askesis Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I joined this site last week, and I'm happy to report that I have begun my withdrawal today following the 10% guideline as an organizing principle. My body and my brain state will dictate my actual pace! Please see my signature for my withdrawal particulars. The only other medication I take is Vyvanse 40 mg daily. I must say, Vyvanse has had a major positive impact on my life. Struggling with a prefrontal cortex disorder (so inadequately discribed as ADHD by the DSM series over the years) that I had no idea I had for 55 years provides me with a very thorough "before" context for the before and after comparison. In my wildest dreams before trying Vyvanse, I could not have imagined the degree of cognitive clarity I enjoy now. I am also a lot more at ease, now that I have confidence that my cognitive abilities are reliable, day after day. I have an extensive history of being on and off a variety of psychoactive medications. I do not remember particulars such as dosages of medications I took years ago. 1992 Prozac as monotherapy, discontinued suddenly and replaced with Lithium by my psychiatrist. Lithium discontinued in late 1993. 1995-2002 As monotherapy: Paxil, succeeded by Zoloft, succeeded by Wellbutrin. Tapered off of Wellbutrin by my prescriber, but quickly. 2003-200 Wellbutrin and Effexor taken concurrently. Medically "managed" taper of 4 weeks. 2006-Jun 2012 Lexapro 30 mg daily. Wellbutrin 150 mg daily added Feb 2012, discontinued Jun 2012. Feb 2012-Jun 2012 Lithium 300 mg, twice daily. All of my medication withdrawals were medically supervised, but nevertheless very rapid in retrospect using the wealth of personal experience I have read on this site. So there you go, just the facts. I will check in regularly with Lamictal withdrawal updates, further research sorties, and especially to tap the experience of others if I hit rough patches during my withdrawal Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
askesis Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 I forgot to include nonpharmacological supports that I take in my intro post. Sorry about that, and here they are: Fish Oil: EPA 1450 mg/ DHA 1060mg per teaspoon, 1 tsp daily An organic, whole food multivitamin for men; includes turmeric, ginger and herbal blends for cardio support and immune support, Vitamin D 5000 IU daily Vitamin B complex daily Magnesium glycinate chelate 300 mg daily A vitamin/herb blend for prostate support. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted October 18, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 18, 2014 Hi Akesis, welcome to SA, I am glad that you found us and have done some research before starting your taper. There are very few doctors who actually know anything about tapering and as you have discovered, give out more drugs when withdrawal sets in, telling us that it is a return of the depression. You seem very capable and ready to taper, if I can make a suggestion, I would wait longer than the 3 weeks before your next cut, sometimes withdrawal symptoms take that long to show and cutting again before the symptoms have settled makes things worse later in the taper. Wait 4 weeks and if symptoms appear don't cut until they have settled. You will soon get to know how your body copes and may be able to go 3 weeks once you have found your pattern of symptoms. Hopefully there wont be any and you will taper with no problems. I'm sure you will have read the topic for tapering lamictal but in case you missed it here is the link. It is available in dispersible tablets that can be dissolved in water so would be easier to get the lower doses. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1122-tips-for-tapering-off-lamictal-lamotrigine/ Many people find B vitamins too stimulating in withdrawal, if they are helping then that is great but if you start to feel withdrawal then cutting the b vits might help there. Keep us posted, and thank you for the signature, it is very helpful. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted October 18, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 18, 2014 Sounds like you're prepared and doing this sensibly. Please do keep us posted, you have our support. And congratulations! Good luck! Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
askesis Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 MammaP and Rhi, thank you both for your kind and helpful comments. MammaP: thank you for mentioning the Vitamin B-related overstimulation that others have reported. I have decided to stop the Vitamin B supplementation to remove it as a possible confounding factor. Also, I'm going to follow your advice and extend this first cut from 3 weeks to at least 4 weeks. During my research and planning (which included a thorough reading of http://survivingantidepressants.org...tal-lamotrigine/ ), I realized that a gradual withdrawal following the 10% or less per cut rule of thumb would take the better part of the next year, so I'm not in any rush. I'll be in touch! Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
askesis Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 I am in week 1 of my first cut. I am experiencing these withdrawal symptoms: Increased fatigue (this seems like a paradoxical response, since so many others have reported agitation, sleeplessness as they withdrew from Lamictal---of course, it's very early in the process). Short term memory and especially vocabulary/phrase recall are noticeably worse now then they were taking the full dose, and they were deficient then. There was a time, up until five or so years ago, that my short term memory and vocabulary/phrase recall were extraordinary. My fingers are crossed that when my brain ultimately moves into homeostasis after my withdrawal from Lamictal is over, I will have these skills once again. I fear the possibility that bombarding my brain with so many different medications over the years may have permenantly changed the architecture of my brain and that these skills may not return as I remember them. Time will tell, and I will resist the temptation to dwell on the long term and continue to remind myself that my life is today, not in some conceptualization of the future. A very peculiar phenomenon I had forgotten about that I experienced during my uptitration when I began taking Lamictal. When I move my eyes from a level, neutral gaze toward my nose, I see a flash of light in the outside peripheral vision of the eye now looking inward. For example, if I look all the way to the left, my right eye moves towards my nose. I will see the flash to the right, on the very outside of my right eye's peripheral vision. The same thing happens with the left eye when I look all the way to the right. The flash happens almost all the time on the right side, less frequently on the left side. The flash occurs both when I deliberately move my eyes as described and when they move like this in the course of going about my day. The flash is very brief. It's in the shape of a long, skinny "floater". There is no pain, no change in clarity of vision. I mention this benign flash phenomenon only to see if others have experienced this during their withdrawals from any medication. That's my update. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 24, 2014 Administrator Share Posted October 24, 2014 Hello, Akesis. That sounds like a variation of brain zaps, a common withdrawal symptom. Hopefully your nervous system will adjust to 10% decreases in a few days or so, then get stabilized for several weeks before your next reduction. I am sure you will get your cognitive abilities back when you are off Lamictal. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
askesis Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 Withdrawal update. I cut my dose again on 11/10/2014, reducing from 187.5 mg to 175 mg. The withdrawal has been smooth so far. Other than the brain zap variant I reported in the first week of my first cut, I have not experienced any noticeable side effects at 175 mg. I plan to make another cut from 175 mg to 162.5 mg on 12/11/2014. My Primary Care Provider has been so very supportive of my desire to get off of this medication. She was not the original prescriber, and has been prescribing for me at my request. She is good people. I'll be back with updates as they occur. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted December 6, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 6, 2014 Glad your taper is going well Akesis, and really pleased that your PCP is supporting you so well. Thank you for updating us. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
askesis Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Withdrawal update: I went 4 weeks at 175 mg with no withdrawal symptoms, so I began the next cut to 162.5 mg today. Updates to follow. I am grateful for the support I have received from the kind souls on this site who are following my updates. A Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted December 11, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 11, 2014 So great to hear how well you're doing! Gave me a big smile. Thanks for keeping us updated. We don't often get to watch someone taper with the 10% protocol right from the beginning. You mentioned fatigue after your first cut. I just wanted to let you know that's a pretty common side effect of Lamictal withdrawal. I don't understand it either, but it's happened to me and seems to happen to other people too. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
askesis Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Thank you Rhi. The fatigue has diminished quite a bit; maybe it's gone and I'm just experiencing pre-Solstice hibernation instinct! In any event, I'm feeling well and very confident that I'm on the right track slowly withdrawing from lamictal. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Narcissus Posted December 12, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 12, 2014 Good luck askesis, sounds like you're doing well so far. 3 Years 150 mgs Effexor 2 month taper down to zero 3 terrible weeks at zero Back up to 75 mgs 2 months at 75 6 or so months back to regular dose of 150 - was able to restabilize fine. 3 month taper back to zero 1 HORRENDOUS week at zero 2 days back up to 37.5 3 days back up to 75 One week at 150 - unable to stabilize. Back down to 75 mgs At 75 mgs (half original dose) and suffering withdrawal symptoms since October 2012. "It is a radical cure for all pessimism to become ill, to remain ill for a good while, and then grow well for a still longer period." - Nietzsche Link to comment
askesis Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Thank you Narcissus. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
askesis Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 Withdrawal update: I completed an uneventful month at 162.5 mg and began my cut to 150 mg on 1/11/15. I have not experienced any other withdrawal symptoms other then what I reported after my very first cut from 200 mg. HUGE improvement in cyclical depression! Fatigue is now occasional, and may be a mid-winter artifact unrelated to my withdrawal. Short term memory has improved a bit. Vocabulary recall and libido still largely unchanged from pre-withdrawal baseline. That's all, folks! Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 25, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 25, 2015 That's good news, Akesis. Please let us know how you're doing with your taper. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
askesis Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thank you for noticing Altostrata! I will continue updates for each cut, and for any speed bumps in the road to withdrawal that may lie ahead. Today is Friday 10/17/2014 I began taking Lamictal in August 2012; Until yesterday I was taking 200 mg daily. It was prescribed to treat PTSD. After taking Lamictal (lamotrigine) for two years, I began withdrawal today. My inital prescriber, a psychiatrist, had told me that he envisioned a two year course of Lamictal to calm overactive areas of my brain consistent with PTSD (I had received two SPECT scans of my brain). He thought that two years would be long enough for the many recommended non-pharmacological treatments to be effective in healing the wounds that were causing the hypervigilance shown on the scans (and revealed in detail in the extensive history taking). I believe that those treatments have been effective, and two years are up. I also believe that Lamictal is responsible for the following side effects, which I would love to see go away: Short term memory loss Severe loss of vocabulary recall Cyclical depression Markedly decreased libido I took my first dose of 187.5 mg of Lamictal this morning after picking up 100 mg and 25 mg tablets from the pharmacy. I had become so motivated to begin this withdrawal that I brought half of a 200 mg tablet (100 mg) with me from home, along with my new handy dandy pill splitter. Once back in the car, I halved a 100 mg (50 mg), added one 25 mg tab and half of another 25 mg (12.5 mg) to put together 187.5 mg. I drank it down with a strong feeling of self-nurturing. My plan: three weeks at 187.5 mg, then a decrease to 175 mg. On paper, I will reduce a dose by 12.5 mg after three weeks. In reality, I will adjust the plan as my body and brain state dictate I will be checking in here frequently. Link to comment
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