Carbamazepine (Tegretol) miracle?

[delphinen]

My legit doctor is on vacation this week so I was switched to another one until she comes back (next week or so). I was usually given Gabapentin and Lorazepam for seizures and bipolar disorder; never had any problem except taking too much medication on my own.
Now this doctor decided to switch my Gabapentin to Carbamazepine. I didn't like it at all at first because I knew the drug has a lot of annoying side effects, but this week I had no choice but to accept. So how much should I take I asked, the answer was "between 200mg and 400mg per day, as you see fit"... ok, whatever.

I'm on my second day of Carbamazepine and I'm trying to take 300mg per day, so far I haven't noticed any problem (except the lower tone when listening to music... which is a little annoying), but unexpectedly, this medication made me feel that my mood was more "stabilized" in just 48 hours than on Gabapentin, and even took away my backpain almost completely... what's going on??
I know Carbamazepine is also medicated for fibromyalgia and does a lot of things involving the calcium channels and GABA receptors, but wow... two weeks ago I had to take SOMA (Carisoprodol) to be able to get up from bed or stay sit a long time because my backpain was killing me... in the last 2 days I had practically no backpain at all, can someone help me here?? I want to go back to Gabapentin next week because of the side effects of Carbamazepine, but if this med is so good for my backpain I really don't know what to do... please help?

 

[delphinen]

Bump because I have been with the worst cold in my life since I began taking the Carbamazepine, and since I know the side effects of the drugs, I fear it could be connected, please help

 

[w0w0mg]

I would suggest starting with 100 mg in the morning, 200 mg at night. I use to be prescribed this medicine at the dosage of 200 mg in the morning, 400 mg at night.

 

[delphinen]

I would suggest starting with 100 mg in the morning, 200 mg at night. I use to be prescribed this medicine at the dosage of 200 mg in the morning, 400 mg at night.

did you use to take tests of your body's red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets while medicated on Carbamazepine? also, aside from epilepsy/convulsions and/or bipolar disorder, did it take away other problems like backpain? thanks

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Od ->bdd

 

[w0w0mg]

did you use to take tests of your body's red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets while medicated on Carbamazepine? also, aside from epilepsy/convulsions and/or bipolar disorder, did it take away other problems like backpain? thanks

I did have blood work taken to make sure I could be prescribed the medication. I did not see any reduction in pain management from these medication. I use gabapentin for pain at the moment and works.

 

[sonicwhite]

You could be going through gabapentin withdrawal. Hence flu like symptoms. That's what caught my eye. Every time I have ever tried to get off gabapentin I have had cold sweats. Nightmares. Dissociation and a lot of other crap. Man do you have any gabapentin left. I don't mean to scare you but you should of been properly tapered off of it.

 

[delphinen]

It's not Gabapentin WD I'm sure of it, I'm even on a good dose of Lorazepam in that regard.
And my PAIN WENT AWAY with Carbamazepine, but I have been with this horrible cold for an entire week, given Carbamazepine is given for fybromialgia and can reduce the body's production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, I wonder if my symptoms (both the good and the bad one) could be because of the Carbamazepine.
I also were able to sleep much better since I have been on Carbamazepine than on Gabapentin. But again, give all the side effects, I really don't want to take it more than I need it.. or take it at all. And I can't see my doctor until next Wednesday.

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

Get on trileptal (oxcarbazepine) if you are worried about side-effects. It is the exact same medication: same uses, same pharmacology, same structure pretty much, but it lacks all of the interactions, all of the lethality, the necessity for blood work, the danger, all of the dangerous side effects.

Carbamazepine shouldn't even be on the market anymore now that oxcarbazepine and esclicarbazepine acetate are...