lamotrigine lamictal side effects rash

I HAVE BEEN ON LAMICTAL( lamotrigine) (FOR YEARS. NEVER MESS AROUND WITH THIS DRUG. IT YOU INCREASE YOUR DOSAGE BY MORE THAN 25MG AT A TIME FOR A WEEK, OR 50MG FOR 2 WEEKS ( AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN ON LAMICTAL FOR SOME TIME AND YOUR DOCTOR FEELS THAT IT IS OK TO INCREASE IT BY 50MG EVERY TWO WEEKS) YOU CAN HAVE SOME TERRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS. YOU CAN GET A RASH THAT YOU BETTER GET TO A HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY. IT CAN CAUSE DEATH.

I had the same fears when beginning Lamictal- the warnings are very terrifying-- but I experienced none of the rashes or side effects, and responded well to it in general. My psychiatrist feels it is one of the most effective drugs out there for bipolar despite this side effect, which from the research I have seen is rare, but serious. If you are thinking of starting it, the doctor should start you out very slowly on what is called the "starter pack," which brings you up very slowly.

s always a good idea for all of us to discuss side effects with our doctors, especially if a medication has a potentially dangerous side effect. I understand as do most people, that the big pharmas have to make note of every single thing that could go wrong, no matter how rare it is, look at you and the rash from Lamictal.........

Lamotrigine (Lamictal) seems to be missing from your list. It is weight-neutral, but of course it, too, has a list of possible side effects. In my case, I really liked it as a mood stabilizer, but over time it caused pronounced hand tremors. The big one to watch out for is the risk of a severe and potentially dangerous rash. If Lamotrigine is ramped up very slowly, that risk is greatly diminished. Good luck!

My specific experience with the two medications may vary as I have schizoaffective disorder. Seroquel (brand name for the other medication you mentioned) is an antipsychotic and like all current antipsychotics the short term side effects are the potential of weight gain and short term movement disorders. I found it to be sedating but each person responds differently to each medication. It does have strong mood stabilization properties.

I'm currently on the combo. It's working alright for me. I still get frequent manic episodes and psychosis (I'm schizoaffective, but neither drug does anything for psychosis anyways) but I've only had one depressive episode in the last 5 years, and I'm a rapid cycler.I had about 10 depressive episodes in 2-3 years and they stopped completely when I started lamotrigine (well, apart from the one, but it was work related).

If the side effects look scary, go look up the full side effects profile for an OTC drug you use often (like ibuprofen), which will give you an idea of how scary the full side effects profiles sound.

Ive titrated up from 25mg to 50mg after two weeks and didnt notice any side effects or mood lift. I saw my pdoc on monday and he said to up the dosage to 75mg for two weeks then 100mg. I just started taking 75mg two days ago and I noticed the rash just now because its starting to itch and feels a little rough/kind of painful when my armpit rubs against it. Its pretty itchy and I am starting to get itchy spots on my body (top of feet/ankles).

Generally if someone develops that particular side effect from Lamictal their psychiatrist will not start them on it again. That side effect from Lamictal is statistically rare (1 in a thousand). All medications have adverse side effects including asprin. Just because you developed one adverse reaction doesn't mean you'll develop another. Here's a list of mood stabilizers: http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.

Concurrent use of lamotrigine with ECT in bipolar depression seems safe, did not interfere with routine ECT practice, and allowed for transition to maintenance pharmacotherapy. (C) 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

I was diagnosed as bipolar type 2 back in June 2005, and since then have been on Lamotrigine (Lamictal) on an increasing dosage. I have been at the max dosage that my doctor said is allowed (350 mg/day). So that means over 4 years that I've been taking this drug. I have found that since taking lamictal, my depression has all but vanished, but it does not control my manic behavior at all. So as an anti-depressant, I think it's very effective for me.

Lamictal is an effective mood stabilizer and one with the lease number of side effects except for a rash.If you get any rash inform your Doc immediately otherwise you dont need to get any blood tests on this med.

Detecting drug levels in the blood help in proper seizure control and reduction of side effects of the drug. It helps us in identifying whether the drug is in a therapeutic range or not. The decision of dosage adjustments depends on the doctor’s discretion and varies person to person. Do write to us again with more information. Take care and good luck!

However, skin rash occurs in 10% of patients treated with lamotrigine and the risk of rash is related to rapid dose escalation and concomitant use of valproate. In approximately 1% of those that develop rash, it can progress to Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis, both of which can be life threatening.

About 10% of patients who take Lamictal get a rash; however, the serious life-threatening rash occurs much more rarely. The risk of rash can be minimized by starting at a very low dose (12.5mg) and increasing very slowly. Lamictal is an excellent mood stabilizer with few side effects, except the rash. It's something to be aware of, but not a reason to completely avoid the medication. Many people have noticed significant benefit from Lamictal.

ve tried over the past 15 years, this stuff has had the least number of side-effects, and overall, the side-effects that the vast majority of people have experienced are far less severe than all the other BP drugs out there, and if anything, are minor nusiances that are easily either dealt with or ignored, and will dissipate over the course of treatment. It was also perfectly safe for me to take while pregnant, so long as I supplemented with high doses of folic acid.

I've been on Depakote and Seroquel for bipolar and not improving much, so today the doc took the depakote away and is starting me on Lamictal. Can anyone share your experiences with it? He told me it should not give me the weight gain or fatigue, and the only thing I need to watch for is if a rash develops on my body to let him know immediately, as it could be serious enough to land me in the hospital. Other than that, does the lamictal really have relatively few side effects?

t experienced in depression, is afraid that if I increase the dosage, I might suffer from side effects (are there even any?). Anyways, my doctor suggested I make an appointment with a psychiatrist, which I will, to see if I have better options when it comes to the meds. I'm writing this to see if anyone here knows any meds the psychiatrist might recommend so I can research it. So, any ideas?

is this mix ok? i used to take Wellbutrin and Lamictal,but now only Lamictal. my therapist feels i need something to boost my concentration and Wellbutrin didnt work.

I have done some research on these two medications mainly on there side effects. A decision will be made on this once I have been to have an EEG.

Lamotrigine lamictal side effects rash

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