TEGRETOL Reviews (CARBAMAZEPINE)Average Rating: 3.3 (287 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TEGRETOL with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Satisfaction highest to lowest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on TEGRETOL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TEGRETOL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | TBI | Decrease in brain abilities and lump on lymph node on neck | Wow. looking to increase my brain abilities and decrease the threat of seizures. Now I feel stupid and have a lump on my neck. | M | 43 | 3 months 200 2X day | 6/1/2011 | 1 | Bipolar Disorder - Rapid Cycling | extreme difficulty putting thoughts together or finding the correct words for things. My 5 year old son has to finish my sentences for me! Weight gain 10 pounds/3 months. Itchy/twitchy skin. A number of large swollen lymph nodes in my neck and severe join pain | I have been on meds for 20 years and I have tried a lot of them. Tegretol and Lithium are the worst meds I have tried. I can't wait to get off this drug! | F | 40 | 3 months 200MG 1X day | 4/4/2011 | 1 | Bipolar, anxiety, BPD, ASPD | nearly killed me in just 2 months i nearly died from it | F | 21 | 2 months ? 1X day | 3/13/2011 | 1 | enhance phenobarbitol for epilepsy | Only during "blood level theraputic dose", I experienced double vision so severe I couldn't see to dial 911, severe mental confusion as if I was fighting to not pass out, I had no motor control of my legs, often the theraputic dose caused me to pass out suddenly for hours at a time. I guess it kept me in a near coma. | During my last 4 years taking this drug, I moved and saw a new neurologist. He did not understand about taking a low dose, as I had successfully for 12 years to enhance the performance of phenobarbitol, and insisted I take a "blood level" theraputic dose, which sent me into severe overdose every time. Double vision, complete loss of gross motor control - I couldn't get off the floor to call 911, even if I could wake up, even if I could see the phone, I couldn't wake up until the dose had mostly worn off, and my husband would say that often he would come home from work to find me collapsed on the floor. I don't have much memory of that four years. I would take the next lower dose, as recommended by the ER and be fine, and Dr. Quack would require a blood test, and the results would be below theraputic, and he would tell me to take the higher dose. Repeat as above. Being newly on my own and 19 years old, I didn't know better. I trusted the doc. He almost killed me. 24 years later, I wonder at the long term damage of four years of overdose. | F | 43 | 14 years 150mg? 2X day | 3/8/2011 | 1 | Mood Stabilization | After little effect I developed a severe pyrexia & swelled up to the extent that I could barely open my eyes, wear shoes & on two occasions began to have difficulty in breathing. Once immediately discontinued the pyrexia broke and I began to shed my skin from head to toe. At one stage de-gloving my fingers & toes & also shedding the entire soles of my feet to a depth of 5-8mm. | After further research I discovered that my reaction was either TEN (Toxic epithelial necrosis) or SJS (Stevens-Johnson's Syndrome) though my GP still insists that it was a viral infection despite my blood markers being within "Normal" range | M | 36 | 3 weeks 200 1X day | 1/14/2011 | 1 | Seizure control | Lack of sensory input from things like fingertips. I could hold very hot objects & not even notice. The most disturbing thing is I'm a musician, with perfect pitch & tegretol has ruineed that perfect pitch. when I first started taking Tegretol I noticed that things in my world had gone 1/2 tone flat, but that only lasted a while & had gone back to normal. When I got off Tegretol in 2001, my pitch went up 1/2 step & now I perceive things this way all the time! Concert C is now Dflat. People say I should've gotten used to this by now after 9 years, but it's just not happening! If you are a person with perfect pitch who has a seizure disorder! TEGRETOL ISN'T THE DRUG FOR YOU! I also had a lack of sexual appitite & function while on that drug & that hasn't fully returned either. | M | 52 | 17 years Unsure 2X day | 12/19/2010 | 1 | trigeminal neuralgia | extreme blurred vision, extreme loss of coordination, extreme dizziness and sleepiness. I could sleep all day everyday. I look like a zombie, feel like im wasted drunk or badly stoned. no nausea (omg). i couldnt walk a straight line or cut my own food. could feel the drug come in and out. and barely remember the last week or conversations ive had with people, UNFUNCTIONAL | F | 27 | 10 days 200mg 2X day | 9/7/2010 | 1 | Bipolar I | Fortunately no weight gain. However, extremely lethargic and problems with memory. | Tegretol did nothing at all to help my depression, and I was put on it for that reason when I went into the hospital. However, my primary care psychiatrist said it is effective at controlling mania. I am currently tapering off of it. Lastly, this is just my own personal experience because I know that other people might react to it differently. | M | 25 | 3 months 600 MG 1X day | 8/14/2010 | 1 | bipolar disorder | hair loss mood changes tremors | hate it | F | 58 | 6 weeks 200mg 3X day | 4/2/2010 | 1 | Epilepsy | I took this drug when I was 8-10 years old. I took 750 mg./day spread out in five dosages. I struggled with learning, was always drowsy, moody, suffered severe double vision, and vomited frequently. I have absolutely no memories from ages 8-10 years old. I realize most people don't have detailed memories from such a young age, but I didn't remember anything at all, even a couple of years later. For example, my parents took me to Disney World when I was 9 and then again when I was 12. When I was 12 y.o. I was so excited to "go to Disney for the first time". I believe that this led to some developmental problems, especially when it came to my overall learning process and held me back in school. | I wouldn't recommend this medication for small children or infants. I do hold a certain sense of fear and resentment still over taking this medication at such a young age. Looking back on what I can recall, I felt that I was a sense of loss and control over expressing myself. I still feel like I was helpless. I don't know how else to describe it. | F | 26 | 3 years 750 1X day | 2/15/2010 | 1 | Bipolar | ? Don't know? | I don't know why I'm taking this drug. I've never had a seizure. My psychiatrist says its for my bipolar disorder. Now, I'm taking so many drugs, I don't know what this one does. (Lithium, risperdal, advair, etc....) | F | 33 | 14 years | 11/4/2009 | 1 | peripheral neuropathy | severe muscle and joint pain. neuropathy increased. loss of balance. nausea. weakness and fatigue. | started with a small dose as I take high dose of Gabapentin. I felt terrible and could not believe the pain, particularly in the areas where I suffer neuropathy most ( lower limbs) the pain comtinued for days after stopping. Awful. | F | 60 | 4 days | 10/20/2008 | 1 | bi[polar | Extreme unrelenting fatigue. I have begun to think that I had chronic fatigue syndrome. I really think it is this drug. I take the ER brand - Equetro. | Will not use this drug anymore. I cannot afford to be a walking zombie and to sleep all day | M | 48 | 3 years | 10/18/2008 | 1 | suspected epilepsy | Tegretol causes depletion of sodium (this can be sudden), Vitamin D, calcium, folic acid and biotin. Sudden sodium depletion can lead to confusion, disorientation, weakness and be mistaken for a psychiatric condition, with horrific consequences. Vitamin D depletion mimics many serious physical conditions like neuropathy, heart arrhythmias, loss of hearing, weakened bones and so forth. I experienced all of this. I kept being put in seclusion rooms in mental hospitals when I was severely sodium depleted and could have died. Be careful with this one. I had to go off of it incredibly slowly, as faster withdrawal leads to talkitiveness that can be mistaken for mania. | This drug ruined my career as a psychologist until recently and otherwise seriously limited my life for 20 years. I know others who have been through this as well. It causes symptoms similar to bipolar disorder when withdrawn, "proving" that a person is mentally ill and needs tegretol, like a vicious circle. I had to get off of it to have a clear enough head to find out what had caused all of this. With a Ph.D., I could save myself. Without that education, I might still be going in and out of hospitals. | F | 63 | 20 years | 8/19/2008 | 1 | brain surgery | weight gain, high cholesterol, memory loss, vision blurriness, diarhea, extreme fatigue, joint pain, lethargic, extreme rash when exposed to sun | This is an awful drug. I hate it. I feel like my life has passed me by. My dose has been 1000mg/day. My doc can't remember why my dosage is so high I'm dosing off by 100mg a month. | F | 44 | 4 years | 6/12/2008 | 1 | Partial seizures | Abdominal pain with pain score of 8 out of 10. Non-blanching rash for 24 hrs. Fever of 39.5c which lasted 5 days, followed by an allergic rash which lasted two more weeks. Very hot, very poorly,very ill.....don't go there! | Controlled seizures well, but felt very poorly from day one, but being a FAVOURITE drug, had to convince clinicians that I wasn't just moaning!!!!!!! Now on lowest dose Topamax as monotherapy-good result after 3 mths | F | 50 | 4 weeks | 1/7/2008 | 1 | seizures | To be frank, it made me stupid... The memory loss affects your brain fucntions to a grand degree. I could barely count it was so bad. Needless to say, I didn't stay on it long. | F | 25 | 2 days | 12/5/2007 | 1 | Bipolar II | Vision disturbances (eyes feel like they are being shaken), unable to drive, unable to walk straight. Hearing music / sound at a lower key than it really is...STRANGE! Increase in appetite. Increased need for sleep. Constant state of sleepiness, unable to function. Don't remember much of the past week. | I was at 600 mg for three days, then reduced to 400 to reduce side effects and slowly bring up levels. It's been a week and a half now and I am discontinuing this drug. The most disturbing side effects were hearing sounds in a lower key, almost like a record player playing an album too slow, and also the feeling like my eyes were being shaken. Taking at the same time as lamictal 400 reduced to 200, cipralex 10 mg, meridia 15 mg, synthroid. | F | 33 | 2 weeks | 10/27/2007 | 1 | Seizure Disorder | I had my first seizure when I was 12 yrs old and I was put on Tegretol. I was not diagnosed with epilepsy but seemed to have seizures around the time of my period. Tegretol, overall, did not work for me. The longest I was seizure free on this medication was three months. The side effects included massive mood swings, nausea (especially in the morning), memory loss, and trouble reading and concentrating. I didn't know that some of these effects were the result of this drug for I myself was too young to understand. I currently have very little long term memory. I seem to have lost many memories from childhood that seem to many to deem from age and time. This is my longest lasting side effect of this medication. It is very frustrating to live with this at times especially when your loved ones share with you their childhood memories. I do not recomend this medication for children. | Following this drug, I was put on Depakote. This drug has minimal side effects only if given low doses. I have been seizure free for a long time now. I am happy and taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, and physically. For those prone for seizures, I have found that stress control and taking care of one's body is the most important way to remain seizure free with low doses of medication. I hope this helps others like everyone's comments have helped me. Thank you. | F | 22 | 9 months | 5/3/2007 | 1 | Bipolar Disorder | below (same person) | i was the last person to post.... I wanted to mention that i was on topomax (which was perfect- for me) but stopped taking it because it was too expensive (116 dollars a month) and i am not qualified to get insurance, so they tried me on tegretol saying it was simmilar and cheaper. Well, I am going to the doctor tommorow and asking to get back on topomax regardless of the cost. I learned my lesson, my health is too important to bargain with. It doesn't even treat my bipolar disorder, it made it worse and added to my OCD and made me sick. I have been severely depressed/manic for the last month of being on it and have felt suicidal. My mother was bipolar and killed herself, so i know the importance of meds...I will NEVER take this again! But maybe it is good for you...everyone is different- remember that when reading these comments. Done. | F | 20 | 2 months | 4/29/2007 |