New Diagnosis New Med - Lamictal | ADHD Information

It's taking us 14 weeks to ramp up to 100mgs. But we're doing it extremely slow due to problems with my other daughter on Epilepsy meds. She could have gone up quicker.

We had her Neuro appointment yesterday and she said that after 2 months on Lamictal without a rash that you don't have to worry anymore. So that was good to hear!

CJsMom... I'm assuming the rash went away and never got any worse since they didn't stop the Lamictal? My Neuro said that they would stop immediately if any sort of rash appeared.
My daughter (now 16) was in one of the first test groups for Lamictal in 1994/1995.  She had seizures for about 2 years and no other med (anti-convulsant) was working.  Since she was in the testing phase, we did not know if she had the actual med or the placebo.  Once they gave her what we knew was the med, she developed the rash.  Her neuro took her off AT ONCE, because of the possibilty of SJS.  We were just one story though....  I saw it work on lots of other kids for the seizures.  It has great results for both epileptic seizures and in conjunction with other meds as an anti-depressant.      ShawnB...Yes, the rash never got any worse and went away after 4 days. We stayed at 12.5 during the 4 days and my doc said to check to see if it went to his chest or back and then call him back, but it actually started going away the next day but it took a few days to go away completely. We go up to 50 next week. My ds is so impulsive, angry, and aggressive. I sure when we get to 100 that we see a change.

Good luck with your daughter!That's good that it never got any worse and went away! It's strange how Lamictal is being used for different things. We're at 62.5mgs now. Of course her Lamictal is for Seizures, not Bi-Polar, so I doubt I'll see any behavioral changes from it. It doesn't seem to affect her at all so far.  Hi LJWH:

We, too are new to Lamictal. My ds (5) just started it 4 weeks ago. We are at 25 mg. We started at 12.5 but he did develop a very tiny rash in his arm pit so we did 12.5 for 3 weeks instead of 2. Then we went to 25 and he'll start 50 next week for 2 weeks. We'll be at 100 in 5 weeks. That's the dose the doctor wants him at.

My Ds also takes Adderral XR for his adhd. He's been on a stimulant for 10 months now with a little success.

I wish you and your family great luck on this medicine.My daughter (6 years old) is taking Lamictal for her Epilepsy. We've started very, very slowly since she doesn't have seizures all the time like some do. The Neuro gave us 5 sample bottles to bring home (25mg tablets) and we started out at 12.5mg (1/2 pill) and we increase it by a 1/2 of a pill every 2 weeks until we reach 100mgs then we'll get a 100mg script (should be at Target dose on July 28th). The link above is more information on Lamictal. (my daughter takes the dispersible tablets, but she swallows them like regular pills because they taste Nasty.

The main thing you seriously have to watch for is any sort of skin rashes, or like with any medication differences in moods..etc.. The reason for the rashes is that it can cause Stephen Johnson's Syndrome and if you catch it early.. the Dr will immediately stop the medication. 

That website has a lot of good information and please beware the photos on that site are pretty graphic. The main thing with SJS is that it's not only Lamictal that can cause it.. even your normal everyday over the counter medication like Tylenol can since it's basically a Severe Allergic Reaction.

My daughter is doing very well on the Lamictal, I make sure to watch her closely and check for anything that looks like a rash. So far- so good.

She has ADHD, SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) and Epilepsy. She's taking the Lamictal (currently at 50mgs- 25 twice a day), and Ritalin (short acting 5mgs twice a day)

Hope this helps some.

Thanks, ShawnB.....

We have a letter from the doctor about SJS and have made copies for everyone to keep with them just in case.  We're starting at 25 mg with the eventual goal being 100 mg and increasing the dosage very slowly every thee weeks. 

The doctor said she's never seen SJS and has been prescribing Lamictal with great success since it first came out.  I hope it works!  It amazes me how meds can be so multi-purpose. 

After two years of every possible combination of ADHD meds with only moderate success, we're exploring the possibility that my 10 year old daughter is actually bipolar w/comorbid ADHD.  Things that should be getting better are getting worse and the bipolar diagnosis really seems to fit her to a "T".

We've just started Lamictal. Does anyone have an experience with this med?