I have had a nerve injury for many months and my doctor has prescribed me lamotrigine for pain. Does it work?

Many doctors appear to be prescribing lamotrigine (lamictal) for nerve pain. Lamotrigine is actually an anti seizure drug and during the initial clinical trials the pharmaceutical company reported that patients with nerve pain did well. Well we know one thing about most drug companies – they do have a habit of lying about effectiveness of drugs.

As far as lamotrigine is concerned, most clinical trials performed independent of Drug Company reports indicate that it is useless. In the trials, there was little or no benefit from the drug. More important, Lamotrigine was also associated with severe skin rashes. The drug is also very expensive. If you have nerve pain, a better option may be pregabalin or gabapentin. Throw the lamotrigine script in the garbage as it is only a waste of money.