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| HOME > About LAMICTAL | |
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About LAMICTALWhen you are having a mood episode, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to help treat your current symptoms. But your healthcare provider may also prescribe long-term (maintenance) medication that will help keep mood episodes from coming back. LAMICTAL was the first FDA-approved medication for the long-term treatment of adults with bipolar I disorder since lithium was approved in 1970. LAMICTAL does not take away the initial feelings of depression or mania you may be experiencing. LAMICTAL helps keep mood episodes from coming back for an extended period of time. This was shown in 2 landmark clinical studies lasting approximately a year and a half. Of the patients remaining at the end of the studies, 37% of patients receiving LAMICTAL vs 22% receiving placebo had not received additional treatment for a mood episode. Use beyond 18 months should be periodically reevaluated. It is between you and your healthcare provider to find out if LAMICTAL is right for you. In this section, you'll find the following information about LAMICTAL:
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Important Safety Information about LAMICTAL Prescription LAMICTAL Tablets are not for everyone. Most people who take LAMICTAL tolerate it well. Common side effects with LAMICTAL include dizziness, headache, blurred or double vision, lack of coordination, sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, tremor, and rash. LAMICTAL may cause other side effects not listed here. If you develop any side effects or symptoms you are concerned about, or if you need more information, call your doctor. Although most patients who develop a rash while receiving LAMICTAL have mild to moderate symptoms, some individuals may develop a serious skin reaction that requires hospitalization. It is not possible to predict whether a mild rash will develop into a more serious one. Rarely, deaths have been reported. These serious skin reactions are most likely to happen within the first 8 weeks of treatment with LAMICTAL. Serious skin reactions occur more often in children than in adults. Rashes may be more likely to occur if you: take LAMICTAL in combination with valproate (brand names are Depakene® (valproic acid)* and Depakote® (divalproex sodium)*), take a higher starting dose of LAMICTAL than your doctor prescribed, or increase your dose of LAMICTAL faster than prescribed. If you experience any of the following with or without a skin rash, tell your doctor immediately: hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in the mouth or around the eyes, or swelling of lips or tongue. These symptoms may be the first signs of a serious reaction. A doctor should evaluate your condition and determine if you should continue taking LAMICTAL. Serious blood problems or liver problems have been reported with LAMICTAL, so tell your doctor if you develop symptoms such as unusual bruising or bleeding, severe muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, yellowing of the eyes or skin, and/or frequent infections. You should not take LAMICTAL if you had an allergic reaction to it in the past. LAMICTAL is indicated for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder to delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes (depression, mania, hypomania, mixed episodes) in adults treated for acute mood episodes with standard therapy. The effectiveness of LAMICTAL in the acute treatment of mood episodes has not been established. |
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