Longtel Tablets 100mg Tablets

Lamotrigine is used to treat seizures in epilepsy and to help prevent episodes of low mood (depression) in adults with bipolar disorder.

For epilepsy, it works by blocking brain signals that can trigger seizures. It is not fully understood how it helps mood in bipolar disorder.

Take lamotrigine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist tells you. Your doctor will start with a low dose and increase it slowly over several weeks.

• Take it with or without food.
• Swallow tablets whole with water. Do not chew or crush them.
• Dispersible tablets can be stirred into a little water and swallowed.
• If you miss a dose, skip it and take the next dose at the usual time. Never take two doses together.
• Do not stop suddenly. If you need to stop, your doctor will lower the dose slowly.
• Check your tablets each time you collect them, as some other medicines have similar names.

Common side effects include:

• headache, dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness, trouble sleeping
• feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, dry mouth
• shaking
• feeling agitated, irritable or aggressive

Get medical help straight away if you have:

• any rash, blistering or peeling skin, or sores in the mouth or eyes
• swelling of the face, tongue or throat, or trouble breathing
• yellow skin or eyes
• unusual bruising or bleeding, or breathlessness and tiredness
• a racing, slow or irregular heartbeat, or fainting
• thoughts of harming yourself

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking it if you:

• have liver or kidney problems
• have heart problems, including Brugada syndrome
• had a rash or reaction to lamotrigine or another epilepsy medicine before
• take sodium valproate, carbamazepine, rifampicin, HIV medicines or risperidone
• use hormonal contraception such as the combined pill (it can change lamotrigine levels)
• are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding (your doctor may advise extra folic acid)

It is not recommended for bipolar disorder in people under 18.

Store at room temperature, away from heat and moisture (not in the bathroom), in the original tightly closed container and out of the reach of children.

Serious skin rash: this is rare but can be life-threatening, usually in the first 2 to 8 weeks. The risk is higher in children, with sodium valproate, or if the dose is raised faster than prescribed. Contact a doctor straight away about any rash.

Driving: do not drive if you feel dizzy or drowsy.

Alcohol: keep it small, as it can add to sleepiness and may make a seizure more likely.