Comments on: Bipolar Medication Spotlight: Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine)

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:37:46 +0000

I had been taking 600mg trileptal for 6 months with great success in stabilization of my bipolar disorder. That is until I started feeling quite lethargic and with lots of headaches. I was sent immediately from my doctor’s office to emergency room where I was diagnosed with hyponatremia (low sodium). My primary classified it as SIADH (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone hypersecretion). My psychiatrist immediately took me off of the trileptal (and the effexor too, because as all those with bipolar should know…you can’t just have an anti-depressant without the mood stabilizer). So I went off the trileptal exactly as my psychiatrist prescribed-cold turkey. 2 days later, I had the first seizure of my life. And within the next 2 days, I had had about 70 (seventy) more seizures. I was placed on depakote and klonopin as anti-seizure medications. Urinary incontinence, and having seizures while walking and falling on your head, or seizing out of bed and falling on the floor and hitting yourself so hard that you bleed are just not fun. I have been seizure free for 24 hours now. Hopefully I can save at least one person’s life with my story. If so, this will all be worth it. I just wonder if I’ll ever be allowed to return to work and drive again (I walk patients on mechanical ventilators in the ICU as a doctor of physical therapy). I don’t know what I would do with my life if I had to start over.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:35:49 +0000

I have had Steven Johnson’s Syndrome, and nearly died from it in the hospital. It is the most unbearable pain you can imagine, as if someone is burning your skin from the inside out. This horrible disease was a direct result of Trileptal. 12 weeks in the hospital, last rights, and a nearly $500,000 medical bill. Thanks for nothing Trileptal!

By: paul

paul — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:30:54 +0000

I took one 150mg Trileptal, and was completely knocked out within 30 minutes. Horrific headaches, blurred vision, vertigo, facial numbness and welling, and vomiting ensued. I slept for nearly four days, and when I got up, still had massive headaches and dizziness. It’s been over a week, and I’m still dizzy, have a blunt headache, and have no feeling in my face and it’s still swollen. Trilleptal is pure poison for me. I only took one pill, and I can not function, feel, think, or live. It’s pure hell!!!!!

By: MrsHall

MrsHall — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:23:07 +0000

Hello,
This may come out as a total , ramble, so, please bare with me!
I was diagnosed about 3 years ago with type 2 ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder, panic disorder and anxiety.I am only 27. I have been on a slew of medications, you name it, i’ve been on it. Recently, after my second child and being off all medications, I became a total mess, nothing like I ever was before. Severe depression, anxiety uncontrollable, anger and abusive. I was admitted to the ER because I couldn’t live like this anymore and became suicidal, which is not like me. SO, after doing a 6 week outpatient program, I had been put on a bunch of meds. I am currently taking 300mg of seroquel xr, .5 mg of colonapin, 450mg of limictal, and he just started me on 300 mg of trileptal, which is trying to wean me off of the colonapin. So, anyway… here I go, I tried geodon, made my whole body hurt so bad I couldn’t stand it, luvox, horrible side affects, and most recently celexa which made me crazy. I am hoping so much that this trileptal is going to help me. I have 2 small children and a husband who works evenings. I am also very sensitive to medication. Anyway, I don’t really know where I was going with this, but does anyone think this is going to help me? I have all the coping skills that I was taught in outpatient, things to try drug free, but without the proper meds, they don’t help. Again, i’m sorry for the rambling, but I am so hoping that this will make a difference in my life, because I can’t live like this anymore.

By: Dilanka

Dilanka — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:42:44 +0000

I was diagnosed to be suffering from bipolar disorder six month ago.At the same time I suffered from social anxiety. My doctor prescribed me antidepressants at the beginning I felt happy and but still suffered anxiety. After three months he Prescribed me trileptal and its after that Amazingly I lost my anxiety . I saw in wikepedia that trileptal is good for bipolar with anxiety. That is certainly true. I now feel very relaxed .my anxiety level seems to be zero. I think trileptal is best for some one with both bipolar and anxiety. Although I was prescribed lithium before trileptal I did not saw my anxiety going away at all

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:56:06 +0000

I am currently taking 300 mg of trileptal daily along with 0.5 mg of klonopin once a day for Bipolar 2 disorder. I can keep a single train of thought, sleep at night, and the panic attacks have become very infrequent. I don’t have as many thoughts of hurting someone just because they may get on my nerves. I sometimes have severe nausea after I take the trileptol… My sexual desire is non-existent however…

My family says that they can tell a huge difference in me since I Started taking the meds….

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:07:43 +0000

I’ve been taking 1800 mgs (a “slug” as my doc once put it) for 7 or 8 years. It was the first medication I took after my initial diagnosis. I researched it and asked for it as it seemed to be the drug with the lightest touch, which was where I preferred to begin this grand experiment. Luckily, the first time I took it, I noticed a major improvement within days. It made it possible for me to sleep normally, as well as concentrate better (related to the sleep, I suppose). I started at 600 mg, I think. My dosage as edged up over the years, and I added Lamictal which seemed to help with the depression side of things.

I take 300 mg, three times a day, and the other 900 mg at bedtime, along with 100 mg of the Lamictal. I’m out within an hour. Staying awake all night would be a reliable state otherwise.

Depending on how I’m feeling on a given day, 300 mgs of Trileptal may be barely noticeable, or there may be anything from a rapid calming effect to outright sleepiness. Occasionally I will get blurred vision. That may last minutes or hours. This side effect seems to appear under somewhat randomly but high stress may trigger it (a lot of coffee will, too). Early on, I actually went to emergency once, not understanding that blurred vision was a side effect (that it said so right there on the bottle seems to have escaped me–inattention anyone?), and the doctor there gave me an expensive and unnecessary CAT scan.

I’m pretty much at the max dose of Trileptal so as, or if, its effectiveness starts to fade, I’ll have to try something else, or notch up the Lamectal.

Fairly often I skip 300 mg, when I need a bit of mania to get through the day, or I’ll just forget to take it. There’s no short-term a negative effect. Pop 300 mg, and the manic edge will fade. One of the advantages of this drug, from my POV, is that it works its way through your system quite quickly. There’s a downside to that as well, or course.

I consider my experience with Trileptal positive. There are few side effects, it works quickly, and has the general effect of lessoning symptoms.

Also: I take the generic Oxcarbazepine. I’ve found that I have to check the manufacturer. Some versions will give me a splitting headache. Others, not. I don’t know if it’s the fillers or what but this sensitivity has become more acute over time. With Lamitcal, it’s name brand or nothing. I used to be able to take a generic but no more.

By: Crystal

Crystal — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:49:36 +0000

I have taken trileptal for a long time for bipolar. I also have epilepsy, it works for me really well. The only thing I don’t like is it makes me feel high. I get giggly and VERY happy on it. This is pretty distacting at school. Has anyone else had this problem with this med?

By: MN2FLA

MN2FLA — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:20:39 +0000

I’ve been taking Trileptal for 10 days. I’m interested in what people experience as they adjust to it.

I took 300mg a day at night for the first week and now, the second week, I’m taking 600mg. 300mg in the morning, 300mg at night.

I don’t have a lot of data after only 10 days. But I am certainly noticing things. The very first day, I felt fabulous. It now seems like I sleep well every other night. I have noticed a couple days of feeling blue/melancholy–the feeling just seems to be there; it doesn’t seem connected to some specific thing I’m upset about. It’s odd.

The number one thing I have noticed, and the number one reason why this was prescribed for me, is that I’m not overwhelmed by everything.

Yesterday, the day I was feeling the blue mood most severely, I felt a little overwhelmed. But today, I’m back to feeling pretty good, and not overwhelmed.

Thoughts on what you’ve experienced as you get accustomed to it? Thanks a lot.

By: DeliliahRose

DeliliahRose — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:09:03 +0000

I take 750 trileptal. I love it. Significantly reduces the hypomania and depression of bp II. Does make me dizzy sometimes, affects my balance, and gives me some concentration impairment. But the overall trade-off is very good.