Lamotrigine
LamictalPubChem CID 3878 · 3D model
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Blocks channels that overactive nerve cells use to fire rapid, repeated electrical signals, calming the brain activity that causes seizures; the same calming effect is thought to help even out mood swings in bipolar disorder, though exactly how isn't fully understood.
How it works
Lamotrigine calms down brain cells that are firing too fast and too often, which is what happens during a seizure. It does this by blocking channels the nerve cells use to send rapid electrical signals, keeping them from over-firing and releasing too much of certain excitatory brain chemicals. The exact reason this same calming effect also helps even out mood swings in bipolar disorder isn't fully understood, but the effect is well established in clinical use.
What it’s used for
Lamotrigine is prescribed as an add-on treatment for several types of seizures, including in children as young as 2, and can also be used on its own in adults switching from certain other seizure medicines. Separately, it's used long-term in bipolar I disorder to help prevent future episodes of depression or mania in people who've already been stabilized. It carries a boxed warning — the FDA's strongest safety warning — because it can cause serious, sometimes life-threatening skin rashes; the risk is higher in children and when combined with the seizure medicine valproate.
- Mechanism
- Voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, anticonvulsant
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- CNS / Neurology