Oh wow. At age 46 I started having a very different reaction to my medications. I take brand Lamictal. I said in an earlier blog that I would write out the whole story in a newsletter and I will do that soon! If you are not on the newsletter list, you can sign up on the right.
I upped my meds a few weeks ago and am now having the sleepiness side effect I have not experienced for years. I often get blog questions asking about tiredness and if it means they are not getting enough sleep or good enough sleep. or if it is directly related to the medications. Here are some differences between the two:
Not Enough Sleep
1. It’s obvious that sleep the night before was not refreshing. You wake up tired and a bit cranky and worry that you will be tired in the afternoon, but you eventually wake up.
2. You are sleepy in the afternoon, but don’t really have a desire to take a nap as it would be a waste of time. You know you will have to go to bed early.
3. It only happens once in a while and is not constant.
Side Effect Drug Sleepy
1. You are so tired your head feels numb.
2. ALL you want to do is get into bed- and it’s not related to being depressed.
3. Your tongue, jaw and cheeks feel tired.
4. The tiredness is pervasive- in other words, it feels like every cell is tired.
5. It feels EXACTLY like jet lag.
6. Even if you had enough sleep, you can get into bed in the afternoon and sleep for hours and then wake up just as foggy as before.
I could go on and on about drug side effects as I have experienced them all, but this tiredness is hard to fight. The main way to know if it’s the drug is if it goes away when you lower the dose or change drugs!
Julie
PS: Thanks for all of the comments and reader questions. I read everyone and answer them in as many blogs as possible. My video plan is getting closer and I will have regular video answers to blog questions soon. It is always great if you answer the questions from others- some would love a pen pal – remember those!
Related posts: Abilfy and Lamictal Side Effect: Akathisia | Lamictal Side Effects: Reader Question | Bipolar Disorder and Medication Side Effects |
I have a side-effect sleepiness sign to add: The sleepiness significantly impacts activities and it is hard to fight through the sleepiness, especially for pleasurable activities such as hobbies. When my side-effect sleepiness from Depakote for bpII kicks in, I have a hard time reading for long, long stretches of free time as I used to be able to do. I usually have to read for maybe 30 minutes or so and then allow myself to take a short nap (if I fight this, I will feel miserable and not enjoy what I am reading), then wake up naturally and continue reading. Other ways I cope: chew gum (I won’t doze off with gum in my mouth); sit up cross-legged on couch as opposed to reclining with legs straight out. At 1500 mg/day my side effect sleepiness is down to a “dull roar” and manageable, but I truly wish that it were not there at all. I am lucky not to have other unpleasant side effects but because I am a voracious reader this is a troubling side effect to have at all.
I would like to add that I too suffer from sleepiness during the day and I find it very frustrating. I can especially relate to the part about not being depressed but just needing to lay down “right now” or you might have to stop and lay down wherever you are at the moment. I take Synthroid and 20 mg of Prozac, 3 mg. of Klonopin and 225 mg. of Lamictal. This combination has worked well for years. My main complaint is the sleepiness that happens within a few hours after waking up and having breakfast and watching the news. The second worst thing of all is the total lack of motivation. I have all kinds of things I want/need to do but don’t seem to have the inertia or where with all. This makes me feel pretty bad about myself and disrupts my life in that I cannot make commitment’s and often tell white lies to get out of doing something. As I get older this gets worse. I just want to be able to feel like I have the energy and where with all to do what I want to do.
Hi Janice,
I certainly understand. I recently raised my Lamictal and had the sleepiness, but luckily it went away as my body acclimated. My book Get it Done When You’re Depressed shows how I deal with the inertia- I still struggle with it, but I use the strategies in the book. Sometimes I just picture what is in the book and remind myself to use the ideas. It’s even hard for me to remember what to do when the depression takes over!
Julie
I am currently struggling with sleepiness associated with Seroquel. It feels like a drug hangover, some days I am so sleepy, I actually nap on and off for hours. I am VERY reluctant to drive when I feel this way. I have a DUI in my past and any impaired driving would be a very bad thing for me. Fortunately, after reading here about Lamictal, I will transition off of Seroquel and have added Lamictal. The progression of the dosage is very deliberate and slow, starting with 25 mg and adding 25 mg every two weeks. The nurse practitioner who prescribed this way says it is to avoid the side effects, commonly mentioned here. For me, though, so far at week three it seems to be interfering with my sleep. I am sleeping less and waking quite a bit earlier than I used to.