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        New Message Board Archives >> Oct-Dec 2003 >> Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
        
(Message started by: Carl_D on Oct 13^th, 2003, 6:13pm)

Title: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by Carl_D on Oct 13^th, 2003, 6:13pm

The pain management Doc put me on Tegretol, and so far I am experiencing some of the same side effects that I did with Neurontin: Loss of balance and coordination, jittery hands (which makes it hard to type.) I get little spasms im my hands and fingers and just feel wierd. Anyone else taken this with the same symptoms? Just wondering.

Carl D

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by andy on Oct 13^th, 2003, 9:00pm

Carl, i have taken tegritol in the past but not for CH. It is an anti-seizure med. I took it for TN (trigeminal neuralgia) it will take some time to get into your system before you will notice anything. In my opinion it will not do anything for CH but worked great for TN. I had few side effects but i was really fucked up back then though.
Good luck and keep us posted.........andy

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by Dave_Emond on Oct 13^th, 2003, 9:47pm

Hi Carl.. Dave E's wife Annette here.
Dave was prescribed Tegretol 2 years ago.. he took it for only a few days He began getting the jitters and some pretty radical mood swings for such an easy going guy right away. Within a couple more days, he was having convulsions/ seizures? and blacking out.
His neuro stopped it immediately and the problems stopped just as fast.
Be careful! BTW his dosage was as follows... we keep all the old bottles as well as records..
1 tab at bedtime for 3 days
then 1 twice daily for 3 days
then 1 three times a day... he was taken off it on the morning of day 6!!!
Hope this info is valuable to ya.... and hope this med works for you. As I said tho.. since you are jittery... be careful.. don't do anything that could be considered risky until you know for sure.
Annette

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by Charlie on Oct 14^th, 2003, 12:39am

It can be a tricky drug I understand but for some epileptics, it works pretty good. It hasn't been prescribed for me yet.

One of many seizure drugs used for CH......Good luck.

Charlie

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by ave on Oct 14^th, 2003, 1:58am

I was given Tegretol when I was misdiagnosed for Trig. Neuralgia.
It did not combat my clusters.
It DID take 9 months of my life, that are still a bit of a haze to me, especially on the emotional level.

Paraphrasing Ueli: worthless against clusters but makes great zombi's!

Stay away from that stuff!

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by Brian_Y on Oct 14^th, 2003, 12:54pm

I took it once and talked non-stop for literally hours and hours. I was given it for depression.

Can you imagine someone like me not shutting up?

Ever?

Shaddup!!!

I am serious, tho, I talked and talked and talked and talked and had strange dreams.

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by stuey on Oct 15^th, 2003, 2:34pm

My nephew takes tegretol for his seizures and it stops him from seizing as long as he takes them regularly. I am taking trileptal for my seizures which is tegretol with an added molecule which doesn't cause me to have to worry about white blood cell count as tegretol users have to. Everyone reacts to different meds differently. Trileptal does nothing for my CHs. I tried Topamax as an anti-convulsant and as a possible preventive and it made me so high and lethargic I refused to take it. All I can say is that side effects usually wear off after a week or two once your body gets used to it. I just couldn't get used to the Topamax. Since trileptal is so similar in make up to tegretol I can only say from my experience it doesn't help my CHs or pain, but if it works for you I would be happy for you. Anything that works.

Title: Re: Has anyone taken Tegretol before?
Post by Carl_D on Oct 15^th, 2003, 2:50pm

Well here is my update on Tegretol.

I find it interesting that Tregretol is basically Trileptle. What, does my Doc hate me or something? I am ALLERGIC to Trileptal. That could be why I am itching like a crazy man, have no balance or coordination,I get hand tremors, wicked dreams (I blame that on the Amytriptyline), fighting off an upper respiratory infection, and my head is literally pounding. Telling the new neuro about this tomorrow.

Peace,
Carl D