1. < Depression & Anxiety

Has anybody out there ever had the Lamotrigine itch?

Posted by itchyd @itchyd, Sep 18, 2023

Has anybody out there ever had the Lamotrigine itch?

I have these occasional weird episodes where I feel like the skin on my face and arms is being gently rubbed with a very fine grit sandpaper and my ears, nose, eyelids and jawline have random sensations like fine pin pricks or ants crawling around.

When an episode is coming on, the hair on my scalp and arms stands up like it's being exposed to a static charge and I feel a faint adrenaline response like you get when you've just been threatened or received really bad news.

It's definitely not Stevens-Johnson syndrome: no rash, fever,etc.

A while back, I surfed up a Lamotrigine user forum where people had similar complaints, but I haven't been able to find it again.

My shrink thinks I'm nuts.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

ank | @ank | Dec 31, 2024

You are not nuts.
Your shrink needs to understand that such an expressed viewpoint isn't in the slightest bit helpful. Perhaps you could communicate this to your shrink?
As for the itch, it's a very real Lamotrogine side effect.
Please speak to your prescribing doctor about this. If the prescriber is your shrink, perhaps it would be helpful to discuss your experience of this as a matter of fact and not as a matter of mental dysregulation!

REPLY
1 reply
itchyd | @itchyd | 6 days ago
In reply to @ank "You are not nuts. Your shrink needs to understand that such an expressed viewpoint isn't in..." + (show)
@ank

You are not nuts.
Your shrink needs to understand that such an expressed viewpoint isn't in the slightest bit helpful. Perhaps you could communicate this to your shrink?
As for the itch, it's a very real Lamotrogine side effect.
Please speak to your prescribing doctor about this. If the prescriber is your shrink, perhaps it would be helpful to discuss your experience of this as a matter of fact and not as a matter of mental dysregulation!

Jump to this post

Thanks for your helpful words, Ank.
Yes, the mental health community isn't a perfect place. Last Spring, my GP diagnosed me with dermatographia and put me on Cetirizine, then switched me to Fexofenadine. These have helped. Also, I've been off Lamictal since end of past April. I've started getting comments from Mayo readers concerning posts I made almost a year ago! Some kind of tear in the spacetime continuum?

Thanks again!

REPLY
1 reply
ank | @ank | 6 days ago
In reply to @itchyd "Thanks for your helpful words, Ank. Yes, the mental health community isn't a perfect place. Last..." + (show)
@itchyd

Thanks for your helpful words, Ank.
Yes, the mental health community isn't a perfect place. Last Spring, my GP diagnosed me with dermatographia and put me on Cetirizine, then switched me to Fexofenadine. These have helped. Also, I've been off Lamictal since end of past April. I've started getting comments from Mayo readers concerning posts I made almost a year ago! Some kind of tear in the spacetime continuum?

Thanks again!

Jump to this post

How funny! I only saw your post a couple of days ago!
Apologies for the 'late' response to it.
I'm glad you got help.

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