Uggh! So, after thinking that spending a week in the hospital baker-acted might have helped me get on teh right medications, I see these red spots all over my body. My face, arms, back, feet...everywhere. I remember the doctor saying that if you get a rash stop the Lamictal and go to the ER. I didn't go to ER, but I did go to the urgent care at a doctors office near my parents house. Well, I hadn't set up to see a psychiatrist due to not having $100, and my insurance coverage is used up for mental health. So, the doctor there blind-sided me by sending in a social worker who wouldn't say why she was in there. She just kept asking me why. I was like I have no idea. I am not suicidal anymore (not that I would really tell anyone if I was again anyhow, because I refuse to get baker-acted again). She said that now that I have no mood stabilizer, and just a couple of antidepressants, and I was already manic at this point anyways (well, she said it was a mixed episode, but I was really manicky at the time), and there was no way for me to see a psychiatrist outside, she set me up with the psychiatrist there for $10 for today. She said if I didn't agree to it, I was headed straight for being baker-acted again. She was actually worried about me over the weekend, but I made it through. Have an appointment in an hour. Eek. I am so nervous. My last psychiatrist was not nice. You can read my last thread for more info on that. Well, I am off to get ready to go!! Bye.

Hi there,

Are you back from your appointment? How did it go? Did s/he talk to you about the rash? Sometimes when it clears, if it wasn't too bad, they will let you try Lamictal a second time. If it is introduced very slowly, sometimes you are able to take it the second time.

I'm sorry you're having all these problems. Lamictal is a very good med for many people.

Let us know how you are!!

xx Tsohl

Hi, Bananarama.....so sorry to hear about the Lamictal. Sometimes the rash you get is a totally different rash than the bad one that Lamictal gives. The best thing to do is to get a dermatologist to evaluate the rash to see if it is the Steven Johnson Syndrome....if you do a search on that you will be able to view pictures of what it looks like. If the dermatologist clears you and says the rash is not that they may continue the Lamictal with a little benadryl to help with any discomfort going on.

My daughter got a rash and was cleared...the dermatologist told us that the Lamictal rash starts out the size of a half dollar and looks as if it is a burn filled with fluid that eventually will slough off.

Please give us an update when you get back. Another good mood stabilizer is Trileptal but my daughter developed a rash with that but perhaps you will do well with it.

Good luck and hoping that you have some good news for us....Goody:angel: :wave:

Hello! I am sorry I didn't post earlier. I have very limited internet access right now. I was taken off of the Lamictalk still, and she said taht hte Seroquel should be okay as a mood stabilizer for me. She also changed my Lexapro to Celexa, and put me on Adderall. Grrr. I am feeling ok right now. Not as depressed as I was, and not as manic either. Still have tons of energy, but that's ok. It will help me get through the day. Thanks for the advice. My rash didn't look like what you described, so it probably wasn't the SJS. Maybe I will ask to get back on the Lamictal in a little while. :)

Banana,

You know I just when through this rash thing with Lamictal. It didn't look like anything that the SJS described. There are viral rashes that I believe lurk in our system, --- until we are under extreme stress or change medications. Shingles, and all the related rash types.

One way I KNEW my rash was not related to the Lamictal, was when I stopped the Lamictal it didn't get better. It actually got kept getting worse. I actually saw a dr. and they said "oh, it is an allergic reaction" and they took me off and put me on steroids to help combat the "allergic reaction".

My rash looked like little patches of ringworm. I had one larger patch which was call the herd patch - then shortly 2-3 days later I got red spots (not blisters) and then they developed into the same ringworm looking stuff.

I went BACK to the dr.and he said " Mistake - it is not a Lamictal rash, it is pyrisis rosea or the Christmas tree rash" It is alright to go back on the Lamictal. He said that my rash may have been triggered by the Lamictal, but that it was NOT related to the medication directly.

I've got a few spots left on my legs and arms, but my trunk and back are now clear.

I hope that this helps you in some way. Is the rash getting any better now that you are off the Lamictal? Does it itch bad or is it almost something you wouldn't notice?

T

My rash is now almost completely gone after stopping the Lamictal. It was these dots everywhere. Looked like little bug bites, but it wasn't. It is better now, but it actually hurt as it was healing. It did itch sometimes, but not constantly. So glad that it is going away though. I am almost tempted to see if I can go back on the Lamictal without having something happen. Who knows.

What dose where you on? Did the dr's put you on any type of anti-rash medication?

I know that lots of the side effects I had the first time I took the Lamictal - I didn't experience when I resumed it 10 days later.

The first time I took it I was really in a fog, almost numb emotionally - but alert.

When I restarted it I restarted at 25mg for 14 days, then went to 50 mg.. no side effects... I'm going to 100 in a few days.. I'm going to go slower just to make sure I don't advance too quickly. If I feel good now, I don't feel the pressure to get to the final dose.

You said they looked like bug bites? Where they fluid filled like ant bites or like flea bites...or more like mosqueto? How big was the largest one? Where were they?

Did you get any flu like symptoms with it?

I know my dr. said that lots of people get "a" rash that can simply be treated with allergy med.s It eventually goes away.

I'm really interested to know how your body is reacting. I'm hoping that you simply needed to start at 12.5 mg's and work up slower. I know many have had to do that.

What did you start taking in it's place? I know this is a lot of questions, sorry.

Wow...I never got any rash from Lamictal but I gained like 15 pounds!!! Good luck with the different dosage!!!

AHWWWW Don't tell me that! I need to loose weight not gain it. hehehhee I'm actually loosing weight on it - think it has to do with me getting out of bed more. hahahah :bouncing:

Lol!!!!!!!

What dose where you on? Did the dr's put you on any type of anti-rash medication?

I know that lots of the side effects I had the first time I took the Lamictal - I didn't experience when I resumed it 10 days later.

The first time I took it I was really in a fog, almost numb emotionally - but alert.

When I restarted it I restarted at 25mg for 14 days, then went to 50 mg.. no side effects... I'm going to 100 in a few days.. I'm going to go slower just to make sure I don't advance too quickly. If I feel good now, I don't feel the pressure to get to the final dose.

You said they looked like bug bites? Where they fluid filled like ant bites or like flea bites...or more like mosqueto? How big was the largest one? Where were they?

Did you get any flu like symptoms with it?

I know my dr. said that lots of people get "a" rash that can simply be treated with allergy med.s It eventually goes away.

I'm really interested to know how your body is reacting. I'm hoping that you simply needed to start at 12.5 mg's and work up slower. I know many have had to do that.

What did you start taking in it's place? I know this is a lot of questions, sorry.

I didn't really get any flu like symptoms, just the stupid little bumps. They were all really tiny. I would say like a bunch of flea bites. They were on my legs, arms, back, and stomach and chest. My face also had it a little. I will talk to the new psyhcihiatrist taht I am going to be seeing in a couple of weeks about restarting it. Maybe it won't do anything this time. We can always hope. I am glad that you are doing better the second time around!!

I am trying to lose weight right now as well. Hopefully I don't gain any, but I know that a lot of the mood stabilizers can cause weight gain. Hopefully that doesn't happen. :(

Thanks! I will definitely watch out for it. I won't start it until I talk to myt new pdoc next Friday.