It does carry a risk of dangerous rashes, but the risk is minimized by slow dosage titration and alert monitoring. It comes with risks if you don’t take it as prescribed.If you take this drug to treat bipolar disorder, stopping the drug suddenly or not taking it at all may cause serious problems. Australian prescription products guide online. ([2006]):5. Bowden CL, Calabrese JR, Ketter TA, Sachs GS, White RL, Thompson TR "Impact of lamotrigine and lithium on weight in obese and nonobese patients with bipolar I disorder." It is very important to document these side effects as it could help the prescribers as well as the patients recognize these symptoms as adverse effects of the medication, rather than as a relapse of the disorder or as an acute episode. Br J Clin Pharmacol 60 (2005): 666-718. Initially she tolerated Lamotrigine well with mild-moderate physical side effects of nausea, warm flashes and constipation. Am J Psychiatry 163 (2006): 749-5015. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. A typical adult dose may cause drug levels in your body to be higher than normal. Also, your dosage should not be increased too quickly. Here we discuss the case of a Caucasian female who presented to us with a history of bipolar disorder which was well controlled with Lithium. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. Lamotrigine side effects . Aust N Z J Psychiatry 40 (2006): 71813. In 2006, Uher and Jones [14] reported a case of a 42 year old woman with bipolar affective disorder and no history of neurological illness who presented dose related psychotic side effects of vivid dreams followed by hallucinations, when she was started on Lamotrigine. These psychiatric adverse effects seems to be seen more in patients with history of epilepsy [11, 12], however there are also a few reports of similar effects in patients with bipolar disorders with no history of epilepsy [5, 13]. It is recommended that patients use the information presented as a part of a broader decision-making process.If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.© 2020 eHealthMe.com. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. This will help you make sure that this drug is working for you.Not every pharmacy stocks this drug. Talk to your doctor about other drug options that may work for you.© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Your doctor may change your dose based on how you respond to treatment.It has not been confirmed that lamotrigine is safe and effective for use in children younger than 13 years. South Med J 102 (2009): 82-426. Examples of these drugs include:Taking lamotrigine with certain drugs used to treat HIV can lower the level of lamotrigine in your body. Your doctor will slowly increase your dose of lamotrigine and slowly decrease the doses of your other antiseizure medications.Your doctor can switch you directly from the immediate-release form of lamotrigine to the extended-release (XR) form. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) is an anticonvulsant used as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorders. Based on our research, this is the third documented case which reports the psychiatric adverse effect of Lamotrigine in patients with Bipolar disorder with no history of neurological disorder. Pharmacotherapy 18 (1998): 392-88. Glaxo Wellcome, Research Triangle Park, NC. Neurology 49 (1997): 306-724. 100 mg/day and her Li dose was reduced to 600 mg/day. Once you switch to the XR form, your doctor will monitor you to make sure your seizures are under control. This action prevents the neurons in your brain from becoming too active. "Product Information. It also has got a predominant antidepressant effect and hence is regularly approved for the prevention of depressive episodes in patients with bipolar disorders [1]. LaMICtal XR (lamoTRIgine)." Lamotrigine with its antidepressant action thus stands out as an effective adjunct therapy for bipolar disorders. Available for Android and iOS devices.We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information - This dosing will be different from what is outlined above. Several studies have underlined the use of Lamotrigine as an effective maintenance therapy for bipolar disorder, particularly for use during the depressive phases of the illness [4, 5, 6].Since March 2006, the patient, a 55 yr old Caucasian woman has been followed up in our psychiatric clinic as an outpatient for management of her bipolar disorder.