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Re: TEGRETOL questions! » Jackster

Posted by Ritch on April 14, 2002, at 11:30:15

In reply to Re: TEGRETOL questions!, posted by Jackster on April 14, 2002, at 0:59:05

>
> > Hi Jackie,
> >
> > So, you are taking 100mg twice daily of Tegretol? That's nice that it is blocking panic attacks for you. I knew you were tinkering with that as an alternative antipanic med. Are you taking any other meds with it? Just curious.
> > Glad you are doing better. I ran out of Depakote so now I am not on Depakote (there WAS a withdrawal however!). Do you notice any cognitive problems with the Tegretol? I *might* wind up retrying that one as a mood stabilizer again. I tried it about 15 years ago during a bad depression and it didn't seem to be helping after a couple of weeks and I switched back to lithium at the time.
> >
> > Thanks for responding to any of my questions
> > in advance,
> >
> > Mitch
>
>
> Hi Mitch
>
> I'm glad to finally have a chance to help you! You've answered heaps of my questions in the past.
>
> I take the 200mg of Tegretol once at night. (I think it has a slight sedative effect). I am taking it with 40mg of Paxil (which still has an effect, but nothing like when I first started taking it. So have gone into 'augmentation mode') and 1mg of Xanax which I take half at night and half in the morning. (I have been very slowly reducing the Xanax over the last few months and am now at 1/3 of the original dose. Started taking it after a really bad roller coaster ride after stopping the Paxil one time).
>
> As for cognitive effects from Tegretol - it's hard to tell since I have them from the Xanax. (Poor name recall, inability to think of words sometimes). I notice that as I am winding down the use of Xanax - those side effects are definitely reducing too.
>
> One thing I never realised with Tegretol - is that is does have an anti-depressant effect. When we discussed with my PDoc starting it (my suggestion!) I thought it would just block my panic attacks - like it blocks epilepsy fits. A couple of weeks later I remember saying to someone at work that I felt really happy but I didn't know why! Wasn't til later that I made the connection! Boyfriend reckons I'm a lot more mellower too.
>
> Have been doing exposure therapy - and is going really well - I might get nervous but it doesn't escalate into a panic attack.
>
> PDoc seems to think that the dose is effective at a rather low level for me - don't know if you need higher levels for BP. I've read on here about another drug that is like a 'cleaner' version of tegretol - have you tried that one?
>
> Hope this helps - feel free to ask any more questions.
>
> Jackie


Jackie, thanks for responding. Tegretol is considered the "gold standard" for complex partial seizures. Yes, I have tried the cleaner version of Tegretol...Trileptal. Made me real wired and nauseous. Had no cognitive problems with it though. However, there is something special about Tegretol that Trileptal doesn't seem to touch from my pdoc's experience with switching BP-I patients from Teg to Trileptal-they all got manic and they had to be switched back. That's why I wonder if I could find some effectiveness and tolerability with Tegretol (as a low-dose addon). I know that I will have to get a blood draw and all that hooplah. I just can't tolerate Depakote's cognitive sfx. I am glad that you notice your cognitive sfx being reduced as you drop the Xanax. That kind of sounds like your pdoc's plan-keep you on the carbamazepine+Paxil and wean you away from the benzo. Simplify your med regime-it sounds great to me.

good luck,

Mitch


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poster:Ritch thread:102523
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