Hi there. I was very recently diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and ADHD. :faint: I just wanted to say hello. I enjoy reading everything on this site because there is so much information. Currently I'm on Lamictal and then this week I'm going to see about the ADHD medication. Does anyone have anything to say about Lamictal? I haven't noticed anything yet but I'm on a very low dose, working my way up. Anyone have anything to say or advice for a newjack? I felt a sense of relief after I left my psy's office - I finally felt that maybe I wasn't crazy after all.:eyebrow: Hi everyone and thank you for letting me be here with you all.

Heya Aha,

While I'm diagnosed with Bipo-2, and am prescribed meds other than Lamictal for it, I wanted to *wave* 'Howdy', to you anyways. (0:

thank you for waving hello - you have been the only one to respond to me at all! well, regardless of any interaction or not, I still am trying to get all the information I can out of these forums!!!

**waving back**

I am currently on 150 mg of Lamictal a day, along with 60 - 80 mg of adderall. I also take Seroquel and Klonopin as needed for sleep. mmmm, what to say about Lamictal...I don't know. I have been on it for 9 weeks, I don't really know if it is working yet. The whole "rash" warning with Lamictal really put me off to it at first, until a wise person said "all medications have risks, they have to tell you about them...". This person also suggested not finding all my info online in forums, because I am bound to hear mostly horror stories about the drug. I guess, good luck. I am actually on the verge of quiting the Lamictal (again, I was on it before and quit) because I think its causing some weight gain. I don't know.....:faint: :confused:

PS - my dx is Bipolar II with ADD

Apparently some bipolars cant handle stimulant meds but the other seems to be greater with SSRI's or Strattera Effexor etc. as being a mania inducer. I personally do not have any verified dx of bipolar disorder but I become manic in 3 days after taking any antidepressant except wellbutrin but wellbutrin only made cigarettes taste nasty and was useless for anything else. Dexedrine calms me quite well but the prefered combo for your dx is usually Depakote and Adderall I think. Lamictal was the antidepressant of my dreams one that worked without making me manic. My depression is considered "agitated depression".

I have been on Lamictal for almost 3 years, 400 mgs. For now it seems to do the trick. In addition, I've been on several antipsychotics and continue to have trouble remaining awake and functioning.

My advice is to be patient and understand that many patients go through several med changes before finding the right dose and combination. Not to depress you but understand that on average it takes about 2 years before finding true stability, of course this varies for each individual.

I'm surprised that your pdoc wants to begin ADHD treatment but I wish you much luck and success :)

Hi there. I was very recently diagnosed with Bipolar 1 and ADHD. :faint: I just wanted to say hello. I enjoy reading everything on this site because there is so much information. Currently I'm on Lamictal and then this week I'm going to see about the ADHD medication. Does anyone have anything to say about Lamictal? I haven't noticed anything yet but I'm on a very low dose, working my way up. Anyone have anything to say or advice for a newjack? I felt a sense of relief after I left my psy's office - I finally felt that maybe I wasn't crazy after all.:eyebrow: Hi everyone and thank you for letting me be here with you all.
Hello ahamoment,

I was cruising through the bipolar list and found your post. Several recent posts about lamictal caught my eye recently. What dose are you taking?

Hello and Welcome :p

Welcome! I am DXed BPII and ADHD PI, I take 100 mgs Lamictal, 81 mgs Concerta, 20 mgs Dexadrine (10 X 2), 15 mgs Abilify (5 X 3), and 20 mgs Atarax (5 X 4) :)

Welcome!

I was dx ummm a few months ago. I was dx with ADD in 1994.

I have been on Lamictal since I was dx. I started out on a started pack, to avoid the "rash" sideeffect that seems to happen more by starting out on too high of a dose to fast. I started 25 mg 3 weeks/ 50 2 wks, 75mg 1 week then 100mg after that.

I have only had one side effect, that was sleepiness when I was taking it at night. I originally did this to "sleep" though the side effects, but when I switched to the day time dose the sleepiness faded. And to date , I have no sideeffects at all. Lamictal has worked wonders for me. I feel "normal???" for the first time in my life. I still take small doses of Adderall xr (from 40mg to 20mg) when I need it. But most of the time I don't.
So for me it's been well a wonderful thing.

I started feeling "better" after about 3 weeks on it. And leveled out more as time past. I hope it works well for you too! If not, it's important to not give up! What works for one, doesn't work for the other!

Take care, and as always let us know how you are!

Hope