Lamictal question in withdrawal

[[ne...]]

I am on Lamictal for over 4 years and I say it helped for benzo wd. Actually it did really well UNTIL I started tapering it. I was on 100mg and tapered only 5 mg per month. After 4 months of that I had a crash that I still don't know how I survived it. It was so horrible and it took almost a year to feel somewhat stable again. It is 3 years later now and I am still stuck on that poison. I don't know why but I seem to be completely unable to make even the smallest cuts. I would give the world for being free of that Lamictal and from the second that I started tapering it was nothing but hell. Do yourself a favour and don't start yet another med. Just give yourself more time to really heal...inside and out.

[[Be...]]

I am on Lamictal for over 4 years and I say it helped for benzo wd. Actually it did really well UNTIL I started tapering it. I was on 100mg and tapered only 5 mg per month. After 4 months of that I had a crash that I still don't know how I survived it. It was so horrible and it took almost a year to feel somewhat stable again. It is 3 years later now and I am still stuck on that poison. I don't know why but I seem to be completely unable to make even the smallest cuts. I would give the world for being free of that Lamictal and from the second that I started tapering it was nothing but hell. Do yourself a favour and don't start yet another med. Just give yourself more time to really heal...inside and out.

I’ve been on 300 mg for past year. Plan on tapering down to 200 over next few months. Why do you think it was so hard to taper? Did you have bad benzo withdrawal?

[[ne...]]

I think because of several factors. My benzo wd was horrific. I was forced to do a 6 weeks "taper" by my doc. But anyway I my acute phase was over after 3 months and I started to get windows so I thought the time was right to start tapering the Lamictal. Maybe it was too early, maybe my cns was just to damaged to handle another taper.

When I was still on my original dose of Lamictal, which was 100mg, I wasn't good but I was stable. That changed from one day to the next and for 3 years I am waiting to get back the tiniest amount of stability. It is just not happening and I am stuck on 72mg Lamotrigin. Even a 0.5mg cut makes me bedbound. I have no idea what this is but for me this Lamictal seems to be even worse than a benzo.

So I can only, from all my heart, say....once you are off all medication...STAY OFF!!!

[[Be...]]

Yikes. My benzo w/d was intense, but not drawn out thankfully. I’m going to start my taper down in two weeks when I see this idiot doctor. Any suggestions on conservative taper schedule? I’m not in a rush but that part of my life where I needed it has stabilized.

[[ne...]]

It's good you are in a somehow ok'ish state to start the taper. Since Lamictal comes in 25, 50, 100, etc. mg pills the official smallest amount to taper would be 25mg. For me that was way too much cause it would have meant a 25% cut of the original dose.

The advise for all those psych meds is to cut no more than 10% of the dose and then wait 4-6 weeks before doing the next cut. Since your dose is 300mg your first cut would be 30mg. And since there are no 30mg pills you can either cut out a 25mg pill or start a liquid taper (I am doing that).

That being said, I have never read about a person who had so much trouble coming off of that nasty Lamictal. Many can just cold turkey it or make cuts without feeling any wd. There is quite a big chance you are one of them so please don't let me scare you!!!