Lamotrigine Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline

In this article, we will take a close look at Lamotrigine, a prescription anticonvulsant drug, and the withdrawal symptoms that can occur when discontinuing its use. We will also discuss the duration of these symptoms and the importance of consulting with a healthcare professional before stopping the medication.

Author - Klara Hatinova

Klara is a postgraduate researcher in experimental psychology at the University of Oxford.

Klara used MediSearch to find sources for this blog.

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What is Lamotrigine?

Lamotrigine is a prescription drug that belongs to a class of drugs known as anticonvulsants or antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) [1]. It has multiple formulations, all of which can be taken orally, either as immediate-release oral tablets, extended-release tablets, chewable or orally disintegrating tablets [2]. The formulation of lamotrigine you take should have minimal impact on its efficacy for treating your underlying symptoms, but immediate-release tablets may be essential if you wish to have immediate symptom relief, such as in acute seizures [2].

Uses of Lamotrigine

Lamotrigine, a medication commonly prescribed for various neurological and mental health conditions, is primarily used to treat seizures in people with seizures and Lennox Gestault Syndrome [3, 4, 2]. It is commonly combined with anti-epileptic drugs, such as phenobarbital, ritonavir, vaproic acid, phenytoin or carbamazepine.

Other off-label uses include:

binge eating disorder
as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder
panic disorder
basilar migraine with aura [5]
trigeminal neuralgia [5]

The lamotrigine's mechanism of action is not entirely understood clear. It is known that lamotrigine acts on voltage-gated sodium channels that regulate neural activation. This can regulate the overal activation and synchrony of the brain. Because of this, lamotrigine is a critical regulator of seizure-like activity and neuropathic pain. This is because these disorders occur when changes to the excitation-inhibition balance in the spinal cord and/or brain arise.