Abilify as a "reset" for Lamictal - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

mmgirl75 · 05-11-2009, 10:31 PM

Has anyone heard of using Abilify to "reset" Lamictal? I have been on Lamicatal for 3 and a half years now and I hit the max does (400mg) about a year ago. My new doc gave me the Abilify to reset the Lamictal since it became apparent to me that it was no longer working. Has anyone else ever done this and if so did it work?

dreams in neon · 05-12-2009, 12:07 AM

I've never heard of it described in those terms, but I know that adding one med can increase the efficacy of another.

Such is the case with the Risperdal and Klonopin that I take. I've been on Risperdal for the past 2 years, but it didn't reduce my voices, delusions and paranoia. Ever since my pdoc added Klonopin to help control my rapid cycling, Risperdal is working great. According to what my pdoc told me, Klonopin is helping Risperdal work better than it does without it. I don't know why exactly, but I assume it must have something to do with the ingredients of each med and how they interact with each other.

In your case, adding Abilify to Lamictal may allow the latter to address your depression more effectively.

Abilify has been approved by the FDA as an adjunct treatment for depression when it is used with an anti-depressant. Lamictal isn't an anti-depressant, but it does have anti-depressant qualities which may explain why your pdoc added it to your regimen.

Bunnylover · 05-12-2009, 07:51 AM

I'm interested in this question. I just upped my lamictal to 200, in response to post-manic depression, its the second time I've raised the dose in two years. I wonder what happens when I can't up it anymore?

Has anyone tried tapering back down to a lower dose once the depression is safely past--say a few months lower? I wonder if that would work and still give me room to go up again next time.

dreams in neon · 05-12-2009, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnylover

I'm interested in this question. I just upped my lamictal to 200, in response to post-manic depression, its the second time I've raised the dose in two years. I wonder what happens when I can't up it anymore?

Has anyone tried tapering back down to a lower dose once the depression is safely past--say a few months lower? I wonder if that would work and still give me room to go up again next time.

Lamictal doses for treating bipolar can go as high as 800mg, so you still have plenty of room as far as that's concerned.

I'm on 1500mg/day of Depakote. The highest dose of Depakote is 2500mg, so if I were to require that dosage and it still did not help address my mania, the next option would be to try a different mood stabilizer.

The same is true for the Risperdal I take. I'm on 6mg/day which is the highest possible dose for those who are not inpatient. If the time comes that Risperdal no longer reduces my voices, delusions and paranoia, I will have to try another antipsychotic like Seroquel, Abilify, Invega or one of the older typical antipsychotics like Haldol, Thorazine or Stelazine.

Long story short, if you reach the maximum dose of a med without positive results, you always have other options to choose from.

mmgirl75 · 05-12-2009, 09:00 AM

It's interesting that you indicated the Lamictal can go up to a dose as high as 800mg. My doc said I was already on the highest dose (400mg). As far as the "reset" - he explained that I would not be taking the Abilify for long, maybe a week tops. Supposedly by only taking the Abilify for a week it would reset the Lamictal to working at 400mg. He also gave me prescriptions for other meds as well if the Abilify didn't work. They are Geodon and Seroquel. Now that I have researched the Abilify a little more I am thinking it was the wrong thing since I have not been experiencing any depression. I've just been "spinning my wheels" so to speak. My head is racing but I can't seem to focus on any one task. Along with the fact that things are either making me really happy so much that I want to cry or I am really irritable. Anyhow, long story short I am basically beginning to feel back to the way I was when I was first diagnosed. So, we are trying to "fix" it. I was just curious because I see that so many people are on multiple medications at once but I was told that I could "reset" the Lamictal and possibley not need to add something to the Lamictal permanently.