Lamotrigine & spotting

[PricklyPear]

Has anyone on Lamotrigine noticed spotting or irregular periods? I'm not on birth control, and the only official info in medication guides and the like pertains to simultaneous Lamotrigine and birth control use.

Some of what I've had is beyond spotting, more like light bleeding. It started my first day on Lamotrigine, about 8 hours before I was set to take my next dose. Could it only be happening because the level of Lamotrigine in my body got lower as the day went on?

Being on Lamotrigine had been like night and day for my bipolar, and I really don't want to have to go off it unless it's really necessary. I don't even seem to be having any other side effects but this and a little bit of slowed gastric motility. This is also the first psych med I've tried and the period thing is kind of freaking me out.

I'll talk to my psychiatrist about it when I see him in about a week and a half. I don't really want to email him about it now, because we're still emailing back and forth trying to find a benzodiazapine I can take (unrelated issue). I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

[melissaw72]

Before I was put on one round of birth control to regulate my period finally, It was always abnormal with erratic bleeding. Idk if it was the lamotrigine or not, but you raise a good point. I've been on the med for years so maybe that was a partial cause of it. I know I might not of been of help, just wanted to say you raise a good point.

[PricklyPear]

That does help; thanks for sharing your experience. What's happening with me isn't consistent at all, so I'm hoping it will just end up resolving on it's own. Do you mean one round of birth control, like you did it for one month and your cycle reset? if so, that's really cool. I didn't know that birth control could do that.

[melissaw72]

Yeah, I had an irregular cycle all my life (just about; once in awhile it worked out), and a couple years ago I was put on Beyaz (the birth control) to shrink a cyst inside my ovary. At the same time, it regulated my periods, and I have not had an irregular one since. So it only took the one month to finally regulate everything, and it was re-set.

[coconuts]

I had asked the pharmacist about period changes, she has not heard of any such things but I found out from other women that some of us have experienced changes..might be coincidence but I've had more intense cramping, longer periods, more bleeding but it's a welcome side effect considering the Lam has leveled me off considerably (still hyperactive but i always have been)

It seems somewhere I was reading that the bc pill may not be as effective with Lam..might ask your ob?

[crtclms]

I developed the most severe cramping than I ever had in my life while on Lamictal. This sort of thing is not generally listed in the literature, but anecdotally, it seems to affect alot of women. I think there is less (anecdotal) evidence of its affecting your entire cycle, but I am not sure about that.