I give up! (Lamictal)

Amy3boys · Sep 29, 2019 at 01:32 PM

I've posted before about starting Lamictal. At first I thought it was causing flu-like symptoms. Now I've given it another try but I have a horrible headache and I rarely get headaches, so it must be a side effect. Also, when I take the Lamictal during the day it makes me tired and if I take it at night I have insomnia. I was really hoping for good results but maybe it's not for me...Has anyone else gotten headaches, sleepiness, or insomnia from it and did it pass? I'm frustrated b/c I keep reading about it being so helpful for many people.

HopeForChange · Sep 29, 2019 at 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amy3boys

I've posted before about starting Lamictal. At first I thought it was causing flu-like symptoms. Now I've given it another try but I have a horrible headache and I rarely get headaches, so it must be a side effect. Also, when I take the Lamictal during the day it makes me tired and if I take it at night I have insomnia. I was really hoping for good results but maybe it's not for me...Has anyone else gotten headaches, sleepiness, or insomnia from it and did it pass? I'm frustrated b/c I keep reading about it being so helpful for many people.

About a week after I started taking Lamictal, I felt achy and stiff all over as though I'd run a marathon the day before. From what I've heard, that's a common initial reaction. After a few days at each increasing dose, the muscle aches and headaches subsided. So don't despair - it often gets better. As far as the sleepiness/insomnia, Lamictal didn't affect my sleep patterns at all. Could it be that the sleepiness and insomnia are more from mood changes than from the Lamictal? Just a thought

I really hope you get some relief soon!!

unicornlady · Sep 29, 2019 at 01:41 PM

I get sleepiness and insomnia from it. Currently working on solving my insomnia by moving when I take my gabapentin. No headaches from it. I do feel like it has been helpful for me. It lifted me out of depression that's been going on a long time, but I did tilt a bit into hypomania. not sure if lamictal is to blame for that or not. Is your pdoc aware of these issues? They might have something to recommend to help you with sleep. I can't take lamictal in the daytime, when I did that I needed to take a giant morning nap.

Amy3boys · Sep 29, 2019 at 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HopeForChange

About a week after I started taking Lamictal, I felt achy and stiff all over as though I'd run a marathon the day before. From what I've heard, that's a common initial reaction. After a few days at each increasing dose, the muscle aches and headaches subsided. So don't despair - it often gets better. As far as the sleepiness/insomnia, Lamictal didn't affect my sleep patterns at all. Could it be that the sleepiness and insomnia are more from mood changes than from the Lamictal? Just a thought

I really hope you get some relief soon!!

Thanks! I think I'm sticking with it. I actually have more energy this afternoon than I have had in awhile and I'm wondering if it could be attributed to Lamictal helping my mood (my depression comes with a lot of fatigue). This has been sort of a roller coaster but I think I need to ride through some initial side effects.

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I give up! (Lamictal)

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