Warning: Women on Lamictal - What Your Doctors May Not Know

This June, I went to Kauai hoping my brain would finally get a break. Instead, I woke up and could barely walk straight. My balance was gone. The room seemed to move under me. I fell, got hurt, and had moments where my spatial awareness felt so off that it scared me.This episode is about the interaction between estrogen and Lamictal, also known as lamotrigine. Over 2 million people currently take Lamictal in the US.But for some providers, they are not aware how changes in estrogen — from birth control, perimenopause, hormone replacement therapy, patches, pills, gels, or dose changes — can affect lamotrigine levels. Lamotrigine toxicity can look like dizziness, clumsiness, confusion, drowsiness, headaches, poor coordination, balance problems, and unsteady walking. It can be easy to dismiss those symptoms as stress, anxiety, brain fog and menopause symptoms in general.My Lamictal level had risen from 8.9 to 13.8. Still technically within the lab’s reference range, but much higher for my body.This is not medical advice. It is a story about what can happen when hormones and psychiatric medication intersect — and why women on Lamictal deserve clearer warnings, better monitoring, and doctors who know what to ask. Please take the first step by talking to both your OBGYN and your Psychiatrist/Med provider. Thank you for listening.Support the showHelp Bipolar She Today! Buy Me A Coffee is a platform for podcasters to receive support, even if just a micro-donation. It's finally time to grow! Let's amplify voices of mental illness in all their raw details.Bipolar She is dedicated to real conversations for women living with mental illness. Hosted by Janine Noel, the majority of episodes give voice to a woman who has lived-life experience with mental illness--or who has experienced the illness of someone close to them. Along the way, I interview experts in the field that address additional mental health concerns.Frankly, coping with a mental health condition can be exhausting. Here's a place where you can land and find an episode that resonates with you. Some topics we've covered: being a bipolar mom or having a bipolar mom. Anxiety, agoraphobia, chronic depression, ECT, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, a psychiatrist that breaks your trust. A therapist who goes above and beyond to help you. The impact of trauma on your brain. Bipolar She couldn't have thrived without guitarist, JD Cullum's original music.Editor Brandon Moran makes everyone's voice sound both crisper and smarter.Sponsored by Amy Vincze's Emotional Freedom Technique App: Soar With Tapping....