Can lamictal cause mood swings?

Question

I'm 15 and have had problems with mood swings in the past. I have been taking Lithium for a little over a year and it has worked fine. A few months ago I started Lamictal with plans of getting off the Lithium. I am now at 50mg of Lamictal and need to get up to 200mg before I can get off my Lithium. Today I had a great day but when I came home to my dad's house my dad said something that really hurt me and I was planning to see my friend but then I called her and said I didn't want to see her and that she didn't matter to me and other mean things. That is not like me at all! Even at my worst I would never hurt my friends. The second I hung up the phone I realized I was wrong and it was like a terrible mood swing that lasted for not even 5 minutes! It was weird and I was just wondering if that could have something to do with being on the lamictal. Could it change as I got more adjusted to the Lamicatal? Could it have to do with being on the Lamictal and Lithium together?

Answer 1

Like Lithium, Lamictal is a mood stabilizer. It is designed to prevent mood swings. However, there is documented evidence that psychiatric medications affect teenagers differently than adults. While it may be a problem with combination of the two medications, it's also possible that you're just experiencing a mood episode that the medication cannot control. Mood stabilizers can't prevent every episode, just make them more manageable. Since you're in the middle of transitioning medication, it's important to tell your doctor about any symptoms or side effects you might experience. Tell your parents too.



I was on Depakote for 2 years and transitioned to Lamictal 4 years ago. I've been on it with no mood issues ever since.

Answer 2

Lamictal Mood Swings

Answer 3

This does not sound like it is from the Lamictal or lithium.



You stated that it only lasted less than five minutes. Have you experienced this before when you are on the combination of drugs that you are currently on.



If possible get in touch with your doctor who has prescribed these medications and let him know just what has happened and the length of time you felt you were having the mood change occur. Ask him if it is possible that you were really having a mood change or what else could be happening.



Don't rely on any answer you might get from this website as 100% true. What I have related above is only from my experience having been on both Lamictal and lithium. It is possible that your reaction will differ from my. Do not feel that my reaction to the combination of both of these drugs will be the same as yours it.

Answer 4

Lamictal didn't help me at all, but didn't cause mood swings, either, or make it much harder to control my behavior. 50 mg is not normally considered a clinical dose - 100 mg is the lowest clinical dose BUT it may be that is what is the lowest dose for bipolar, but if you look it up for epilepsy, it may be that lower doses are common & therefore could cause a change.



sounds like displaced aggression to me. Even my cats do this - they get upset about something, then go swat a different cat that had nothing to do with what happened. It's common.



Make sure you make a heartfelt apology to your friend.



you never know - my brother got severe tourette's syndrome from psychiatric medication, so now he yips and barks like a dog and is frequently jerking and I think he is having mini seizures too, been going on for more than 10 years now. It was either the lithium, prozac or the combo that did this to him. a psychiatrist would say no, those drugs don't cause that, but there are many unknown risks to medications.



You ought to keep a mood chart - psycheducation.org has one you can get for free.



Also, it wouldn't hurt to see the other side of this overmedication problem that's going on right now - read anatomy of an epidemic by robert whitaker, and have your parents read it too. it turns out that in the long run, the psychiatric drugs may be harming much more than they help. (in the long run). I took 25 different meds alone & in combos and even had ECT and all were failures or made me worse. I was told I was a rare patient, and so was my brother, but it looks like that may not be the case - we just had more alert relatives than many others, I think.

Answer 5

You didn't have a "mood swing" you had an emotional reaction to something hurtful your dad said and you took it out on a friend. It is wrong and unproductive, but typical behaviour. You were hurt by your father but, your father is in a position of power over you. Your relationship with him probably prevents you from speaking up or resolving his hurtful comments, so instead, in your emotional state, you took your hurt out on your friend who is a lesser or equal to you, someone who you can freely express anger towards.



The medication didn't make you do this. Your inability to control yourself emotionally was probably a result of your age, your stress levels, your known coping mechanisms and only a little to do with your underlying mental disorder.