A patient who has been taking lamotrigine (Lamictal) for the past 2 weeks calls the clinic and reports to the nurse that he or she has developed a rash. What should the nurse tell him or her to do?

Question

A) To continue taking the drug and that the rash will go away
B) To talk to he or she physician and that he will prescribe a cream to apply to the rash
C) To decrease the dosage by half for 2 weeks and then take the prescribed dose
D) To discontinue the drug and return to the clinic immediately

Answer 1

D
Feedback:
The nurse should inform the patient to discontinue the drug and return to the clinic. Rashes associated with the use of lamotrigine can be life-threatening. The patient needs to return to the clinic to be evaluated and will need a change of medication. Discontinuing the medication will cause the rash to clear. The nurse is not licensed to adjust the dosage of a drug for a patient.