Lamictal
Generic name: lamotrigine
Brand name: lamictal
Indications
Lamictal is indicated for the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
Dosage and Administration
Lamictal Tablets are supplied for oral administration as 25-mg, 100-mg, 150-mg and 200-mg tablets. It is also available as 2mg, 5mg and 25mg Chewable Dispersible Tablets are supplied for oral administration.
Normal Dosage:
- Take exactly as directed by your doctor.
- Take each oral dose of Lamictal with a full glass of water.
- Lamictal can be taken with or without food.
- Do not take more of Lamictal than is prescribed by your doctor.
- Your doctor may want you to have blood tests or other medical evaluations during treatment to monitor progress and side effects.
- Lamictal should be stored at room temperature away from light and moisture.
Overdose: Overdose symptoms include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, increased seizures, and unconsciousness
Drug Description
Lamictal (lamotrigine), an antiepileptic drug (AED) of the phenyltriazine class, is chemically unrelated to existing antiepileptic drugs. Its chemical name is 3,5-diamino-6-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-as-triazine, its molecular formula is C9H7N5Cl2, and its molecular weight is 256.09. Lamotrigine is a white to pale cream-colored powder and has a pKa of 5.7. Lamotrigine is very slightly soluble in water (0.17 mg/mL at 25°C) and slightly soluble in 0.1 M HCl (4.1 mg/mL at 25° C). The structural formula is:
Side effects
The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Skin rashes.
- Headache.
- Drowsiness.
- Dizziness.
- Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
- Pain in the joints or back pain.
- Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia).
- Visual disturbances, such as double vision or blurred vision.
- Shaking, usually of the hands (tremor).
- Confusion.
- Agitation.
- Irritability.
- Aggression.
- Hallucinations.
- Disturbances in the numbers of blood cells in the blood.
- Shaky movements and unsteady walk (ataxia).
- Severe blistering skin reaction affecting the tissues of the eyes, mouth, throat and genitals (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome).
- Disturbances of liver function.
Precautions
- Do not drink alcohol during treatment. Alcohol may also increase the risk of seizures.
- Adverse skin reactions have been reported with lamotrigine. These reactions are usually mild and get better on their own, but can on rare occasions be more serious and potentially life-threatening.
- You should not stop taking this medicine suddenly unless your doctor tells you to, as this may result in your seizures returning or getting worse.
- If you have epilepsy it is important to take your medication regularly, as directed by your doctor, because missing doses can trigger seizures in some people.
- This medicine may cause dizziness and double vision. As a result it could reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely.
- This medicine may rarely cause a decrease in the normal amounts of blood cells in the blood. For this reason you should consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: unexplained bruising or bleeding, purple spots, sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), feeling tired or general illness. Your doctor may want to take a blood test to check your blood cells.
- There may be a small increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour in people taking antiepileptic medicines such as lamotrigine for any indication.
Drug Interactions
Before taking Lamictal, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:
- hormonal forms of birth control
- carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol)
- divalproex (Depakote)
- oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
- phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton)
- primidone (Mysoline)
- phenytoin (Dilantin)
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane)
- Valproic acid (Depakene)
