The Lamictal rash, a side effect of this drug, is well-known in the community of Lamictal users.
And this rash isn’t pretty at all.
Is there a way to prevent this side effect?
And what causes the Lamictal rash in the first place?
In fact, the Lamictal rash can be much more than nasty; the website for this prescription drug states:
LAMICTAL may cause a serious skin rash that may cause you to be hospitalized or to stop LAMICTAL; it may rarely cause death.
For this article I asked Dr. Oanh Lauring, MD, founder of Lauring Dermatology in Nottingham, MD, how it is that this serious skin rash can develop from taking Lamictal. She explained:
“The mechanism is unknown and approx 20 percent of patients can develop some type of a rash, but it is rarely life threatening. It usually presents as hives, itching or red blotchy patches all over the body.”
In other words, if you develop the Lamictal rash, there is no need to fear for your life. The drug’s Website further explains:
There is no way to tell if a mild rash will develop into a more serious reaction. These serious skin reactions are more likely to happen when you begin taking LAMICTAL, within the first 2-8 weeks of treatment.
But it can happen in people who have taken LAMICTAL for any period of time. Children between 2 to 16 years of age have a higher chance of getting this serious skin reaction while taking LAMICTAL.
Is there a way to prevent the Lamictal rash?
Dr. Lauring says no. She explains, “Other more well-known anti-epileptics such as phenytoin, phenobarbital, primodone are more likely causes of life threatening rashes like Steven-Johnsons syndrome (patients have sloughing and bleeding of their mucosa such as the mouth, gut and groin), or toxic epidermal necrolysis (patients can slough off their entire skin within hours to a few days).
“These rashes represent an autoimmune hypersensitivity response that is purely genetic-based and therefore you cannot prevent it.
“If any family members are allergic to a specific class of medications, then they should use these meds with caution.
“If someone has a clear-cut severe itchy rash to a drug (and I have excluded infection), I may treat them with oral antihistamines and topical or oral steroids depending on the severity.”
According to the Website, your risk of getting a rash from using Lamictal increases, if you are also taking Depakene or Depakote (anti-seizure drugs).
Another factor that increases risk of this situation is if you take a higher starting dose than what your physician has prescribed for you.
Finally, a third variable that raises the risk of this skin rash is if your dose of the drug is increased at a faster rate than what has been prescribed.
