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) (deleted blog). there’s no way i should have put on 9 lbs.
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.
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