[Moose72]

I really do think i see something. And my skin itches but then i figure that its dry skin. Then i sat too close to my space heater and had a bright red mark. You guessed it: thought it was the lamictal rash.

[99fairies]

I still worry about the rash and I've been on Lamictal for 4 years...It's almost impossible for me to get it now.

[SorryShaped]

Have you looked up what it looks like? It has a specific look to it. My daughter had it on her face and I kept telling my then wife that she had it and to call her doctor ASAP but she never believed me, until the doctor saw it 3 days later.

[Guiness187055]

Generally one gets it shortly after hitting peak dosage. YMMV

Try putting on some lotion and moving away from the heater for a while and see what happens.

The true SJS rash is very rare, especially if your doctor is titrating your dose up slowly.

[Sunflower123]

I got the rash shortly after I started Lamictal. I was pretty clear about what it was. I remember thinking there goes another medication.

Sending best wishes that you don’t experience the rash.

[xRavenx]

I can relate. I've been on Lamictal for since 2012 and still look for the rash from time to time! My skin looked a little red and broken out, so I freaked myself out...only to find out it was irritation from something unrelated. I can understand your concern. Researching and being aware is good. Just try not to focus on the fear too much or overthink it, or you'll drive yourself mad!

[Nola0250]

I can relate. I was titrating up and feeling like it was starting to work when my face started being slightly red and burning. Turns out it was a reaction to a moisturizer/sunscreen I was using that contained retinoic acid. Why would they put retinoic acid which makes you sun sensitive in a sunscreen? Crazytown.

I had started using the product about a month before starting the lamictal but it took that long for a skin reaction to show up. I stopped using that product and the skin was normal in a few days. Phew!

While it's important to be very careful, sometimes a rash is just a rash. Think about whether you've started using something different on your skin recently, new laundry detergent, etc that you might be able to rule out.

[Tucson]

Here is a quote from the Mayo Clinic talking about the symptoms of SJS. I have just formatted it differently.

“Fever, unexplained widespread skin pain, a red or purple skin rash that spreads, blisters on your skin and the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, eyes and genitals, and Shedding of your skin within days after blisters form.”

Does any of this describe the symptoms of your rash? Probably not. SJS is rare. The odds of you getting it is substantially stacked against this happening. If carefully titrated up, the chances become even more remote. Just because you have a rash does not mean you have SJS. Look up pictures of this rash. You will find it to be unmistakeable. Heck, even Tylenol has a SJS warning. So let’s keep things in perspective here.

BTW What surprises me is there seems to be pdocs who can confuse a rash for SJS. So they take their patient off of Lamictal at the slightest hint of any rash. I had a rash. But then it went away like any rash I have had in the past. This is what a doctor had predicted.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

The rash hurts more than it itches. It feels like a very bad sunburn and is very hot to the touch. It's really sensitive; showering was quite painful for about a week when I had it.

It did start as a small itchy area and I (stupidly) paid no attention and took another dose so that I woke up with my face a mess that kept getting worse, but honestly it is so specific looking and feeling that if you really have THE RASH I think you'd know it.

However you can get other rashes coincidentally and those still need checked out so it's good to pay attention but basically your body will tell you if you really need to worry, at least in my experience.

[~Christina]

The only rash is confined to mucus membranes first , eyes , nose. The rash is very very rare.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

While any rash should be checked out, Dr. Phelps of psycheducation.org gives more specific information about rashes and lamictal and dangerous rashes and lamictal. Details on the Lamotrigine Rash | PsychEducation

The part where it is on the face and near/on mucus membranes is where mine got scary; I had it my lips and an eyelid and had itching in my mouth. Needless to say I was pulled off immediately and can't ever try it again. Often rashes can be cleared and you can try again with a slower taper if indicated.

It took about 1 second to diagnose when I saw the doctor.

Funny thing was I was positive it wouldn't happen because I'd been on lamictal before without the rash and while I tend to have bad reactions to meds I was sure I'd get nothing more than a few headaches and some nausea like the last time. Surprise!

I wish I had pictures.