I appreciate the support, and don't get me wrong I think this medication has a lot of value in fact I'm working with a patient on the titration currently. If you haven’t subscribed already, please do, and spread the word about what we are doing here.

I heard both Levetiracetam ( Keppra )and lamotrigine (lamitcal) can help in preventing mania they are safe during pregnancy so I assume they are the least harmful to the body. Do you know any one who took both. Looking for alternatives to Lithium and anti psychotics to prevent mania in Bipolar 1 disorder

research does not tell us how an individual patient will respond to a treatment. For some lamotrigine will help with depression and other symptoms related to bipolar disorder. What the literature does tell us is in large sample sizes and in a randomized controlled settings thats not the case. I still like the medication and will use in appropriate cases. I think if it works well for you thats great and I'm glad you found a medication that provides relief. I think there are a lot of good things about lamotrigine. Hope this helps if you haven't subscribed to the channel please do and spread the word about the community we are building here.

I'm new to it, but I am also in love with Lamactil and it seems many people are!

Thats great, it's a good medication often difficult to titrate since you have to go slow but it does seem to help people stay well in the maintenance phase. Hope this helps I appreciate the comment

my daughter is on anti psychotics and lithium at rediculous doses she was a theater student so she needs memory and concentration . in your case have you been using it to prevent mania

@nadiasmith226 yes. I haven't had an episode in years. I was on Paxil, then Zoloft before with negative consequences.

I heard both Levetiracetam ( Keppra )and lamotrigine (lamitcal) can help in preventing mania they are safe during pregnancy so I assume they are the least harmful to the body. Do you know any one who took both. Looking for alternatives to Lithium and anti psychotics Quebec Canada Doctors seem to love so much @@badfrankenstein5732

Me too It helps to survive 150 mg a day with fish oil it helps even better for anxiety and sleep

I have been taking it for five years. It worked for me.

thanks for the input it's always good to here about direct experiences with medication in real-world situations

I totally agree. Like u I suddenly felt was less depressed done morning. I'm swapping from quetiapine to lithium atm. Hate quetiapine for the awful side effects plus didnt work at all for me, even at 600mg. But lamotrigine had zero side effects for me n has literally saved my life. Thank god for the meds!

I heard both Levetiracetam ( Keppra )and lamotrigine (lamitcal) can help in preventing mania they are safe during pregnancy so I assume they are the least harmful to the body. Do you know any one who took both. Looking for alternatives to Lithium and anti psychotics to prevent mania in Bipolar 1 disorder

I think there is a common misconception that these medications are addictive like opioids or benzodiazepines this is not true. Some medications like SSRIs have withdrawal syndromes but this is not the same as being addicted to a substance. It sounds like things are going well for you and I'm happy you found treatment that works. Thanks for being an advocate for mental health and treatment. I wish you the best on your mental health journey. If you haven't subscribed to the channel please do and spread the word about what we are doing here.

how are you doing a month later?

@@VVienna22 Because I'm in my crucial time of studying, I didn't increase my dosage and was advised to stick with 50mg. It's still pretty great, works like a charm and I haven't had depressive episodes since then. I do say that once, I ran out of Lamotrigine but I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. Tbf in the next 2 days I got it back in my system

@@tranlenamphuong6192 why would you not increase dosage during school study time? just curious. thank you for responding by the way.

@@VVienna22 I'm taking my final highschool test and the doctor doesn't want me to experience any possible side effects at this stage. Besides 50mg already works so I guess she doesn't want to increase it anymore

Thank you for watching and sharing, I appreciate the love

What are other psych pages you like? Always looking for new resources.

@@heystarship9856 I think I made a video talking about resources I like to use for studying and learning check them out it's a good place to start.

I heard both Levetiracetam ( Keppra )and lamotrigine (lamitcal) can help in preventing mania they are safe during pregnancy so I assume they are the least harmful to the body. Do you know any one who took both. Looking for alternatives to Lithium and anti psychotics to prevent mania in Bipolar 1 disorder

Can you please talk to me I was put on it years ago 25mg saved my life so maybe I’m bipolar was taken off when in hosp after overdose I’m on 25 mg Zoloft for 8 days no help yet

I still love lamotrigine it can be very good in mixed depression and bipolar disorder. Some say the three L's are best medications lamotrigine, lithium, and Latuda

What was it an add on for?

@@camellia8625 venlafaxine

@@helenalovelock1030 thanks++ will look into it

​@@helenalovelock1030 Hi :) Did you take venlafaxine with lamotrigine cause i am using the sec.one as anti-depressive?

@@milanic7267 yes o take Lamotragine with venlafaxine lowest dose

I like it too, just prescribed it the other after treating a patient coming off a recent manic episode. I like the lack of sedation and low side effect profile.

I usually consider medication response as lower form of evidence for severity of bipolar illness. I look at genetics (family history), and course of illness as much more important when determining severity. With that said, everyones body, metabolism, and response to medication will be different. What it may indicate is lower doses may be effective and titrating to 100 mg may not be necessary in all cases. Hope this helps, if you haven't subscribed please do and spread the word about what we are doing here.

I would not let it discourage you, some have found it helpful in bipolar depression.

This is a possible reason for the findings. The mania studies were very short 3 weeks and 6 weeks. The bipolar depression studies were of adequate duration with one lasting 29 weeks which was negative. One of the rapid cycling studies was 34 weeks. I believe the depression studies and raid cycling studies were accurately represented and if you think about the reason for medication in the setting of acute mania it's to stabilize the patients mood rapidly so even if it does work at higher dose and longer durations it's not clinically meaningful in my opinion. Once titrated it does prevent mania, it just doesn't work in the acute setting. Thank you for the comment

I heard both Levetiracetam ( Keppra )and lamotrigine (lamitcal) can help in preventing mania they are safe during pregnancy so I assume they are the least harmful to the body. Do you know any one who took both. Looking for alternatives to Lithium and anti psychotics to prevent mania in Bipolar 1 disorder

This is a fair criticism, it takes roughly 6 weeks to reach an effective dose due to the slow titration requirement. Some have said the studies were not carried out long enough to see the full benefit. I do see value in this medication and use it clinically, but we have to be careful about the evidence base indicating it treats bipolar depression and mania which I do not believe is fully supported by the literature. If you haven't subscribed to the channel please do and spread the word about what we are joining here. I also have daily instagram content @Shrinks_In_Sneakers

@@ShrinksInSneakers Hi sir, I agree that 6 weeks is probable if there is no instance of other medications getting titrated off of or on....ESPECIALLY SSRIs which sometimes exacerbates mania. I can vouch it works on depression...not fully prevent as you had mentioned. My Dr. told me its useless for "grandeur bliss" type mania which is a strong support of the "ineffective" reports. Pharma will say anything tho to push drugs that aren't as palatable to the body & make a need for MORE medication to fix the side effects. Mania that comes out as mostly agitation, irritation & perhaps rage I have seen profound improvements. A 1 all fix medication that doesn't borderline kill you, is totally dreamy ☁️☁️ thanks for your conversation & perspective. I support Lamictal & your education to us all.

@@NatureHeadSupreme Appreciate the support and the discussion on this important topic

I agree. I am so impatient to get results but I know that I have to titrate slowly.

@@andreacapri8222 continue to wait it out. Its worth it because of the minimal side effects - in the meantime lean on your therapist. Oh yeah, ask you doctor if you can go 25 50 75 100 125 150 etc just to be extra precautionary...batter up you've got to play the long game.

Here's the response I've been giving recently because it's important when learning how to interrupt literature and data. When someone does a randomized controlled trial it's a high level of evidence where you are comparing an intervention like medication to placebo. Participants in these studies often are carefully selected so they only have the disorder under investigation which is not a good measure of real life patient encounters which are far more complex. The you get a result, the result only talks about generalities. In general lamotrigine does not perform as well for acute mania as Depakote or Lithium. It doesn't mean in some cases a patient will find lamotrigine works both as maintenance and bipolar depression, and acute mania. What we can say is the company that manufactures the medications made several attempts to gain additional indications for lamotrigine but the studies were negative and were mostly unpublished until recently when a court order required them to disclose the information. What that means for me is I can't suggest someone take lamotrigine for acute mania. I can probably make a case for adding lamotrigine for bipolar depression although the data doesn't seem to support that either but I think the case is at least a little stronger if the patient is already taking another medication like lithium without full remission. It's complicated, to say the least.

I REFUSE to go on Lithium!!!!!!

I have bipolar 2 should I tell my doctor to put me on lamotrigine ?

@@elyousfi5661 I like it. No side effects

Any rash that develops while on lamotrigine, the medication should be stopped immediately. SJS usually develops in the first 1-3 weeks of treatment and requires immediate treatment. It caught early enough it is unlikely to progress once the medication is stopped. The best way to avoid this is start very low, some have advocated for starting with 12.5 mg/day and titrating even slower

@@ShrinksInSneakers THANK you soooo much for your generosity of heart to take the time to respond to this question! God bless you!!!

I personally prefer depakote for agitation and limbic activation and I'm not aware of any studies that looked at this medication directly for agitation or aggression. Hope this helps

Great, glad you have been successful with this medication. It’s a good choice once the manic episode is treated and keep people well. Thanks for the comment and spread the word about the channel and the work we are doing here

im on 200mgs 3 times a day for depression. I've been on it for 27yrs and I only take it because, when I don't take it I feel foggy minded I get very confused and I stumble. I have children and I feel as I cant just stop with the highest dose. Of 200mgs 3times a day. I want this medication out of me.im on 200mgs 3 times a day for depression. I've been on it for 27yrs and I only take it because when I don't I feel foggy minded I get very confused and I stumble. I have children and I feel as I cant just stop with the highest dose. Of 200mgs 3times a day. I want this medication out of me. How long would it take to come off this medication after takeing it for 27yrs for "depression"?? Im done!! Im on 200mg 3times a day. The highest dose! Pleas help.

Good to hear it works, I've seen from alot of comments that it really helps and is a game changer. Will check back in 3 months with an update once I've hit 200mg.

@@AaronsPad Best of luck let me know how it goes

@@Albanyoregonskywatcher This is not medical advice, it’s for educational purposes only. Always talk to your doctor prior to making any changes. The medication can be tapered off and the dose you are describing here sounds high and could be contributing to the side effects. I would talk with your doctor about your thoughts and creating a tapering schedule. The total time to come off is at least 2 weeks although it may take more time. This is the minimal amount of time and watch out for worsening symptoms of bipolar/depression during that time. Hope this helps. If you haven’t subscribed to the channel, please do and spread the word about what we are doing here. We also have daily content on Instagram @Shrinks_In_Sneakers

How are you today? being a year ago have you upped the Dose to 50mgs.

brain fog is not a medical diagnosis it's the feeling patients have usually when stressed, not sleeping, or as the result of an untreated or poorly treated disorder. It can be a side effect of some medications. I like to avoid medication that are known to cause cognitive disturbances. This can be any medication that is anticholinergic common ones being diphenhydramine, antipsychotics, cogentin, and I will add topmax although it's not anticholinergeric. Life style modification including diet and routine exercise can help, improving sleep quality, treating depression can also help. I will sometimes add a choline supplement like citicoline as well

Are you off of lamictal if so how come

One way is that when a receptor is blocked from interacting with a neurotransmitter it can become more sensitive. Kind of like... er well a bit like not having sex for a while. When the receptor finally gets the chance to interact with a neurotransmitter it's much more excited.

I would not say that is a side effect of lamictal. What you can do is look for a correlation between dose changes and ruminating which may provide some insight. The goal of using it in these cases is impulse control and emotional regulation, I've not seen any cases clinically where it worsened anxiety or increased ruminating thoughts. Hope this helps

@@ShrinksInSneakers Dr.Rossi, I have one more question. Do you think that emotional stability can be achieved through psychotherapy or it just helps to deal with the symptoms? Is dbt the best? Thanks a lot❤️

I usually do not look at medication response as my number one factor for determining if a person has a true psychiatric disease. I look at the course of illness, number of episodes, genetics such as a family history of bipolar disorder and then at response to medication. Cyclothymia is interesting as well and a place where lamotrigine may be a benefit although true evidence is lacking. I can say SSRIs and other antidepressants in people with manic symptoms of any sort are usually not a good idea. What is good is that you found something that works and you are making progress, hope this helps a little

@@ShrinksInSneakers I appreciate you and your channel and thanks for taking the time to reply. Would love to be treated by you (if I wasn't thousands of miles away..)

@@bixumbi no problem

Clinically I have seen those types of side effects more commonly with Topamax. Most patients I've seen on lamotrigine have not experienced cognitive side effects. I think the off label use in cyclothymia makes sense although as you point out there is limited evidence and no one is going to pay to do a large RCT on it. With that said I'm not a big fan of just throwing the medication at any disorder but in bipolar, depression with mixed features, possibly cyclothymia I think it's a reasonable option. Hope this helps

Thanks for the reply!

@@MIDNIGHT_ANGEL278 no problem

It's hard for me to comment on this specifically because I don't know enough about the case and it's always best tot talk with your doctor about the concerns. It's impotent to remember lamotrigine does not work for bipolar depression and does not work for acute mania it's basically a maintenance medication that should theoretically work to keep someone well who is already stable. Theory does not always play out clinically as you will see in my up coming KZfaq shorts stay tuned to learn more

Don’t let them tell you what you need you tell them what you need!

Sounds like what my doctor tried to explain ? he doesn't think I am Bi-polar but, possible induced evidence? though the condictions i am living in can cause depression stress anxiety triggering my moods like Abuse from Narcissism psychical mental strain I Have been going through in the past 5 years? My Doctor has noticed a change in me because of this abuse and why he decided to Prescribe Lamotrigin . I guess long years of abuse of any kind can change Brain Chemistry? I'll admit I do feel some ease from the lamotrigin but only 3 weeks on 25mgs needs to wait if any better result happens.@@ShrinksInSneakers

This is not medical advice, it’s for educational purposes only. Always talk to your doctor prior to making any changes. First, the process of navigating mental health treatment can be difficult and many people get frustrated. I would not let it get you down, I have seen some major turn arounds with the right treatment. One east thing that I believe helps is to start psychotherapy. If you are experiencing depressive episodes things like CBT or IPT can be very helpful and work as adjuncts to medication treatment. With Bipolar II disorder you need to have at least 1 hypomanic episode and at least 1 major depressive episode. In general, most people spend more time depressed. Like I said in the video lamotrigine in the dose range of 100 to 200 mg/day is good for bipolar I maintenance, but the research is not so good for bipolar II disorder. In many cases most medications are not tested for bipolar II patients except for quetiapine which does have good data for depressive episodes associated with bipolar II disorder. The lamotrigine may require the addition of another medication approved for bipolar depression. Those medications include lurasidone, cariprazine, olanzapine-fluoxetine combination, and quetiapine. I would talk to your doctor about the symptoms and discuss which medications might target the specific symptoms. I hope this helps, if you haven’t already, please like and subscribe to the channel and spread the word about what we are doing here. We also have daily Instagram content it may be of interest.

Update ?

Thanks, I appreciate the support spread the word about what we are doing here

see my other comment, and I hope it helps

Did it help ?

@@finity9316 yep

@@paulflint6254 what did it help ?

@@finity9316 mood swings and anxiety

@@finity9316 you take it? If so, hope it helps mate.

No problem we will keep making them

I love it! I’m on 100 mg same diagnosis

Corticosteroids are known to induce psychosis and mania in susceptible patients, while it's not a guarantee that bipolar disorder is present it's concerning when this happens and careful evaluation and follow up is required

What i meant to bring up is Patients with Bi-polar 1 or 2 should not be treated with Corticosteroids unless they have no other alternatives?@@ShrinksInSneakers

I also have found thousands of youtube channels complaints of people left alone in missory bt their doctors laughing at then telling then it has nothing t do with steroids. Many of these videos i have trouble finding after ten years and hidden far in to the Algorithms. Though if i search hard enough over the web I find thousands of more new complaints. a few of them wher about people shooting them self in the head after injection for simple poison ivy. and many other Suicides. taking up to 5 years for some taking this drug. and why did the FDA PUT A BLACK BOX ON STEROID ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. FDA also did not approve triamcinolone or prednisone before for up to 39 years ago from way to many complaints. Dexamethasone is Good though for any patient laying on their death bed and saving their life. the Anti-inflammatory can bring down the problems that pressurized the Body enough to kill a person.@@ShrinksInSneakers

So true! but if they had to check every patient on Medicare or any other issue the patient has financially? this would make it allmost impossible to care for the high rollers by the millions all most..@@ShrinksInSneakers

Any one with mental illnesses are more likly to be induced especially Dexamethasone being the strongest anti inflammatory.@@ShrinksInSneakers

Very harmful to have 10 episodes/ year in ur twenties