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Lamictal side effects/weight changes? Or Tegretol?

Mon, 08/13/2007 - 13:19
Hi everyone, For anyone who is or has been on lamictal, what has been your experience as far as weight changes or any other side effects with lamictal? I tend to gain weight very very easily and am looking for another med to try. I'm currently on Topamax and while it has been great as far as the weight loss, I just can't stand the side effects anymore. I'm constantly sick and cannot eat not anything. I'm also looking for a med that I can safely be on if I happen to become pregnant and this looks to be like one of them... Or how about Tegretol? Do any of you have favorable results with Tegretol as far as fewer side effects? Thanks :-) Elizabeth

Comments

Re: Lamictal side effects/weight changes? Or Tegretol?

Submitted by Simmy on Fri, 2013-05-31 - 10:11
To the people that use tegretol. My sister used it till she fell pregnant, it was more or less 10 years, when she fell pregnant she stopped her meds without consulting a dr, since then, now 22 years, she struggles to process information as we would do, she is very clever, but if we ask a question now, we need to give her time to think, especially with cognition, like telling her a joke or when you say something where she needs to play along, well she wont be able too, in afrikaans we say.. "sy snap nie so lekker nie". So please, unless you want to risk being a bit slow, rather consult with your doctor..

Re: Lamictal side effects/weight changes? Or Tegretol?

Submitted by Ellzee on Wed, 2013-06-12 - 05:25

I've been on Tegretol for one year. I don't have epilepsy (though I do have severe photophobia which triggers migraines/dizziness), but anti-epileptics seem to be the only meds that can control my chronic migraines. I was on Topamax before this but I got too many side effects. On top of all this I also recently went through treatment for a pitutary adenoma (benign tumour) (drug called Kripton/Criptine). I started both Tegretol and Kripton around the same time - knowing that I would probably gain weight with the drugs for my tumour. Many of my Topamax side effects were similar to my tumour symptoms.

I suspect that I got increased migraine activity with the increase of hormone that the tumour was causing. The onset of real debilitating migraines came around the time I had actually started to suspect that there was something else really wrong with me. It took a year to diagnose the tumour and through all that I used Topamax. If anything, I know that Topamax actually helped with weight loss.

I've now been off Kripton fo 2 months and still on Tegretol (fingers crossed for the all clear next week for the tumour, however, my migraines are getting worse again).

This is where it has become disheartening for me and after some research I think it may be Tegretol. Before getting sick I actually started losing weight (via weight watchers, I adhere strictly to the program with ease) and had lost 40kg before I got diagnosed with the tumour and treated. In fact, with the tumour it would have been expected that I put on weight and not lose it so easily, especially with how high my prolactin levels were. I put on 15kg during year of my tumour treatment as well as other not so wonderful side effects and have since put on another 5kg. Since I am still on other drugs that were needed to stabilise my insulin production caused by either the tumour or the treatment, I do know that this tablet is not the cause of continued weight gain. It can stabilise weight and help control to an extent. So the only other conclusion I can come up with is either that Tegretol is the cause or my tumour is still there (but I have wait for the latter).

I have a great physician who looks at everything for me. He was the sixth doctor I had seen before he diagnosed me, and that includes one neurologist. The neurologist cleared me after a CT scan, when my tumour actually requires an MRI to be seen. The one thing that I like about physicians rather than your usual GP or specialist, they can look at the body as a whole. In my case, mine has been able to monitor how much the tumour has screwed up various hormones in my body - he is the only doctor that I've seen who thought to look at my insulin production despite my consistently low blood gluclose levels after I collapsed during my treatment due to hypoglycemia, knowing that of course isulin is a hormone.

I've been on Tegretol for one year. I don't have epilepsy (though I do have severe photophobia which triggers migraines/dizziness), but anti-epileptics seem to be the only meds that can control my chronic migraines. I was on Topamax before this but I got too many side effects. On top of all this I also recently went through treatment for a pitutary adenoma (benign tumour) (drug called Kripton/Criptine). I started both Tegretol and Kripton around the same time - knowing that I would probably gain weight with the drugs for my tumour. Many of my Topamax side effects were similar to my tumour symptoms.

I suspect that I got increased migraine activity with the increase of hormone that the tumour was causing. The onset of real debilitating migraines came around the time I had actually started to suspect that there was something else really wrong with me. It took a year to diagnose the tumour and through all that I used Topamax. If anything, I know that Topamax actually helped with weight loss.

I've now been off Kripton fo 2 months and still on Tegretol (fingers crossed for the all clear next week for the tumour, however, my migraines are getting worse again).

This is where it has become disheartening for me and after some research I think it may be Tegretol. Before getting sick I actually started losing weight (via weight watchers, I adhere strictly to the program with ease) and had lost 40kg before I got diagnosed with the tumour and treated. In fact, with the tumour it would have been expected that I put on weight and not lose it so easily, especially with how high my prolactin levels were. I put on 15kg during year of my tumour treatment as well as other not so wonderful side effects and have since put on another 5kg. Since I am still on other drugs that were needed to stabilise my insulin production caused by either the tumour or the treatment, I do know that this tablet is not the cause of continued weight gain. It can stabilise weight and help control to an extent. So the only other conclusion I can come up with is either that Tegretol is the cause or my tumour is still there (but I have wait for the latter).

I have a great physician who looks at everything for me. He was the sixth doctor I had seen before he diagnosed me, and that includes one neurologist. The neurologist cleared me after a CT scan, when my tumour actually requires an MRI to be seen. The one thing that I like about physicians rather than your usual GP or specialist, they can look at the body as a whole. In my case, mine has been able to monitor how much the tumour has screwed up various hormones in my body - he is the only doctor that I've seen who thought to look at my insulin production despite my consistently low blood gluclose levels after I collapsed during my treatment due to hypoglycemia, knowing that of course isulin is a hormone.

Re: Lamictal side effects/weight changes? Or Tegretol?

Submitted by butch3r on Thu, 2013-11-21 - 21:30
I've been taking Lamictal for about 18 years. Lamictal has worked well for me. There hasn't been any drastic weight changes due to Lamictal. When taking Tegretol I did gain weight.

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