YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

I was prescribed Lamictal when I was in a Mental Health facility after my last suicide attempt. Since I have been on the Lamictal, I feel that I have been MORE depressed. I believe Lamictal is for Anxiety, and I already take Buspirone for that, but I find myself getting more and more depressed, sleeping for extended periods of time (4-5 hours daily), and crying all of the time. Has anyone else experienced this with Lamictal? My next meeting with my Psychiatrist is not until 3/30/16 so I hesitate to keep taking it until then. My last suicidal attempts were spontaneous, and not planned and though I think about suicide, I don't think I am in danger. Is it worth giving a call to my Psychiatrist about the Lamictal? Should I wait until I see her? Do I need to wean myself off of it?

I would go ahead and call. If the med is making you worse, it needs to be stopped, but call first in case you need to wean off or so they can prescribe something different.

I did not experience those kinds of issues with Lamictal. I was put on for depression, but also because it would help with anxiety. I actually found it more difficult to sleep. I found it helped with my anxiety some, but didn't do much for my mood. (I noticed this more when I went off of it than when I actually started taking it.)

If you think the medication is making you worse, I think it's worth a call. It is a medication that you need to taper off of, so you can't just stop it cold turkey. (At least that's what my doctor had me do. I'm not a doctor.) I'd call and see if she can maybe start you tapering off of it before your appointment and then she can get you something else.