Hello,
My psychiatrist prescribed Lamictal for me in November 2011 starting at 25mg, and increasing it to it's present dose at 200mg on Jan 6th 2012. At that increased dose, I started having throat pain and soreness with white patches on the sides of my mouth. I went to my primary doc and told them that the only change in my meds was the start of Lamictal from Depakote. She felt swollen glands in my throat and chalked it up to possibly being a virus, because I have young kids, but gave me Amoxicillin just in case it was a bacteria other than Strep, and "magic mouthwash" for the pain. It never got better, then I went to a dentist that prescribed Nystatin for Thrush.
Each visit to the doctor/dentist, I told them that the only change in my life was a new drug called Lamictal. None of them seemed to care. I have been so very sore in my mouth can't eat anything due to the sores, and then I decided to take matters into my own hands. So, this past Friday, 1/20, I decided to do some research on my own. I looked up the drug on WebMd and there in bold print, was the warning that if you develop a rash, blah, blah, swollen lymph glands, mouth sores, seek medical attention immediately. I called my psychiatrist immediately and he told me to stop the Lamictal and sent me to the ER. He asked if I had a rash anywhere else and I said no, just the throat glands and mouth sores that are intolerable. The ER did nothing, and just told me to take Ibuprophen and Benadryl round the clock and continue using the magic mouthwash. They would not give me Prednisone, due to it suppressing your immune system, not helping the healing process.
I firmly believe that my psychiatrist should have warned me about the side effects of this med or any meds he prescribes. By God, they are sure to warn against effects of Viagra and other drugs on TV!!!!!! I would have never thought of telling him about mouth sores and a sore throat. I made no connection at all. I don't know how long it's going to take to get out of my system, but we stopped it on Friday and I hope I don't have any untoward effects from that.
Will I have any problems from stopping the Lamictal immediately? Is there anything I can do to expedite the elimination of the Lamictal? Has anyone had these symptoms from Lamictal? Are the side effects permanent?
Thanks for your help.
Val