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 Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TEGRETOL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | Because of pregnancy/nursing | I honestly only noticed three annoying side effects...cannot remember words, and have difficulty processing information, and my libido is non-responsive. Other than that, I seem to tolerate it well. | I am taking this medicine because I wanted to nurse my son. He is almost 5 months now and I am concerned about what this medication might be doing to him. I will probably stop nursing and switch back to Lamictal. | F | 28 | 9 months | 10/14/2008 | 3 | Facial nerve pain, Lt side "shock" | I have just begun my first week of tegretol and I just want to sleep. I also take 300mg lamictal, increasing to 400 mg in 2 weeks. I am on 200mg daily now, increasing to 200mg twice a day in another week. | I have great aprehension about this medication considering how stinking tired it's making me. I take it now when I get home from work (4pm), and eat around 6:15. I have nausea also, but just figured out that it must be taken with food. No thanks to the pharmacist. I fear that when I take it in the morning and late afternoon, that I will be sluggish, lathargic and unable to perform at work. I work in an operating room and cannot afford to not be on my game. Will these side effects go away eventually or does someone have a suggestion as to when I should take the meds as to not feel the wrath at work. I already have an FMLA in place, but cannot afford to take tons of time off. The combo of the tegretol and lamictal seem to be helping with the nerve pain and shocks, but are the side effects worth the help??? I don't know the answer to that yet. Any suggestions would be helpful!! | M | 42 | 6 days | 10/7/2008 | 2 | partial seizures? | fatigue, memory loss, particularly with short-term, loss of libido, confusion, lack of motivation, problems with word-retrival, loss of concentration, and poor organizational skills. Basically, feel like a stupid, walking zombie that has no feelings and can sleep at the drop of a hat. | As I have not been conclusively diagnosed with epilepsy, I feel I have been caught in a whirlwind of a system, which has made it difficult to maintain my job. I'm caught in the middle, where I need to accommodate the side effects of Tegretol, or my driving privleges will be revoked once again, while trying a new medication. This is a scary proposition to me, because it tells me how powerful this drug is. I'm glad it helps others, but not for me. Sorry to vent. | F | 54 | 1 years | 9/12/2008 | 3 | seizures | dizziness,trembling,aggression (she is only 1 so it could be terrible two's?) | the side effects are frightning, we are weaning her off but scared of those side effects too. Have any other parents had babies\toddlers on this medication? | F | 1 | 2 months | 9/1/2008 | 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 | 5 | seizure disorder | tired, joint pain, but not too bad at all, hunger increased as well. | I have not had a seizure while taking the medication 200MG 4x daily. I did stop for one day as I was going to be drinking and I didn't want to mix. Two drinks and I was throwing up additionally I had a grand mal at night...not worth stopping. Really stupid on my part. One other thing...I am a writer and have had great difficulty with spelling and hitting keys on my computer since on med. | F | 33 | 4 months | 8/15/2008 | 5 | TLE & mood swings | Took Tegretol for 15 years and it was a total godsend. Very few side effects but now unfortunately I have to stop Tegretol as it metabolises in the same way as the only two HIV salvage drugs left open to me. Tried Trileptal but bad reaction. | M | 56 | 15 years | 7/29/2008 | 5 | bipolar/chronic pain (fibromyalgia? | drowsiness, weight gain | I am on 1000mg, I take it all at night and it helps me sleep. While on it I have been able to hold down full time stressful job and raise a child (I am single parent.) If I run out or miss a few days of meds, chronic pain comes back like I have very bad flu symptoms. This has been a lifesaver literally. I have not been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons since on it. Only downfall is the weight gain... about 80 in the last 10 years. | F | 38 | 10 years | 7/19/2008 | 4 | Bipola | Lack of Appetite (dream come true as my weight has fluctuated for years) , Sleepy | Hopefully this will cure my Bipola and Binge Eating Disorder | M | 26 | 2 months | 7/1/2008 | 4 | Seizures | Drowsiness, fatigue, joint pain | Very few side effects compared to other antiepileptic drugs and it controlled my seizures, it had be to increased over time though because it stop working | F | 35 | 2 years | 6/16/2008 | 5 | seizures, bipolar disorder | I remember feeling dizzy and woozy when I first started taking it for a few days. My doc described the feeling as being like a "drunken sailor". He was right. Since then , no side effects. Just necessary to get bloodwork every three months to make sure it doesn't screw up your liver. | M | 13 | 14 years | 6/12/2008 | 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 | 3 | trigeminal neuralgia/mood swings | whilst on carbamazepine: lack of energy/motivation/talkativeness, bad circulation, depression, memory loss(short term/long term) whilst attempting to come off it: confusion, slurred speech, depression, restlessness/agitation, short term memory loss(a lot worse than before), circulation seems worse than whilst on the tablets, head shocks come back almost straight away but more frequent | I was put on tegretol to ease the shocks in my head(trigeminal neuralgia) and also to control the mood swings that came with it. The first 2/3 weeks were difficult, I had no energy and felt zoned out. The medication made me feel boring, as I couldn't think straight and it calmed me down so much I felt I was almost a mute. In the mornings I'd wake up to a head shock(which had never happened so frequently before)and confusion. My circulation was a problem at the start but I guess that turned into something I could ignore/get used to. I couldn't get used to the memory loss though, I still can't, its frustrating. It might sound silly but I feel like I don't have real thoughts anymore, they're tucked away somewhere in the back of my head and I can't get to them. I have tried coming off tegretol, the proper way and my way. Lowering my dosage left me feeling no different. Since then for the past few weeks I have been trying to drastically stop the medication. I went two weeks without any tegr | F | 21 | 6 months | 5/11/2008 | 3 | epilepsy | i don't remember much, i don't want to do anything. i can't poop. | i've been on this for a good solid decade. it helps stop my convulsions, but i take it with dilantin, so i think the combination makes me extra stupid. i want to get off, but at the same time i don't want to flop around on the floor at dunkin donuts in union, nj. | M | 27 | 11 years | 5/10/2008 | 5 | epilepsy/ seizures | Cold sweats, memory loss, hair loss. | Terrible drug for me. I was diagnosed as an epileptic around 1988. The best drug at the time seemed to be tegretol. I was on it for roughly 11 years. While I was taking it, it always seemed to keep me on the "edge" of having a seizure. It tempered them at best. I'm one of the lucky few who get an "aura" or warning when one is coming, rather than just instantly falling to the floor. Around 1999, my neurologist suggested trying Lamictal. It was a godsend. I haven't had a single seizure since I've been using the drugs, nor have I noticed any side effects. | M | 41 | 9 years | 4/17/2008 | 3 | epilepsy | memory loss, headaches | I have read remarks on Tegretol and every one says they have memory loss but the doctors keep saying No! When are they going to listen to the people how take it, proof is in the pudding I would say. Maybe they should take the stuff and then see what it does to them!!! Thanks for reading :) | F | 41 | 15 years | 4/12/2008 | 5 | petit mal seizures | About once every 10-14 days I suffer from numb mouth,an unsteady gait,feeling 'spaced out'and slurring my speech.I also get twitchy fingers. | I am on 600mg tegretol retard (to try and alleviate the side effects)twice daily. My epilepsy came back after a period of 2 years without medication and I am currently unable to drive until I have been seizure free for a year.I thought it was just me that had problems with memory,both short term and long term!It is reassuring to know that I am not alone. I am reluctant to stop the tegretol as I haven't been driving for almost a year already and I still have 9 months to go, it took ages to get under control. I haven't discussed the fact that I am still having side effects although I could go on Kepra(?)Changing tablets could spark the epilepsy off again and that's another year without independence!I guess I'll have to stick with it. | F | 40 | 15 months | 4/11/2008 | 4 | I Took it for epilepsy (petimal seisures)for 7 years from age 7 - 14. Though, experienced constant fatigue and lack of interest in activities. This ended shortly after stoping dosage. School grades immediatly improved considerably and my interest in activiteis and learning was significantly increased afterwards. However, still continued to experience occasional bouts of disinterest and fatigue, though unsure if this was a residual effect from taking such high dosages at a young age for so long durring key developmental years. | F | 26 | 7 years | 4/8/2008 | 4 | bipolar | enlarged thyroid | I take Equetro. great for mixed states, few side effects | F | 53 | 2 months | 3/27/2008 | 4 | Epilepsy | memory loss, some fatigue, no other symptoms | I have been on Tegretol since I was 12 and am now 33 years old. Whilst early on I had no visible side effects at all, as I get older I am having a marked increase in Memory loss. I like others remember little of my childhood and my short term memory stinks! Very frustrating for myself and those that I live with. I have been off work for a couple of years and it seems to have gotten worse since Ive stopped using my brain for work - type functions so Im hoping it will improve when I go back. The drug gives mee too much peace of mind to consider ditching it however Im pleased Im not the only one that has the memory loss symptom | F | 33 | 21 years | 3/20/2008 |