Lamitcal/lamotrigine

[[ra...]]

Dear All,

 

I am looking into functional/metabolic medicine to try to help with my issues which I believe to be glutamate related.  If I eat anything that is high in glutamate or promotes glutamate release, I feel it, but that is another topic.  I am calling that plan "Z" (because I have been through plans A-Y)

 

I went to a neurologist on a bad day, and he suggested the "mood stabilizer" Lamitcal/lamotrigine. Another buddy also mentioned it to me. For you purists, it DOES modulate both GABA and glutamate, so if you are waiting for your receptors to heal naturally, do not take it. 

 

If you are like me, and would snort rat poison if it would make me feel better, I was wondering if any of you have tried it and if so how it went?  It is available as low as 25 mg, and you can take a half so really 12.5 mg, and therapeutic doses for the truly bipolar go to 200 mg or higher.

 

Thoughts?

 

Be well and good luck,

 

ramcon1

[[Sw...]]

Dear All,

 

I am looking into functional/metabolic medicine to try to help with my issues which I believe to be glutamate related.  If I eat anything that is high in glutamate or promotes glutamate release, I feel it, but that is another topic.  I am calling that plan "Z" (because I have been through plans A-Y)

 

I went to a neurologist on a bad day, and he suggested the "mood stabilizer" Lamitcal/lamotrigine. Another buddy also mentioned it to me. For you purists, it DOES modulate both GABA and glutamate, so if you are waiting for your receptors to heal naturally, do not take it. 

If you are like me, and would snort rat poison if it would make me feel better, I was wondering if any of you have tried it and if so how it went?  It is available as low as 25 mg, and you can take a half so really 12.5 mg, and therapeutic doses for the truly bipolar go to 200 mg or higher.

 

Thoughts?

 

Be well and good luck,

 

ramcon1

 

I took this before and during the benzo stint.  It may work for a little while (whats a little while?  Not very long) Had to keep increasing the dose to be effective.  Got up to 350 mg. That psychiatrist said we could go higher but I thought what am I doing with my life here and THAT is how I looked into how to get off psych pharmacueticals and never looked back.  If you use it don't get talked into a high dose or a long lasting time.  Took me 15 months to taper from 350 to zero on a regular tapering schedule.    Then I tapered the benzo.  Right or wrong that's I did.  I could go on and on about this but I get too angry. 

 

Sweet pea

[[...]]

Seems to me there's a critical piece of information omitted here. 

 

Exactly WHAT are you hoping it may help you with?  WHAT specific symptom/s?  Person A's withdrawal can look and feel vastly different from that of Person B's.  Not so?  Plus, with the way so many meds are handed out so liberally off-label for everything from epilepsy to depression to mania to anxiety to...to...to...  Wouldn't it be most beneficial to hear testimonials from those who took it for the same symptomology?

[[er...]]

I definitely would never take any more of that big pharma poison - it can ruin your life.. why mess with our brain chemistry even further, and then have to taper more drugs?

[[ne...]]

I am actually on Lamictal for a while now...a good while...a way too long while...3 years...off the benzo for almost 2.5 years and BADLY want to be off the damn Lamictal. I was on 100 mg and am down to 74 mg now. I am only able to taper in baby steps since my cns is so horribly messed up.

It...by the way...did not help with ANYTHING. Can't wait to be off of that poison.

 

My advise: Don't do it.

[[ra...]]

Ok, generally so far you all do not like it.  But in general, those who responded are the med/doc haters.  I will hold out to see if there are any replies from people who did well on non-benzo meds.

 

In reply to abcd, what I hope to get out of it is to stop the waves of glutamate I get every time I eat, and the day after I eat any decent source of glutamate containing protein or folate.

 

On a good day, I am damn near normal until I eat, and feeling normal depends ridiculously on what I ate the previous day or two.  I am sick and tired of dodging 100 things I cannot identify, and am looking for help.

 

If functional medicine can tell me, "eat this, don't eat that, and take vitamin B47" and that gives me better days, great.  But I read this story about a woman who never took a benzo:

 

http://birthfaith.org/nutrition/glutamate-and-anxiety

 

She could eat normally again after she stabilized on an SSRI.  Those are not an option for me as the extra serotonin makes my IBS go crazy, so I was looking at meds that modulate ONLY GABA and glutamate and leave serotonin alone.  That is why I asked.  Lithium is another option.

 

Be well and good luck,

 

Ramcon1

[[Ho...]]

Hi Ramcon,

 

I've read on here that a low dose of lamictal has helped some people in w/d. The smallest dose it comes in is 25mg. I'm personally tapering off of lamictal right now. I was on it prior to my Ativan taper and I've still had pretty significant withdrawal symptoms so for me I think it's hurting more than helping at this point. Common side effects are dizziness, balance issues, insomnia, and drowsiness and those are my main w/d symptoms right now so I'm thinking lamictal could be magnifying those for me. It has also caused memory issues for me but I was on 300mg for 10 years so a low dose might be different.

 

Everyone is different though and has to make choices they feel are best for them. If you feel it might help, you always could try it for a time and see how it goes.. Best of luck to you with whatever you decide!

[[ra...]]

Hope,

 

Thanks for the reply.  The waves I get are pure glutamate.  I can feel it.  The way my spine stiffens, my gastro goes double nuts, and the anxiety and panic.  I am going to try to stop it at the source; nit eat it, and facility its metabolism with the "right" vitamins and minerals, but I am getting desperate.

 

Lamitcal does not directly touch a receptors (except mild HT3 antagonist), instead it suppresses glutamate pre-synaptically via inhibition of sodium and calcium ion gated channels.  That does not mean it will not effect receptors eventually as glutamate is suppressed, but I also like the idea that it is available in 25 mg that can be broken in half, and many people take 200 mg, so starting VERY slowly is an option.

 

Again, I am going to try other things first, but I wanted to know if anyone had experiences.  So far they all seem negative, except that you read low dose helped some people.  If you have a reference to what you read, please share it.

 

Thank you again,

 

ramcon1

[[Ho...]]

Here is the link to what I read: http://www.mdjunction.com/forums/bipolar-support-forums/general-support/10478503-life-saved-from-lamictal-after-benzo-w-d

 

Reading this over again, this person who found it helpful did have bipolar. There is also a link to a benzobuddies thread where people did not find it helpful for w/d related issues: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=31787.0

 

I'm glad you are trying other things first. Best not to mess with neurotransmitters if an alternative to meds can be found, in my humble opinion. You do have to do what feels right for you however. Best of luck to you again!

[[ra...]]

Hope,

 

There are times when I FEEL bipolar.  For several days I have been an fing basket case, and today I almost fine.  I am pretty sure I ate triggers.  If it were sugar, caffeine wheat, or whatever, fine, but dodging HEALTHY foods is getting old.

 

I will check out the links.  Thank you.

 

Be well and good luck,

 

ramcon1 

[[Ru...]]

Ramcon,

 

I took 25mg of Lamictal during acute withdrawal and I felt that it may have helped with some of the mental symptoms but none of the physical symptoms. I started developing a rash and was taken off of it since Steven Johnsons syndrome is a serious side effect of Lamictal. I tried to figure out ways to block the glutamate. I even tried Campral which is a drug for recovering alcoholics because I read it was a glutamate blocker. It did nothing. I eventually just gave up on meds.

[[ra...]]

Ruby,

I hear ya.  I had the Campral in my hands, and decided to try Namenda instead.  Sucked big time.

 

I am going to try natural means to "metabolize" glutamate better.    I took a really good nutrition test, and as my brother put it, maybe the answer is "don't eat bananas and potatoes and take vitamin B47 and you will be fine."

 

But sadly, it might be "eat a low protein diet, especially no gelatins (bone broth, jello) or folates (broccoli, spinach, avocados)."  But there may be a vitamin mineral combination that will allow us to eat those, and if there is, I will report back.

 

But if that proves futile, I might give low dose Lamitcal a try.  For my fellow armchar neurologists, unlike Campral and Namenda, which are NMDA antagonists, Lamitcal blocks the TRANSMISSION of glutamate presynaptically.  So maybe, just maybe, it will stop the surges.

 

Thank you all for your input.

 

Ramcon1

[[Am...]]

Lamictal is next on my meds to try for anxiety/depression. I'll probably add it to an antidepressant.

[[Dt...]]

Hey ramcon!

 

Know this is an old post but did you try the Lamotrigine?

Ive been recommended it to, to protect against neurotixity / excitation that comes with withdrawal and my pdoc believes my glutamate is going nuts due to high stress atm (not just WD but chronic inflammatory illness)

 

Thought I'd see how ya went 😁

[[ra...]]

For me it sucked.  Made all issues worse quickly, as I am very sensitive to the pools of extracellular glutamate it causes. It may help others.