Started Lamictal tonight...

Thanks, BNLsMom. I hope the same for you.

It was painful to swallow my breakfast this morning. Every bite felt like it was too big or that I was swallowing it whole. The pain felt like it was near the bottom of the esophagus, when the food was entering the stomach. It was soft food,pancakes, that I chewed well.

Is this a Lamictal thing?

Not that I am aware of......
Here's a link to the side effects
http://epilepsy.emedtv.com/lamictal/...e-effects.html

Lamictal has a lactose base...so, if you have an allergy to milk, you'll have any of those side effects. I'm lactose intolerant, so I'm stuck with the lymph node things, a runny nose (which leads to a little bit of a sore throat), etc. But it is so worth it. I titrated up to 200 mg fairly quickly. The rash is very, very rare. And, it occurs in very specific places. I don't know why they don't tell you that...maybe psychosomatic reasons? But if you need to know that to put your mind at ease, you can call the ER and they can get that info for you quickly--might take a call-back, but they'll get it.

I take 500-600mg a day (depending on what's happening in my life, and hence, any triggering). The side effects are no worse at one level than another for me.

My banana just went down a little easier, but I still felt a little bit of difficulty with it. Could it be weird heartburn?

Oh and I have no allergy to milk or lactose that I know of...

I don't want to scare you but when I got the RASH from Lamictal I had a runny nose, sore throat, fever, and HUGE lymph nodes. Upon rechallenge with a slower schedule I got the symptoms faster even though my dose was half of what it was before.

If I try the drug again I have to start at pediatric dose of 2 mg a day and go up a whopping 5 mg a week.

Chances are everything is fine and you will love Lamictal.

so, i went up to 100 and everything is fine so far. in fact, i'm almost in too good a mood. it's hard to tell if i'm just happy or going manic. i really hope you're still doing all right, and have no rash in sight.

I woke up this morning feeling like a cold is coming on. I am going to assume that I just a run of the mill cold and watch it closely for any changes. Right on Christmas eve... I guess I will be adding ibuprofen to my pill box for the next few days. I'll eat about 20 clementines tonight for the vitamin C.

I am most definitely sick.

I am watching out for rashes. I thought I was getting a little rashy on my chest but then I took ibuprofen and that seems to have faded it a bit. Would THE rash respond to ibuprofen?

I feel bad that you are reacting to lamactil the way you are!!! It has been a lifesaver for me!

So sick...

I think it is just a bad cold, but of course I am paranoid about the lymph nodes. They are sore and I think I can feel them aching all over my body. The ones in my neck are definitely enlarged and tender. I can't reach my doctor until tomorrow and we are having a blizzard today and tomorrow.

ugh.

When I first started lamictal, I felt like a truck had hit me. Very flu-like, could have sworn my lymph nodes were swollen. Was sure it was intolerable. But about the time I was ready to call it quits, my pdoc increased the dosage and strangely enough the side effects got better. The higher the dosage, the less the side effects. I've heard that from many people about their experience of starting lamictal. Something to think about.

Even my fingers are aching... Sorry, I am being a baby. lol

I don't think it would, but it is definitely something you would want to mention to your pdoc just to be sure. Usually rashes respond to anitbiotics (usually in cream or gel form).

I did not have swollen lymph nodes or cold symptoms when I got the rash. Sorry you are sick . I hope you feel better soon, being sick sucks. How is life otherwise?

I felt like I'd been hit by a truck too, farmergirl, but IIRC, it only lasted a couple of days.

BNLSmom, try some sort of mild cortisone cream for the rash, that might work too, it's take out the histamines that a sesitivity response might give you, which is what a lot of these first few weeks side effects are. Good luck hon. Right now, with my sinuses, I WISH I could get hit by a truck. It would be a mercy... HUggggggssssssss

I feel like I have the plague (that's what my best friend and I call it when we are sick). I have a stuffy/runny nose, a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes in my neck, armpit and groin. I am having body and joint aches. No real rash, but I have a weird dark pin point spot that showed up under my thumb on the palm side of my hand a few days ago.

I can't help but wonder if it is Lamictal or just a common cold.

Reading back on the posts, you can see that you get a variety of responses. I think the med stuff is very complicated and a completely individual thing, so besides getting a general picture here, you can't make any real statements about yourself.

Lots of times the information we hear can be overwhelming and scary and confusing. Having said that, there is no way any of us can tell you what is going on.

If you are concerned or confused in any way- call a doctor. If he/she isn't available, they must have a back up on call. If not, get a new doctor, and in the meantime, call an emergency room or someplace.

And try not to panic... it will get worked out either way, and stress won't help any ailment you may have.

Yes, I plan to call p-doc tomorrow to discuss what is going on. Thank you everyone for responses. I do appreciate them all.

Ugh. Woke up with no voice. Emailed p-doc since I can't talk. I hope she gets back to me soon. I told her she could text me too.

Now, I can't diagnose you, but THAT sounds like a bad cold or the flu. did you have your tonsils out? I did and believe me, every time i get a bad cold, flu, anything, I lose my voice. Warm water, tea lemon and honey, sweetie, and above all, try to let yourself rest. The more you stress, the lower your resistance is going to get. The meds game is stress enough. HUGGGGSSSSSS and huge boxes of tissue!

My voice is better. Still crackly and weird, but something comes out when I speak. I have never had my tonsils out, but I hardly ever get infections like that. Maybe it was the flu or a bad cold. I never had a fever, other than one night when I had a slight rise in temp to 99.3. I do feel better today, but I plan to rest and renew as best I can. I posted another thread about taking a meds break. I just feel like I have been sicker since starting them and wonder if I would be better off without...

I hope you just had a bad cold or flu instead of a lamictal reaction. Get better soon!

Hoping you are better soon! And that it was "just" the flu!
(((Bnl)))