Lamictal report- thanks for warning me about the rash.

[BeHereNow]

Long story short- I told you about the severe reaction I had with one 25 mg dose.
Complete meltdown.

But that's not the worst of it.

For three days I went through horrific stomach flu/cold symptoms and then
bam- my forehead and chin broke out with an extremely painful hive/rash like condition.

SCARED me to death after being warned about the possible fatal rashes that can occur
with this drug.

So, I went on an extensive internet search about the worst case scenarios
that can occur with the rashes, apparently there are MANY.

I'm fairly confident I do not have any of the fatal ones, but WHAT a pain in the ass
this has been!

A message board recommended benedryl cream which I tried tonight
and it seems to be helping.

Plan on calling my GP and Psychiatrist on Monday, just to be safe.

As usual, I seem to fall into the very small percentage of ADR cases-
I do think my Psychiatrist should have been a little more informative
about the risks when he saw me and prescribed it though...

BE careful if you are given this drug!
And much appreciation to those of you who brought the rashes
and flu symptoms to my attention!

BHN

[mopinko]

1. there are always a few people who have a bad reaction.

the shrink was very specific with me about the rash. your's should have been. sigh.
i had a horrible reaction to trazedone, a real manic state. my daughter is taking it now, and imho, having a similar reaction. she also had a digestive upset that was just like the one i had when i started taking it.
she refuses to listen to me, tho. very frustrating. especially since they gave it to her for sleep, and there are so many other things she could be taking for that.

be well, my dear. hope you find something better. cymbalta has helped both my anxiety and my mood. you just have to keep trying.

[Neoma]

2. I had a horrible reaction to Lexapro and Trazadone.

Though, it was because they didn't diagnose me as bipolar at first. Lexapro increased my hypomania ten-fold. I don't think you could have gotten a worse manic reaction to medicine, than when I was on Lexapro.

The kicker? When I complained, they upped my doseage to it. Because they did that, I attempted suicide for the first time. That's when he finally decided that I'm bipolar.

Then they put me on a mood stabilizer, but they still prescribed me trazadone. Once I was off trazadone...I was in control. Except for getting the type of depression where you lay in bed all day. They've put me on another anti-depressant and I'm not entirely sure if it's working.

The only time I had a rash on my face/legs/arms is when I had a reaction to an antibiotic. All this makes me wonder how many different pills I've taken in my lifetime...

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Oooh.. not good. They say the rashes above the neck are more serious than below. I would not wait

on getting treatment. Potential SJS and TENS rashes are nothing to fool around with.

[BeHereNow]

4. Seeing my GP today...

The rash is getting worse, not better.
Sort of scared now...
I'll let you all know what he says.
BHN

[postatomic]

5. Crossing fingers, legs, and arms

That it is nothing serious. At least you're seeing someone. I've never had a physical reaction to any of my meds other than the ED thing. Oh, and weight gain.

Please report back.

[momto3]

6. I hope you are okay.

I ope that you made it to the MD. This rash is not something you should take lightly. There are some serious side effects that can be associated with Lamictal. My daughter and I both take this for bipolar and have been very cautious about the rash.

BTW - Just a warning for anyone who is on Lamictal - Do not try to stop cold turkey. It has the potential for life threatening seizures. This is one drug that you have to be weaned from very slowly.

[BeHereNow]

7. Thanks- Yeah I have a great GP, thank goodness.

I did not have the deadly rash reaction, but a rare one indeed.
The cortisone shop stopped the spreading and itching, but
the red bumps are STILL there...
May go back to the GP and see if I need another cortisone shot.
I hate not being able to go out without some foundation, but the
bumps are unsightly and not going away!

Glad Lamictal works for you and your daughter and other here in the forum!

I was just in the small percentage of people who can't take it.

BHN