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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bipolarspectrum on March 24, 2006, at 22:57:42
Hello,
I'm shopping around for an anticonvulsant and i was wondering if you could place the ones you've tried in somewhat of an order regarding how they affect(ed) your thinking?? I'm talking lamictal, topamax, tegretol, depakote, keppra, trileptal and any others ive forgotten... thank you for any replies!
bps
Posted by linkadge on March 25, 2006, at 16:37:21
In reply to order of anticonvulsants for cognition??, posted by bipolarspectrum on March 24, 2006, at 22:57:42
Of those that I've taken,
depakote good
tegretol worse
trileptal worstMind you, I was on a low dose of depakote. I thought I'd (I may have mentioned to you before) that folic acid provided some significant help in the regard of anticonvulsant attentional problems.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on March 25, 2006, at 16:38:05
In reply to Re: order of anticonvulsants for cognition??, posted by linkadge on March 25, 2006, at 16:37:21
attentional isn't even a word I don't think...cognitive would fit better.
Linkadge
Posted by Caedmon on March 25, 2006, at 21:52:00
In reply to order of anticonvulsants for cognition??, posted by bipolarspectrum on March 24, 2006, at 22:57:42
Topamax: slight cog. impair, nothing I couldn't handle.
Lamictal: neutral (so far at a measley 50mg, still increasing dose)
Klonopin: significant cog. impair and depression
Valium: neutralThat's all I've taken. Yeah, I know, benzos aren't for prophylactic use really, but I figure it helps to include them for reference.
My guess is that Keppra is one of the kindest to your noggin. Good luck.
- C
Posted by med_empowered on March 26, 2006, at 15:49:11
In reply to Re: order of anticonvulsants for cognition??, posted by Caedmon on March 25, 2006, at 21:52:00
in general, the first days to weeks you'll feel stupid--you might not actually be cognitively impaired per se, but the mild sedation will make you feel pretty dumb. That said, for me it's like this:
klonopin--usually not a problem
trileptal--not problematic up to 600; 900 a little dimmed, 1200 slowed down a good bit
depakote--cognition not too impaired, but i felt emotionally flat, kind of like on a neuroleptic
other benzos--ativan no problems, xanax just felt strange, and librium made me feel spaced out
Keppra is supposed to be very "clean," in terms of side effects and drug/drug interactions. The worst anticonvulsant is probably Phenytoin (Dilantin)..it tends to make people act and feel stupid. Its not used too often for bipolar, but is RXd now and then for bipolar and some forms of psychosis.
Posted by bipolarspectrum on March 26, 2006, at 20:31:06
In reply to anticonvulsants, posted by med_empowered on March 26, 2006, at 15:49:11
Thanx for the replies....
I'm on tegretol right now and its really bad for clouding my mind... i think i'd like to switch to either trileptal or depakote... i think im gonna choose depakote because its pretty well known and my father is having success on it... so i wonder if it would work for me...
bps
This is the end of the thread.
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