A circuit arrangement for operating a discharge lamp having a dielectric layer between at least one electrode and one discharge medium, comprising a primary circuit, which comprises a flux converter with at least one electronic switch, the flux converter having a first input terminal and a second input terminal for connecting an input voltage; a secondary circuit, which has a first output terminal and a second output terminal for connecting the discharge lamp; a transformer coupling the primary circuit to the secondary circuit, the transformer having at least a primary winding, a secondary winding and a transformer core, on which the primary winding and the secondary winding are wound; and a discrete inductance with a core, the discrete inductance being coupled electrically in parallel with the secondary winding.