11) ] Epilepsy : Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥10%) in adults were dizziness, headache, diplopia, ataxia, nausea, blurred vision, somnolence, rhinitis, pharyngitis, and rash. Additional adverse reactions (incidence ≥10%) reported in children included vomiting, infection, fever, accidental injury, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and tremor.
1 ) Bipolar disorder : Most common adverse reactions (incidence >5%) in adults were nausea, insomnia, somnolence, back pain, fatigue, rash, rhinitis, abdominal pain, and xerostomia. gov/medwatch. 1 Clinical Trial Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Epilepsy Most Common Adverse Reactions in All Clinical Trials:
Adjunctive Therapy in Adults w ith Epilepsy: The most commonly observed (≥5% for lamotrigine and more common on drug than placebo) adverse reactions seen in association with lamotrigine during adjunctive therapy in adults and not seen at an equivalent frequency among placebo-treated patients were: dizziness, ataxia, somnolence, headache, diplopia, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, and rash.
Dizziness, diplopia, ataxia, blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting were dose related. Dizziness, diplopia, ataxia, and blurred vision occurred more commonly in patients receiving carbamazepine with lamotrigine than in patients receiving other AEDs with lamotrigine.
1) ]. Approximately 11% of the 3,378 adult patients who received lamotrigine as adjunctive therapy in premarketing clinical trials discontinued treatment because of an adverse reaction. 5%). In a dose-response trial in adults, the rate of discontinuation of lamotrigine for dizziness, ataxia, diplopia, blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting was dose related.
Monotherapy in Adults w ith Epilepsy:
The most commonly observed (≥5% for lamotrigine and more common on drug than placebo) adverse reactions seen in association with the use of lamotrigine during the monotherapy phase of the controlled trial in adults not seen at an equivalent rate in the control group were vomiting, coordination abnormality, dyspepsia, nausea, dizziness, rhinitis, anxiety, insomnia, infection, pain, weight decrease, chest pain, and dysmenorrhea.
The most commonly observed (≥5% for lamotrigine and more common on drug than placebo) adverse reactions associated with the use of lamotrigine during the conversion to monotherapy (add-on) period, not seen at an equivalent frequency among low-dose valproate-treated patients, were dizziness, headache, nausea, asthenia, coordination abnormality, vomiting, rash, somnolence, diplopia, ataxia, accidental injury, tremor, blurred vision, insomnia, nystagmus, diarrhea, lymphadenopathy, pruritus, and sinusitis.
Approximately 10% of the 420 adult patients who received lamotrigine as monotherapy in premarketing clinical trials discontinued treatment because of an adverse reaction. 4%).
Adjunctive Therapy in Pediatric Patients w ith Epilepsy:
The most commonly observed (≥5% for lamotrigine and more common on drug than placebo) adverse reactions seen in association with the use of lamotrigine as adjunctive treatment in pediatric patients aged 2 to 16 years and not seen at an equivalent rate in the control group were infection, vomiting, rash, fever, somnolence, accidental injury, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, ataxia, tremor, asthenia, bronchitis, flu syndrome, and diplopia.
9% of patients on placebo discontinued due to adverse reactions. The most commonly reported adverse reaction that led to discontinuation of lamotrigine was rash. 5% of the 1,081 pediatric patients aged 2 to 16 years who received lamotrigine as adjunctive therapy in premarketing clinical trials discontinued treatment because of an adverse reaction.
6%).
Controlled Adjunctive Clinical Trials in Adults w ith Epilepsy:
Table 8 lists adverse reactions that occurred in adult patients with epilepsy treated with lamotrigine in placebo-controlled trials. In these trials, either lamotrigine or placebo was added to the patient’s current AED therapy. Table 8.
Adverse Reactions in Pooled, Placebo-Controlled Adjunctive Trials in Adult Patients with Epilepsy a,b Body System/ Adverse Reaction Percent of Patients Receiving Adjunctive Lamotrigine (n = 711) Percent of Patients Receiving Adjunctive Placebo (n = 419) Body as a whole Headache 29 19 Flu syndrome 7 6 Fever 6 4 Abdominal pain 5 4 Neck pain 2 1 Reaction aggravated (seizure exacerbation) 2 1 Digestive Nausea 19 10 Vomiting 9 4 Diarrhea 6 4 Dyspepsia 5 2 Constipation 4 3 Anorexia 2 1 Musculoskeletal Arthralgia 2 0 Nervous Dizziness 38 13 Ataxia 22 6 Somnolence 14 7 Incoordination 6 2 Insomnia 6 2 Tremor 4 1 Depression 4 3 Anxiety 4 3 Convulsion 3 1 Irritability 3 2 Speech disorder 3 0 Concentration disturbance 2 1 Respiratory Rhinitis 14 9 Pharyngitis 10 9 Cough increased 8 6 Skin and appendages Rash 10 5 Pruritus 3 2 Special senses Diplopia 28 7 Blurred vision 16 5 Vision abnormality 3 1 Urogenital Female patients only (n = 365) (n = 207) Dysmenorrhea 7 6 Vaginitis 4 1 Amenorrhea 2 1 a Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 2% of patients treated with lamotrigine and at a greater incidence than placebo.
b Patients in these adjunctive trials were receiving 1 to 3 of the concomitant AEDs carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, or primidone in addition to lamotrigine or placebo. Patients may have reported multiple adverse reactions during the trial or at discontinuation; thus, patients may be included in more than 1 category.
In a randomized, parallel trial comparing placebo with 300 and 500 mg/day of lamotrigine, some of the more common drug-related adverse reactions were dose related (see Table 9). Table 9. 05). 05). The overall adverse reaction profile for lamotrigine was similar between females and males and was independent of age.
Because the largest non-Caucasian racial subgroup was only 6% of patients exposed to lamotrigine in placebo-controlled trials, there are insufficient data to support a statement regarding the distribution of adverse reaction reports by race.
Generally, females receiving either lamotrigine as adjunctive therapy or placebo were more likely to report adverse reactions than males. 5%). There was little difference between females and males in the rates of discontinuation of lamotrigine for individual adverse reactions.
Controlled Monotherapy Trial in Adults w ith Partial-Onset Seizures:
Table 10 lists adverse reactions that occurred in patients with epilepsy treated with monotherapy with lamotrigine in a double-blind trial following discontinuation of either concomitant carbamazepine or phenytoin not seen at an equivalent frequency in the control group.
Table 10. Adverse Reactions in a Controlled Monotherapy Trial in Adult Patients with Partial-Onset Seizures a,b Body System/ Adverse Reaction Percent of Patients Receiving Lamotrigine c as Monotherapy (n = 43) Percent of Patients Receiving Low-Dose Valproate d Monotherapy (n = 44) Body as a whole Pain 5 0 Infection 5 2 Chest pain 5 2 Digestive Vomiting 9 0 Dyspepsia 7 2 Nausea 7 2 Metabolic and nutritional Weight decrease 5 2 Nervous Coordination abnormality 7 0 Dizziness 7 0 Anxiety 5 0 Insomnia 5 2 Respiratory Rhinitis 7 2 Urogenital (female patients only) (n = 21) (n = 28) Dysmenorrhea 5 0 a Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 5% of patients treated with lamotrigine and at a greater incidence than valproate-treated patients.
b Patients in this trial were converted to lamotrigine or valproate monotherapy from adjunctive therapy with carbamazepine or phenytoin. Patients may have reported multiple adverse reactions during the trial; thus, patients may be included in more than 1 category.
c Up to 500 mg/day. d 1,000 mg/day. Adverse reactions that occurred with a frequency of <5% and >2% of patients receiving lamotrigine and numerically more frequent than placebo were: Body as a Whole: Asthenia, fever.
Digestive:
Anorexia, dry mouth, rectal hemorrhage, peptic ulcer.
Metabolic and Nutritional:
Peripheral edema.
Nervous System:
Amnesia, ataxia, depression, hypesthesia, libido increase, decreased reflexes, increased reflexes, nystagmus, irritability, suicidal ideation.
Respiratory:
Epistaxis, bronchitis, dyspnea.
Skin and Appendages:
Contact dermatitis, dry skin, sweating.
Special Senses:
Vision abnormality.
Incidence in Controlled Adjunctive Trials in Pediatric Patients w ith Epilepsy:
Table 11 lists adverse reactions that occurred in 339 pediatric patients with partial-onset seizures or generalized seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who received lamotrigine up to 15 mg/kg/day or a maximum of 750 mg/day. Table 11.
Adverse Reactions in Pooled, Placebo-Controlled, Adjunctive Trials in Pediatric Patients with Epilepsy a Body System/ Adverse Reaction Percent of Patients Receiving Lamotrigine (n = 168) Percent of Patients Receiving Placebo (n = 171) Body as a whole Infection 20 17 Fever 15 14 Accidental injury 14 12 Abdominal pain 10 5 Asthenia 8 4 Flu syndrome 7 6 Pain 5 4 Facial edema 2 1 Photosensitivity 2 0 Cardiovascular Hemorrhage 2 1 Digestive Vomiting 20 16 Diarrhea 11 9 Nausea 10 2 Constipation 4 2 Dyspepsia 2 1 Hemic and lymphatic Lymphadenopathy 2 1 Metabolic and nutritional Edema 2 0 Nervous system Somnolence 17 15 Dizziness 14 4 Ataxia 11 3 Tremor 10 1 Emotional lability 4 2 Gait abnormality 4 2 Thinking abnormality 3 2 Convulsions 2 1 Nervousness 2 1 Vertigo 2 1 Respiratory Pharyngitis 14 11 Bronchitis 7 5 Increased cough 7 6 Sinusitis 2 1 Bronchospasm 2 1 Skin Rash 14 12 Eczema 2 1 Pruritus 2 1 Special senses Diplopia 5 1 Blurred vision 4 1 Visual abnormality 2 0 Urogenital Male and female patients Urinary tract infection 3 0 a Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 2% of patients treated with lamotrigine and at a greater incidence than placebo.
Bipolar Disorder in Adults The most common adverse reactions seen in association with the use of lamotrigine as monotherapy (100 to 400 mg/day) in adult patients (aged 18 to 82 years) with bipolar disorder in the 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 18 months’ duration are included in Table 12.
Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 5% of patients and were numerically more frequent during the dose-escalation phase of lamotrigine in these trials (when patients may have been receiving concomitant medications) compared with the monotherapy phase were: headache (25%), rash (11%), dizziness (10%), diarrhea (8%), dream abnormality (6%), and pruritus (6%).
During the monotherapy phase of the double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 18 months’ duration, 13% of 227 patients who received lamotrigine (100 to 400 mg/day), 16% of 190 patients who received placebo, and 23% of 166 patients who received lithium discontinued therapy because of an adverse reaction.
The adverse reactions that most commonly led to discontinuation of lamotrigine were rash (3%) and mania/hypomania/mixed mood adverse reactions (2%). Approximately 16% of 2,401 patients who received lamotrigine (50 to 500 mg/day) for bipolar disorder in premarketing trials discontinued therapy because of an adverse reaction, most commonly due to rash (5%) and mania/hypomania/mixed mood adverse reactions (2%).
The overall adverse reaction profile for lamotrigine was similar between females and males, between elderly and nonelderly patients, and among racial groups. Table 12. Adverse Reactions in 2 Placebo-Controlled Trials in Adult Patients with Bipolar I Disorder a,b Body System/ Adverse Reaction Percent of Patients Receiving Lamotrigine (n = 227) Percent of Patients Receiving Placebo (n = 190) General Back pain 8 6 Fatigue 8 5 Abdominal pain 6 3 Digestive Nausea 14 11 Constipation 5 2 Vomiting 5 2 Nervous System Insomnia 10 6 Somnolence 9 7 Xerostomia (dry mouth) 6 4 Respiratory Rhinitis 7 4 Exacerbation of cough 5 3 Pharyngitis 5 4 Skin Rash (nonserious) c 7 5 a Adverse reactions that occurred in at least 5% of patients treated with lamotrigine and at a greater incidence than placebo.
b Patients in these trials were converted to lamotrigine (100 to 400 mg/day) or placebo monotherapy from add-on therapy with other psychotropic medications. Patients may have reported multiple adverse reactions during the trial; thus, patients may be included in more than 1 category.
1) ]. Other reactions that occurred in 5% or more patients but equally or more frequently in the placebo group included: dizziness, mania, headache, infection, influenza, pain, accidental injury, diarrhea, and dyspepsia. Adverse reactions that occurred with a frequency of <5% and >1% of patients receiving lamotrigine and numerically more frequent than placebo were: General: Fever, neck pain.
Cardiovascular:
Migraine.
Digestive:
Flatulence.
Metabolic and Nutritional:
Weight gain, edema.
Musculoskeletal:
Arthralgia, myalgia.
Nervous System:
Amnesia, depression, agitation, emotional lability, dyspraxia, abnormal thoughts, dream abnormality, hypoesthesia.
Respiratory:
Sinusitis.
Urogenital:
Urinary frequency.
Adverse Reactions following Abrupt Discontinuation:
In the 2 controlled clinical trials, there was no increase in the incidence, severity, or type of adverse reactions in patients with bipolar disorder after abruptly terminating therapy with lamotrigine. 10)] .
Mania/Hypomania/Mixed Episodes:
During the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in bipolar I disorder in which adults were converted to monotherapy with lamotrigine (100 to 400 mg/day) from other psychotropic medications and followed for up to 18 months, the rates of manic or hypomanic or mixed mood episodes reported as adverse reactions were 5% for patients treated with lamotrigine (n = 227), 4% for patients treated with lithium (n = 166), and 7% for patients treated with placebo (n = 190).
In all bipolar controlled trials combined, adverse reactions of mania (including hypomania and mixed mood episodes) were reported in 5% of patients treated with lamotrigine (n = 956), 3% of patients treated with lithium (n = 280), and 4% of patients treated with placebo (n = 803).
2 Other Adverse Reactions Observed in All Clinical Trials Lamotrigine has been administered to 6,694 individuals for whom complete adverse reaction data was captured during all clinical trials, only some of which were placebo controlled.
During these trials, all adverse reactions were recorded by the clinical investigators using terminology of their own choosing. To provide a meaningful estimate of the proportion of individuals having adverse reactions, similar types of adverse reactions were grouped into a smaller number of standardized categories using modified COSTART dictionary terminology.
The frequencies presented represent the proportion of the 6,694 individuals exposed to lamotrigine who experienced an event of the type cited on at least 1 occasion while receiving lamotrigine. All reported adverse reactions are included except those already listed in the previous tables or elsewhere in the labeling, those too general to be informative, and those not reasonably associated with the use of the drug.
Adverse reactions are further classified within body system categories and enumerated in order of decreasing frequency using the following definitions: frequent adverse reactions are defined as those occurring in at least 1/100 patients; infrequent adverse reactions are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1,000 patients; rare adverse reactions are those occurring in fewer than 1/1,000 patients.
Body as a Whole Infrequent:
Allergic reaction, chills, malaise.
Cardiovascular System Infrequent:
Flushing, hot flashes, hypertension, palpitations, postural hypotension, syncope, tachycardia, vasodilation.
Dermatological Infrequent:
Acne, alopecia, hirsutism, maculopapular rash, skin discoloration, urticaria.
Rare:
Angioedema, erythema, exfoliative dermatitis, fungal dermatitis, herpes zoster, leukoderma, multiforme erythema, petechial rash, pustular rash, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, vesiculobullous rash.
Digestive System Infrequent:
Dysphagia, eructation, gastritis, gingivitis, increased appetite, increased salivation, liver function tests abnormal, mouth ulceration.
Rare:
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage, glossitis, gum hemorrhage, gum hyperplasia, hematemesis, hemorrhagic colitis, hepatitis, melena, stomach ulcer, stomatitis, tongue edema.
Endocrine System Rare:
Goiter, hypothyroidism.
Hematologic and Lymphatic System Infrequent:
Ecchymosis, leukopenia.
Rare:
Anemia, eosinophilia, fibrin decrease, fibrinogen decrease, iron deficiency anemia, leukocytosis, lymphocytosis, macrocytic anemia, petechia, thrombocytopenia.
Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders Infrequent:
Aspartate transaminase increased.
Rare:
Alcohol intolerance, alkaline phosphatase increase, alanine transaminase increase, bilirubinemia, general edema, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase increase, hyperglycemia.
Musculoskeletal System Infrequent:
Arthritis, leg cramps, myasthenia, twitching.
Rare:
Bursitis, muscle atrophy, pathological fracture, tendinous contracture.
Nervous System Frequent:
Confusion, paresthesia.
Infrequent:
Akathisia, apathy, aphasia, central nervous system depression, depersonalization, dysarthria, dyskinesia, euphoria, hallucinations, hostility, hyperkinesia, hypertonia, libido decreased, memory decrease, mind racing, movement disorder, myoclonus, panic attack, paranoid reaction, personality disorder, psychosis, sleep disorder, stupor, suicidal ideation.
Rare:
Choreoathetosis, delirium, delusions, dysphoria, dystonia, extrapyramidal syndrome, faintness, grand mal convulsions, hemiplegia, hyperalgesia, hyperesthesia, hypokinesia, hypotonia, manic depression reaction, muscle spasm, neuralgia, neurosis, paralysis, peripheral neuritis.
Respiratory System Infrequent:
Yawn.
Rare:
Hiccup, hyperventilation.
Special Senses Frequent:
Amblyopia.
Infrequent:
Abnormality of accommodation, conjunctivitis, dry eyes, ear pain, photophobia, taste perversion, tinnitus.
Rare:
Deafness, lacrimation disorder, oscillopsia, parosmia, ptosis, strabismus, taste loss, uveitis, visual field defect.
Urogenital System Infrequent:
Abnormal ejaculation, hematuria, impotence, menorrhagia, polyuria, urinary incontinence.
Rare:
Acute kidney failure, anorgasmia, breast abscess, breast neoplasm, creatinine increase, cystitis, dysuria, epididymitis, female lactation, kidney failure, kidney pain, nocturia, urinary retention, urinary urgency. 3 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of lamotrigine.
Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Blood and Lymphatic Agranulocytosis, hemolytic anemia, lymphadenopathy not associated with hypersensitivity disorder, pseudolymphoma.
Gastrointestinal Esophagitis. Hepatobiliary Tract and Pancreas Pancreatitis. Immunologic Hypogammaglobulinemia, lupus-like reaction, vasculitis. Lower Respiratory Apnea. Musculoskeletal Rhabdomyolysis has been observed in patients experiencing hypersensitivity reactions.
Nervous System Aggression, exacerbation of Parkinsonian symptoms in patients with pre-existing Parkinson’s disease, tics. Non-site Specific Progressive immunosuppression. Renal and Urinary Disorders Tubulointerstitial nephritis (has been reported alone and in association with uveitis).
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Photosensitivity reaction.