Hi all. Been taking lamotrigine off label from my psych provider. Intended to help with emotional instability.
I have been slowly titrating up. Had some ups and downs but now I feel like I’m nearly at the worst I’ve ever been.
I have been on 200 for the past 3 weeks. My mood has not stabilized in that time and I am getting much worse.
A few days after the increase to 200 my coworker noticed an immediate and dramatic negative shift in mood and appearance. Prior to that, I was on 150 for 5 weeks. Initially I was doing pretty good but I had a steady decline for the entirety of the 5th week before I was upped to 200.
My bros please help. This is destroying my career and relationships. It has immediate and significant impacts on my life.
I sent my provider an urgent message in her portal but yeah I need to figure out this shit asap.
Not sure if I am having a paradoxical reaction to every psych med I am trying or what??? Also yes I am in therapy but in the process of changing to one who is a lot more strucutred in her approach and less of a talk therapist.
200 mg is really absolutely not a wild dose. It is generally seen as the minimum therapeutic dose for conditions like bipolar disorder. The standard titration schedule is over several months, not several years.
It’s really frustrating that I seem to have a “paradoxical reaction” to like every psych med.
I have been under intense interpersonal workplace stress for many months now before I even started taking this drug and no med is helping me. :(
I suppose dosing standards may also differ on condition, region, and medical provider which is fair.
None of what I said was meant to be directed at you in a way that places blame. I’ve had family members who were mis- or over-medicated and that same worry and sympathy bubbled up when I was reading your post.
I’ll admit I peeked at some of your past posts and I would feel/react similarly in your work situation. Being even vaguely “neurodivergent” and having a stronger sense of justice and higher sympathy/empathy level is difficult, especially in a toxic work environment. It sucks that bullies seem to be able to sniff it out and make your life hell over it, too. There’s a lot of bullshit and injustice in this world, and I’m sorry you’re dealing with so much of it.
I hope you’re able to find some small relief/reprieve, and can at some point find a better work situation too. You’re not crazy for being upset or sensitive to stress. However you manage to cope with it all is valid.