and Dizziness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Bun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 24, 2016

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "Started at 25 mg, upped to 50, then 100 over 2-week periods. Feel absolutely horrible. Had a rash on my face at onset, now I feel dizzy, lightheaded, headache, can't handle any smells or smoke, nausea, acid reflux, burping, and bruising. Have backed down to 50 and eventually to 25 to get the hell off! Can't drive, go anywhere, or function."

• Wit...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 13, 2021

For Depression "Have depression and anxiety along with ADHD. Tried so many meds, all crap, make you crazy or fat, etc. Started a super low-carb, no-sugar diet in March 2019, lost 50 lb. Specifically asked my new doctor for Wellbutrin during that time. Doctor eventually put me on Abilify in May 2020. Started gaining weight back like crazy. Couldn’t get my doctor to switch me off it until May 2021, and she switched me to Lamictal. Still been gaining weight like crazy. No motivation in life. Feeling so indifferent towards everything. Worst thing I’ve ever been put on. Been a zombie living my life for the past 7 months and began tapering off my 100 mg per day dose a week and a half ago. Did 50 mg for a week, on day 3 of 25 mg, and let me tell you, it’s miserable! Do your research before starting this poison! I’ve never felt worse. Extreme dizziness and nausea! Lightheaded and can’t even stand up. Bad."

• Gan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 23, 2018

Lamotrigine for Seizure Prevention "I have been on Lamictal for 13 years. For the first 12, I had similar symptoms as others - poor memory, exhaustion, inability to walk a straight line. No idea why, but now my symptoms are slowly going away. My dizzy spells are rare, straight lines aren't difficult, and best of all, my memory is coming back. It's not as good as before I was on the meds, but I'm happy for anything I can get. My issue is that I'm soon going on Medicare, and the cost of this medicine is $12,000 per year. I'm looking into generics, and based on the research, it seems they have gotten better, but I'm not ready to make the leap yet."

• Pip...
• April 21, 2016

For Epilepsy "I have been taking lamotrigine for 12 years now, having had seizures for 35 years. At first, I did have flu-like symptoms and a slight rash, but they soon went. They stopped my seizures, which is fantastic, but I do find that when writing, I can't think of the word I want to say or how to spell it!! I have always been good at spelling and certainly not had any trouble with words, lol, but I will put up with it knowing I don't have the seizures anymore. Does anyone get dizzy or have double vision when maybe taking a tablet on an empty stomach?"

• Lon...
• February 7, 2015

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "After years of antidepressant tablets that worked only to blank out my memory and let me survive, I went on to lamotrigine six months ago. Suddenly and quickly, I started to feel normal again. My long-term memory has returned, and I take pleasure in music and nature again. I feel so much happier. On the negative side, the fatigue became a problem but has reduced as I reduced my dose to get to optimal. Insomnia and vivid dreams have increased, but I can deal with that. Also, blurred vision and dizziness that are slowly disappearing. In short, a miracle for bipolar 2. I also take Lexapro."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2012

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "Lamictal really worked great at stabilizing my moods and eliminating my manic episodes. I stopped blowing things out of proportion, being paranoid, and having rage attacks. I have been taking this with Wellbutrin every day. The side effects were brutal to begin with the first few months, and I had to go backwards on my dose and increase it slowly. I am always lightheaded and dizzy. The first few months, I would lose my balance and have to grab something to prevent falling on a daily basis. Now I'm used to it and can recognize when I need to stop and let my body adjust before I move, but stabilizing my moods has been a lifesaver."

• peb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2018

For Depression "I was on Celexa and Buspar for about 15 years - no highs, no lows, but felt after that long I should try something new. I started with Lamictal @ 25 mg while I was lowering my Celexa and Buspar. The first two weeks were almost euphoric. Then I stepped up to 50 mg (again while decreasing my other meds), and I started seeing things. I googled this and found others were experiencing the same issue. Then I stepped up to 75 mg, and my world fell apart. Dizziness, hostility, itching, 'buzzing', sleep issues, nausea, and uncontrollable sobbing. I'm stepping down now, but it has been a 6-week process. Now I've been prescribed meds to calm the dizziness and nausea, and I'm still stepping down while going back on Celexa. Great when it works...a complete nightmare when it doesn't."

• oce...
• November 14, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I took lamotrigine for bipolar consistently for nearly two years and recently restarted it after accidentally taking a hiatus for 1.5 years (not advised, had a relapse). While the side effects were present at first (dizziness, drowsiness, headaches), they tended to go away within the first few weeks. Some people say meds make them feel groggy or not like themselves, but lamotrigine really leveled me out while allowing me to maintain my sense of self. I still dealt with occasional depressive periods, but the symptoms were much more mild and manageable than before. It was a game-changer in treating my bipolar disorder and made me feel alive again, which is why I was eager to restart it. I currently take 200 mg and experience no symptoms. My best advice when trying this medication is to give it time, both to wait out the side effects and to allow it to fully kick in. Be patient, it's worth it!"

• JJD...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 28, 2025

Lamotrigine "I take Lamictal for nerve pain from trigeminal neuralgia, among others. My main condition is complex regional pain syndrome - body-wide. Also, I have a bipolar 2 diagnosis. Lamictal has proven extremely effective for nerve pain. It is the best drug I have found for the heavy burning sensations I commonly get. It has proven superior to Gabapentin and other first-line options. Side effects were primarily dizziness the first couple of months, which has gone away since. I’ve been on Lamictal for approximately 5 years. I have not noticed any other side effects."

• Mil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2018

For Depression "I have been on Lamotrigine for 6 weeks and up to a dose of 100 mg and have felt no change at all. I am on it for depression and PTSD and anxiety. I suffer badly from panic disorder as well. Unfortunately, there has been no change while on this, and I have tried all SSRIs and none worked, and I am on Cymbalta also. So far, Klonopin is the only thing that has helped me function. Also, I feel the Lamotrigine made me more panicky, tired, and sad :-(. I was so hopeful for this to work and am so disappointed that yet another medication has failed me. I am currently weaning, I went from 100 mg to 50 mg and will be on 50 mg for 2 weeks before I go to 25 mg. After 2 days, I already feel a tad dizzy and off! Ugh, please tell me this will go away :-("

• CCL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 4, 2018

Lamotrigine "It’s frustrating to know that I’m one of the few persons on which Lamictal had terrible side effects. Once I started the 50 mg, I had severe diarrhea, nightmares, dizziness. A week after, I had to increase the dose to 75 mg, and I thought I was gonna die. The diarrhea became horrible (went 7 to 8 times a day to the bathroom), I had light stool, kidney pain, severe dizziness (fell down twice), a very intense back pain (couldn’t stand up or walk), and my level of ferritin dropped to 13 (probably because of the diarrhea). I had to stop the medication. Now I’m just on a 25 mg with Tegretol. I have cyclothymia and am still searching for the correct medication to work on me."

• CCL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 4, 2018

Lamotrigine "It’s frustrating to know that I’m one of the few persons on which Lamictal had terrible side effects. Once I started the 50 mg, I had severe diarrhea, nightmares, dizziness. A week after, I had to increase the dose to 75 mg, and I thought I was gonna die. The diarrhea became horrible (went 7 to 8 times a day to the bathroom), I had light stool, kidney pain, severe dizziness (fell down twice), a very intense back pain (couldn’t stand up or walk), and my level of ferritin dropped to 13 (probably because of the diarrhea). I had to stop the medication. Now I’m just on a 25 mg with Tegretol. I have cyclothymia and am still searching for the correct medication to work on me."

• ore...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 21, 2013

For Seizure Prevention "While going through titration, I had intense mood swings. Extreme happiness and seething anger over ridiculous things. When I forget to take a pill, it makes me EXTREMELY ill. Nausea, dizziness, fogginess, etc. On a day-to-day basis: sometimes I forget words, phrases, and even once, my ATM pin number. It's like I'm grasping for them and they're just not there. I also get lightning-like, 'zinging' headaches. They were worse during titration, but they haven't gone away. They usually happen when I'm at work. In addition, I often feel like I'm in a fog and have had a few instances where my words will slur together like my brain just can't quite form them right."

• Kat...
• September 30, 2022

For Anxiety "I have been on lamotrigine for 4 months. The side effects at the start were horrible. They lasted for 1 month (constant dizziness, feeling very low, anger), and I was nearly at the point of stopping. I'm now on 100 mg, and it has helped lower my anxiety, and I don't have the depressive lows that I was getting without meds and when I was on Lovan. I take it morning and night, I can tell when it's wearing off. I do still have off days where it doesn't seem to help, but now I have many more good days than bad. It has been a life changer for me, and I am so happy I stuck through the side effects. I also take Valdoxan at night, and this combination seems to work great."

• sli...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 9, 2024

For Anxiety "My GP prescribed lamotrigine after many months of trial and error with various medications. Every other epilepsy medication I had taken in the past led to awful side effects and very minimal success at reducing anxiety, panic attacks, and seizures. I started on a very low dose, 25 mg twice a day. Although most say they couldn’t feel any effect for about a month, I felt the positive effects within the first week. I was told to up my dose to 50 mg twice a day, but that was too soon for my body. I had awful side effects and couldn’t stand up from dizziness and nausea. I wasn’t deterred, however, I went back to my original dose for another couple of weeks and tried again. I am finally able to leave my home, agoraphobia is way better and easier to handle. My panic attacks are very few and far between, and my seizures have stopped completely. A win-win for me."

• Roc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 7, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "The first year or so, Lamictal worked well for me. It took the edge off my hypomanic episodes and somewhat reduced the severity of my depressive episodes; however, the past year or so, I have been experiencing a lack of emotion, specifically noticed in my romantic relationships. I constantly feel as though the euphoric feeling had been halted and replaced with a content feeling. Coming from a hopeless romantic, this is not the way I know I should be feeling. I'm wondering if others are experiencing the same? Also, memory loss, cheek redness, lack of coordination, and dizziness have increased since taking Lamictal."

• Roc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 7, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "The first year or so, Lamictal worked well for me. It took the edge off my hypomanic episodes and somewhat reduced the severity of my depressive episodes; however, the past year or so, I have been experiencing a lack of emotion, specifically noticed in my romantic relationships. I constantly feel as though the euphoric feeling had been halted and replaced with a content feeling. Coming from a hopeless romantic, this is not the way I know I should be feeling. I'm wondering if others are experiencing the same? Also, memory loss, cheek redness, lack of coordination, and dizziness have increased since taking Lamictal."

• Liz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2012

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "This medicine was horrible for me. Not only did it not help - it made my symptoms worse! The whole time I was on Lamictal, I was a raving lunatic, and it brought my friends and family to their wits' end. I was dizzy all the time and never felt hungry. My hormones were all out of whack, causing my periods to be irregular and horrific. It also messed with my birth control, and I wound up pregnant - a pregnancy that later failed due to further complications. I know this medicine works for some people, but it's not a miracle for everyone. I was on it for about 4 or 5 months."

• nai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2020

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I have C-PTSD, depression, anxiety, depersonalization/derealization, and my condition is constantly worsening over the past two years. As you can imagine, I've already tried numerous drugs with mostly pretty bad side effects and no benefits at all. So I was really hopeful that this time it would be different, also because it apparently helped so many others with various conditions. But again, I was disappointed. I started with 25 mg lamotrigine and went up to 300 mg, and still it did nothing. In the beginning, I didn't have any side effects either. Lately, I have nausea, headaches, dizziness, muscle pain, and another weird thing: always when I close my eyes, I see bright colors. But I think all these things are rather because of my ongoing deteriorating health situation than because of this drug. I wish you more luck!"

• Hor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 3, 2016

For Seizure Prevention "After taking Dilantin (and Keppra, which cause depression), it kept me and my mom extremely, extremely cool. Depression faded away. It does well with seizures unless I miss a dose. Now I ONLY have nocturnal seizures. Side effects got worse. I have double vision, stuttering, Alzheimer's type memory, can't walk at all, dizziness, and rashes. Other than seizures, side effects are MUCH worse than the medicine itself. I encourage you NOT to take it at all. AT ALL."

• Zin...
• December 28, 2014

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "While taking this medicine... It keeps my mind racing, kept my heart ♥ racing. For the 3 weeks I've been taking it, my blood pressure stayed high. While taking the meds, now that I stopped taking them, my blood pressure has been back to normal. I stayed very hot and dizzy while on it. I felt the same, just had a little energy."

• Rev...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2014

For Seizure Prevention "I have nightmares, weight loss (went from 128 to 118 in a few weeks, which is a lot for me), dizziness. Also, 'the spins' whenever I lay down, which is when my body feels stable but the whole world spins (kind of like being drunk and lying down). No seizures yet, but they aren't that common to begin with (1x/year), and I've only been on lamotrigine for a few months. I'm at 300 mg/day now and trying to get up to 400 mg. Dizziness is pretty bad right now, that rocking feeling you get after being on a boat. I feel that."

• div...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 12, 2013

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "My experience has been terrible. I am 42 and an educated woman who works in a high-capacity job, and I can't function. I have been to the emergency room twice for disorientation and garbled writing/texts. I have had several falls or balance issues, one fall caused a concussion. Now I walk with a cane on occasions. I constantly forget things, events, appointments, and more. I finally had to go out on medical leave. I am in the process of discontinuing all psych meds, as they are ruining my life!!!"

• Bev...
• April 4, 2018

For Seizure Prevention "I have had 'stroke-like' simple partial seizures for 2 1/2 years and was first diagnosed with mini-strokes. The doctor first put me on KEPPRA and increased it gradually up to 1000 mg twice daily and would still have these seizures two or more weekly with 'zombie' effects. Finally, she gradually brought me down to 500 mg of KEPPRA and up to 150 mg of Lamotrigine. After 7 months, I have had 2 seizures, one in the buildup stage and another following a very stressful time. Side effects seem light compared to the large amount of KEPPRA. I do have a little off balance, some light rashes, and forgetfulness, but overall I am unbelievably better. I am 74, and some of these side effects may be from age."

• cc ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I started lamotrigine about 6 weeks ago, currently on 100 mg per day. Problems I have run into: sleepiness, insomnia, excessive yawning, aggressive behavior, panic attacks, increased depression, headache, pain in neck/shoulders, coughing fits, dizziness, especially when standing up quickly. After this experience, I have been looking up side effects of any new medication, so I can know sooner if I'm experiencing side effects or an adverse reaction, or some other medical issues..."