Lamotrigine for treatment of bipolar depression: independent meta-analysis and meta-regression of individual patient…
My depression is on the milder side — is lamotrigine alone likely to be enough for me, or should we plan to combine it with something else?
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: All five underlying trials were conducted and funded by the manufacturer (GlaxoSmithKline); the statistical analysis was independent, and one co-author sat on the manufacturer's advisory board.
Pooling individual data from 1,072 patients in five trials, somewhat more people responded to lamotrigine than placebo in bipolar depression (risk ratio 1.27 on the Hamilton scale), a modest effect that was larger in severely depressed patients.
Worth asking
My depression is on the milder side — is lamotrigine alone likely to be enough for me, or should we plan to combine it with something else?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder (to delay time to occurrence of mood episodes, after acute stabilization)
- Epilepsy, adjunctive therapy (partial-onset seizures, primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; ages 2+)
- Epilepsy, conversion to monotherapy for partial-onset seizures (ages 16+)
Source
Lamotrigine for treatment of bipolar depression: independent meta-analysis and meta-regression of individual patient data from five randomised trials — Geddes JR, Calabrese JR, Goodwin GM (2009)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.048504
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.048504
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Mixed public and industry funding
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 1,072
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 69 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: All five underlying trials were conducted and funded by the manufacturer (GlaxoSmithKline); the statistical analysis was independent, and one co-author sat on the manufacturer's advisory board. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Lamotrigine for treatment of bipolar depression: independent meta-analysis and meta-regression of individual patient data from five randomised trials — Geddes JR, Calabrese JR, Goodwin GM (2009). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.048504. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Mixed public and industry funding. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is lamotrigine (Lamictal), lamictal FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder (to delay time to occurrence of mood episodes, after acute stabilization), Epilepsy, adjunctive therapy (partial-onset seizures, primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; ages 2+), Epilepsy, conversion to monotherapy for partial-onset seizures (ages 16+). Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.