Lamictal and sulfa

Currently in ER waiting room after increasing to 100 mg of Lamictal and getting an itchy rash. Got a similar one after being on Sulfa antibiotics (can also cause SJS) and that turned out to be benign. Does anyone know if I’ll be able to stay on Lamictal if the rash is benign as it’s really helping me. Thanks

I have that as my main symptom of autism people notice most. I'm 20 and female and was diagnosed at 13.
Here has been my experience.
At 1 year of age, I could speak full words. Doctors told my mother that this was abnormal, and she told me she just thought I was really smart. She remarked I would tell doctors the name of their own items, like this: "What's that? No, silly, it's a ---." I can also recall myself doing this when I was 5 in the bathtub, and I got very annoyed when people made fake babied words to appease me because they thought I would be unable to learn larger words. I began to read before or around age 5 and used to read MSN headlines (it used to pop-up before you got to Webkinz) and sit on my grandfather's lap to read newspapers together.
Aside from that, I don't have any exceptional skills.
I have severe dyscalculia and dropped out of school with an A in Language Arts and an F in Math. I still cannot pass GED Math.
I have moderate alexithymia. I can't tell when I am getting angry, content, or depressed. I have to analyze.
I have seizures and was originally misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder - now it is considered by my old psych to be some strange unwieldy fusion. If I look at flashing lights or fast-spinning fans, I begin to become stomach sick, lose my ability to speak properly and become hypomanic or hypodepressive for hours following. My aunt seizes as well, but controls hers with medication.
I cannot take traditional medication and am immune or allergic to strange things. I am allergic to sulfa drugs, Depakote? Lamictal, and Benadryl. I am completely immune to all forms of benzodiazepines, including IV. I am immune to morphine and morphine-adjacent opioids, including IV. I am barred from antihistamines and SSRIs because they make me seize and get a fever - and antihistamines that go through the BBB give me brain inflammation and increase my inflammation. I can't even take drugs that have the mildest or slightest SSRI behavior, like Ondansetron or Reglan, because I become immediately manic for days.
I struggle a lot in day-to-day life because I talk too much, and in too much detail. I just love to talk, but sometimes the things I say don't make any sense when they get long. I use near-infinite run-on sentences and veer off into adjacent topics too easily. I get frustrated when I cannot be logorrheic at disability living class.
Can anyone else relate? I feel so different compared to the statistics of autism. I feel alien and alone, and people often make fun of me for my naivety or say I'm annoying like Sheldon.
Thank you for reading. Sorry if I talked a lot here, too.

Hi, I just started lamictal yesterday (second day taking it) and I just feel super tired, and a little.. numb? I'm not sure if this is normal or if it's just because my body is still adjusting to the new medication. Additionally, I just feel super anxious right now, I was reading into possible side effects of the rash and I just suddenly feel all itchy and keep checking my skin every few minutes. I had SJS in the past for a sulfa allergy and I remember how painful it was... I'm so scared. Any advice?

I started taking 25 mg of Lamictal about 2 weeks ago and I am having absolutely every symptom you could think of. Back pain, muscle soreness, sore throat, restless legs, heart palpitations, brain fog, memory issues, swollen lymph nodes, mania, irritableness, twitching, anxiety, sleeping problems, chest/lung pain, back pain and I’m extremely confrontational now. At first it made me extremely manic for a few days and then it leveled out. I’m scared, and I don’t have an appointment with my psych until the end of the month.
I’m horrified by all the stories and I know it’s extremely rare but I also have extreme general anxiety and medical anxiety. I’m mostly terrified right now because I have what I thought was a pimple on the side of my head, but it looks very bright red and it’s painful to touch. I have extremely dry skin and multiple skin disorders as well as a family history of thyroid issues. I’m worried because as a kid I was allergic to sulfas and keflax drugs.
I told this information to my psych but he still prescribed it. At the time I didn’t know anything about this drug. I’m so scared that all these symptoms are developing into SJS.
I am editing this to add that: I’m currently experiencing intense chills and cold, This does not help me feel better at all.

White 35/m. 5’9, 170lbs.
Medications: Lamictal, Protonix, Flonase, just prescribed doxycycline hyclate. Non-smoker.
Conditions: Depression/anxiety, gastritis, allergies, Epididymitis
Question: Had testicle pain for eight months that got progressively worse. Saw a urologist last week, was diagnosed with epididymitis (not from STD), prescribed doxycycline hyclate 100mg 2x day for 30 days. Two doses in and my gastritis/reflux has been awful, it has been previously well contained with Protonix for many months with no issues (was actually going to try tapering off by suggestion of primary care doc).
I saw online that doxycycline monohydrate is much better for GI issues vs hyclate, called the doctor and he sent the order to the pharmacy. However, some online sources say that taking a PPI with the monohydrate version will compromise the effectiveness of absorption. The doctor and the pharmacist had no feedback/knowledge on this.
So, questions:

• Will the doxycycline monohydrate work despite the Protonix? Is there something I can do to offset any interaction issues (like maybe taking the monohydrate two hours after the PPI/breakfast)?
  
• Is there anything else I can do to mitigate the acid issues without compromising the antibiotic effect? I figure I can take tums outside the 2-3 hour window after taking it, not sure if that’s safe to do over a 30 day period. I’m not having nausea/diahreah, it’s just the acid increase that’s causing a big problem.
  
• Is there an alternative antibiotic that would work? I’d want to avoid fluoroquinolines from all the horror stories I’ve read, and sulfa antibiotics I’d rather avoid since Lamictal keeps me functional (so the SJS risk is not worth it),
  

Yesterday when attempting to enroll in a clinical trial for a depression medication, I was diagnosed with Bipolar II. I was promptly prescribed a medication and basically left without any guidance because the doctor that diagnosed me was too busy with the research aspect of doctoring to really give me a plan. All I was told was to get the medication and then seek help from my own doctor.
So I have this bottle of lamictal here and haven't opened it yet. To be honest I'm a little scared of it, and paranoid that it'll cause a whole bunch of side effects. I'll be seeing a psychiatrist soon, but until then I'm a little unsure.
I want to prevent the recurrences of my depression, which often times has me feeling dangerously bad, so I know that taking this medication is worth it if it can prevent me from getting that low again. But right now I'm not in that state, so it's hard for me to look at my past and convince myself that the depression will come back if I don't take action.
The doctor that diagnosed me says right now I'm most likely in a hypomanic state right now. And I'm inclined to agree because I go through periods of my life where I feel good and then do things that are for the most part financially reckless. Case in point: this month I decided to buy my first house. Right now, it feels like the right choice, but I don't know if that's the hypomania talking. I'm scared taking the medication will make me less sure of myself. I can't back out of my current decision to buy this house, not that I currently want to, but what if the medication brings out regret?
I don't know. I'm pretty uncertain. Any advice for a rookie to all of this? Thanks.
Edit: Just found out Lamictal allergy and Sulfa allergies are closely correlated, even though Lamictal isn't a sulfa drug. I'm allergic to sulfa. Color me paranoid.

After trying a bunch of different meds and finally getting the bipolar diagnosis, I was put on Lamictal today. I was on lithium and it eliminated the mania (thank FSM) -- however, I was still depressed. I also have anxiety which i take clonapin for. Sadly that doesn't help with the depression.
I spoke with a new doctor today after running out of meds from another doctor (who sucked) and we spoke about my bipolar diagnosis and depression/anxiety. She decided that the lithium that I was taking wasn't a good suit and put me on Lamictal. We went through my history and I had a reaction to sulfa antibiotics over 10 years ago.
Being a hypocondriac, I did some research on the medication and HOLY CRAP I am scared. The rash you can get is scaring me because it is deadly.
Has anyone had a sulfa allergy but took lamictal and it still worked on them?
I am just afraid to start it. I know I am all in my head but shit...Stevens–Johnson syndrome is no joke.
Obviously I am not asking for medical advice; just some other experiences on the meds and whether you had the skin rash and what happened next?

I thought this might be helpful since I've seen some questions come up in regards to "the rash" that can happen from meds like Lamictal. A few years back I chatted on another bi-polar forum and it was a common question - how do I know if the rash I have is THE rash?
Having had THE rash, I would like to share some photos and answer questions if anyone has them. A lot of medical professional don't even know how to spot or treat the rash (which isn't really a RASH per se, it's the start of a condition called Steven Johnson Syndrome) and not everyone who gets a rash will go on to have SJS - they are 2 different reactions.
Here, in photos, is waht it looks like. I find this to be helpful since a lot of photos out there of SJS show it in it's later stages, not when it first forms.
My arm, day 1
My mouth, day 2
My back, day 3
My mouth, day 3
My mouth, day 4
After that it just gets worse, like the typical photos of SJS you see online. The rash is fast growing, and even with stopping the medication you have to just let the reaction run it's course. The biggest tip off that it's SJS and not just a rash is that your mouth and nose are affected right away - the skin in them are one of the first to start dying and falling off, so you develop a really awful taste and bad breath. Second tip is that the rash HURTS. I'm not just talking painful itching rash, but like 3rd degree burns. By the end of the first few days of the rash, it will become very clear that you're not just fighting a rash, but something more. It's VERY IMPORTANT (I can not stress this enough) that at the first signs of a rash, you call your doctor ASAP, and if you start showing signs of it progressing that you get yourself to a hospital immediately.
oh and if anyone is curious what I normally look like, with out the swelling and marks, LOL here's me Normally..
eta - I'm not posting this to scare anyone away from their medication, but to ease peoples worries about the rash. SJS is very rare - about 6-7 in a million get SJS, and it can be caused by hundreds of different medications. However, having said that, for some unknown reason certain medications - like lamictal - tend to have a higher rate of SJS/TENS than other medications. The only other medication that has a higher rate is sulfa based antibiotics like bactrim. Not everyone who has a rash from medication like Lamictal will go on to getting SJS, but there are signs to look for so you can get treatment right away. I just wanted to let everyone here know, because no one warned me. I was told to watch for a rash, everyone mentions a rash, but no one talks about the fact that it's not JUST a rash.