Hi Jeff,

Many people take generics with no problem. I think the issue is taht the generic Lamictal is only a few months old. It has not been on the market very long at all, and I get the feeling it was not tested very well in terms of the inactive ingredients. I know a lot of people who take generic antidepressants with no problem. They have been around a long time. I just want to get the word out that we have to be careful with the Lamictal- I have not heard of too many issues with other drugs. People can let me know if there are other issues! Your psychiatrist is talking about active ingredients- you can explain that the inactive ingredients and how and where the pills are manufactured can be the problem. I am proff that the meds are not the same at all! And my mom is proof, that people can take generics with no problem. It depends on the person! thanks for writing. Julie

My pdoc told me she’s had a negative report from the majority of her bipolar patients regarding generic Lamictal. When she went to a conference, someone asked what she thought of the generic Lamictal. She said she rolled her eyes and the entire audience laughed. I think even the M.D.s are having a tough time with this generic Lamictal.

Hope you feel better soon…

Vicki

I agree with you (and I told my pdoc this): bipolar is never predictable. It is like the weather. General forecasts but never more than a day or two ahead.

Spring is on her way. Look out for the next mood swing. But I’m feeling good right now… productive and

Anyway, I just wanted to validate that generic Lamictal can, indeed, be the cause of returning symptoms. Listen to your dr. or suggest to your dr. if they have not heard.

I AM doing well now and last year was a tremendous year of change, but I came through just fine and am still doing well. Thank you to my God, for answering my prayers.

However, about Lamictal and its generics in general. When I was first placed on Lamictal, I did very well for the first week or two. The higher the dose, the more manic (my psychiatrist actually decided it was ADHD!) I became. Then I started getting all kinds of muscle aches and pains. While I’m no spring chicken, I’m not aged. I was beginning to feel about 90 years old.

I researched Lamictal and found that the aches and pains could be a side effect. I called the psychiatrist — and never got a call back.

Since then I have gotten my generic lamictal from my general practitioner (not something I generally recommend) and have stabilized my dosage at 15 mg every other day. This has minimized the adverse side effects while keeping my moods pretty stable.

Thank you, Julie, for your website. It was a wonderful resource for me when my granddaughter was in a major manic phase and nobody had identified it.

I know you aren’t a pharmacist but…

I started taking Lamictal 2 years ago. It worked, and has continued to work very well at 50mg.(Isn’t it great that there’s not even a pill that size!)

Here’s the thing. When my depression was first diagnosed I was put on setraline(generic Zoloft) at 50 then 100mg. This never worked at all but I was told to keep taking it WITH the Lamictal. My psycho-pharmo provider keeps insisting that I should still take the Zoloft – because “better not to tinker with something that is working” and that both drugs may well be working together.

Web searches have not shed much light on this. So I wondered if you or your any of your readers have dealt with this.

I’m not sure if I’m taking something I don’t need – or I’m a patient who is not compliant!

Fran