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Trileptol Side Effects
Tue, 01/23/2007 - 16:37Topic: New to Epilepsy.com
My name is Lisa and I am 32 years old. I live with Epilepsy and was taking Tegretol when my doctor switched me to Trileptol claiming that this medicine would be better on my body in the long run. I have been taking Trileptol for about a year and I started having dizzy spells with irritability. I told my docter this and he ordered a blood test and it came out normal (so he says). I am very concerned about this and would like to know if anyone else has had these side effects also.
-Lisa
Comments
Re: Re: Re: Trileptol Side Effects
Submitted by KellyS on Mon, 2007-04-02 - 13:05
Lisa,
I took trileptal and have been szr free for several years...on occasion i would have a partial complex but not anything severe...i was like a zombie for about 8 weeks but then did great for several years...unfortunately, i began having headaches, exhaustion and just general horrible feelings of feeling sick...After reducing my level from 1500 to 900 and still feeling horrible my neuro finally checked my blood sodium levels...they were way low!!! This was what was causing my headaches and exhaustion. Low sodium levels are a rare side effect of trileptal...when i started taking it 5 years ago it was so new that they really didn't know what to expect from it...unfortunately, i couldn't maintain a healthy sodium level so i have had to make a switch to lamictal which is reaking side effect havoic on my body...
if i was you i would insist that they do a chem-7 (sometimes called a BMP) blood test on you to check your sodium levels...this may be the caulprit...
Kell
Re: Re: Re: Re: Trileptol Side Effects
Submitted by happycat2 on Tue, 2007-04-03 - 21:41
Hi Kelly and lheggie74.
Kelly-Like jess68, I'm no doc. When my doc suggested this as a replacement for Carbamazepine, the answer was a firm no...... I know from personal experience of reading accounts from people taking this med on this site and others, Trileptal caused really freaky side effects. Side effects even they had not figured would happen. Mood change, the feeling of nausea, loss of sense of humor, change in personality, lack of comprehension, especially when using a computer, tiredness when running around, paranoia. I guess they didn't know what to expect from it either. Or so they posted to that effect of the effect after drinking wine, and root canal work. Thankfully research has moved on, and a lot is known now about this med, something I really appreciate....As does staying positive and upbeat, and as the link says... Calling the doctor if unsure, or even your pharmacist...Helps when balancing the chequebook for costs of scripts....
Trileptal has now been in use since 1990, and it appears to be very safe. In the earliest tests, people who took it as their only medication or as an add-on to another seizure medicine were only slightly more likely to quit because of side effects than people who took a placebo (a pill with no active medicine) instead.
Some side effects of Trileptal that have been reported include:
* dizziness
* headache
* tiredness
* drowsiness
* double vision
* stomach upset
* loss of coordination
If you notice any of these problems, call the doctor's office. Sometimes the doctor can help by changing the amount of Trileptal you take or how you take it. Don't stop taking Trileptal or change the amount you take without the doctor's guidance.
If you have just started taking Trileptal (or have just started taking a larger amount), be careful doing anything that might be dangerous until you know whether you are feeling sleepy, dizzy, or uncoordinated. You should also be very cautious about drinking alcohol, because with Trileptal the effects of alcohol on the brain (such as tiredness, slurred speech, or unsteadiness) may be increased.
http://www.epilepsy.com/medications/b_trileptal_side.html
Cat
"Many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
Re: Re: Re: Trileptol Side Effects
Submitted by ac420ec on Mon, 2007-01-29 - 12:15
My daughter takes trileptal for fle. About a half hour to hour after meds she experiences dizziness and sometimes double vision. Her blood levels were ok like yours. We combat this by having her eat a really big breakfast or snack at med time(it can help slow down the absorption so less side effects). She has been on this for a year now and that is our only complaint. The dizziness goes away a half hour after it starts. Hope this was helpful. Emily