9 replies to this topic

[CLR]

So, my pdoc put me on lamotrigine several months ago as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. I've titrated to 200 mg and I've been on it for over a month. I'm a bit uneasy about it, especially since it binds to melanin in the iris of the eye. Could this potentially result in ocular carcinogenesis? It also messes with the skin in all kinds of funky ways.

It doesn't seem to be very effective--if anything, it induces rage and irritability. I've also noticed VERY poor memory recall, and I am starting to really worry about the potential long term effects. Could this be a result of the inhibition of voltage-dependent sodium channels? I frequently discuss pharmacokinetics with the pdoc... he is eager to prescribe me modafinil for my ADHD, which also seems to aid bipolar depression; perhaps it could be a replacement for lamotrigine.

[lourdaud]

Why not try a lower dose?

[Olon]

I combine lamotrigine with quercetin, which should also dampen allergic skin reactions. It seems to reverse lamotrigine tolerance, but memory is a catastrophy.

[lourdaud]

I combine lamotrigine with quercetin, which should also dampen allergic skin reactions. It seems to reverse lamotrigine tolerance, but memory is a catastrophy.

Do you find short-term memory to be affected mostly, or does it impair working memory as well?
Any side effects such as weight gain etc?

[CLR]

In my case, it seems that both working and short term memory are impaired, with the former being more significant. A severe and prolonged form of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, one might say. Quercetin sounds like an interesting adjunct, Olon--have you isolated it with LMT to confirm its protective effects?

A lower dose might just be the trick, but I don't know if it loses its mood stabilizing properties at lower doses.

Edited by CLR, 18 May 2013 - 04:06 PM.

[Olon]

Do you find short-term memory to be affected mostly, or does it impair working memory as well?
Any side effects such as weight gain etc?

I don't find working memory is impaired.
Apart from the memory problems I have no other side effects.

Olon--have you isolated it with LMT to confirm its protective effects?

??

[CLR]

Have you taken lamotrigine and quercetin alone to make sure that the quercetin is preventing cognitive deficits? It is possible that other vitamins/supps in your regimen are doing this, right?*

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[Olon]

I started and quit lamotrigine several times, always with spectacular initial effect, but development of tolerance. When I added quercetin I was on 5 mg olanzapine and 600 mg lamotrigine. Reducing lamotrigine didn't work.

[workplay]

I tried lamictal and experienced exact same side effects as OP's... severe irritability and short-term memory loss.

It did make my mood better though at times but the dosing was too tricky to nail.

[CLR]

Thought some people might be interested in this. I was reading through some literature and found that vinopocetine has an identical mechanism of action to lamotrigine: voltage-dependent Na+ channel inhibition.

Apparently, there are some neurologists out there who prescribe it for epilepsy. Who's to say it won't have a positive effect on mood disorders? Vinpo could be the nootropic alternative to lamotrigine that I've been searching for.