lamotrigine vs rifampin

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Side-by-side comparison of lamotrigine and rifampin. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

Rifampin ↓ lamotrigine Decreased lamotrigine AUC approximately 40%. ( 7 , 12.3 ) Carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone, and rifampin decrease lamotrigine concentrations by approximately 40%.

Drug Class
lamotrigine Anticonvulsant
rifampin Rifamycin Antibiotic
Type
lamotrigine Prescription
rifampin Prescription
Summary
lamotrigine

Lamotrigine is a medicine that can treat seizures and bipolar disorder. It works by reducing irregular electrical activity in the brain.

rifampin

Rifampin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights bacteria in your body to treat infections.

What It Treats
lamotrigine

Lamotrigine can treat epilepsy in adults and children 2 years and older. It can help with partial-onset seizures, primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and generalized seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It can also be used to delay mood episodes in adults with bipolar I disorder.

rifampin

Rifampin treats tuberculosis (TB) and helps eliminate the bacteria that cause meningitis from your nose and throat. It is important to use rifampin only for infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria. This helps to prevent bacteria from becoming resistant to the medicine.

How It Works
lamotrigine

Lamotrigine affects how nerves in the brain send signals to each other. It is thought to work by decreasing the release of certain chemicals. This helps to stabilize electrical activity and prevent seizures or mood swings.

rifampin

Rifampin works by stopping bacteria from growing and multiplying. It does this by blocking a key enzyme that the bacteria need to make proteins. This helps your body fight off the infection.

Common Side Effects
lamotrigine
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Double vision
  • Uncoordinated movements
  • Nausea
rifampin
  • Heartburn
  • Upset stomach
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
FAERS Reports
lamotrigine
  • Rash 8,408
  • Seizure 6,527
  • Nausea 6,149
  • Fatigue 5,915
  • Dizziness 5,770
rifampin
  • Drug Interaction 970
  • Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms 727
  • Nausea 628
  • Condition Aggravated 550
  • Pyrexia 541
Serious Warnings
lamotrigine

Lamotrigine can cause a serious skin rash that may require you to go to the hospital. This rash can be life-threatening. The risk is higher in children. Stop taking lamotrigine and see a doctor right away if you get a rash, fever, or swollen lymph nodes.

rifampin

Rifampin can cause liver problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, or stomach pain. Rifampin can also cause blood problems. Tell your doctor if you have unusual bleeding or bruising.

Pregnancy
lamotrigine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Lamotrigine may cause harm to an unborn baby. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take lamotrigine during pregnancy. You can enroll by calling 1-888-233-2334.

rifampin

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Rifampin can make birth control pills less effective, so use other forms of birth control. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This lamotrigine vs rifampin Comparison

lamotrigine is classified in the Anticonvulsant drug class, while rifampin sits within the Rifamycin Antibiotic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, lamotrigine has 32,769 submissions while rifampin has 3,416. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to rifampin causes your body to clear lamotrigine out of your system much faster than normal, lowering the drug levels in your blood.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for lamotrigine or rifampin.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.