Prescription medication · Anticonvulsant
lamotrigine
Also sold as Lamictal. Lamotrigine can treat epilepsy in adults and children 2 years and older.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 127,196
- FDA reportsOften reported
- 24
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- 99% less
- Generic vs brandHuge savings
- $10.62
- Brand price (NADAC)
What the data shows
lamotrigine (Lamictal) is a prescription Anticonvulsant, more reported than most tracked drugs (127,196 FDA reports), whose generic costs a fraction of the brand (about 99% less).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
lamotrigine (Lamictal) is a prescription Anticonvulsant. Lamotrigine can treat epilepsy in adults and children 2 years and older.
Lamotrigine is a medicine that can treat seizures and bipolar disorder. It works by reducing irregular electrical activity in the brain.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$10.62/unit
Generic Price
$0.04/unit
Generic Savings
99%
Generic Available
Yes (31 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
NADAC price trail: LAMOTRIGINE 100 MG TABLET
Same CMS presentation as the headline generic unit price above (2 effective dates). Adjacent % compares consecutive NADAC releases for this description only, not a patient out-of-pocket quote. Latest step: +4.1% vs prior release.
| Effective | NADAC / unit | vs prior | NDCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2024 | $0.0407/EA | - | 1 |
| December 18, 2024 | $0.0424/EA | +4.1% | 18 |
What it does
Lamotrigine can treat epilepsy in adults and children 2 years and older.
Common side effects
Dizziness, Headache, Double vision
Key warnings
Lamotrigine can cause a serious skin rash that may require you to go to the hospital.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from lamotrigine's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
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.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 127,196 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for lamotrigine, by number of reports
- Rash
Rash
8,408 reports
- Seizure
Seizure
6,527 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
6,149 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
5,915 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
5,770 reports
- Headache
Headache
5,563 reports
- Depression
Depression
4,954 reports
- Vomiting
Vomiting
4,544 reports
- Pyrexia
Pyrexia
4,357 reports
- Somnolence
Somnolence
4,334 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for lamotrigine each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where lamotrigine sits
lamotrigine has more FDA adverse-event reports than 89% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is lamotrigine; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 127,196 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2002–2025.
Total Reports
127,196
Reports Mentioning Death
10,680
8.4% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
38,667
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | RASH | 8,408 |
| 3 | SEIZURE | 6,527 |
| 4 | NAUSEA | 6,149 |
| 5 | FATIGUE | 5,915 |
| 7 | DIZZINESS | 5,770 |
| 8 | HEADACHE | 5,563 |
| 9 | DEPRESSION | 4,954 |
| 10 | VOMITING | 4,544 |
| 11 | PYREXIA | 4,357 |
| 12 | SOMNOLENCE | 4,334 |
| 13 | ANXIETY | 4,321 |
| 14 | DRUG INTERACTION | 4,297 |
| 15 | TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS | 4,077 |
| 16 | INSOMNIA | 3,753 |
| 17 | CONVULSION | 3,674 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
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.
Known Drug Interactions
Coadministration of lamotrigine with OCT2 substrates with a narrow therapeutic index (e.g., dofetilide) is not recommended.
Mechanism: Lamotrigine can change how the body handles dofetilide, a drug that can be dangerous if levels are slightly off.
tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, chlorpromazine, opiate analgesics, NSAIDs, lamotrigine and carbamazepine) should be performed with caution.
Mechanism: Taking lamotrigine with desmopressin can increase the risk of your body holding onto too much water and lowering your salt levels.
Valproate ↑ lamotrigine ? valproate Increased lamotrigine concentrations slightly more than 2-fold. There are conflicting study results regarding effect of lamotrigine on valproate concentrations: 1) a mean 25% decrease in valproate concentrations in healthy volunteers, 2) no change in valproate concentrations in controlled clinical trials in patients with epilepsy.
Mechanism: Valproate slows down the process your body uses to get rid of lamotrigine, which causes the amount of lamotrigine in your blood to more than double.
Carbamazepine and carbamazepine epoxide ↓ lamotrigine ? carbamazepine epoxide Addition of carbamazepine decreases lamotrigine concentration approximately 40%. May increase carbamazepine epoxide levels.
Mechanism: Carbamazepine makes your body break down lamotrigine faster, which lowers the amount of medicine in your system by about 40%.
Rifampin ↓ lamotrigine Decreased lamotrigine AUC approximately 40%. ( 7 , 12.3 ) Carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone, and rifampin decrease lamotrigine concentrations by approximately 40%.
Mechanism: Rifampin causes your body to clear lamotrigine out of your system much faster than normal, lowering the drug levels in your blood.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I stop taking lamotrigine suddenly?
What should I do if I get a rash?
Does lamotrigine interact with birth control?
Can I drink alcohol while taking lamotrigine?
How long does it take for lamotrigine to start working?
Can lamotrigine cause weight gain?
Can lamotrigine cause hair loss?
Is it safe to breastfeed while taking lamotrigine?
Can lamotrigine affect my mood?
What do the titration kits do?
What are the common side effects of lamotrigine?
Does lamotrigine interact with other medications?
What drug class is lamotrigine?
Is there a generic version of lamotrigine?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for lamotrigine?
Related Medications in Anticonvulsant
Other drugs grouped near lamotrigine - same-class peers and common alternatives.
brivaracetam
Briviact
Brivaracetam is a medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures.
Compare with lamotrigine →
cannabidiol
Epidiolex
Epidiolex is a medicine that contains cannabidiol.
Compare with lamotrigine →
carbamazepine
Tegretol
Carbamazepine is a medicine used to control seizures and treat nerve pain.
Compare with lamotrigine →
cenobamate
Xcopri
Xcopri is a medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures in adults.
Compare with lamotrigine →
clobazam
Onfi, Sympazan
Clobazam oral suspension is a medicine used with other medicines to treat seizures caused by Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Compare with lamotrigine →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for lamotrigine: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 127,196.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 8.40%.
- glimepiride Δ 0.00 pts · 37,936 reports · Sulfonylurea 8.40%death share
- doxazosin Δ 0.01 pts · 27,049 reports · Alpha-1 Adrenergic Blocker 8.39%death share
- pramipexole Δ 0.02 pts · 14,399 reports · Dopamine Agonist 8.38%death share
- albuterol Δ 0.03 pts · 113,967 reports · Short-Acting Beta-2 Agonist 8.43%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
Save on lamotrigine
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What the FDA Data Shows for lamotrigine
The FDA label for lamotrigine (sold under brand names such as Lamictal) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Anticonvulsant class. Lamotrigine can treat epilepsy in adults and children 2 years and older. Official labeling lists 20 commonly reported side effects, including Dizziness, Headache, Double vision.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 127,196 voluntary reports. The database also lists 24 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.04 versus $10.62 for the brand - a 99% generic savings.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: October 31, 2021
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages