I have been trying desperately to find something to help control my Fibro and have yet to find anything. I came across an article where a doctor was using Lamictal to help treat fibro. Lamictal is in the same medication class as Gabapentin, which did not work for me. Is anyone using Lamictal currently as a treatment for their Fibro?
Hello Ldyhawc,
I am not able to advise you about Lamictal,sorry. I did just want to let you know that there are people on here who do care, and you sound like you are having a hard time. I take amitriptylene, only thing my doc will prescribe. It is more for sleep than pain, tho. I try to manage my pain by pacing myself and having a rest when my body tells me to. Hope you find something that helps soon.
Take care, Anne
HI
I am new here but I can tell you my personal experience with Lamictal was really good. I took Cymbalta and gabapentin too for two years. Currently, I am taking magnesium, not eating white sugar and white flour, gabapentin and viiybryd. I wish you the best. I encourage you to go to a website by dr rodger murphree. He has free teleconferences and I am learning so much that is helping me to feel better. Another book I read was fibro&candida by dr. linda nelson. Hope this helps. be well.
ruth
Hi Ldyhawc,
Although the doctor did not put me on Lamictal to treat my fibromyalgia. It was actually for my bipolar diagnosis. I have found it very effective in treating my fibromyalgia. It helps me fall asleep and stabilizes my moods (which can be energy draining). I think getting control of my sleep patterns reduces my daily pain level.
I recently started on Lyrica at a very small dose-50 mg. at bedtime due to excessive daytime fatigue. I have been having a lot of brain fog and dizziness. Has anyone had this side effect from Lyrica? I do also take it in the am once in a while.
Don'tQuitMB said:
I am glad it helps in that area. You mostly have to be mentally on top of fibro. If you don't take anything for it you will dwell on it. You most certainly will have depression but the med will help you.
That is good to hear. Have you noticed any weight gain since taking Lyrica? I read several people have gained quite a bit from it. Also, I am new to this site and don't know where/how to start a new discussion??? But, I was wondering if anyone suffers from excessive daytime fatigue, and if so, do you take Provigil or any med to help you stay awake?
Hi, I am new to site and I have the crappiest phone on the planet do pls forgive me if I’m sending the wrong place!! Lol I have not tried that I have. been on garb but it did nothing for me. I try everything at least once cuz you never know miracles do happen!! Good luck if you decide to try.
I have tried Lyrica, Cymbalta, Abilify, and Amitriptyline and all of send me into a manic episode and I felt no relief from the pain. I do not have bipolar yet, I say yet because trying all of these drugs has pushed me closer to being bipolar. I know they use Lamictal to treat bipolar as well. So that is why I was asking. Right now I have a hydrocodine and Zanaflex to help me handle the symptoms but nothing really helps. I am exhausted both mentally and physically. So I am trying to find something to help.
Yes it can make you feel bi polar that’s for sure. I can’t do thee anti depressant thing either it does the opposite to me and makes me very very depressed. I take oxycodone 3xs a day but I can see my tolerance level is going up so I have been reaching out to doc for another way. I also have neck/spine stenosis, neuropathy throughout my whole spine and some other issues so idk what they’re gonna do for me. I’ve done a gammit of meds, shots, therapy and nothing helps…I try to relax myself because stress for me is a killer to my body…I go day by day.
I am on lyrics, cymbalta which has really helped. Don't get me wring, every day is a struggle whether it is fatigue or pain or fog. I was prescribed lamictal to help with my sleep. I think it does help a lot. Good luck!
None of the fibro medication work for me. Exactly when I was told I have type 1 diabetes. So we searching together.
I have not heard of lamictal being used for fibro, it’s typically used for seizures or bipolar depression. I had already been taking it for several years before my fibromyalgia really started so if it helps, I’d hate to know how I’d feel without it.
One thing I’ve learned though is that we (people with fibromyalgia) are very sensitive to medications and that trial and error is the only way to find out whether it will work for you. For example, some people swear by lyrica but I couldn’t tolerate the side effects (severe dry mouth, my feet and calves would swell to double the size, I had problems controlling my bladder, etc) and didn’t get any benefit. I had to try 3 or 4 nausea medications before I found one that both reduced the nausea and didn’t cause bad side effects.
I recently started cymbalta and the first few weeks I had some dry mouth, though it was significantly better than with the lyrica, and a metallic taste in my mouth but both have improved. I’m still on a low dose though so I can’t say if it’s helping yet.
Sorry for rambling, I hope your doctor or psychiatrist can provide some more information about the lamictal and whether it would be good for you to try or not. Good luck!
It sounds like you’re experiencing side effect problems more than developing bipolar. I know it can be so frustrating to keep trying medications to try to find some relief only to be hit with a load of side effects that only make things worse. I had to take a break from trying new things for a while because it was too draining and unpredictable. Of course I wanted relief from something that works but I couldn’t handle the extra mental and physical drain of trying new medication frequently. I recently started cymbalta and I have high hopes but I don’t know if it is working yet.
I do not have typical bipolar disorder or typical depression but I noticed a significant improvement in my depression when my psychiatrist added lamictal to my standard anti-depressant. But this was a couple years prior to fibromyalgia so who knows how I would have reacted if I added it now. I hope you feel better.
Ldyhawc said:
I have tried Lyrica, Cymbalta, Abilify, and Amitriptyline and all of send me into a manic episode and I felt no relief from the pain. I do not have bipolar yet, I say yet because trying all of these drugs has pushed me closer to being bipolar. I know they use Lamictal to treat bipolar as well. So that is why I was asking. Right now I have a hydrocodine and Zanaflex to help me handle the symptoms but nothing really helps. I am exhausted both mentally and physically. So I am trying to find something to help.
if its in the same class as Gabapentin then there is a good chance that it will effect you the same though i don't know what to tell you about it
I took gabapentin also known as Neurotnin for about a month and I couldn’t take more than 200 mg without it having an adverse reaction and now I’m on Lyrica 75 mg in the morning and that seems to control it pretty well
Lamical is an anti-seizure med that is used as a mood stabilizer and can cause a serious and I think life threatening rash.
Hi Don'tQuitMB,
I had severe back pain for two years and the only thing that made it tolerable was gabapentin. I also noticed it improved my mood quite a bit. Everyone has a different body.
Don'tQuitMB said:
Thank you very much. To all of you who read this. Neurontin is something that has no value. It won't help you at all. It will wreak havoc on the human body. Lyrica is good though. I am glad it helps you.
I see so many of you are taking Lyrica. I am as well. I only take 50mg.; I just started a week ago, and I haven'e been taking it every day. I have been getting lightheaded pretty bad and feel like I'm high, like I don't vare about anything. Is this a normal side effect?
I take 75mg once a day it used to be twice a day but I was having some side effects I still have the light headed once in awhile and the blurred vision. They said my body would adjust. I hope it calms down for you
I was just started on Lamictal by my neurologist three weeks. I have to titrate the medication and was first on 25 mg for two weeks and have been on 50 mg for just one week. In another week I will be up to the dose he wants me on -- 100 mg. So far I am seeing a bit of an improvement, and hope to see more as I increase the dose. I was on Gabapentin also and it made me so drowsy and dizzy that I could not take it, and it did not give me much improvement either. I was also on Topamax with serious side-effects including eye blurriness, extreme dizziness and tiredness, and worst of all -- changes in taste. I could not taste any foods -- only sweet, salty and grease -- not like a flavor, but just those. I could smell everything, but could taste nothing -- even strong onions -- no taste at all, just the odor. With the Lamictal I have had no side effects (except a little tingling sensation of my lips). I am hoping that I continue to feel better. My daughter-in-law said yesterday that I even looked more rested and alert.