lamictal mild rash?

Hey guys,

I started Lamictal (lamolep in my country) 2 weeks ago. On the first week I was prescribed a very low dose of 12,5 mg. On the second week they upped it to 25 mg, and now from today I'm supposed to take 50mg. Yesterday my hands started to become itchy and now it's still itchy and red. It doesn't have any sort of bladder or blister. it's just red and itchy.

The problem is, that I have depression symptoms, and had them for about a month. prior to that, 3 months ago I had my first ever episode of mania, and had to be hospitalized.

It seems like the only drug that wouldve been good for me is lamictal due to its anti-depressant properties. I really felt like this is going to be the wonder drug for me.

Now it's obvious, that my symptoms of rash aren't the dreaded "lamictal rash" symptoms, just some mild rash.
Is it possible for me to continue with the med, or it has to be stopped completely if any kind of rash appears?

I'm going to the dermatologist today, and I have spoken to my pdoc. She said if it's caused by the lamictal, then eventually I have to quit it. Which is troublesome, because it's probably the only medication that would've done good to me, in the current state I am.

I feel like I hit a dead end street, and I am desperate to find a cure for my depression. And if this is not working, I really have no idea what the heck I should take.. or perhaps try without meds?

I'm gonna post an uptade after the meeting with the dermatologist. I'm scared. What if I can't take lamictal anymore? what kind of choices will I have?

I took depakene (valproic acid) and just stopped yesterday. Because it might have caused my depressive symptoms to worsen. Is there such a thing that some mild rashes occur, but you can eventually continue with the medication?

thank you for your answers!

I had a mild rash on my shoulder. I eventually went to my doctor, and she gave me a steroid cream. I followed up with a derm a week later, but the rash had cleared up. My doctor said that the rash would have been blistered and weepy if it had been the lamictal rash. I'd still go to the doc & derm, but try not to worry too much.

I had a quiet word with my boss at the pharmacy in regards to the rash caused by Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and a rash caused by the drug certainly isn't always going to be weepy or necessarily involve blistering. It could indeed be a possibility that the Lamotrigine is causing your rash, but there really is no need to worry.

Around 10% to 11% of patients taking Lamotrigine will develop a rash, so it isn't completely unlikely that you've developed a rash because of the medication. I wouldn't worry about it too much: this rash is rarely ever serious and should the doctor decide the rash warrants a change in medication, there are quite a few more drugs that produce the same effect as Lamotrigine.

Stay calm and definitely go ahead and make that appointment with the doctor. If the rash is indeed a reaction to the new medication, there is a plethora of other psychiatric medications out there to try next.

RB.

thank you very much. Well I've been to the derm, and she said, I have to stop the med completely. pretty unfortunate, but I will have to see how am I doing without meds now eventually.... I still have a feeling, I might have been able to continue with the med, but it's not me, who should decide this. The derm said, we shouldn't risk that it might turn into something more serious. I pretty much don't know what the helll to do anymore, because anti-depressants caused me mania, depakene caused depression, lamictal caused rashes... is there a med out there that actually helps with depression? yuck, I feel like I had enough.. so many times trying to get out of this, and everything I try ends up as a failure.

thanks for your reply anyways!

thank you so much! yes indeed there might be some good meds out there, that would eventually lift my depression, and wont cause mania, like paxil did.

"Around 10% to 11% of patients taking Lamotrigine will develop a rash"

^ do you know if that percentage have to stop taking the drug? Or is it just that 10-11% get some sort of rash, get checked out, and are good to go?

OP, I feel your worry. This is really the only thing that I'm hoping for too. I have a small, itchy spot at the top of my (sorry, tmi) buttcrack. I just finished my first week on the drug.

I hope that you will be OK. I'm rooting for you!

Mono, that's the percentage of people that develop any kind of rash due to treatment with the drug. I'm not sure of the figures for those that have had to have treatment with the medication stopped because of the rash developed but a web search might return some clues as to an approximate figure.

I wouldn't worry too much about what you're describing, to myself personally it doesn't sound like a rash caused by Lamotrigine. If the spot turns into more spots and this becomes worrying, then I'd advise you speak to your doctor or appropriate healthcare professional.



The above is an image of a rash caused by Lamotrigine. I don't think one spot, irritating as it is, could be linked to the medication. Please look after your health by monitoring the development and if it worsens in any way, contact a professional.

Regards
RB.

A possible solution could be a mixture of an antidepressant, such as an SSRI and a mood-stabilizing medication (Quetiapine and Lithium are examples).

The purpose of having both is that the antidepressant treats the depression, whilst the mood stabilizer treats mania and cycles between intense highs and lows. So not only is there are wide variety of different medications and dosages but there is also a handful of different combinations.

RB

I'm on tegretol. It's a mood stabilizer, and it really helps with the depression. Just something to look in to. I can't take antidepressants either.

thank you so much! well we will se what happens, I'm gonna meet my pdoc on thursday.. The thing which bothers me a lot, is that my mom keeps telling me, that I should quit all the meds, and then I'm gonna be fine. She says I have to start a new life, have to find a job, and all. And I agree with her, but the depression causes me to have a lack of energy. Whenever I try to do something, I just get exhausted. So that's why I don't have a job. I personally don't really care about my mood, I'm so used to feeling down, but I feel like there really must be something that could help with the lack of energy. That's what makes it unbearable, that even if I want to, I just can't do basically anything.

I'm taking it physical issues have been ruled out? An under-active thyroid gland (Hypothyroidism) could cause depression and lack of energy, along with tiredness. Usually you'd have been tested for this when you've been prescribed the medications you have.

Other than that, have you tried therapy? Sometimes CBT or DBT can help boost the efficacy of medication and can be better than using medication alone. As a lack of motivation and energy is a symptom, treating the illness with a good balance of therapy and medication can alleviate the problem. However, I'm guessing you've most likely tried that!

There's no need to panic; the tiredness and lack of energy associated with mood disorders like Bipolar and Depression are perfectly treatable. It may take a while because there are many medications and combinations and they don't all work for everyone. It's just a matter of finding the right balance - trial and error, if you will.

Unfortunately the view your mom has is shared by many, some just don't realise the true severity of mental illness. Some people understand the severity of them, but refuse to believe that their relative or friend suffer from it. When I first saw a doctor around the age of 14, my mom believed it was just a phase and I'd make my way through it. She realised there was something seriously wrong only a year after that original appointment, due to reasons I refuse to disclose on this forum (for the benefit of other forum users, not for my own).

Please keep us updated on what your doctor says. Trust me when I say that, eventually, you'll get somewhere. There will still be blips but if you have the desire to be treated, you will be. There are many people that will sympathise with your struggle. I still have those days of being able to do nothing but lie down, watch TV and make the occasional visit to the shop for cigarettes and binge food, but now I have days where I'm happy and can be productive. I even managed to hold a job down for a while (until I had a blip and crashed, I'm still recovering from that now).

RB

Thank you so much! Yes I had everything tested, and it's not physical. Currently I'm not in therapy but have been before. It was helpful, but not curing. i might gomback to therapy. I just feel like I don't want to always think about myself, and always monitor myself how am I doing, but it has sort of become a bad habit now. It's hard to get my mind to concentrate on different things - perhaps positive thoughts. I really wanna get a job and I hope I'm going to be able to do so. i just reallly want to prove myself and everybody else around me, that I am capable to live a normal life. It has just been so hard lately. Thanks for the support!

It's perfectly possible to lead a normal life. It just takes a bit longer for some of us!

RB.

thank you very much! I really hope I will find a good med combo sooner than later, because I really lost my patience.