Our Experience:
Lamictal is a medication that is supposed to bring bipolar kids out of depressive states without throwing them into manic states. Because of this ability to stabilize moods so well, it is often used in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children as well as bipolar disorder in adults. I know that the last time we used it for our daughter Abbi, she was doing VERY well. Lamictal is the first drug since lithium to be approved by the FDA as a mood stabilizer.
Then trouble struck. Lamictal does not have a ton of side effects but there is one major one. It is coined as the Lamictal rash but also known as Stevens-Johnsons Syndrome (SJS). The last time we tried Lamictal, Abbi developed this nasty Lamictal rash and it was STRESSFUL. The first thing to note is that the rash is very itchy. She itched so much that her skin was raw. It is also hot to the touch. The rash only develops in 5%-10% of users, one of which we were one. We had to stop taking the medication right away and switch to something else. The Lamictal rash can be a serious thing. It is so important that when your child is adjusting to this medication you stay in contact with your child’s psychiatrist. Rashes are more prevalent in bipolar kids than bipolar adults.
So a month ago the doctor asked us how we felt about putting Abbi back on the medication that had cause discomfort and stress. After doing a lot of research we discovered that if you increase very slowly the chances of developing the rash decrease. After discussing it with Abbi and each other, we decided to give it a try. The good news is that there is no rash yet. We have increased at half the rate we did last time. So far it is working and to top it off she is feeling “better” emotionally. I would highly recommend trying this medication if it is recommended for your bipolar kids, but be sure to use some caution.
As a follow up to this post we did eventually choose to put Abigail back on Lamictal. We increased the dosage slower this time in order to help assure that she would not get the rash. I am happy to report that she has been back on Lamictal for 6 months with no rash. As a parent it is my advice to slowly introduce Lamictal. Of course your child’s psychiatrist will know what is best!
Related articles
- How can Lamictal Treat Depression? (brighthub.com)
- Lamictal drug information
