LAMICTAL XR

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
LAMICTAL XR may cause a serious skin rash that may cause you to be hospitalized or to stop LAMICTAL XR; it may rarely cause death (See Boxed Warning). CONTINUED BELOW

Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.

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How to Take LAMICTAL XR

LAMICTAL XR is a prescription medicine used together with other medicines to treat partial onset seizures in people 13 years or older. LAMICTAL XR is not approved for use in children less than 13 years of age.

If you currently take LAMICTAL (lamotrigine), and you and your doctor decide that LAMICTAL XR is right for you, click here to sign up to receive a savings card for LAMICTAL XR worth up to $40 off on up to 12 prescriptions for LAMICTAL XR. Subject to eligibility.

If you have not taken LAMICTAL (lamotrigine), your doctor can give you a FREE Patient Titration Kit to get you started. Click here for more information.

Before taking LAMICTAL XR, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have had a rash or allergic reaction to another antiseizure medicine.
  • have or have had depression, mood problems, or suicidal thoughts or behavior.
  • are taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills) or other female hormonal medicines. Do not start or stop taking birth control pills or other female hormonal medicine until you have talked with your healthcare provider. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any changes in your menstrual pattern such as breakthrough bleeding. Stopping these medicines may cause side effects (such as dizziness, lack of coordination, or double vision). Starting these medicines may lessen how well LAMICTAL XR works.
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if LAMICTAL XR will harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking LAMICTAL XR, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.
  • are breastfeeding. LAMICTAL XR can pass into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you should take LAMICTAL XR or breastfeed. Breastfeeding while taking LAMICTAL XR is not recommended.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take or if you are planning to take a new medicine, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using LAMICTAL XR with certain other medicines can affect each other, causing side effects.

LAMICTAL XR Extended-Release Tablets should be taken once a day as instructed by your doctor. They can be taken with or without food. They should be swallowed whole and not chewed, crushed, or divided.

25 mg 50 mg 100 mg 200 mg
 
LAMICTAL XR is available in 25-mg, 50-mg, 100-mg, and 200-mg tablets.

 

Important Safety Information About LAMICTAL XR (lamotrigine) Extended-Release Tablets

LAMICTAL XR may cause a serious skin rash that may cause you to be hospitalized or to stop LAMICTAL XR; it may rarely cause death. There is no way to tell if a mild rash will develop into a more serious reaction. These serious skin reactions are more likely to happen when you begin taking LAMICTAL XR, within the first 2 to 8 weeks of treatment. But it can happen in people who have taken LAMICTAL XR for any period of time. Children between 2 to 16 years of age have a higher chance of getting this serious skin reaction while taking lamotrigine. LAMICTAL XR is not approved for use in children less than 13 years old.

The risk of getting a rash is higher if you: take LAMICTAL XR while taking valproate [Depakene* (valproic acid) or Depakote* (divalproex sodium)], take a higher starting dose of LAMICTAL XR than your healthcare provider prescribed, or increase your dose of LAMICTAL XR faster than prescribed.

LAMICTAL XR can also cause other types of allergic reactions or serious problems which may affect organs and other parts of your body like the liver or blood cells. You may or may not have a rash with these types of reactions.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following: a skin rash, hives, fever, swollen lymph glands, painful sores in the mouth or around your eyes, swelling of your lips or tongue, yellowing of your skin or eyes, unusual bruising or bleeding, severe fatigue or weakness, severe muscle pain or frequent infections. These symptoms may be the first signs of a serious reaction. A healthcare provider should examine you to decide if you should continue taking LAMICTAL XR.

You should not take LAMICTAL XR if you have had an allergic reaction to lamotrigine or to any of the inactive ingredients in LAMICTAL XR.

Like other antiepileptic drugs, LAMICTAL XR may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call a healthcare provider right away if you have worsening depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or thoughts or actions about suicide or self-harm, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you
(see Medication Guide).

Patients prescribed LAMICTAL have sometimes been given the wrong medicine because many medicines have names similar to LAMICTAL, so always check that you receive LAMICTAL XR.
Taking the wrong medication can cause serious health problems. When your healthcare provider gives you a prescription for LAMICTAL XR:

Common side effects include dizziness, tremor, double vision, nausea, vomiting, trouble with balance and coordination, and anxiety. Other common side effects that have been reported with another form of LAMICTAL include headache, sleepiness, blurred vision, runny nose, and rash. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. Also, tell your healthcare provider if you have any changes in your menstrual pattern, such as breakthrough bleeding, while taking LAMICTAL XR and birth control pills. These are not all the possible side effects of LAMICTAL XR. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

*Depakene and Depakote are registered trademarks of Abbott Laboratories.

Next: For People Who Currently Take LAMICTAL (lamotrigine)