lamictal rash (??)

I been on a very low dose of lamictal for about a month. Doc ok'ed me going up another 25mg. I started getting really itchy on my tummy, chest and hips. I have red bumps. What has me confused I have really bad excema (sp??) on my arm - which have been localized to my arms and ankles so I don't know if I should be alarmed about the lamictal. My whole body is itchy

Call your doctor and ask him what you need to do. Probably just a rash and not really related to the lamictal, but it does need to be evaluated to be sure.

I tried calling and they don't return calls on wknd. I will wait till Monday and see what he says. Thx

Whatever you do, don't scratch! Try a cool bath, or a fan. You want that itching to go away, but scratching will make it WAY worse.

Hope your rash is better or at least not any worse. It can be a quite serious condition/sideeffect to the med. But I guess you know that already. If you have any concerns over the weekend I would advice you to seek other medical advice for an evaluation.
Not to make you worried. It´s just better to always be on the safe side with stuff like this. IMO.
Good health to you.

If I were you, I wouldn't be comfortable waiting all weekend because I'm an anxious sort. But, wait, your username is anxiety! Don't you worry like I do?

They don't have any emergency number or on call service? That seems irresponsible for a pdoc's office.

What dose did you raise your dose from? I would think 50-75 would be different from 250-275. My understanding is that "the rash" is most likely to occur when you are new to the med and in the initial increasing process.

The rash is really rare (pdoc said he's only seen it 2x in his career). But, if it gets worse, go to the ER.

Hope it all goes well,
EJ

When I call the ofc I get referred to mobile crisis. I am trying not to let it get best of me it could be the weather has got a little colder and my skin could be reacting to that or the ecxema (sp??). I went from 25 to 50mgs. Still itchy, feeling tired and have a headache from hell. Popping some advil and going back to sleep. Thanks all.

Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) usually begins with fever, sore throat, and fatigue, which is misdiagnosed and usually treated with antibiotics. Ulcers and other lesions begin to appear in the mucous membranes, almost always in the mouth and lips but also in the genital and **** regions. Those in the mouth are usually extremely painful and reduce the patient's ability to eat or drink. You would know within 24 hrs. if you had SJS. Your tongue would swell up as well as the bronchus. Lamictal can cause other outbreaks and skin conditions. I have had to deal with that. see your doc.

I got the rash after two weeks on my arms, legs, lips and eyes swelled. My doc did call me back on the weekend and said to stop meds (50mg) and if it gets worse to go to hospital. It stopped the next day.

Doc left me a voicemail this morning saying it sounds like a rash from the lamictal and he said he was surprised because I been on it for over a month and usually a rash starts in beginning of treatment. He said to discontinue it altogether and we will figure out another med on next appt 12/3.

I am really disappointed because I think the doc would want to see me to look at whatever rash I have or have me go to a derm doc to rule out - if it's my excema, hives, or dry skin. I am under a lot of stress and that triggers all the above. I am also concerned coming off this abruptly granted I am only at 50mg I been on this med for 7wks now (was going up really slow) what I may experience. I am disappointed because my moods have been really even for first time in many years so HUGE let down I can not continue. It took me years to surrender to medications at all.

Are there any mood stabilzers that are weight neutral ??

I had similar issues w/lamictal toward the beginning. It went away within a week or so and lamictal has helped me since. Good thing 12/3 is relatively soon

The Lamictal rash is actually life threatening and I can't believe your doc didn't give you the "If you get a rash stop this med immediately" speech. My doc did more than once. It even says it on the warning lable.

I wouldn't chance that one.

Not every rash with lamictal is THE RASH though.

Signs and symptoms of Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

• Facial swelling
• Tongue swelling
• Hives
• Skin pain
• A red or purple skin rash that spreads within hours to days
• Blisters on your skin and mucous membranes, especially in your mouth, nose and eyes
• Shedding (sloughing) of your skin

If you have Stevens-Johnson syndrome, several days before the rash develops you may experience:

• Fever
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Burning eyes

When to see a doctor
Stevens-Johnson syndrome requires immediate medical attention. Seek emergency medical care if you experience any of the following signs or symptoms:

• Unexplained widespread skin pain
• Facial swelling
• Blisters on your skin and mucous membranes
• Hives
• Tongue swelling
• A red or purple skin rash that spreads
• Shedding of your skin

I had a social worker at the hospital who actually did have SJS. He woke up in a burn unit a week later and had no idea what had happened. It is THAT severe. It is also fairly rare. Most rashes with lamictal are not SJS, but doctors will have you stop it just to be sure. The stats are that "Between 5 to 10% of patients will develop a rash, but only one in a thousand patients will develop a serious rash." The black box warning states:

THE RATE OF SERIOUS RASH WAS 0.08% (0.8 PER

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20 ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY.

I went to my Derm doc on Tuesday. He believe whatever rash I have is due to the medication. I been off lamictal since Monday and am still waking up itching really bad. Most people have reported the rash/itching to stop upon discontinuing it. The one thing I noticed with the itchiness is it's only at night during the day I am fine.

I know that lamictal is extremely help for a lot of people and it's a shame that you began feeling a little bit better and then the rash occurred.

I have heard a lot of reports from people saying that they got a rash but continued the drug with great results (rash and skin problems are very common, the lethal one isn't). I've heard of people getting the rash and then restarting the titration much more slowly with no problems. I've also heard of people who adored the drug even though they experienced prolonged acne issues. So I think lamictal can still be a possibility for you.

I have no experienced a single rash on lamictal save for the minor seasonal rashes I get from a grass allergy in the summer. These rashes were on my legs and went away within a couple hours; very minor.