Scared Feeling?

[Stephanie86]

Hi everyone. I'm on Lamictal and I've been having (state) insurance trouble lately. So until I find out if I'm going to lose the insurance, I've cut back on my meds to make it last longer in case I have to appeal. I know, not the smartest thing to do, but it's a confusing situation and after thinking about it for awhile it seems like the best thing to do.

I've been on the lower dose for about a 12 days now, and for the past 2 days, I've had this scared feeling, like something awful is about to happen. Last night, I was so scared that I was going to see a ghost or someone was going to break in, that I couldn't sleep. I had the covers over my head and everything. And now, at 2 pm, I'm scared. I don't even know what I'm scared of. I remember feeling like this for about a month a couple of years ago before I was diagnosed. Is this seizure-related? It's a constant thing rather than something that just happens every now and then.

 

[Meetz1064]

If you

previously felt like this before you were medicated, I would say YES, then this is tied to the E, and the lower dose of meds......how much longer will it be before you find out what's going to happen?

 

[Stephanie86]

Thank you. It will probably be another month or so before I even find out anything. My parents could help me, but they are already helping me so much financially that I hate to ask them. Of course, they would be really upset if they knew that I wasn't taking my usual dose, so I may just suck it up and ask them.

 

[dfwtexas]

There's a link on here about "when you can't afford your meds". It is info about contacting drug companies, many can help you with getting your meds

 

[Stephanie86]

Thanks! I'll check it out right now. The feeling was even worse last night. I hate it, because we bought our first house last year, and out of anywhere I've lived, I've never felt safer than here. So this feeling is especially disconcerting. Thank you for your help.

 

[RobinN]

Medication withdrawal... is my opinion.
Boost up everything else in your day, sleep, supplements, nutrition,
Bad nutritional choices is being shown to cause psychotic / schzophrenic conditions

http://www.nutramed.com/celiac/celiacbrain.htm

gluten intolerance has risen 400% in the last 50 years

 

[Loopy Lou]

I'm on lamotrigene too, and I've been getting really strange feelings of guilt or embarrassment. I used to get these before i was first prescribed the drug, but now it seems to be way more.

It feels kind of like... *thinks how to explain it*... like when you've been out on a night out and can't remember parts of the night before, but you're sure you've done something embarrassing or stupid. The feeling normally sticks around for a minute or so and then disappears.

It may be well worth it asking your parents. I'm sure they wouldn't mind, because they'd surely be worried about your health. Good luck!

 

[Stephanie86]

loopy lou, I can relate to that feeling. It's rather upsetting.

RobinN, my brother has celiac disease. You think I should get tested?

 

[RobinN]

I think you have just confirmed that there might be a link.

I am not sure that the test is very reliable but you could request it I suppose. There are a lot of false negatives that I have read, so the best test is to eliminate the food items from your daily choices and see over time if you don't feel better. The sensitivities to such foods seem to run in families.

 

[Stephanie86]

Wouldn't that be great if all I have to do is quit eating certain foods? This will be so hard, but I'm going to try it. I've researched a lot on it this afternoon. Thanks so much

When you said that there are a lot of false negatives, I remembered my brother's test was negative. He has GI symptoms only, and when he started eating gluten-free, he noticed his symptoms disappeared shortly after. Wish me luck and I'll post again when I know something!

Edited to add: It's interesting that you mentioned the psychotic symptoms. I have been dx'd with everything from schizophrenia to psychotic depression to bipolar disorder due to delusions (although after starting the Lamictal everything has been a lot better).

 

[RobinN]

My son also has GI symptoms. He too feels better when he follows a strict plan.

Wouldn't it be absolutely great if you could control your symptoms by making nutritional changes, and get off of the meds. I can't remember if I read your age, but it does appear that you are young enough to heal and move on with your life. It isn't a quick fix, so be patient. 8 months to clear gluten from the system, and 2 months to clear casein (that is if you are going the GARD diet route).