Lamictal or Lithium?

[fer1]

Are there any great differences between these two.
My main gripe with Lithium is that it starves me of all feeling / emotion. I feel emotionally dead, although I feel it helps me sleep at night. Hoping to taper it and switch to Lamictal if I can.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[h_put2021]

Are there any great differences between these two.
My main gripe with Lithium is that it starves me of all feeling / emotion. I feel emotionally dead, although I feel it helps me sleep at night. Hoping to taper it and switch to Lamictal if I can.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

I definitely see why you are kind of not wanting to stick with lithium. I started two weeks ago and it's been a ride for sure; however, my doctor reassured me that in a few weeks time, it would improve. I'm at the therapeutic levels finally.... switched FROM lamictal, actually.

 

[fer1]

Really? Why did you switch from Lamictal?
What is your Lithium dose like?
I'm now on 800, was 1000 for 5 months.
My hope is to get it down further, with the doctors help.

 

[h_put2021]

Really? Why did you switch from Lamictal?
What is your Lithium dose like?
I'm now on 800, was 1000 for 5 months.
My hope is to get it down further, with the doctors help.

I've only been on 1200mg for about a week and a half. It seems to be working, though. The side effects are slowly going away.

 

[fer1]

Good luck with it. Is it for BPD? I'm on Lithium for unipolar depression.

 

[h_put2021]

Good luck with it. Is it for BPD? I'm on Lithium for unipolar depression.

Bipolar 1

 

[Notalwaysever]

I feel like lithium has more side effects than lamictal but it just all depends on how your personally react. Neither worked for me in the end.

 

[fer1]

Yes, I'm dubious about Lithium myself and as I'm not Bipolar and was only given it as a shot in the dark / last resort,
there is absolutely no benefit in me being on it at all.
From what I am hearing, Lamictal is more or less the same, with perhaps less side effects.

 

[h_put2021]

Yes, I'm dubious about Lithium myself and as I'm not Bipolar and was only given it as a shot in the dark / last resort,
there is absolutely no benefit in me being on it at all.
From what I am hearing, Lamictal is more or less the same, with perhaps less side effects.

Yeah fair enough. The side effects of lithium (for me) are diminishing now slowly and I feel more stable & normal. But most meds have side effects when you first begin them and until you get a nice therapeutic dose.

 

[missmess]

Are there any great differences between these two.
My main gripe with Lithium is that it starves me of all feeling / emotion. I feel emotionally dead, although I feel it helps me sleep at night. Hoping to taper it and switch to Lamictal if I can.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

Lithium for me was an emotionless nightmare, I just existed and didn't feel anything besides constant dehydration and nausea. Granted, that was years ago. I'm (recently) on Lamictal and haven't experienced too many negative side effects so far. Still trying to work up to a dose that is therapeutic for me though. Trazodone and/or Hydroxyzine have both been helping me maintain a semi normal sleep schedule without terrible side effects.

 

[fer1]

Yes - I know that blank emotionless feeling that Li gives u. Sounds like Lamictal is better in terms of side effects. That's what my doc wants to switch me to. Good luck with it and thanks for your reply.

 

[Ghost_Owl]

Lithium is very hard on the body in the long term and requires more monitoring in comparison to lamictal. Lithium served me well for a number years but started to lose effectiveness. Upping the dose made the side effects worse and it no longer had therapeutic value. lamictal has solid efficacy behind it. If I could go back in time and that had been available instead of lithium I would have favoured it.

 

[fer1]

Thanks for the feedback. As I had previous family history with BPD , but didn't have it myself,I was just prescribed it as a shot in the dark. I'm going to slowly taper off and would happily try Lamictal. Sounds good

 

[HLon99]

As far as I know, lamictal is only really prescribed for bipolar depression and has not been shown to be effective in cases of unipolar depression. For me, it was an absolute lifesaver, and with minimal side effects, but I am bipolar. I have heard that lithium can cause emotional blunting and has quite a harsh side effect profile so its not for everyone. I wish you all the best with lamictal.

 

[fer1]

Thanks buddy. Yeah , doctor seems hell bent on a mood stabilizer for me even if I am not Bipolar although I did have a suicide bid which is prob her reason