help, ever since starting lamactil, i've gained weight

ever since i've started taking lamacil, i've gained weight.  i'm often hungry, and i'm often hungry, when i recognize, i shouldn't be.  i've read posts that say it doesn't cause weight gain, but my weight gain started with taking lamactil, and i'm definitely searching for food at times that i shouldn't be.  anyway, in my lamactcil dosing, i'm at the point where i stop taking the single pill which i've taken for two weeks, and move on to 2 pills for the next while (lamactil pill started pack per day).  If i'm not deceiving myself, that it must be the lamactil causing me weight gain, then i would think stopping now where the dosing is a single pill a day, is better than moving on to 2.  can someone help me out and tell me i'm not deceiving myself ?

thank you

[becky808]

What are you taking lamictal for?
You've been taking it for 3 weeks?

You should definitely call your Dr before stopping or decreasing lamictal. It's not supposed to cause weight gain, but anything is possible.

Is it possible you're starting to feel better and have simply gotten your appetite back again?  

[Hensley258]

I take 200Mgs a day of Lamictal. I guess it does make me a little more hungry than I might normally be.

To combat this I just watch my calory intake very closly. So far it's working and I haven't gained any weight.

[tzzst]

no, actually i've been hungry and eating more, and i blamed it on lamactil.  i really couldn't find any other reason for this.  maybe its just me.  i can watch my calorie intake, i just feel prone to eating for some reason, and that didn't happen to the extent that it has been, until the lamactil.  

i will continue taking it -- i do however suspect, and much like the weight gain, its only a suspicion, that its caused me to take naps early in the evening, sometimes offsetting my final sleep hour.   i had that problem with another mood stabilizer.

anyway if this were the wrong med, it would be essential for me to stop soon, because i'm at the point (2 week mark) that i should start taking two pills instead of one daily.  the single dose pills are the lowest dose, and i've only been on it two weeks.  i'm not bipolar just prone to depression.  

thank you

[Hensley258]

Oh I see, your only at the two week mark? Oh heck your not even near an efffective dosage. 100 to 200Mg for at least 6 weeks before you will even know if it's helping.

Lamictal may stimulate your appitite, but the drug itself will not cause weight gain. The food it makes you eat will cause weight gain.