My wife was just prescribed this and I wanted some first hand input.
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Lamictal has helped to balance out my moods immensely since I've been on it. I take it in conjunction with two other medications and the mix seems to be working well for me. Not sure if this is your wife's first time with bipolar medication, but I know many doctors will prescribe them along with SSRIs and the like. Obvioulsy, every person is different but I think the combination of the two (or three) work well together. It's just a matter of finding the right combination that works for you (easier said than done, I know. It took me a while to get the right combo of meds and doses.)

The upside to Lamictal is it quite literally saved my life. When I first began taking it, I didn't notice any side effects, though my stomach has been a little more sensitive to coffee and other acids.

The downside (for me at least) is it did cause a little weight gain, but I'm not sure if that was from the Lamictal alone or the other drugs I'm on. Also, as you might have read on the Rx information sheet, hair loss is another common side effect. I have long hair and have noticed that I've been losing more hair than normal in my hair brushes, but by no means am I losing chunks of hair or anything like that. It's definitely not noticeable to other people... Just make sure your wife takes a multivitamin with selenium, which I've heard combats this issue.

If you want good information on this or any other medication for mood disorders, go to www.crazymeds.org. That site gives you a no b.s. look at all these meds and definitely clarifies any wording by the pharmaceutical company that might be confusing. It's worth a look.

Good luck and my best to your wife!