Lamotrigine-Associated Visual and Tactile Hallucinations in a Patient With Bipolar Disorder: A Case Report

Bipolar disorder is a chronic psychiatric illness characterized by recurrent episodes of mood disturbance and significant functional impairment. Bipolar depression is one of the most common and disabling manifestations of the disorder, contributing substantially to its overall disease burden. Lamotrigine is recommended as a first-line treatment for acute bipolar depression and for the prevention of depressive relapse. It is also recommended as an adjunctive strategy in combination with mood stabilizers for patients with persistent depressive symptoms. Despite its favorable tolerability profile, lamotrigine can be associated with adverse effects. We describe a case of a patient with bipolar disorder who developed visual and tactile hallucinations after lamotrigine dose escalation, an uncommon but clinically relevant adverse drug reaction.