Has anyone tried lamictal- my new pm doc gave me a sample- a little nervous to try them- He told me its like neurontin but without all the side effects...any infor would be appreciated!

Deb

Hi Deb,
I've been on Lamictal for 3 weeks now and it seems to be working on the bad pain where my siatic nerve is injured. No bad side effects so far. I can't tell yet if its working on my foot because I fell and banged the RSD side on the leg of a table. But yesterday I had no pain at all anywhere. That didn't last long. But I still feel better than before I started taking it. Good Luck!

Sue K.

Hi,

I used Lamictal for a couple of years and found it to be effective against the allodynia and burning pain and didn't notice any side-effects; I had several with gabatril (Gabapentin) and was glad for the change.

That said, some of the listed side-effects for Lamictal can be severe, and I'm glad I've got a doc who lets patients make informed decisions by giving them the information we need; he made sure I understood the risks and the signs to look for.

Being forewarned, I kept a close watch for anything that might indicate a problem; confident that observation and slow titration would allow me to stop taking it before anything serious could happen. Nothing did.

I urge anyone considering Lamictal to read the FDA warning on this product; bad things can happen. This is an instance when knowledge really is power...Vic

Thanks for your replys- I am going to start taking it this friday- I will sure look out for rashes- Lets hope it helps!

Deb

Vicc, I guess you are referring to a rash ?? I think thats the only thing i read that could be dangerous?

Sue- Still doing well with it? Im gonna start it tonight but nervous!

Hi there, I tried Lamictil and it did ramp the pain down about 2 points. It also made me itchy all over and it felt like my skin was on FIRE. I really wanted to hang on and keep using it because of the pain relief (plus the mood stabilizing was a big plus for me) but my doc took me off it even though I did not have the dreaded Lamictil Rash (which can bring on Stevens-Johnson Syndrome).
I hope it gives you some relief.
The advice I got over and over was to ramp up reeeeeeeallly slowly - much more slowly than the doctor recommends - to avoid any itchy scratchies or rash.

Hi Deb,
Still doing ok on it. The pain relief is really good. I see my dr. on the 13th. So I'll see what they say.

Sue K.

the first sign of any skin rash;

fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;

chest pain;

pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding;

fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms; or

nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes

I tried Lamactil back in 04 & I also got the itches really bad so I also quit taking it. I was too chicken to keep taking it. I am glad it works really well for some.

DebbyV