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Tegretol and Weight Gain
Tue, 06/27/2006 - 09:07Topic: Women With Epilepsy
I have been on tegratol for almost 1 year now and have put on about 15 pds, mostly in my mid-section. Very upsetting as i cannot seem to do anything to get it off. Has anyone had any success losing weight while on tegratol- how did you do it? I am about to get pregnant, so changing drugs is out of the question. Do not want to carry around excess weight during pregnancy. Also, does increased dose affect weight gain?
Comments
Re: Tegretol and Weight Gain
Submitted by CG on Fri, 2007-06-08 - 18:46
I was on Tegretol briefy in the 1990s and I put on weight, so I went back to my old medication, tried and true. ((hugs))
Re: Re: Tegretol and Weight Gain
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2007-06-08 - 19:56
Just reading all these comments.. Gaining a bit of weight is not unusual with Tegretol, but usually it is just 10-20 pounds like people here commented. Unfortunately, or fortunately in some situations, weight changes can occur with a lot of the seizure medicines, so make sure to ask your doctor about it when you are considering different drugs. If weight gain is a problem, talk to your primary care too and make sure the added weight isn't causing other health problems. Following a sensible diet to lose weight is key.. and exercise of course!
If weight loss is a problem, also make sure to talk to your primary care and neurologist.. too much weight loss can be bad for your health too!
Someone also asked about Tegretol and pregnancy - yes there does seem to be a slightly greater risk of birth defects for babies born to mothers taking tegretol during pregnancy. It's still a very small number though and for some women, the risks of tegretol during pregnancy may be worth the benefits of how well it works to control seizures in an individual. There are pregnancy registries going on now to look at risks in large numbers of women taking this and other drugs. In the meantime, here's a link to information on tegretol and an instruction sheet you can use as well.
Hope this helps,
Epi_help
Hope this helps,
Epi_help
Re: Tegretol and Weight Gain
Submitted by talleyho82005 on Fri, 2007-06-08 - 12:41
Hi! I was on Tegretol for almost 9 years when my neurologist began weaning me off so that my husband and I could try to get pregnant this summer. I did notice a great weight change (increase) while on the Tegretol. It did not seem to matter what I did, I could not get the weight off. After coming off the meds, I had another seizure and had to be placed back on medication (this time Keppra). My dr. placed me on Keppra because it is better for pregnant women than the Tegretol (you may want to talk about this with your Dr.). Since being placed on the Keppra I can see a weight decrease. I really think the increase came from the Tegretol and it was so discouraging!! Good Luck!