Posted by SLS on February 19, 2001, at 8:10:43
In reply to Re: Lamictal dosing (and fibromyalgia), posted by SalArmy4me on February 19, 2001, at 6:00:39
Dear SalArmy4me,
> You have very little to fear about Lamictal rashes.
>
> The fears over Lamictal (lamotrigine) rashes are unfounded.> The chance of having a severe rash leading to hospitalization is reported as 0.3%. With those odds, it is easier to get hit by
lightening than it is to have a Lamictal rash. Point in case: You never hear in the paper about someone severely harmed by Lamictal.
Could you please cite the published facts that lead you to your conclusion? Is it something that I can find on the internet? It is very possible that such a low incidence of hospitalization and fatality (0.3%?) due to Lamictal-induced rash is because DOCTORS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO DISCONTINUE THE DRUG BEFORE IT GETS THAT FAR!In the meantime, I wouldn't coax mother nature to fight a battle of wits, with either Lamictal or lightning. I wouldn't encourage making such rash judgments. :-) (dumb, I know)
By the same token, I find Lamictal to be very effective and without many cognitive side effects - perhaps the lowest of the anticonvulsants. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone so long as they follow the prescribed schedule of dosage titration.
--------------------------------------------------
Schedule of Lamictal (lamotrigine) dosing for depression when not combined with any other anticonvulsant-type mood-stabilizer:
weeks 1-2 - > 25mg
weeks 3-4 - > 50mg
weeks 5 - > 100mg
thereafter + 50mg every one to two weeks.--------------------------------------------------
This schedule somewhat conservative, but is still more rapid than many doctors are willing to use for certain individuals. If one develops a rash with Lamictal during an attempt at a very rapid titration, the drug can be discontinued and successfully restarted using a more conservative schedule.
Good luck all...
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:54122
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010212/msgs/54370.html