Lamotrigine is a medicine used to treat epilepsy. It can also help prevent low mood (depression) in adults with bipolar disorder.
Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. Lamotrigine slows these electrical signals down to stop seizures.
Lamotrigine is available on prescription. It comes either as tablets you swallow, or tablets you chew or dissolve in water to make a drink.
Key facts
- You'll usually take lamotrigine once or twice a day. You can take it with or without food.
- It can take up to 6 weeks for lamotrigine to work. You may still have seizures or feel low during this time.
- The most common side effects of lamotrigine are skin rashes and headaches.
- You can drink alcohol with lamotrigine but it may make you feel sleepy or tired, and alcohol and hangovers can bring on seizures in some people with epilepsy.
- Do not stop taking lamotrigine without talking to your doctor first.
- If you have epilepsy, you're entitled to free prescriptions for all of your medicines, not just your epilepsy ones.