Manic - Just started Abilify with Lamictal - Do you take them??

[cowgirlnerd]

Recently, I have been manic A LOT, and I finally talked to my pdoc today.  I have been manic with violent outbursts (full on 2 yr old temper tantrums), extreme panic attacks, etc.

What experience have you had combining the 2 meds?  

Thanks.

[cowgirlnerd]

I don't really have a problem with Lamictal - it's been a life saver.  The only problem I really have is slowed speech and (weirdly enough) a less ability to SPELL!  I know, weird.

My big thing is the Abilify.  I tried it this weekend and honestly, it felt like I did when I used to smoke pot a gazillion years ago.  I was stoned out of my gourd.  I didn't know if maybe it was because I was exhausted after caring for my friend with cancer, but I didn't take it last night (switched from daytime to night time Saturday), and when it got out of my system, I felt more normal.

I just have these dope smoking, anxious, weird feelings.  Anyone else?

[adel_ezz]

I tried lamictal for a few days only, i believe it's a wonderful drug (i regret to have stopped it for some reason).

You will find that people differ in opinion about every drug. The no of people differing about lamictal are no so many like abilify. This last one although the most popular in the west as the first AP yet i found on the web different contradicting views. Whereas the majority say it's activating and good for depression however leads to insomnia and agitation and anxiety, yet others says it makes them tired and want to sleep. Docs write with it Akineton because of the agitation if it occurs.

My view which i expressed here many times yet never took abilify myself is that i have the feeling that lamictal+abilify is not a best combo because both work upwards, i happened to correspond with a lady in a fifferent forum who took both and was anxious so i advised her to ask her pdoc why not lamictal+seroquel and she did and since last january i haven't heard from her because she withdrew from the forum, upon writing to her she said she is doing fine and quite stable, so no need to read posts.

My view was that lamictal works upwards, while seroquel works downwards (strong antimanic) so you get some form of equilibrium. Both have antidepressant properties.

of course i don't know more than your pdoc. So i would give the combo you are on a chance

However that lamictal causes mania, i don't think this is established. Sure that it doesn't help in mania, but that it causes mania this is very doubtful, perhaps at very higher doses like IL said, also i heard from one pdoc who told me when I chose lamictal that he cured one pt from mania by lamictal. Also on forums we see people got cured from mania also by abilify, or to be more precise, some pts when stopping abilify got their mania, so i assumed that both can't cause mania, yet since they work upwards most probably do not help in mania. it's like lithium which works downwards, can't cause depression yet doesn't help in depression. All the above meds are MS, so by definition it improves one pole but not at the expense of the other

good luck

[jillybug171]

I am currently trying to wean off Lamictal and Zyprexa. This has been the most difficult time of my life. I wish doctors would warn patients about withdrawals before putting us on them. Of course the pharma companies deny withdrawals. I was never diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This was an experiment based on possible family history. If I knew now what I did then I would never have taken these meds. I will know better to do my research before I ever take another psychiatric drug! I hope you have success with this drug.

[Xila31]

I ended up being allergic to Lamictal and got a rash.

On Abilify I had the worst panic attacks you can imagine, like my whole body would freeze.

So, I had a band experience with both but that's just me. Everyone is different.

[ILADVOCATE]

Well I was on Lamictal for almost 10 years and at higher doses (I was told by my psychopharmocologist this was not uncommon) that it could worsen mania and that's why I was changed to another mood stabilizer. Speak to your psychiatrist and make sure that's not the cause of the mania (of course it could easily be that its just not working well enough and the whole issue is their judgment). Abilify can be helpful for many people but for me it was very activating and I had to change back to another antipsychotic. See if it works. If it doesn't there's an antipsychotic that just got FDA approved (that works in the same manner as all the other conventional atypical antipsychotics, the next generation ones I post about are years off) called Saphris so there continues to be an expanding number of choices and its good to keep up to date.