Some research on lamictal’s effect on gaba receptors

Just found this online. Thought it was interesting.

 

Lamotrigine increases gene expression of GABA-A receptor β3 subunit in primary cultured rat hippocampus cells

 

Jun-Feng Wang, Xiujun Sun, Biao Chen, L Trevor Young

Neuropsychopharmacology 26 (4), 415, 2002

To study the mechanism of action of the novel anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer lamotrigine, we used cDNA array to generate an expression profile of lamotrigine-regulated genes in primary cultured rat hippocampus cells. Gene expression was analyzed using Atlas Rat 1.2 Arrays of approximately 1200 genes. Total RNA was isolated from control and cells treated with lamotrigine at 0.1 mM for one week and reverse-transcribed to cDNA labeled with 32 P-dATP. The cDNA probes were hybridized with two identical cDNA array membranes. After comparing hybridized signals between these two membranes, we found that chronic treatment with lamotrigine increased the expression of eight genes and decreased the expression of six genes. One of the upregulated genes is GABA-A receptor β subunit. This increase in GABA-A receptor β3 subunit expression was further confirmed by Northern blotting analysis. In situ hybridization revealed that chronic treatment with lamotrigine increased GABA-A receptor β3 subunit gene expression in CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus of rat hippocampus. Our findings indicate that lamotrigine may effect GABA-A receptor regulated functions in the central nervous system.

 

Looks interesting but what does it mean. Is Lamictal positive or negative? I am titrating Lamictal while tapering my benzo. Up to 37,5 mg L and down to 3,2 mg Oxazepam (1,6 mg V - off in 7 days). Had four days feeling normal (the best feeling!) last week, followed by a huge wave. On day three now, hoping things will get better soon. I was truly hoping that I was recovering so the wave has been terrifying. I am desperately hoping that the Lamictal will kick in once titrated to 100 mg.

I just see some BB are being prescribed lamictal as an adjunct to help with benzo withdrawal. It seems like a helpful adjunct and maybe there’s a correlation on how these drugs affect some of the same receptors.

My Neuro has suggested this?

 

Do you think it will help with s very muscle spasm and contrature.

 

Everything I have tried so far has caused same horrific symptoms.

 

Tizanidine helped muscles but only for 2 hours but made terror of sounds and other symptoms worse as does even paracetamol and aspirin now and one of the mechanisms of Tizanidine is to block glutamate.

 

Hurts tried Topirimate and had same problem..

 

 

I’ve never been on the medication before so I can’t say

Ajusta:How do you work with your muscles to avoid spasm and contractures? I myself have the same problem, and to avoid stiffness by massage and movement means so much. On YouTube there are many great videos that can help you. 

I can’t any more.. Everytime I try to do the slightest bit of gentle exercise everything seizes up more and goes more rigid.

 

It is like the texture of them has completely changed.

 

The first time I tapered down O did Pilates, yoga and walking and still ended up with everything g rigid.

 

Now when take Clonazepam where was very tight collapses and goes completely weak and then stiffens, legs turn in and head collapses backwards so can’t hold it up.

 

I can’t lie on exercise mat because too painful. Lying g on memory foam on sofa is too painful.

 

I try to walk around flat as much as possible.

 

Until a few minutes the ago I was still walking every day.

 

I spend hours on YouTube and have tried everything g and yet it just all gets worse and worse the more I try to do.

 

 

I was on both when I started my benzo taper. The taper was VERY fast (5 weeks) and brutal but I stayed more or less stable all the way down. The real hell began as soon as I tried to taper off Lamictal around 4 months off benzos. Did a 5% reduction per month but had a horrivle crash after 4 months and it took almost a year to stabilize. For the following 2 years I was too traumatized to taper.

Then the drug started giving me very bad side effects and I knew I needed off.

 

Because of the fact that Lamictal works on Gaba a receptors it can surely "help" for the worst time of benzo wd. But once trying to get off this drug, it is like going through benzo wd all over again plus then not only the gaba receptors are in a chaotic state but so is Glutamate.

 

For me it is an absolute horrible drug and I would say to stay far far away from it since it complicates everything a million times.

Do you still feel horrible 4 years off?

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I think it's important to give another perspective about Lamictal. 

 

I suffer from severe debilitating Major Depression Disorder.  My episodes are mixed with unbearable anxiety and other physical symptoms which I won't go into detail here.  My episodes have become more severe and more frequent as time goes on.  My depression is so severe that it is life threatening, it completely disables me.  It is NOT a psychological condition, it is a real biological illness.  Anti-depressants no longer work for me. 

 

I was prescribed Lamictal last year for the first time.  At first I refused because I was worried about taking an anti-convulsant now being widely used as a mood stabilizer both for bi-polar disorder (especially the depressive episodes of BP) and also for MDD.  I tried every possible means to heal myself naturally. Finally I became desperate for relief.  It took a while to titrate up to a therapeutic dose but finally my depression/anxiety subsided.

 

I was prescribed Ativan in the short term to ease my symptoms.  As we know benzos are short acting and there is a real risk of dependency if used long term.  Unfortunately by the time I agreed to take Lamictal and took a couple of months to titrate up to a therapeutic dose, I had become dependent on the Ativan after five months of use.  However, as you can see by my signature I am slowly but surely tapering off.

 

I wish I did not have to take medication.  I am concerned about the long term effects on my body and brain.  But I could not survive without medication.  It is a personal decision that only someone in the situation can understand.  Everyone must decide for themselves based on the severity of their illness.  The long term effects of Lamictal are not known. I pray if it stops working there will be new and better treatments. I pray I will never need to take benzos ever again.

 

It's no different from someone who has Parkinson's etc.  Not taking medication is not an option for me.  And unfortunately I will likely need to take medication for the rest of my life.  (Just not benzos!)

 

Best wishes everyone,

 

Luey

 

 

 

 

Do you still feel horrible 4 years off?

 

I did! But not because of the benzo but because the Lamictal did not allow my brain to heal beyond a certain degree. The physical stuff all went away, so did the agitation around 2 years past benzos but the mental symptoms (paranoia, obsessions, etc.) only got worse and worse to the point where I would completely isolate myself in live in some stage of psychosis in combination with feeling lobotomized.

 

And once I got off I felt like being back into acute benzo wd all over again.

 

Seriously, if anyone thinks about starting this drug in the hope to help benzo wd, please think twice. It can prolong the suffering big time.