Abstract

Lamotrigine (Lamictal – Wellcome) is a new antiepileptic drug. It is licensed as ‘add-on’ treatment for patients with partial seizures, either localised to one part of the brain or spreading to tonic-clonic seizures (secondarily generalised), who are not satisfactorily controlled with first-line drugs. The manufacturer claims that it “offers the hope of an improved quality of life” while having “a low level of clinically significant side-effects”. We examine these claims.