Lamotrigine (Systemic)
Brand Names : Lamictal, LTG
Before Using This MedicineIn deciding to use a medicine,
the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will
do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For lamotrigine, the
following should be considered:
Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or
allergic reaction to lamotrigine. Also tell your health care professional
if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives,
or dyes.
Pregnancy - Lamotrigine has not been studied in pregnant women.
However, if you might become pregnant while taking lamotrigine, your doctor
may want you to take folic acid supplements. Studies in animals have shown
that lamotrigine, even when given to the mother in doses smaller than the
largest human dose, may cause some offspring to die. Before taking this medicine,
make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.
Breast-feeding - Lamotrigine passes into breast milk. However, it
is not known whether this medicine causes problems in nursing babies. Mothers
who are taking lamotrigine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this
with their doctor.
Children - Skin rashes may be more likely to occur in children
younger than 16 years of age than in adults. Some of these rashes may be serious
and life-threatening. It is especially important that you discuss with the
child's doctor the good that this medicine may do as well as the risks of
using it.
Older adults - Lamotrigine is removed from the body more slowly
in elderly people than in younger people. Higher blood levels of the medicine
may occur, which may increase the chance of unwanted effects. Your doctor
may give you a different lamotrigine dose than a younger person would receive.
Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used
together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together
even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to
change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking
lamotrigine, it is especially important that your health care professional
know if you are taking any of the following:
-
Carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol) or
-
Phenobarbital (e.g., Luminal) or
-
Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or
-
Primidone (e.g., Mysoline) or
-
Valproic acid (e.g., Depakote) - These medicines may increase
or decrease the blood levels of lamotrigine, which may increase the chance
of unwanted effects; your doctor may need to change the dose of either these
medicines or lamotrigine
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of lamotrigine. Make sure you tell your doctor
if you have any other medical problems, especially:
-
Heart disease - It is not clear if patients who have problems
with heart rhythms will have increased problems while taking lamotrigine
-
Kidney disease or
-
Liver disease - Higher blood levels of lamotrigine may occur,
which may increase the chance of unwanted effects; your doctor may need to
change your dose
-
Thalassemia - Lamotrigine may cause your body to stop making
or to make fewer red blood cells
|