What is your experience with Lamotrigine? Side effects?

My guess is you were taking Nardil (phenelzine). I also gained weight on it. It’s a common side effect for that MAOI and many don’t give it sufficient time to work for just that reason. I gave it a solid run but it didn’t work for me. I tried Marplan most recently but it ended up giving me terrible insomnia. I need my sleep! I had to come off of it and am now taking (and increasing) Parnate. If Parnate worked well for you, I’d consider going back on it. Personally, I think your doctor may have overreacted but I don’t know your situation. I too had a response to tyramine after eating some exotic cheese from Wisconsin. We actually bought it up there (I’m in Illinois). Anyway, I know it can be quite scary. I had the classic symptoms. A headache unlike any I’ve ever had in my life. Pain at the lower back and sides of my head quickly worsening and I began sweating and became nauseous. At first I didn’t know what may have caused it until I remembered the cheese I enjoyed roughly 45 mins. before. If nothing else it taught me to be more cognizant of what I eat! The number of foods that can cause it is really quite small. You can find this list at Dr. Gillman’s http://www.psychotropical.com. He is a noted psychiatrist and an expert in the MAOI drug class. The site is very informative. Also, what you had experienced doesn’t lead to any other problems after the incident (serotonin toxicity is a far worse crisis!). I would seriously reconsider Parnate. Some experience just what you did and, obviously, almost all of us did it by accident. You just need to know what’s on the short list of prohibited foods. Again, it is not difficult to adhere to. Anyway, that’s my take. Good luck! BTW, I took pramipexole as an adjunct to Nardil and got up to the recommended dosage. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for me. There is a doctor, Jan Fawcett who promoted it for depression. I’m sure you can track down a video online where he discusses its use with MAOIs.

I am not bipolar, i was on Wellbutrin fir 29 yrs. doesn’t work anymore.

Did he/she give you a reason that they preferred to use an anti-seizure medication rather than convention treatment with another antidepressant?

Just that the Wellbutrin I have been in for 15 yrs stopped working! I wake up every morning very depressed, but I never miss work!! She say’s I’m not Bipolar, but since the Prozac made me feel weird, I guess she would try this other one

@sally4910 I’ve been on most standard meds for depression over the last 50 years with poor results. Finally found a psychiatrist who was willing to try off-label meds for treatment resistant major depressive disorder. She started me on a low dose Lamotrigine like you’re on. Gradually it was increased over a period of over a year to the current dose of 150 mg twice a day. It’s really helped. She’s added another med that’s used for Parkinson’s. Pramiprexol. The 2 meds work pretty good. I’m not hopeless anymore (mostly). She also told me I am not bipolar. I don’t have side effects like I did with all of the standard depression drugs. You should give this med a try. She will probably increase your dose gradually due to the risk of some kind of serious rash if you go too fast on the dosing. Please let me know your progress. I’m interested in anyone else on Lamotrigine and how it’s working for you.

@louisy I was put on Lamotrigine as well several years ago and it made me feel terrible. I had to stop taking it. The only med I have found that helps my depression has been Cymbalta (30 mg.) I take the generic, though.

I do have a bipolar 2 diagnosis, which I believe to be accurate, so my comment needs to be placed in that context.

My response to antidepressants was horrific. They flipped me upside down and amplified my depression so severely that I landed in the hospital before anyone realized what was going on. My psychiatrist recommended Lamotrigine and I decided to give it a try. The results have been remarkable. I was nearing 60 when I started taking it, and a lifetime of cyclical depression simply went away. I've not suffered a single bout for over a year-and-a-half now. I used to have several bad patches every year when I'd get deeply depressed. Emotionally, my life is better than it has ever been

Lamotrigine gets mixed results, from what I've seen. It works for some, not for others. But this is true of every drug used to treat depression. I'd say if antidepressants weren't helping, give it a try. It takes a bit of time to kick in, and my dosage is significantly higher than 25 mg, which has to be considered as well. But if it works, it could be a lifesaver for you as it has been for me.