Lamictal acne (not rash)

[Rabbit Ztu]

I'm on a low dose of Lamictal (12.5 mg) and it's working. So far, I can live with the side effects. Apparently the acne it's causing on my face is really noticable, as p-doc mentioned it several times this morning.

I've been taking Lamictal for a month. The acne is a relatively new development and I thought it was hormones, but hey. Who the hell knows. Does it go away after a while? Is it here to stay?

Important note about Lamictal: Taking birth control pills (like the ones that help decrease acne) is a bad idea if you're taking Lamictal. According to p-doc, the Lamictal cuts the effectiveness of the birth control pill by 50%.

[fluffybirdie]

During the time I was on Lamictal, I had some breaking out on my chest and face. After a few months, it didn't improve. I went to the Clinique counter and got the 3 step system for acne (like proactive, a little cheaper) and within 3 days, it was really clearing up. Then after using it every day, I had no zits ever!! I'm off Lamictal now, but I still use it, it's the best stuff.

Good luck!

[nalgas]

I'm on a low dose of Lamictal (12.5 mg) and it's working. So far, I can live with the side effects. Apparently the acne it's causing on my face is really noticable, as p-doc mentioned it several times this morning.

I've been taking Lamictal for a month. The acne is a relatively new development and I thought it was hormones, but hey. Who the hell knows. Does it go away after a while? Is it here to stay?

12.5 mg is low enough to be nearly nonexistent, but whatever works works. Lamictal does have a tendency to cause skin issues like that more often than a lot of meds, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily its fault. If it is because of Lamictal, it could clear up by itself, but if it doesn't, there are a whole lot of things you can do yourself, starting with the various OTC stuff. Also, dermatologists see people coming in to treat stuff caused by Lamictal and other meds all the time, so they're familiar with it and full of ideas for how to fix it.

Important note about Lamictal: Taking birth control pills (like the ones that help decrease acne) is a bad idea if you're taking Lamictal. According to p-doc, the Lamictal cuts the effectiveness of the birth control pill by 50%.

Actually, it's the other way around. Lamictal has a pretty negligible effect on the birth control pills, for the most part, but hormonal birth control, depending on what kind, can fairly dramatically lower your Lamictal levels. Many other anticonvulsants work how your post says (Topamax, Trileptal, Tegretol, etc.), but Lamitcal is basically reversed.