Lamotrigine and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Reg...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2022

For Epilepsy "I believe taking this drug has reduced my lifespan due to severe rapid heartbeat, 190 bpm, and other stressful side effects, like lack of restful sleep, panic attacks, night terrors, hair loss, depression, cherry angiomas, spots/papules, constant tiredness. I was prescribed lamotrigine after one seizure, after a time of severe stress and exhaustion. I was labeled epileptic and prescribed 200 mg of lamotrigine. I am healthy and have no history or family history of epilepsy. I take no other medication, not even paracetamol. It was never looked into the “cause” of the seizure. As I am anti-medication and did not believe I was epileptic, I refused the drug for a year, but seizures increased. Lamotrigine stopped the sleep seizures, but over the 2.5 years on the drug, there are so many more issues and side effects I question why this drug is on the market. There is not enough in place to help people come off the drug. Stopping suddenly, even from a small dosage, has very severe side effects."

• NYY...
• April 7, 2017

For Epilepsy "Lamotrigine has been excellent for treating my seizures. Using this medication in conjunction with Fycompa, levetiracetam, and Vimpat I am seizure-free. If your medications do not get you seizure-free, please consider video EEG monitoring. Only after this was I able to be treated with the right medications. An absolute life changer. Vitamin B12 has been great to address all issues of lethargy or tiredness as a result of my meds."

• NYY...
• April 7, 2017

For Epilepsy "Lamotrigine has been excellent for treating my seizures. Using this medication in conjunction with Fycompa, levetiracetam, and Vimpat I am seizure-free. If your medications do not get you seizure-free, please consider video EEG monitoring. Only after this was I able to be treated with the right medications. An absolute life changer. Vitamin B12 has been great to address all issues of lethargy or tiredness as a result of my meds."

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 6, 2021

Lamotrigine for Bipolar Disorder "Started off on Lamictal about 3 months ago. I was having severe mood swings and was diagnosed with Bipolar II. Lamictal has been by far the best medicine I’ve tried. No weight gain, not severely tired. I would take it around 5 pm after work and be totally fine. What I did notice was that it is associated with Stevens-Johnson syndrome. My doctor at the time bumped me up to 200 mg within 2 weeks (big mistake), and my body started reacting to it. I now have cystic acne on my face. The withdrawal from coming off the medication (because my side effects got bad... night terrors, cystic acne) was extremely irritably, lethargic, headaches. I’m talking to my doctor about lowering the dosage because we all know that finding medication to fit is hard. I also wanted this medication in case I became pregnant."

• pyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 20, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I have just been diagnosed with bipolar II. I have been on antidepressants for 23 years and as I got older, the drugs didn't work as well. I suffer from depression, panic attacks, severe anxiety, phobias, and erratic mood swings changing daily, even hourly. So now I am on 300 mg Effexor, Valium, and have just started in increments of 25 mg of lamotrigine. Before this, I took Epilim, which was great, but within 2 weeks, I had a rash everywhere. Now I am up to 75 mg of lamotrigine and I have headaches, tiredness, sleeping up to 15 hours plus diarrhea, sick, depression, aggression, anxiety, the list goes on. It's been 6 weeks and I am losing it... my mental health team is useless. Will this get better???"

• J_J...
• July 5, 2016

For Depression "I titrated up to 100 mg. After a couple of weeks on 100 mg, I started getting tired in the afternoon, cried most mornings, and had no motivation. It definitely made my depression worse."

• Pop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2020

For Depression "I've just started to take lamotrigine today, and it's making me feel calm but also feel sick. I'm going to continue with it to see how it is. Plus, I'm on venlafaxine 225mg, roll on more tiredness."