Ridiculous Weight Gain, Med Change & Lamictal Side Effects
i almost didn’t make it to the pdoc today, not because i couldn’t get my ass out the door but because i just didn’t feel like going. but i had an order to ship out, and being the responsible entrepreneur that i am, i left to do that and figured that maybe i’d change my mind about going to the pdoc once i was in the car. as luck would have it, the post office was closed because of the holiday, which of course i didn’t know about beforehand. i didn’t want to stand in line anyway, so i went to the doctor.
part of the reason–a small part, but definitely a part–that i didn’t want to go was because it was weigh-in time. and i knew–i just knew–that i’d put on weight since i last saw him five weeks ago. i was right, too. in the past five weeks, i put on 9, count them, 9 frickin’ lbs. un-fucking-believable. we went through my chart and saw that last July i weighed 123 lbs. by the end of August, i was up to 134 lbs., and so on. yet this entire time i was going to martial arts regularly. i even had bloodwork done, which revealed that i’m fine.
it makes no sense whatsoever. every time i see him, i’ve put on like, at least 5 more lbs. the thing is, my diet has always improved since my previous visit. like this time around, i know i ate way too many peanut M&Ms, but look at the rest of the stuff i eat (in sleep & eat)
the pdoc said that the prednisolone i was on last week could do it, but i only took it for six days. he said that Lamictal doesn’t cause weight gain so he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he decided to take me off Lamictal and add Wellbutrin>. no mood stabilizers for now. i had also been taking Effexor XR, but i’ve taken that for years and i know it doesn’t make you put on weight.
it’s just as well because i was going to ask him to give me the name of a good dermatologist. i am so sick of my Lamictal acne. ever since i started taking it last summer, my skin has broken out like you wouldn’t believe. it wasn’t even this bad when i was 14. these aren’t the normal type of pimples i get when i’m PMSing, either. these are big, red, and angry. i suppose it’s better than the death rash side effect: a fatal (genetic) syndrome that if you’re predisposed to, can be set off by Lamictal. you basically die of third degree burns from the inside out or some other horribly unspeakable Star Wars Imperial-type death. see frightening pictures below. for this very reason, i didn’t want to take this stuff in the first place. oh, and if i’m ever in a punk band again, i have dibs on the name Death Rash Side Effect.
p.s. - the pics below are not for the squeamish. i’ve posted them to show how serious Lamictal side effects can be.
Bipolar/Anxiety/BPD
HOLY SHIT! Those are some tripped out photos… crap! Man, I am so glad u switches pills. The whole weight gain thing sucks ass too, ew.
February 21, 2005 8:28 pm
i know, right? if i had the genetic predisposition, though, i think the symptoms would have shown up right away. i’ve been taking the stuff for over 6 months now, so it’s all good. still, the acne it causes just isn’t right.
February 21, 2005 10:25 pm
Good grief! Those pictures are soo horrible. I hope you’ll be OK. <3
Take care. xD
February 22, 2005 3:16 pm
Wow those pics are horrible. I know what you mean about gaining weight because of meds. I am also bipolar and I have gained A LOT of weight because of risperdal and now I am a diabetic… lovely.
February 22, 2005 3:47 pm
aren’t they horrible? when the pdoc first mentioned Lamictal to me i did all this research about the side effects because i had heard about the rash. it wasn’t til just the other day that i realized there must be pictures of it somewhere.
February 22, 2005 4:57 pm
Hi I found you over at Blogxchng..My son is bi-polar and so am I..I never mention it on my blog though. Lamictil..is something that was considered for my son but I decided against it due to the risks..I’ve heard it is very effective though..but I would be nervous if I developed any kind of rash while on it.
February 22, 2005 5:55 pm
i had been taking Tegretol for years and it stopped working, so my pdoc decided to try Lamictal. in spite of the acne and weight gain, it worked quickly and well. unfortunately, for me, the depression set back in, and the acne and weight gain contribute to the depression, so it’s like i’m on a merry-go-round that i can’t get off of.
February 23, 2005 1:22 am
Someone near and dear to me (to say the least) is on Lamictal. Your statement “it would have shown up by now” is dangerously incorrect, according to my info.
Lamictal is a “build-up” drug - you maintain a level of it in your system at all times while taking it as prescribed. Therefore, there can be a situation where, after years on the meds at the same dose, the rash pops out unexpectedly. Could have something to do with retaining more in your system than normal, or something to that effect.
The one saving grace, if you can call it that, is that my information tells me that the rash is very distinctive (as your photos kinda show) and not likely to be confused with anything else; and also that it tends to tint brown in color and is horrifically painful. Nature’s way of saying “Hey, Craphead! Something is wrong! Here, have some pain, so you know!”
Scary side effect, but at least there’s a visible warning sign.
(Since others are sharing, it was prescribed for this individual for epilepsy.)
February 25, 2005 11:23 am
oo, i stand corrected. i didn’t realize that it might take a while to manifest itself.
i have to admit that i’m worried about this acne because like i said, it isn’t like “regular” acne, but it looks nothing like these pictures, either. and they’re mainly in two spots: my jawline and my chest.
a very scary side effect, indeed.
like Tegretol, Lamictal was used to treat epilepsy, then some genius (heh) figured out that it also works as a mood stabilizer.
February 25, 2005 3:14 pm
Yep - like the genius who decided Neurotin could be used to treat my migraines. Sort of like how a lobotomy would treat them.
“Off-Label Use” is what they call that.
February 25, 2005 3:27 pm
speechless on the photo part, but this is my first time trying to research this crazy weight gain. i was just sure it was the lamictal, but as i have been reading, it doesn’t like it. its just very depressing trying to feel good about yourself and these rolls appearing from basicly NO where!!!! and for those who are exercise buffs, no where i am coming from, i exercise 1hour EVERYDAY.
March 13, 2005 6:17 am
Hi…I am in need of some advice. I was recently dx as being bipolar after some whacked out episodes. My doc. put me on symbyax. I am gaining weight. ALOT of weight. I am talking 20+ lbs. I am only 5′1 and DON’T need to gain ANY weight. Now I can’t fit into any of my clothes and am getting pissed! I was reading up on Lamictal (I have a dr.’s appt. this week and want off the symbyax ) but I came across your site and seen those awful pictures…any suggestions? thanks! Amy
April 23, 2005 6:50 am
I am so glad I found this blog. I thought that I was losing “it” a few weeks ago. I would stare at the clock and think that I couldn’t make it on this earth another 5 minutes. That every tic of the clock was unbearable and the thought of being here to listen for the next..unreal. The hurt, the pain. Crying non-stop. My three boys scared, worried. I thought I was the only person who felt this way. So far down that I couldn’t pull myself up from despair. I finally went to the doctor after my oldest son called my ex-husband and told him he was scared that I was going to do something to myself. Now I am feeling more optimistic but can’t stand myself in some ways for hurting the people closest to me. I have been awful to be around. Medicated but getting fat. Can’t stand that. On top of being bipolar (my new diagnosis) I also have a spinal injury. hmmmmm will things ever look up? Taking med’s to even myself out but hating the side affects. If I stop taking them I lose my fiance who has had enough of my crap. No win situation.
April 23, 2005 7:11 am
I am really starting to research bipolar disorder and I am trying to weigh the benefits of getting help and not. Besides weight gain and your skin eating itself, what are some of the other negitive effects of getting help?
May 3, 2005 11:39 pm
My 19 year old son who hasn’t been on lamcital for at least 6 months and is not on any meds now,swears the pimples on his back are a result of the lamictal. Any comments please?
September 11, 2005 8:28 pm
Judy: i’d like to say again that i’m not a doctor, but if your son’s back is still breaking out 6 months after being off of Lamictal, then it’s possible that the pimples are caused by something else.
when i was taking it, i also broke out on my chest, an area on which i’d never had pimples before, and almost immediately after my doctor allowed me to stop taking Lamictal, they healed. if it isn’t clearing up, i’d recommend that your son see a dermatologist. i doubt that after 6 months, the Lamictal is still in his system.
i hope this helps.
September 13, 2005 2:14 am
You answered my question re pimples and lamictal re my 19 year old son. It doesn’t seem like Mary’s May 03, 2005 question was answered. I’d like to know too.
My son was misdiagnosed with bipolar and took all these heavy duty drugs with terrible side effects and they didn’t work. He was subsequently diagnosed as depressed with anxiety and has not been on any drugs for six months. However, still very depressed. I read 1/4 to 1/2 of the population doesn’t respond to these drugs. Has anyone gotten better (notice, not well) without drugs? Thanks.
September 18, 2005 10:52 pm
Judy: i may have answered Mary’s question via e-mail. if i haven’t (and i admit i’m very behind on replying to e-mails and comments), my answer is that there are no negative effects to getting help if you’ve been diagnosed with a mood disorder.
as an aside, the pictures depicted here are caused by a skin disorder that can be triggered by Lamictal. admittedly, i didn’t want to take it at first because i was paranoid that i’d come down with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is a rare side effect. the rash itself seems to be rare, as well–but i’m not an authority on it.
i suppose it’s possible that people can recover from depression without the use of medication, but i think those are the cases where the depression is situational (due to divorce, death of a loved one, etc.) rather than a chemical imbalance. i’ve read that medication alone won’t always help and it’s recommended that patients participate in “talk” therapy in addition to taking meds. my therapist is a social worker in private practice–she isn’t a psychiatrist. i see an M.D. for my meds.
managing a mood disorder takes time. i didn’t get along with my first psychiatrist, but at the time, i didn’t realize that i could simply see someone else. it’s always good to get a second opinion, or third, if necessary. the same goes with therapists–people aren’t always going to mesh well. it’s very important for the patient to trust his/her healthcare providers. i’ve been seeing both my pdoc and therapist for over 10 years, except for the 2 years i was away at grad school.
please don’t give up hope, and keep trying. they’re coming out with new meds all the time, and i hope the doctors will be able to find something that will work for your son. if nothing else, perhaps seeing a therapist will help.
i know too well what it’s like to be depressed, and it sucks. since i’ve been in treatment, i also know what it’s like to not be depressed, or what i call my baseline mood–and it’s great. before that, i had no idea that i could be that happy. i hope your son will be able to find that place, too.
September 19, 2005 10:05 am