Lamictal

I've been on Lamictal for about 3 months and a few days ago I got a rash the size of a half dollar consisting of little red bumps on my knee. I called my doc right away and went in to see him the same day. He pulled me off the Lamictal for 3 days while we waited to see what the rash would do. After the 3 days with no meds and only 1 or 2 new bumps and the old ones fading we are trying again. He says that the fact that while not taking the drug and I still got a couple new bumps and that I've had no reaction at the beginning of treatment that it is a good sign that the Lamictal is not the cause.

I started back on my regular dose yesterday (200 mg a day) and now I feel itchy all over. I noticed this when I first began the drug too. I think it is probably just my skin drying out again; I have horrible dry skin on this stuff. It gets so bad my hands crack and bleed sometimes (a problem that I've never had). I've checked myself thoroughly for any redness or rashes as instructed, like looking at the whites of my eyes, the inside of my eyelids, my gums, the insides of my cheeks, and everywhere else.

I'm terrified of getting the rash. I can't imagine how horrible a serious case might be. I am all too aware that the rash can cause death, blindness, or disfigurements. I did some research on the drug when I began taking it.

I really want this drug to be okay for me. I love how I feel on it and hate how I've felt the last few days off of it. I began to feel a horrible sense of self-loathing, anger, and depression seeping in after just 48 hours off of the drug. I hate everyone and everything and I hope that the drug begins to work at its full effects again soon. I have a 4 month old baby and a 5 (almost 6) year old that take a lot of patience that I don’t have right now.

Has anyone else here gotten a rash from Lamictal? Was it serious? How long do you think it could take to get relief now that I'm back on the meds? I built up to 200 mg over a 6-week period and it took 7 or 8 weeks to really feel good about things. It can't possibly take that long since I went back onto my regular dose directly, but I also know that the Lamictal has to build up in my system to be fully effective. It is so hard to wait when you feel like crap!

Hi, I know exactly what you mean by the Lamictal making you feel ok. It was the only med that got me out of a severe and lengthy bipolar depressive episode. It wasnt the only thing, I ended up having ECT and taking some other meds, but I had to stop taking it for 2-3 days before my ECT and I could definetley feel the difference. I also had a very strange rash after being on Lamictal for about 6 months. It was on my scalp, neck, back and upper chest and was VERY itchy. My pdoc sent me to a dermatologist who said I did NOT have the deadly rash associated with Lamictal. But he said Lamictal causes rashes very frequently of various types. I decided to stay on the Lamictal. My dose is 250mg. The rash disappeared after about 3 months, and I havent had any problems since. As for the Lamictal, I think it probably saved my life. It works along with my monthly ECT treatments and abilify. My moods are much more stable (even though I still have my moments!) But to me it is definetely a good medication, I plan to continue taking it. Best of luck. Kat

Thanks for responding 5150kat. I took Albilify for several months and it did help quite a bit, but for me the Lamictal works even better. I was told I would have to go in for ECT if things got too bad during my pregnancy. They said that ECT is the best option for pregnant women because it has the least amount of chance of hurting the baby. The whole idea of ECT scares the crap out of me. I know that it isn’t like it used to be, but the thought that there could be memory loss was too much for me. I went for 10 months without meds and there were at least a handful of times that I absolutely should have called the doc, but the fear of ECT made me stop and luckily the idea of a baby being inside me kept me from doing anything to myself. Have you had any problems such as memory loss with the treatment?