Lamictal and a Very Sore Throat
leenerbups
Okay, I can't take this anymore. How do I get off this stuff? I was
willing to lose my hair because it's falling out since being on this,
but not my entire life.
I am newly diagnosed as BiPolar II. Within a week of taking a very low
dose (.8 I have severe sensitivities and low tolerance) my depression
began to lift and I started feeling social and wanting to get back into
life again.
But then side effects started. Especially with my period.
I'd be depressed again, I'm crying over commercials, everything. I am
fighting with my boyfriend, snapping at him for nothing. I can't be
around anyone under any circumstances because I'm a mess. I'm losing
it. I'm walking from room to room and yet can't accomplish anything.
The dishes have been in the sink for days and days. I can't even put it
together in my head how to accomplisg picking papers off the floor. And
don't ask me any questions harder than "what is your name", and even
then that's hard for me.
Interesting development (for me that is, for you veterans, probably par
for the course) I called the doc again and he said "don't stop taking
the lamictal, that upping the dose would start helping.
SO I went and took a dose and about 20 minutes later it all went away.
Everything. How weird is that?????
I'm at a super low dose (yea I know, but it's true) for over a month
and I am supposed to go up to 12.5 this week but have'nt due to losing
my hair in clumps and a very, very sore throat. I also am a LapBand
patient and i have been having problems with it since starting
Lamictal.
At the low dose I'm getting the benefit of my depression lifted and the
lessening of racing , phobic thoughts. On the flip side, I'm also
getting side effect common and not so common of those at higher doses.
Horrible PMS from the 9 levels of hell, hair loss, sore throat,
confusion.
I'm defo going to get off this though. It's a shame as it was helping
me A LOT, but the very sore throat has me worried more than the hair.
My boyfriend is upset because he saw it making improvments in my
depression and let's face it, being like this is hard on our partners.
Back to the drawing board. I've only taken a small amount today. I've
only been on it for a months, so coming off it shouldn't be that
hard...should it???
just got off the phone with the P-Doc and told him how sore my throat
is and he said to go see a doctor about a viral infection. WTF? It's so
bad I have a endoscopy aldready scheduled.
So as per usual, I'm going to have to take my health into my own
hands.
Am I in danger?? How do I go off this fast enough before my body
becomes sicker?
p.s. My P-Doc does NOT seem to be informded about this stuff at all.
gar...@webtv.net
sure you taper off it, some people might say you dont need to cause you
only been on it for 1 month but be on the safe side, you can buy a pill
cutter at the drug store, take half of what your taking for 1 week then
cut it into quarter pieces and take a quarter piece everyday for 1 week
that should do it.
culprit
i don't recommend taking your health into your own hands. lamictal has
some pretty harsh side effects for the first little while (for me it
was headaches and total inability to concentrate), but when they stop,
they stop. i also found that increasing the dose really helped with my
depression, and like you, i was surprised by it.
i don't know about Lamictal causing hair loss, but i know that it can
be a side effect of LapBand surgury and not getting the proper
vitamins, etc, that your body needs. honestly, your pdoc could be
right about the sore throat too, have you been to your regular doctor?
it seems like people love to blame all of their problems on their meds,
when that might not be the case.
as for the PMS, yeah that sucks, mine can be pretty bad too. but the
positive effects of the Lamictal more than make up for it. adding a
low dose SSRI helps some people with severe PMS...
if your pdoc doesn't seem knowledgeble, get a 2nd opinion.
-kelly
leenerbups
I'm tapered off and the sore throat is going away.
The stuff was helping me and I would put up with hair loss (yes, it's a
side effect of ant-convulsants) if the sore thraot wasn't scaring me,
because it was helping. But I read that a sore throat is a sign of
something more serious on Lamictal.
Can anyone confirm that?
Leen
culprit
i see no information on hair loss or sore throats from Lamictal. yes,
hair loss is a side effect of *some* anti-convulsants, but Lamictal is
not at all related to these drugs. i also do not see any information
on sore throats being a side effect, though i suppose if you get a rash
it could also spread to your throat. also an allergic reaction could
make you throat swell up so that you couldn't breathe.
you can get good info here:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lamotrigine_ad.htm
this info is not just from trials, but also from individual reports of
side effects.
-kelly
John Smith
everybody does not react the same to these med's. She can feel it her
instincts are telling her back off, the doctors want you to take it no
matter what, they want to see what happen's they don't care. Don't put
your life in there hands if you don't have to, Lamictal can be very
dangerous, the rash thing my pdoc told me about it only after I insisted
on it, first you get a rash then you get a big sore then it gets hard
then your skin cracks. and yes sore troats are a side affect read it
here. it saids if you are sensitive to it you should not take it. the
doctors are just DRUG PUSHERS for the drug co's they get kick backs in
money and free vacations, the doctors, the drug stores, everybody is
making a bundle of $$
http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/lam1217.htm
leenerbups
I woke up today with painful swollen glands in my neck. I just came
back from the doctor and he said i had a bacterial infection, and
prescribed antibiotics.
It was one of those "Doctor Office Clinics" a place you can just go in,
like a 7-11. But it was quick and i didn't have to wait.
Now my question is, was it the Lamictral that caused it or was it just
a coincedence? I'd like to keep finding the relief from the depression
with this stuff, but m just not sure if it is safe to keep taking this
med.
John Smith
people do not talk about is that while you are taking these drugs they
are lowing the body's immune system, thats why these things happen. and
on the other hand the bacterial infection, could be a mis diagnosis,
when things happen from side affects from these drugs they are masked,
they have the same symptoms of other illness's, and plus if it was from
the Lamictal most doctors just about all of them will not tell you, they
will not talk against the drug co's they will not help you build a case
just in case you wanted to sue, these doctors stick together and they
protect the drug co's to, so you have to be very careful with what you
take, you have to make up your own mind, I would say if you are having
this much trouble with a med at a low dose, I would not continue with
it.
Re: Lamictal and a Very Sore Throat
Group: alt.support.depression.medication Date: Wed, Jun 21, 2006,
10:29am (EDT-3) From: leene...@hotmail.com (leenerbups)
leenerbups
hope no serious damage has been done.
Leen
Richie S
and it did lift my depression along with 10mg of prozac, but one morning
I awoke with a very large lymph node on my neck, and I could not
understand this because I suffered from no sore throat or any other
ailments, not even a simple cold. I went to the regular doctor and he
gave me antibiotics for one week, but the swelling of the lymph node did
not go down and my neck looked somewhat swollen. So then he ordered a
cat scan of my neck. This was one week ago. Lo and behold, the
enlarged lymph node went down to the point where I can hardly feel it.
I have an appointment with a specialist, and I have the pictures of my
neck from the cat scan to show him this coming Monday. Obviously the
doctor is going to say that I must have had some kind of virus. But NOW
I am suspicious that the Lamictal is responsible for this problem, but I
of course have no proof. But I am wondering now because a member of
this group developed the same thing. I see my pdoc on July 6, but of
course he will say that its not the Lamictal and to continue taking it.
IF I DEVELOP SOME OTHER STRANGE AILMENT FOR NO REASON, I WILL REPORT
BACK AGAIN.
And I will STOP the Lamictal. I am NOT bipolar, but the pdoc felt that
it would help my depression, and I was the one who asked for it.
Richie
John Smith
immune system is weak, these drugs makes your immune system weak, but
richie whatever you do, do not stop cold turkey taper off of them, tell
your doctor you want to go off of them.
Re: Lamictal and a Very Sore Throat
Group: alt.support.depression.medication Date: Wed, Jun 21, 2006, 5:48pm
From: RTJS...@webtv.net (Richie S)
leenerbups
Wow Richie. SO I'm not crazy!
I'm on Zithromax right now, and it's churning my insides. I'm a bit
ticked off as my immune system is alreadycompromised with EpsteinBarr
and Fibromyalgia.
I was only on .8 (I know, smaller than a baby dose, but that's thr
Fibro reaction to stuff) and took about .4 for two days felt some
dizzyness and now I'm on nothing today. I was on it for a month.
I hope I'll be okay. I don't feel anything.
leenerbups
Someone emailed me it's rare but serious reaction, saying it means
something bigger is going on in the body. I hope I don't go into
convulsions or something.
John Smith
not help you, just do what you must do to get straiting out, the doctor
was trying to help you but he did not know you was going to have all
these problems, most people do not have trouble with it, but you do, so
it is not good for you, and the doctor will never admit that he made a
mistake in giving it to you, but you should tell him that you want to go
off of it, if he wants you to stay on it, make it very clear to him that
you do not want to stay on it, but that you are willing to try something
else.
and the next one you try might not be right ether, you have to keep
searching till you get one that works for you with out any bad side
affects dragging you down. I have not fond one in 2 years I have not
fond one that works for me with out giving me insomnia, so if I take it
and don't sleep I'll be more sick then I was before I started, so I stay
depressed, you said Lamictal lifted your depression, but it gave you
swollen glands in your neck, great your not depressed anymore but you
just can't eat or breath now ok thats a good deal? I would rather be
depressed then have my neck swollen and god knows what else if you stay
on it for a long time. and in the mean time big $$$$ for the drug co's
drug stores and doctors and mental hospitals, I was in the day program 3
times for 2 weeks at a time it did not help me not really and each time
the bill was over $7.500,, I was impatient for 5 days I admitted my self
in for help, god only knows how much they got paid for that , it was a
nightmare they put you in with criminals and treat you like a criminal
there was no heat in the rooms it got cold believe me it was feb, they
don't even let you watch tv, I only got like 5 hours sleep the whole 5
days I was there, I will never go back to a hospital for help again no
matter how bad I am, it'll only be worst there.
John Smith
Group: alt.support.depression.medication Date: Thu, Jun 22, 2006, 6:57am
(EDT-3) From: leene...@hotmail.com (leenerbups)
*Don't feel bad I have been on Zithromax every month for the past 6
months, I have had a bad immune system my whole life, every year I go
tru this with the colds and the pollen infections, I have to stay
indoors till after the second week of july then the pollen is gone till
mid august then its the ragweed but that does not give me as much
trouble knock on wood, I was out side yesterday waxing my car sweating.
today I am not sure yet but I might have another one I have to wait a
few more days to know for sure, I take Zithromax cause I am deadly
allergic to penicillin, but Zithromax is not that good sometimes you
take it and you still are sick, there was another one I use to take that
was better its called Biaxin, but I used them so much I had to go to
something else, I tried a lot of antibiotics and I am allergic to a lot
of them, a few months ago I had a infection it was a sinese infection
that went into my stomach, I always go to my allergy doctor he is very
good been going to him for 37 years, but I did not feel like the drive
to see him so I went to my primary care doctor cause he is much closer,
I even told him about all the pollen infections I get, you know what he
did? he gave me anti acid pills and sent me home, well the pills did
nothing, I knew what I had so I went to see my allergy doctor and he
said you have a ---- infection from your nose then it went to your
stomach, and he put me on Zithromax again, he really did not want to
put me on them again cause I been on them all year so far but there was
no other choice, if the Zithromax does not work for you ask your doctor
about the Biaxin.
Bink
> Re: Lamictal and a Very Sore Throat(richie)
A sore throat side effect from lamotrigine is peanuts compared to the
diabetes you'll get from olanzapine or quetiapine.