Are my issues caused by lamotrigine, I wonder?

Posted by tisme @tisme, Apr 5 4:00am

started lamotrigine a couple of weeks ago and lately i have been getting a lot of palpitations, and tachy, up to 117beats. the palps dont always come with rapid heart beats but I often can hear the heart beat in my ears. freaky. So I am going to get off this stuff, I dont want to end up being on it too long to be able to get off like effexor ( the side effects of that are the reason I am still on it).

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depressedbutnotdead | @depressedbutnotdead | Apr 6 11:52am

According to this study published in Nature, the answer is yes.

From the abstract:

"In adult participants with BPD (bipolar disorder), LTG (lamotrigine) has a statistically significant association to increase VT (ventricular tachycardia) risk compared to commonly prescribed alternatives."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-01321-7
You should definitely alert your doctor for safe withdrawal procedures. Especially since there's a cardiac issue occurring. I have an arrhythmia that's controlled by medication and have had no symptoms of it despite being on lamotrigine for two years now. So I strongly suggest you ask about consulting with a cardiologist as well, just to be sure that it's the medication and there isn't an underlying issue that has not surfaced yet. Hearts are not something to take chances with.

tisme | @tisme | Apr 6 2:43pm

seeing my family doc this morning I am definitely going to get off it, will have to take my chances without meds

stacylynnb | @stacylynnb | Apr 7 1:32am

In reply to @tisme "seeing my family doc this morning I am definitely going to get off it, will have..." + (show)

@tisme are there other meds you can take?

tisme | @tisme | Apr 7 2:18am

metaprolol, effexor, hydroxychloroquine, pantaprazole

ashleyharris728 | @ashleyharris728 | Apr 7 9:51am

Good luck @tisme and hope your doc can help you find meds that do more help than harm! I’m sure the right combo is out there for you. Hang in there

tisme | @tisme | Apr 7 4:22pm

well he started me on an antibiotic yesterday and i seem to have broken out in a rash dont know if its the antibiotic or the lamotrigine , the psych said a rash was possible but she had never seen it , in the first few weeks. its been 3 weeks for me now so I dont know.

ashleyharris728 | @ashleyharris728 | Apr 8 10:10am

In reply to @tisme "well he started me on an antibiotic yesterday and i seem to have broken out in..." + (show)

@tisme that it tough, sorry to hear that. I also developed a rash on Lamotrigine but it wasn’t SJS that they worry about. I think I just had a lot of unfortunate coincidences going on. I was not comfortable. Do you have anything for your rash, like a cream or ointment that will help? (Beware that steroid ointments may cause mold symptoms - for certain talk it over with your doc)

tisme | @tisme | Apr 8 4:43pm

I asked a friend to look at it and she said it looked like bites mosquitos or something got an appointment today with my doc i just dont want to be on a med for too long and battle to get off it or find I need a doc/emergency room in a hurry , cant afford a taxi last time i did he tried to rip me off which puts me off

tisme | @tisme | Apr 8 4:50pm

In reply to @ashleyharris728 "@tisme that it tough, sorry to hear that. I also developed a rash on Lamotrigine but..." + (show)

@ashleyharris728 SJS??

BrokenBones | @brokenbones | Apr 8 7:05pm

I’m on lamotrigine. I’ve been on it for years now.
I hear my heartbeat in my ears also. This can be due to an inter ear problem.
I highly suggest you speak with your doctor . Do not stop the medication yourself especially suddenly. Stopping suddenly can cause other problems.
You have to be tapered off like you went on, slowly. Your doctor will help you with that. If you still hear your heartbeat in your ears you need an ear , nose and throat specialist. The heart palpitations I can’t help with. But once I took a bipolar medicine that caused my heart to beat rapidly right after taking the meds. That turned out to be a bad side effect because your heart is a muscle. Although my heart rate is slow. You should also speak with your doctor about the heart palpitations . Best wishes and please keep us informed. 🙏🏻