Chemically Lamictal is an anti convulsant and is not related to any other medications using anti convulsant that regulates the mood. It is found that Lamictal has relatively more antidepressant potency than valproate or carbamazepine. The approval of Lamictal for use as a treatment for people with bipolar disorder was given by the FDA in the year 2003.

People who did not receive adequate relief from lithium, carbamazepine or valproate for mixed bipolar states and rapid cycling were able to control them with the use of Lamictal. The final approval for marketing of Lamictal was received in the USA on 27 December 1994. Lamictal was la belled for its use as an antioxidant.

Some people with major (unipolar) depression can use Lamictal which is useful as part of the treatment. According to recent reports Lamictal as been found useful for the treatment of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or borderline personality disorder (BPD).

However it is too early to be specific about the kind of mood disorder that would be responsive to the treatment with Lamictal. Patients with severe bipolar syndromes and with schizo affective disorder have been more often treated than patients with resistance to treatment of unipolar disorders.

Some people having unipolar depressions which were initially very difficult to treat, were given lamictal treatment that displayed good results. Some people who were diagnosed of having Borderline Personality Disorder, which is believed to be a variant of Bipolar Disorder by the psychiatrists, have proved responsive to the treatment with Lamictal. The therapy of Lamictal has also proved responsive for patients with Post-Traumatic Stress.

Also, Lamictal is prescribed for the treatment of panic attacks. But it has been reported that many people continue to experience panic attacks even after weeks they are on Lamictal. Initially, Lamictal was used to treat people with depressed, manic and mixed states since other existing medications proved non responsive. Now people are continuing to maintain Lamictal on a long term basis for the prevention of future panic attacks. The evidence to prove the effectiveness of Lamictal as a protective and prophylactic agent on long term basis is increasing.