Bipolar Disorder/Lamictal

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Expert: - 2/4/2009


Question
I have been on Lamictal 100 mg qd for about 2 years. Initially prescribed for mood stabilization. Now that i am postmenopausal and don't suffer PMS any more i am wanting to discontinue Lamictal. Can i safely do this myself ? ( my therapist is no longer in the area and i do not want to begin again with someone else. )

Answer
Hi Mindy . . .

I do not think it is wise to discontinue a mood stabilizer without the supervision of a psychiatrist. There is an old psychiatric aphorism that says, "objective changes precede subjective changes." When applied to people with mood disorders is means that as one lowers the dose of Lamictal, a psychiatrist would be able to notice changes that may indicate the return of a mood disorder prior to the individual lowering the dose notices any change in mood.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Bipolar Disorder

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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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