[~Christina]

Hey everyone ~

Im on day 12 of taking 25mg a day of the medication. suppost to go to 25mg twice a day sunday. Last week I noticed a sore throat for a couple days .. sore throat went away Yesterday I had lost my voice for the day .. I little while ago my lip just started bleeding for no apparant reason. Im a little concerned now I may be dealing with the " rash " ......

Anyone out there been thru this anad if so did the rash happen Fast or was it a slow process ??? I could be concerned for no reason but Im going to be alone all weekend so im a tad concerned about this

Any personal info would be great ...

Thanks

Wishing you Peace and Love

[Omers]

Can you get into a Dr or clinic? I had a Pdoc who wanted to put me on this med but decided it wasn't right for me. The rash is scary and not something you should take chances with.

[elliemay]

Less that 0.5% of people who take Lamictal actually develop a rash. It is an incredibly rare side effect. People who take lamictal for epilepsy are more likely to develop it than those taking it at lower doses for other indications.

I think you should call your psychiatrist and at least tell them your symptoms, if for no other reason than to get peace of mind.

[zbmom]

Yes call your pdoc and let them look at you. I had a scare when I developed a sore throat and swollen glands but it turned out to be the flu. I had just bumped up to 50mg too. Ended up having to go off meds for a couple days and then restart so I should be back up to 50 next Wednesday. Hoping there are no more bumps in the road.

[~Christina]

Thanks so much everyone ..

I havent had anymore " symptoms" .. Being that its Saturday I doubt I could get a hold of anyone. . maybe just an answering service.

Im going to just wait and see if anything else happens if so I will call someone!
I'm hoping its just me being paranoid about getting the rash LOL

Thanks Everyone ...and special thanks to Elliemay for giving me an actual % of people who are affected that also eased my mind alot .

Wishing you all Peace and Love ~

[honeybee131275]

Hi, I'm also on lamotrigine (name for it here in Australia). I was a bit paranoid at the start too, thankfully I never got the rash. Because you're only on 25mg and going up slowly, as I did, then you're doing all the right things to minimise the risk of the rash to extremely low. Usually, people get it from too high a dose at the start. Not saying don't be vigilant looking out for it of course.
To ease your mind, sore throat is a side effect up to 20% of people experience when first taking it. Also, dry mouth, which could explain your lip bleed.
Glad to hear no more symptoms, yay! Hope this med works for you, it is definitely having a positive effect on me.

[~Christina]

Thanks Honeybee

I know the risk is small for the rash but of course since im paranoid lately Im more likely to freak out over every little thing thats out of sorts for me ,, but then again Im pretty out of sorts with life in general.. Im hoping eventually ill become more stable and not all over the map with my bi polar ... My Therapist assures me eventually I will have periods of time where i wont be consumed with BP issues .. I love my therapist and im sure hes correct but this is also an illness same as diabetes or heart disorders and i will certainly be on medications the rest of my life and will probably have med adjustments off and on.. I often think " the world is spinning too fast can i just get off and catch my breath" Today my mood has been up down and in between ***sigh***

Thanks for your words of encouragement they really made me smile

Wishing everyone Peace and Love and Hope ~

[sarah5147]

I was on this and did develop the dreaded rash. It started with a sore throat then little rash, went to my regular doc who thought it was a regular drug reaction and to see my Pdoc if it doesnt go away. the next day it got WAY worse, beat red like the worst sunburn of your life. Glands in neck swollen and painful, but the big giveaway I'm told was the high fever. 102.4 with Ibuprofen. Luckily as soon as the first rash came up I stopped taking it right away, but it continued for a few more days. I had tried to get ahold of my nurse practioner who prescribed it, with no luck. Finally tracked her down and over the phone had me take a huge amount of benedryl. i lucked out that i stopped it right away and didnt end up with blistering, etc. If you get any of the symptoms go see the pdoc right away, dont mess with it. I have no other allergies (other than seasonal) and am a very healthy person, and dont fit the risk groups, started on the smallest dose and hadn't even gone up. With sore throat being the first thing, i thought i was snoring at night (lol), then thought I might have step throat (which my reg doc tested for and was negative). Just wanted to make sure people reading this take it seriously even though its a rare amount of people who get that reaction, it is very bad. it sucks that I cant take it, because it felt like it was working. :-)

[porcupine2]

Yes, the rash is nothing to mess with. I caught it in time but it wasn't from the brand name Lamictal - it was from the generic form lamotrigine . There is a big difference between the two even though the big pharm says there's not. A lot of people do not tolerate the generic well. Which one are you taking?

[~Christina]

I have been on the generic since i started just upped to 150 mg daily last week no further side effects so far ,, I know its always a possibilty to develop the rash or other side effects a.. My Pdoc said 8 out of every thousand people have the rash ,,so that pretty much helped me to not worry so much ( I will worry about everything if i dont get reassured).

SO far the jury is out as to whether this medication is actually helping me or not .. I was advised most people dont see a quick response to this medications its more of a slow working med that just helps to keep my moods more stable.

Im feel bad for any of you that have gotten the rash . Hope you have been able to find alternative medications to help .

Wishing you peace and love ~

[HALLIEBETH87]

I was initially taking lamictal because the generic wasnt out yet (yeah ive been on it that long!) and I didnt have insurance so I was getting it through the company who makes it but when I got insurance and began to buy it myself the generic was out and I have been on it ever since. Went straight from one to the other. No difference in me I saw.

[AniManiac]

I just started Lamictal the other day. Since starting it, I've been a complete space cadet - anyone else have that kind of problem? I feel great, probably a little bit hypomanic, but now I have the attention span of a gnat.

There may be more to that than just the Lamictal, but it's kinda impossible to guess right now. I also went down on my Wellbutrin, so that's an improvement in terms of side effects, but the jury's out as to whether I have ADHD. If so, the Wellbutrin was keeping it in check but only at a high dose since I stopped taking the stimulants in February, and now that I'm on a more tolerable dose of Wellbutrin, it's almost exactly like before I ever took ADHD meds, only worse. So distractable that it's hard to hold a real conversation or write an email without going off on several tangents.

[porcupine2]

Hello AniManiac - welcome to the forum! Yes, lamictal is one of those medications that builds up very slowly. Most people are put on 'starter packs' and slowly graduate over time. When I was taken off of it (for fear of rash that turned out to be bed bug bites) it was the most challenging time of my life. And then to get back on it I had to start from scratch again. I currently take 300mg per day - and that was after slowly building up - took about 4 months to stabilize. It isn't a drug for everyone, but if you are one of the lucky ones who it helps, this med is a blessing. Hang in there - the initial reactions will only last a few days - I hope it works for you.

[Sheba976]

I have been at 100 mg for 2 weeks now and I am definately not been cycling up and down like was. No more sui thoughts either. My crying spell have lessened greatly. It really is a great drug for BP depression. I haven't had any side effects from it.

[hope31]

Originally Posted by morethingswrong

Thanks so much everyone ..

I havent had anymore " symptoms" .. Being that its Saturday I doubt I could get a hold of anyone. . maybe just an answering service.

Im going to just wait and see if anything else happens if so I will call someone!
I'm hoping its just me being paranoid about getting the rash LOL

Thanks Everyone ...and special thanks to Elliemay for giving me an actual % of people who are affected that also eased my mind alot .

Wishing you all Peace and Love ~

Hi, I am new 2 this forum & I am so glad that I found other people who also take Lamictal! I was super scared after I went online 2 research this drug & saw & read of the horrible rash that some people get, so I was reluctant when my Pdoc suggested 2 me to take it. Long, story short.... It seems like my depression is resistant with the other meds & I did not want 2 try a drug that had dangerous side effects. I have been taking it for about 4wks now & I am still taking the 50mg of the quick dissolve tablets (for dissolving on the tongue). I also take wellbutrin 150mgs twice a day & generic celexa 40mgs. I hope & pray that I can take the Lamictal without getting that rash & I hope it put me in a better place mentally. How are you doing on it & do you feel any different now than you did before you started taking it? How many mgs do you take now or are you still taking it? I just want to get an idea of how it is helping others that take it. Please can you share your experience with me & I hope 2 hear from you soon! Good luck to you & hope all is well with you! Thanks for your response. hope