Lamictal (Chewable)

Uses of Lamictal (Chewable)

Lamictal belongs to a group of medicines called anti-epileptics. It is used to treat two conditions – epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Lamictal treats epilepsy by blocking the signals in the brain that trigger epileptic seizures (fits)

• For adults and children aged 13 years and over, Lamictal can be used on its own or with other medicines, to treat epilepsy. Lamictal can also be used with other medicines to treat the seizures that occur with a condition called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
• For children aged between 2 and 12 years, Lamictal can be used with other medicines, to treat those conditions. It can be used on its own to treat a type of epilepsy called typical absence seizures.

Lamictal also treats bipolar disorder

• People with bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depression) have extreme mood swings, with periods of mania (excitement or euphoria) alternating with periods of depression (deep sadness or despair). Foradults aged 18 years and over, Lamictal can be used on its own or with other medicines, to prevent the periods of depression that occur in bipolar disorder. It is not yet known how Lamictal works in the brain to have this effect.

Precautions and Warnings

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Lamictal:

• if you have any kidney problems
• if you have ever developed a rash after taking lamotrigine or other medicines for bipolar disorder or epilepsy
• if you experience a rash or sunburn after taking lamotrigine and having been exposed to sun or artificial light (e.g. solarium). Your doctor will check your treatment and may advise you to avoid sunlight or protect yourself against the sun (e.g. use of a sunscreen and/or to wear protective clothing)
• if you have ever developed meningitis after taking lamotrigine (read the description of these symptoms in Section 4 of this leaflet: Rare side effects)
• if you are already taking medicine that contains lamotrigine.
• if you have a condition called Brugada syndrome, or other heart problems. Brugada syndrome is a genetic disease that results in abnormal electrical activity within the heart. ECG abnormalities which may lead to arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm) can be triggered by lamotrigine.

Dosage

The usual effective dose of Lamictal for adults and children aged 13 years or over is between 100 mg and 400 mg each day. For children aged 2 to 12 years, the effective dose depends on their body weight – usually, it’s between 1 mg and 15 mg for each kilogram of the child’s weight, up to a maximum maintenance dose of 200 mg daily. Lamictal is not recommended for children aged under 2 years.

Side Effects

Common side effects

• aggression or irritability
• feeling sleepy or drowsy
• feeling dizzy
• shaking or tremors
• difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
• feeling agitated
• diarrhoea
• dry mouth
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• feeling tired
• pain in your back or joints, or elsewhere.

Uncommon side effects

• clumsiness and lack of co-ordination (ataxia)
• double vision or blurred vision
• unusual hair loss or thinning (alopecia).
• skin rash or sunburn after exposure to sun or artificial light (photosensitivity)

More information about Lamictal

• Product Monograph – Health Canada
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration Medication Guide