Have you experienced a Lamictal skin rash or other side effects after taking the anti-seizure medication?

Lamictal (lamotrigine) was FDA-approved in December 1994 to treat epileptic seizures and in 2003 to treat bipolar disorder.

Unfortunately, a Lamictal skin rash can be indicative of a variety of dangerous, possibly even deadly, reactions. Among these reactions are Stevens Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necroloysis, Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms, Drug-Induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome, and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

The latter is the subject of an FDA warning just released at the end of April. Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an uncontrolled immune system response. A person experiencing HLH most often will have an unrelenting fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, accompanied by a Lamictal skin rash.

HLH is the overactivity of the body’s histiocytes and lymphocytes, which are types of white blood cells that cause inflammation to help “push out” disease. Lab tests often reveal an enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, enlarged lymph nodes, anemia, and low platelet count. The HLH patient also might experience nervous system side effects that include seizures, problems walking or visual disturbances. Because of the liver’s enlargement, the patient might appear to have skin and eyes with a yellow hue.

According to the FDA, HLH is commonly mistaken for Drug Reaction Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS). To help clarify the reaction, patients experiencing HLH will often exhibit a minimum of five of these symptoms:

• Lamictal skin rash accompanied by fever
• Enlarged spleen
• Cytopenias (reduced number of mature blood cells)
• Elevated levels of triglycerides or low blood levels of fibrinogen (a blood clotting component)
• High levels of blood ferritin (a protein that stores iron in human tissues)
• Bone marrow, spleen or lymph node biopsy that identifies hemophagocytosis
• Decreased or no Natural Killer (NK) Cell activity (cells that detect and kill cancer cells and viruses)

Lamictal Skin Rash and DRESS

Another potentially life-threatening Lamictal skin rash is a symptom of Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS), a delayed immune system reaction that can appear two to eight weeks after the offending medication has begun.

DRESS includes a Lamictal skin rash, accompanied by inflammation of internal organs, including the liver, kidneys and lungs. In a case discussed on the National Institutes of Health’s website, a patient also had a fever and visibly swollen lips, ears, and face.

DRESS symptoms also include blood abnormalities, such as:

• Eosinophilia: An increased level of disease-fighting white blood cells called eosinophils.
• Thrombocytopenia: A low blood platelet count.
• Atypical lymphocytosis: Enlarged lymphocytes that contain more cytoplasm than normal, a condition often seen in Epstein-Barr patients.
• Lymphadenopathy: Swollen lymph nodes.

Prompt attention to the Lamictal skin rash that comes with DRESS reduces the risk of the condition progressing and becoming fatal. Cortiseroids and antihistamines are among the medications that can counteract the Lamictal skin rash and other DRESS symptoms.

If you have experienced a Lamictal skin rash that has progressed to a dangerous condition such as HLH or DRESS, you could be eligible for compensation through legal representation.