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 |
| 3 | Bipolar II | Dry itchy skin patches on upper arms & thighs.Increased appetite & weight gain. I am only taking 1/2 of the prescribed dose due to the itchiness (should be taking 200 mg 2 x a day - I take 1 x a day). | I was initially diagnosed as ADD, but ADD drug, Vyvanse, intensified my symptoms which led to a bipolar II diagnosis. Feel better, but not "normal". Have noticed I do not clench my jaw, grind my teeth, talk aloud to myself, or sing made up "rhymed" tunes as I was doing. Seem less moody & depressed. Difficulties w/memory,time management, sleep problems continue. Fired from job for repeated tardiness just as I began on Tegretol -I seemed driven to keep going & going until 2 or 3 am then collapsed into sleep but had difficulty waking & organizing myself to get to work on time. Not sure if I feel better due to the drug, or because I'm not working & am getting more sleep. I am very worried about my financial state & seeking a job-expect it will be difficult to find decent paying work after having been fired for tardiness i3 times in a row. I've always struggled w/mornings, but managed work until the last few years. My problem, bipolar, ADD or whateve | F | 52 | 45 days | 3/18/2008 | 5 | epilepsy | drowsy | F | 40 | 31 years | 3/4/2008 | 3 | bipolar rapid cycling | some weight gain (15lbs) complete loss of libido,(horrible) not wholly successful control of mood swings, irritability, itchy skin | tried everything else eg lithium, depakote etc- this is least worst option but does not fully control mood swings, take 400mg twice a day. Considering moving onto Lamotrigine but have been advised will need Seroquel as well as an anti-manic but which has awful side effects, but do really want to get some libido back, any feedback on this appreciated | F | 46 | 18 days | 2/23/2008 | 2 | Bipolar I | lots of pain in feet, bumped into everything. | I could only stand the foot pain for about 2 weeks. My Psych switched me to Trileptal and as long as I don't go above 300mg I don't have any pain. | F | 34 | 2 weeks | 2/22/2008 | 3 | Bipolar | In the first few months I developed hives,which has stopped. Ongoing sleep disturbances,dizziness,mental confusion and 'foggyness',memory loss,huge appetite and weight gain.Fell pregnant while using oral contraceptives,then miscarried,was unaware of reduced 'protection'.Headaches,concentration loss and struggle to find the correct words. | After many years of battling to find the right chemical combo, the combination of Tegretol,Aterax and Tripelene works well for me however the side-effects of Tegretol are a problem.I am looking for an alternative. | F | 40 | 5 months | 2/13/2008 | 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 | 3 | seizure | Weight Gain, Difficulty processing information, inability to recall information, a little more emotional and easily "set off" | I have not had anymore seizures which is great but I do struggle with the side effects especially it's inteference with my sports. I hoping to look at something different in the next month or two. | F | 31 | 10 months | 12/31/2007 | 4 | Epilepsy | Double vision if doses taken early/close together (400mg x 3 times per day). Half way through second pregnancy doctor finally told me tegretol affects the 'contraceptive pill' (reasons for my 2 unplanned pregnancies). I have the doses increased x 4 times during pregnancy to stop fits as they increase during the 9 months. Used to have temporal lobe seizures only prior to pregnacies and full on fits when pregnant. Slight memory loss but could be from getting older and having two kids around as distractions! | No weight gain due to keeping up with regular exercise/healthy lifestyle. Would not be able to drive without this medication, have normal life with tegretol. I can tell someone before I am having a fit, de-javu feeling, but dont know if it will be minor with my words mixed up or major and full seizure on the floor. No one else in my family has epilepsy. Wrote off my car when 3 weeks pregnant with my 2nd son, so always take medication on time and now get deprolovera injections 3 monthly to prevent getting pregnant again. (The contraceptive pill doesn't work). | F | 32 | 17 years | 12/10/2007 | 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 | 2 | seizures | forgetfulness(very irritating), drowsiness, fatigued, irregular sleep patterns, a lack of "drive", joint pains. | I took tegretol for 8 years from the ages of 4 to 12 for seizures & it seemed to work & I didn't need it for another 20 years until earlier this year when I started experiencing unexplainable dizziness, numbness & tingling in my left hand & foot & "out of body" feelings. The neurologist was totally unsure what had caused these symptoms even with the aid of an M.R.I. & E.E.G. & suggested that I go back onto tegretol as it had worked in the past.Seven months later I would really like to find a replacement medication or stop tegretol regardless as the side effects are affecting my quality of life considerably. | M | 33 | 7 months | 11/8/2007 | 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 | 3 | Epilepsy | Drowsiness. some coordination issues(Hand-eye) and memory problems. I have had problems focusing on work. These issues do not appear to be going away. | It has kept me seizure free for 5 years, but the side effects are hard to deal with. | M | 41 | 5 days | 10/3/2007 | 3 | Double Vision, Memory Loss - both short and long term, insomnia, problems getting the right words out, difficulty concentrating. | This drug has had some positive effects on my Bi-Polar Dissorder but the side-effects have got gradually worse to the point where they are now causing me mental anguish. | M | 47 | 3 years | 9/8/2007 | 2 | Bi-Polar Disorder | Skin feeling itchy (but no rash), music and ringtones sound lower in key than they really are. Nausea, dizziness, weight gain. | F | 31 | 8 days | 8/30/2007 | 5 | seizure disorder | Weight gain; feeling "foggy" -- used to play Trivial Pursuit and remembered all the obscure trivia, but after starting Tegretol I know that I know the information, just can't call it up out of the "file cabinet." | Considering that all medications cause some sort of side-effects, some worse than others, Tegretol has made it possible for me to drive, hold down a full-time job, raise a child -- in other words, have a productive life, so much so that the only time I think about having a seizure disorder is when I have to take a dose, go the doctor for a refill, or deal with the local DMV to keep my driver's license. The rest of the time I can just think of my seizure disorder as a "nuisance" that I have to deal with, not something that I have allowed to ruin my life. | F | 56 | 20 years | 8/28/2007 | 4 | Bi-polar | water retention, extremely sore breasts | F | 43 | 6 months | 8/28/2007 | 4 | Partical Complex Seizures | Double Vision when I took my dose too early, weight gain, about 10 lbs. some fatigue. | Skeptial at first taking lower Dose. Now taking 1000 mg 2 times a day. The higher dose has controlled my seizures now for 4 months. This is the longest time I have gone seizure free after trying a long list of drugs. Dilantin, Keppra, Lamictail... I am now begining to feel my seizures are controlled. | M | 37 | 10 months | 8/24/2007 | 4 | Left Temp. Lobe Epilepsy | I've noticed some disturbance of memory; once in a while, when taking it on an empty stomach there is transient nausea and/or stomach pain. If I mess up & take doses too close I might get double vision for about 20 minutes or so. I do have joint pain, but that might be age...... | I take 1100 mg of this drug a day--quite a large dose. I also took it through 2 pregnancies (both with normal outcomes--kids are now in H.S. & College), and nursed both kids. For me, it's been a wonder drug. It allows me to live a normal life. | F | 49 | 20 years | 8/7/2007 | 3 | bipolar | sleepiness, tingling fingers and tongue, memory problems, feel drugged on higher doses, acne | PROACTIVE HELPS THE ACNE- everyone should know this. my doctor didnt know about this side effect, i learned anti convulsants can have this effect from the proactive packaging. i just hate how little the doctors know about side effects! | F | 36 | 4 years | 7/21/2007 | 5 | trigeminal neuralgia | I started taking this twelve years ago and go up and down as needed. Generally, I stay on about 300 maintenance. It calms me and I feel pretty good on it. I actually like myself better on it than off. I do feel it interferes with my drive. I'm not as organized while on it. I also take lamictol 300 and the combination for the pain is great. Sometimes, I have to go up to 1000 mlg of tegretol when the pain is horrendous, but am under control with the pain with tegretol. I would say it has been a complete life saver for me. I would have gone beserk with pain if I hadn't had this drug.Sometimes trigeminal neuralgia can be incapacitating, and I find that tegretol works immediately for the pain. It also help me with mood swings too. Side affects; sexual, for sure. weight gain (just a bit; slows the metabolism down) that's about it. I have lost all the enamel on the insides of my teeth, but don't know if it's related. The dentists can't figure it out. | I think the most important thing for t.n. patients is to be on the RIGHT DOSE, with the right combination of other medicines. I think that is the key. When I've been at 1000 mlg for pain at times, I am like a zombie; extremely tired, no drive to do anything. Gladly, I don't have to be at that high dose for long; maybe a month at the most. I have an outstanding neurologist who moniters me regularly. | F | 55 | 13 years | 7/19/2007 |