QUETIAPINE vs. LAMOTRIGINE

Posted , 4 users are following.

I just want to know the pros, cons and some information that people think about these medication.

I was diagnosed 6years ago with mood disorder, but when i was discharged, my GP looked after me and kept putting me on antidepressants, and now returned to a mental health expert in bipolar and mood disorder and gave me the names of these two medications too have a look at and was wondering what people who have taken these (or know someone close) see any benefits? seen any disadvantages? and just a general over view of the medication and which one worked for them better.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi I have been on quetiapine for a week titrating the dose by 25mgs under medical supervision to 125mgs . For me having been wrongly put on various anti depressants over 20yrs I have to say I have tolerated this well so far and upto 125 Mgs now. I am supposed to get to 150 by the time I see psychiatrist early July but at present I am  getting  8hrs sleep andanaging the day with 2 rests in the day .i am off sick as a nurse but really hoping to go back realistically in sept . I know I am doing ok on them cos today we found out my husbands been sacked from his newish job (jam) and instead of physical violence although I  am shocked , emotional I think I am coping ok . I think it helps that I am very  motivated to get back to some normality as I'm 49 and pro active in getting well . Hope this is of some use best wishes .
  • Posted

    I am 46 and as the same as you am on Lamotigine and Qinetiapine 200mg for Lam and 100mg for qinetiapine, I am at the moment stable but still have my bad days manic days, I have put my family through hell ( kids 20a nd 14) husband as well.been through job after job some of them really good jobs, have loads of debt and still can't see the the end of this, terrible situation really. you sometime's think what's the point, why do we go one but then the kids you have to think about, I suppose your have all been in my situation and I still can't tellmy parents it's cause I feel ashamed
    • Posted

      i was admitted at the age of 15 because i had a mental break down, and was finally discharged at the age of 18 from working my way back up to just having sessions on a 2-4week basis, however, my gp took me on and kept putting me on antidepressants (which was wrong for someone who has bipolar) and from a blip last year, ive just recently got back into the mental health services and now 21. I still live with my mum, and telling her the first time round what happened and now telling her ive slipped was hard, because i didnt want her to blame herself (she has bipolar as well, but has been stable 'naturally' for 6years) however, telling her was the best thing i done, because she supports me and she also keeps a mood diary herself for me, so she can tell what has/going to trigger me off. If youre scared if they will not understand, gather some basic, easy to digest information for them to read. You may recieve, positive, negative or not even anything from them, but dont take it to heart. Dont feel ashamed about it, i know the question 'why me' repeats, but i always tell myself im strong enough to beat it. Take a day at a time.

      i have also recently quit my job, i jump from one to another and have a debt to pay as well, its a pain and i understand how that can impact.

    • Posted

      In my opinion my inlaws cant be told anything. They nod their heads but dont "understand". Quite annoying actually when all they do is complain about my behaviour when were together.. "why is she angry".
    • Posted

      Jumping from job to job could indicate ADHD symptoms. Because once you have completed the challenge or get settled into the job you find it completly insanely boring or sabotage your job with doing diverse actions which steer away from the main part of your job (you get distracted by your environment) by for example talking too much to coworkers on the job or doing other things not in your job description.  One other symptom (so fun!) is you can get in conflicts with your peers or boss then walk off jobs after you have told them to go to help because you cant take criticism.  Total ADHD symptoms. Jumping from job to job is so typical with ADHD because not only do we get bored, we also have extreme ups. So, one has feelings of okay i need a job, gonna go out and get one. You have amazing confidence in yourself, you land the job but just cant keep it.
    • Posted

      "H*ell not help"
  • Posted

    You are truly a young man to admire having gone through all of that and aged 21 now.I don't actually think it matters how old you are going through mental health stuff at any age defines thye person you are going to be and you are doing just fine.Your mum sounds grounded and strong and you are holding down a job despite all the challenges going on as well .I can't emphasise enough how helpful Re-think mental illness website has been re:staying well with Bi-ploar and i have a simple bipolar app on my phone that asks simple dailyquestions re mood,energy,sleep etc.You can then see it as a graph over 7,30,90 days.Ihave also found an employer /employee document on bipolar uk website.Best Wishes L

     

  • Posted

    One thing I would like to ask you all is does anyone get disability allowance or what ever its called now, I am thinking of applying for this due to going from job to job I sometimes don't have enough money to get by and feel that this would help but I have heard this is hard to get and you have to get assesed which would possible be hard for me. Any help would be appreciated. Suzanne   
    • Posted

      Im not completely sure if you can, probably best going to your local citizens advice to ask.
  • Posted

    Going to see Psycologist next week so I will have a word with him or my nurse, it's worth a try,
    • Posted

      Did you know that you can get job seekers allowance it looks like if you are proactive in going for jobs ( have to go to job centre fortnightly) you may be able to claim . Best wishes 
  • Posted

    well i can tell you that Quetiapine is actually an Anti-Psychotic and mainly used to control psychosis.. but it is also used to help the levels of a chemical called dopamine which regulates our emotions. Lamotrigine is a fantastic choice of drug to choose for mood disorder.. due to my severe mental illness that was diagnosed over 25 yrs ago.. my moods became unstable ..i was worried of losing reality it was so unpredictable i was taking gabapentin at one point and took it for around 10yrs.. but then i found i noticed my moods were getting unstable so i asked my psychiatrist if i could try a different drug.. he said that would be fine and suggested epilim which is a very old drug ..steroid based and heavy stuff i immediately said..oh no .. and asked if i researched myself online if finding a more modern drug if he felt it was acceptable and would treat my symptoms well.. he would consider it.. i came back with the drug Lamotrigine .. its relively new on the market and is used for epilepsy initially, but also used for neuro-pathic pain and also mood stabiliser very little on side effects if any, and proven to work well for those with mood disorder most who tried responded well.. so i put it to my psychiatrist and he was impressed and even said i dont know why i didnt think of the drug himself.. ever since being on it. I would say you go for Lamotrigine ..its effective and side effects are minimal if any 
  • Posted

    I was on quitiapene and it made me severely depressed at night. I would binge on like 4000 calories every night and gained like 10lbs in two weeks. I can hardly remember he says on this medication and although I seemed better to others, I felt like I'd had a chemical labotomy.

    On lamotragine now and it's worked wonders I feel great! .... Except acne, bad acne. I've gone from perfect skin to breaking out in huge sore red under the skin spots on my jawline and neck. I feel hideous. About to go back to work an struggling because of self esteem.

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