Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 129599

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Trileptal experiences?

Posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37

Hi everyone,

I just started on Trileptal a couple of weeks ago for bipolar disorder. It has been working great so far. Just wondering if anyone else would like to share their experiences with it? As we all probably think - since it's been working so great for me - it should work as great for others : )

I haven't seen that much about it though lately on this board, so I'm curious what other's experiences have been.

Krysti

 

Re: Trileptal experiences?

Posted by Katrina on November 29, 2002, at 12:25:28

In reply to Trileptal experiences?, posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37

I take it with minimal side effects...none really. do you know if it interacts with the birth control pill?? What dose are you on? I am on 300 at night and 150 in the morning. good med to me.

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? » Krysti

Posted by Mr Cushing on November 29, 2002, at 12:58:29

In reply to Trileptal experiences?, posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37


Hey Krysti, K, I've got an interesting story for you about this drug and Tegretol. I ran into one of my Dad's old buddies yesterday and he had heard that I was DX'd with being Bi-Polar. Anyways, I've always heard stories from my Dad about how his friend was always in and out of the hospital and how sometimes he would do great for months on end, and then finally slip off.

Anyways, he told me yesterday that he's tried a number of mood stabilizers. The first was Lithium, which he said he had to take for like 10-15 years because there was nothing else really out there at the time to help him. He said that this drug was like a monster if you had to take a high dose of it. Then when Depakote became available, he made the switch over to that which he took for about 15-20 years. He said that this is the drug that he continuously stopped taking because he was never really big on working out or eating right and he found that no matter how hard he tried, his weight would really start to bounce up high on this drug. It would get to the point where he felt so horrible about his weight that he would quit the drug for a bit to get the weight off. Most of the times when he quit the drug, he would go into a really high manic episode or a really deep depression and have to be hospitalized. So anyways, the last time he needed to be hospitalized was five years ago. Since then, it's almost like he's been reborn. He said that the last time he went into the hospital, the Doctors there put him on Tegretol just to see what would happen. He said that once he got past the side effects of this medication it was like a miracle drug for him. He said that the side effects were very minimal compared with the Lithium that he used to have to take. He also said that not only did Tegretol do the trick to keep him from going into either a manic or depressive episode, he said that when he was around the middle of the spectrum (like the normal phase) he still found that the drug helped him quite a bit. Now, about a year ago, he made the switch over to Trileptal just to see what happened. He said that this is essentially the Tegretol control with next to no side effects. That this has been the happiest he's been in about a long as he can remember, and for once, out of like the 40 something years that he's been dealing with this disease, that he feels almost like he doesn't have it. All he has to do is remember to take his medication in the morning and at night and things are absolutely great.

He also told me that he used to have insomnia really bad for years and years. That for a few decades he would take prescribed sleeping pills at night to give him the restorative sleep that he needed. Anyways, with Trileptal, after taking his night time dose, he just falls asleep like a baby and usually doesn't have any problems waking up in the morning.

Anyways, thought you would find that interesting. If my weight keeps jumping up on Depakote (I'm giving it another 15lbs) then I'm actually going to make the switch over to Trileptal myself. I just want to give every one of my medications a fair shot to work and it's only been about a month on Depakote and I'm still trying to get the Effexor out of my system.

 

Re: Trileptal experiences?

Posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 18:06:35

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences?, posted by Katrina on November 29, 2002, at 12:25:28

Hi Katrina,

Thanks for responding. It does say on the bottle that it can lessen the effect of birth control pills so I went off of them. I figured there's no reason to take them if I can't trust them to work. That was a bummer, but worth it if it keeps working so well. I started out taking 300 in the morning and 300 at night. Then I went up to 600 at night. I was supposed to go up to 600 in the morning also, but haven't because the 600 works very well to put me to sleep at night and am afraid if I take it in the morning, I will fall asleep at work! This dose is working so far so I really haven't felt the need to increase it anyway.

How long have you been on it? The only thing that does worry me is the bottle also says to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Since it's winter, I don't have to worry about that now. But, during the summer I usually spend most weekends boating. I really hope I don't have a reaction to it because that's my life in the summer. I can't imagine staying away from the sun. That would REALLY bum me out. There is something to say for sanity and feeling normal though : )

Krysti

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? - Mr Cushing

Posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 18:13:32

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences? » Krysti, posted by Mr Cushing on November 29, 2002, at 12:58:29

Hi Mike,

That is great! I am going to feel pretty lucky if this is it. I thought I would have to go a lot longer than this to find the med/meds that work.

Do you know if he's had any side effects at all? The bottle says to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and in the summer, the sun is pretty much my life. Just wondering why that warning is on there and what will happen and if it affects everyone or just some people???

Thanks for the info!

Krysti

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? - Mr Cushing

Posted by Mr Cushing on November 29, 2002, at 19:01:50

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences? - Mr Cushing, posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 18:13:32


Krysti, I don't have a clue other than what I told you in the last post. That is basically the jist of our conversation. The thing that gets me though is that he's like 60 now, at least, and my Dad says that "" was 26 when he was first admitted into a hospital. That was 34 years of being in and out of manic/depressive episodes and hospitals and that Tegretol and Trileptal have been the first medications in his entire history that have made him almost forget that he was Bi-Polar. That he has no problem taking them each and every day and has never felt better in his life.

I know that everybody is different, but that's coming from somebody with a LOT of experience. Hell, probably more experience than most of us patients or doctors have experienced.

All I know is that if Depakote keeps making me gain weight, and if my stomach aches (which have just started in the past 2 days) don't start to go away soon, I'm definitely going to try that out for myself.

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? - Mr Cushing

Posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 20:01:56

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences? - Mr Cushing, posted by Mr Cushing on November 29, 2002, at 19:01:50

I never had any stomach problems on Depakote. Gabitril gave me bad stomach pains and heartburn though. The stomach pains felt like heartburn in my stomach. Tums made it go away almost immediately.

 

Anyone else on Trileptal??? (nm)

Posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 20:02:46

In reply to Trileptal experiences?, posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? » Krysti

Posted by Ritch on December 1, 2002, at 10:26:00

In reply to Trileptal experiences?, posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37

> Hi everyone,
>
> I just started on Trileptal a couple of weeks ago for bipolar disorder. It has been working great so far. Just wondering if anyone else would like to share their experiences with it? As we all probably think - since it's been working so great for me - it should work as great for others : )
>
> I haven't seen that much about it though lately on this board, so I'm curious what other's experiences have been.
>
> Krysti


Krysti, this makes my 2nd trial of Trileptal along with Depakote/Klonopin and a little Effexor. I'm up to 225mg/day and so far I haven't had any serious "crashing" mood switches which I normally experience this time of year. Sfx-wise I am noticing a little dry mouth/nausea and slightly blurred vision. I'm taking a little fish oil and L-tyrosine as well, though. I ran out of fish oil a few weeks ago for several days and I definitely felt more unstable without it.--Mitch

 

Re: Trileptal experiences?

Posted by eden on January 16, 2003, at 21:18:35

In reply to Trileptal experiences?, posted by Krysti on November 27, 2002, at 13:10:37

Hi! I was really excited to find this site and see these postings. I have recently started on Trileptal for bipolar disorder. To complicate matters my 3 1/2 year old started on the same thing on the same day (smaller dose of course). I think we were both doing really well until we started increasing the dosage. I hate to be insubordinate but I think the doc is giving us too much!? I am going to move us back down and see what happens. I was taking 450 at night and 300 in the am when I really felt like I would go mad. I was really happy in the 300 total range. Any comments? Also, the doc said he thought it would take atleast 2 weeks to see any results and I feel like I noticed changes within 2 days. For both of us!! I would love any feedback. Thanks.

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? » eden

Posted by Geezer on January 16, 2003, at 21:48:26

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences?, posted by eden on January 16, 2003, at 21:18:35

Hi Eden,

I started Trileptal two weeks ago and currently take a total of 600mg. per day. The instructions were 150 4x per day. I am beginning to think your twice per day dose might be a better idea. I have TRD (probably Bipolar) and the Trileptal has helped but I have to see my pdoc tomorrow and he will add an SSRI (antidepressant) and probably a stimulant of some kind. I am 57 years old, weigh 170 lbs. and have been treated with every kind of psyc. drug you can think of for the past 30 years, plus had ECT about 5 weeks ago. If you are new to the game it is possible your dose is a little too much all at once but the upper limit could be much higher. Perhaps just move it up slower. I think it is a good drug. I have not heard about a 3 1/2 year old being treated so early.

I will keep you informed. Would like to see you post your results as well.

Best wishes,

Geezer

 

Re: Trileptal experiences?

Posted by Sharrla on January 17, 2003, at 22:11:46

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences? » eden, posted by Geezer on January 16, 2003, at 21:48:26

I have a 45 pound 4 year old who has been on Trileptal for 7 months. She is experiencing a high creatinin level and her kidneys are not functioning properly. She has an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks but, I was wondering if anyone else has had any kidney problems?

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? » Sharrla

Posted by Geezer on January 18, 2003, at 11:08:24

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences?, posted by Sharrla on January 17, 2003, at 22:11:46

> I have a 45 pound 4 year old who has been on Trileptal for 7 months. She is experiencing a high creatinin level and her kidneys are not functioning properly. She has an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks but, I was wondering if anyone else has had any kidney problems?

Sharrla and Eden,

Sorry, when I made the comment about the young age of your children being treated with Trileptal I was not considering the use for seizure control. I had only considered treatment for Bipolar disorder, please correct me on this point.

Sharrla - I have read that Trileptal is excreted through the kidneys so your concern about your child's creatinin levels may certainly have merit. In any case that visit to the specialist ASAP would certainly be well advised. There are pbabblers on this board with much better knowledge on this topic than I and I hope you will hear from them. Please keep us informed on your progress.

Geezer

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by shannonbp on January 24, 2003, at 21:05:57

In reply to Anyone else on Trileptal??? (nm), posted by Krysti on November 29, 2002, at 20:02:46

Krysti & Mr. Cushing

I am pretty sensative about med changes/dosages. My transition
to Trileptal recently worked up to 300 am / 600 pm. I was more
than uncomfortable during the day - drowsie doesn't begin to
describe it.

Anyway, when I complained about
distracted/dysjunct/absent/tired/loss of interest in everything, it was recommended that I
increase to 600 in the morning, which I did with extreme reluctance.

Surprisingly, I experienced a turn around. I am still getting
acclimated to this drug, but I am much more comfortable on it now
- I would say be open to increase if recommended.

I am curious about med mixes...is anyone (bipolar) on other
drugs with Trileptal?

Finally, Cushing...physical aspects of Depakote suck! I won't
tell you to get off - - but I did.

 

Re: Trileptal experiences? » Geezer

Posted by eden on January 25, 2003, at 8:30:44

In reply to Re: Trileptal experiences? » eden, posted by Geezer on January 16, 2003, at 21:48:26

>Geezer.

Thanks for the reply. You make a very good point about the age of treatment. There is a pretty good article from TIME entitled "Young and Bipolar" (which you can easily find by putting this info into your browser) that talks about a need for an earlier diagnosis. If you could see how miserable a child with this illness is you would see, as I did, we've gotta do SOMETHING. But you certainly didn't offend me. We did actually both wean off the Trileptal because we both got the "RASH." I think the trick to this med is to have a doc who really understands how to prescribe it. In the meantime, I have seen a naturopath and we are exploring a gluten allergy possibility for her. It was encouraging. Thanks a lot. And good luck to you all. Eden

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal??? Shannonbp

Posted by ROO on January 25, 2003, at 10:07:38

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by shannonbp on January 24, 2003, at 21:05:57

Shannon--

I'm curious about your experience with Trileptal...
I've been on Topamax and I'm decidedly unhappy with
it. Mainly because of some pretty major sexual side
effects (it makes my lips, fingers and um...other parts
of my body feel numb)...but also because I feel it really
flattens me out to a degree I'm not happy with. I don't know
if ALL mood stabilizers do this and I just have to live with
it, or if maybe Trileptal may be better in this respect. Do
you feel it flattens you out? Have you experienced sexual
side effects with it or lowered libido? What about weight
gain? (That's one thing I DID like about the topamax...no
weight gain...maybe even some weight loss....not quite as interested
in food...although it doesn't taste as good either, which I kind
of miss....I used to love to eat...one of life's greatest pleasures....
now it's kind of like "ho hum"....so you take away sex and food...and
you feel flattened out half the time...what does that leave? Not much.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any feedback...

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by MARKED on January 17, 2004, at 13:17:33

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by shannonbp on January 24, 2003, at 21:05:57

Also curious of med mixes, especially Moclobemide and Trileptal ??
......had pretty good mood increase with moclo, just ran up to 850mg and came off the ride after 2 years, as it stopped doing anything for me. I was stable though, relapsed a few times, but didn't go on anything, now i'm finding i'm in that "what to take now" frame of mind. Have been off prescriptions for 4 years, so i feel like a newbie while still having been thru it all for the past 12 years, and most drugs. Just contemplating the mixes now, as they seem to show good results from standalones.
I'm cycling too more in moods....2-3 times a day for 3days off/on. Not really manic, more lathargic/tired/ emotionless. Moclobemide seemed to give me the kick, but mixing i hope to stablilise it more as i don't want to get manic as in past.

> I am curious about med mixes...is anyone (bipolar) on other
> drugs with Trileptal?
>

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by chasidypb on October 6, 2004, at 5:42:42

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by MARKED on January 17, 2004, at 13:17:33

I am only on a small dose of tripletal, and only have been on it for a few weeks. But so far, not so good. I have been strugeling with insomnia for these 2 weeks, and I truly can not sleep. I have a mix of 150 mg. of Trileptal, and 20 mg. of Adderall XR each day. I do know that adderall causes insomnia but I thought that maybe the trileptal would even it out. I cant seem to find the medication that works for me. I believe the only time I did good was on 75 mg. of Seraquel. If anyone knows what else I could do that would help, that would be great. I WANT to sleep so bad!! I am actaully starting to get paranoid because I am so sleep deprived, and also I have really bad anxiety, so I feel that if I dont find an alternative for this trileptal Im going to be having a heart attack or something, and this would not be too good...

Someone please help... what should I do?

Thank you so much!

-chasidypb

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal??? » chasidypb

Posted by olysi79 on October 7, 2004, at 15:56:55

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by chasidypb on October 6, 2004, at 5:42:42

150 of Trileptal is nothing... adderall is a very very potent medication... I only took 5 MGS of it and I was up at night and my mood swings were phenomenal... adderall is great for adhd, but keep these side effects in mind. Could you consider increasing your trileptal, decreasing your adderall, and then perhaps trying trazodone to help u sleep? hope this helps


> I am only on a small dose of tripletal, and only have been on it for a few weeks. But so far, not so good. I have been strugeling with insomnia for these 2 weeks, and I truly can not sleep. I have a mix of 150 mg. of Trileptal, and 20 mg. of Adderall XR each day. I do know that adderall causes insomnia but I thought that maybe the trileptal would even it out. I cant seem to find the medication that works for me. I believe the only time I did good was on 75 mg. of Seraquel. If anyone knows what else I could do that would help, that would be great. I WANT to sleep so bad!! I am actaully starting to get paranoid because I am so sleep deprived, and also I have really bad anxiety, so I feel that if I dont find an alternative for this trileptal Im going to be having a heart attack or something, and this would not be too good...
>
> Someone please help... what should I do?
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> -chasidypb

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by MARKED on October 8, 2004, at 7:33:13

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal??? » chasidypb, posted by olysi79 on October 7, 2004, at 15:56:55

I am currently on 2 tablets a day (40mg each morning) of Cipramil/Citalopram (which is the softer form of Trileptal) for OCPD. Sleeping has been a god send with this, I still need to force myself to sleep before midnight (or I never get to sleep), but when I do I'm up every morning at 6am (ready to go, no obsessive thoughts,no mood swings, really clears the mind). No anxiety or side-effects (if you get a cold, please don't take any pseudoephedrine flu tablets (it makes your heart race, splutter, stop and you lose breathing every few minutes, become hyper and confused, with pulpitating heartbeats). I would also agree with the previous post (it will also help your anxiety a lot more). Also learn to change behaviours, and take things slow. Let yourself get burnt out every few days (but allow for it, and make this your veg day, or be in a comfortable environment). I tend to be in a cycle of 4days good, 1day bad. I accept this as being about as normal as I can be, and work my time around it.
CBT helps a great deal, and a support group :)

> 150 of Trileptal is nothing... adderall is a very very potent medication... I only took 5 MGS of it and I was up at night and my mood swings were phenomenal... adderall is great for adhd, but keep these side effects in mind. Could you consider increasing your trileptal, decreasing your adderall, and then perhaps trying trazodone to help u sleep? hope this helps
>
>
> > I am only on a small dose of tripletal, and only have been on it for a few weeks. But so far, not so good. I have been strugeling with insomnia for these 2 weeks, and I truly can not sleep. I have a mix of 150 mg. of Trileptal, and 20 mg. of Adderall XR each day. I do know that adderall causes insomnia but I thought that maybe the trileptal would even it out. I cant seem to find the medication that works for me. I believe the only time I did good was on 75 mg. of Seraquel. If anyone knows what else I could do that would help, that would be great. I WANT to sleep so bad!! I am actaully starting to get paranoid because I am so sleep deprived, and also I have really bad anxiety, so I feel that if I dont find an alternative for this trileptal Im going to be having a heart attack or something, and this would not be too good...
> >
> > Someone please help... what should I do?
> >
> > Thank you so much!
> >
> > -chasidypb
>
>

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal??? (nm)

Posted by fayth23 on November 26, 2004, at 19:52:28

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by MARKED on October 8, 2004, at 7:33:13

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by fayth23 on November 26, 2004, at 19:54:55

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by MARKED on October 8, 2004, at 7:33:13

It's been a little while since anyone's posted to this thread, but I am just starting Trileptal for bipolar and have a question that maybe one of you could answer.

I have very intrusive ruminating thoughts during day and night (of course are worse at night and cause terrible insomnia). I thought they were a part of my personality, as they are mostly worrying what people think of me, until I found that taking Ambien in low doses caused them to stop, and the current task in front of me was easier to focus on. I became dependent on Ambien, because this was such a relief, but obviously, this isn't a realistic treatment.

My question is, has anyone noticed that Trileptal takes away obsessive, disturbing, ruminating thoughts? What was the cognitive experience like after that? Was there a "quietness" of the mind? (I'm not sure if these thoughts are even related to bipolar, and may be related to OCD or something) but anyway, can anyone relate to this experience and trileptal in relation to it? I hope this makes sense, thanks for reading.

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by midwestgirl on November 30, 2004, at 1:26:23

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by fayth23 on November 26, 2004, at 19:54:55

Fayth23,

I'm on Trileptal for the other BPD (boderline personality disorder) and it seems to be working for me now. I have to take a bunch of pills - 6 a day, 300mg each, but there don't seem to be any side effects and it helps my crazy mood swings. I don't know how it affects bipolar, but I'm OK with it. It doesn't make me foggy, fat, or hyper so its good for me. Good luck with everything.

Midwestgirl

 

Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???

Posted by Leesa on November 25, 2007, at 21:29:35

In reply to Re: Anyone else on Trileptal???, posted by fayth23 on November 26, 2004, at 19:54:55

I have been on trileptal and seroquel for almost 2 years. It gave me the ability to stop the constant mind chatter. I still have moments when it hits. It usually is when I am stressed. I credit both meds for stopping the constant chatter in my head and allowing me to sleep after 10 years of insomnia. My problem is my memory. I don't know if my concentration is worse or I was so over focused for years that I don't know what "normal" is. I hope you have great life changing results like I did. I feel like a caged bird finally free!


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