Lamotrigine (an antiepileptic drug) for acute and chronic pain

Wiffen PJ, Derry S, Moore RA

Published Online:

February 16, 2011

Nerves which have been damaged by injury or disease can continue to produce pain. This type of pain is called neuropathic pain. Some antiepileptic medications can help neuropathic pain. Lamotrigine is an antiepileptic medication. The aim of this review was to assess how effective lamotrigine is for neuropathic or other chronic pain, or acute pain. The review identified 12 included studies which included a total of 1511 participants. Studies were only available for neuropathic pain, with no evidence that lamotrigine was effective in this type of pain. This may be because lamotrigine works in a different way to other antiepileptic medications. Lamotrigine also seems to cause more cases of skin rash, which can be serious. Based on current evidence, lamotrigine is unlikely to help with neuropathic pain. Other antiepileptic drugs such as pregabalin, gabapentin, and carbamazepine have been shown to be of value in neuropathic pain.

Abstract (click to read)

Background:

This is an update of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 2, 2007. Some antiepileptic medicines have a place in the treatment of neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve damage). This updated review adds five new additional studies looking at evidence for Lamotrigine as an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain.

Objectives:

To assess analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of the antiepileptic drug lamotrigine in acute and chronic pain.

Search strategy:

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of lamotrigine in acute, and chronic pain (including cancer pain) were identified from MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL up to January 2011. Additional studies were sought from the reference list of the retrieved papers.

Selection criteria:

RCTs investigating the use of lamotrigine (any dose, by any route, and for any study duration) for the treatment of acute or chronic pain. Assessment of pain intensity or pain relief, or both, using validated scales. Participants were adults aged 18 and over. Only full journal publication articles were included.

Data collection and analysis:

Dichotomous data (ideally for the outcome of at least 50% pain relief) were used to calculate relative risk with 95% confidence intervals. Meta-analysis was undertaken using a fixed-effect model. Numbers needed to treat to benefit (NNTs) were calculated as the reciprocal of the absolute risk reduction. For unwanted effects, the NNT becomes the number needed to harm (NNH) and was calculated.

Main results:

Twelve included studies in 11 publications (1511 participants), all with chronic neuropathic pain: central post stroke pain (1), chemotherapy induced neuropathic pain (1), diabetic neuropathy (4), HIV related neuropathy (2), mixed neuropathic pain (2), spinal cord injury related pain (1), and trigeminal neuralgia (1); none investigated lamotrigine in acute pain. The update had five additional studies (1111 additional participants). Participants were aged between 26 and 77 years. Study duration was 2 weeks in one study and at least 6 weeks in the remainder; eight were of eight week duration or longer. There is no convincing evidence that lamotrigine is effective in treating acute or chronic pain at doses of about 200-400 mg daily. Almost 10% of participants taking lamotrigine reported a skin rash.

Authors' conclusions:

The additional studies tripled participant numbers providing data for analysis, and new, more stringent criteria for outcomes and analysis were used; conclusions about lamotrigine's lack of efficacy in chronic pain did not change. Given availability of more effective treatments including antiepileptics and antidepressant medicines, lamotrigine does not have a significant place in therapy based on available evidence.

This record should be cited as:

Wiffen PJ, Derry S, Moore RA. Lamotrigine for acute and chronic pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD006044. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006044.pub3

Assessed as up to date:

January 18, 2011

Find the research

Get full text at The Cochrane Library

Primary Review Group:

Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care Group

Health topics:

Anaesthesia & pain control > Acute pain > Pharmacological treatment

Anaesthesia & pain control > Chronic non-cancer pain management > Pharmacological therapies

Orthopaedics & trauma > Acute pain > Pharmacological treatment

Cochrane Summaries^beta

Independent high-quality evidence for health care decision making

Lamotrigine (an antiepileptic drug) for acute and chronic pain

More like this

Copyright © 2012 - The Cochrane Collaboration