Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

Here we look at the claims for Lamotrigine (Lamictal).

Version: 1.0 Last updated: April 2023 To be reviewed: November 2025

Treatment details

Illustration of bottle of pills.

Type

Pharmaceutical

2

Safety

Some potential for harm

3

Efficacy

Evidence that it is not effective

Recommended?

No

Claims for treatment

That anticonvulsants potentially reduce central auditory hyperactivity that may be related to tinnitus[1].

What is the treatment?

Lamotrigine is taken in tablet form.

What are the downsides of this treatment?

Common side effects from clinical trials included nausea, dizziness, headache, tiredness[2].

Lamotrigine can also trigger skin rashes[3].

Has there been research into this treatment?

One study has been conducted[4].

What does the research say?

Although a small scale study, lamotrigine was not effective as a treatment for tinnitus[4].

There is no evidence to show that anticonvulsants have a large positive effect in the treatment of tinnitus[2].

There is no evidence to show that lamotrigine has an impact on tinnitus.

Use of anticonvulsants for epilepsy may result in tinnitus and other auditory dysfunctions[5].

Tinnitus UK

Comments

Yes, provided study is of high quality.

Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

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Download the full information sheet on Lamotrigine (Lamictal) (316.7KB pdf)

All online references accessed 9 November 2022 unless noted.

1. Tunkel DE, Bauer CA, Sun GH, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. (2014) 151(2_suppl): S1-S40.
doi:10.1177/0194599814545325

2. Hoekstra CEL, Rynja SP, van Zanten GA, Rovers MM. Anticonvulsants for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2011) Issue 7. Art. No.: CD007960. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.
CD007960.pub2.

3. NHS. About lamotrigine. www.nhs.uk/medicines/lamotrigine/about-lamotrigine/

4. Simpson JJ, Gilbert AM, Weiner GM, Davies WW. The assessment of lamotrigine, an antiepileptic drug, in the treatment of tinnitus. American Journal of Otology (1999) 20:627-31.

5. Hamed SA. The auditory and vestibular toxicities induced by antiepileptic drugs, Expert Opinion on Drug Safety,(2017) 16:11, 1281-1294, DOI:
10.1080/14740338.2017.1372420