Newbie with a problem. Any help would be gr8!

Re: Re: Newbie with a problem. Any help would be gr8!

Submitted by walk3r on Wed, 2006-02-01 - 11:50

My Consultant Neurologist tried to put me on Lamictal about 8yrs ago but the more my Tegretol was reduced the more I felt ill. Although the Lamictal was added during this Tegretol reduction I didnt seem to be getting any benefit of it. I just felt dizzy and my vision was very fuzzy- like sitting too close to the tv- and every 5mins I was forgetting I'd done or where I'd been. I dont know if I chickened out too soon but I gave that 5weeks and then packed it in and went back on the full dose of Tegretol. Maybe I should've given the process more time... He didnt prepare me for any of those feelings and so I didnt know if it was normal or not.Maybe if I'd been on it longer Id have came out the other side feelin much better. That was 8yrs ago.Maybe I should give Lamictal another try but does it have any antidepressant qualities or will being on a Tegreto/lLamictal mix mean I can safely take antidepressants? I would like to alleviate the libido problem but God knows if the Depression gets worse I'll have no libido anyway and I'm not sure I wanna risk convulsions for that... Anyway, last time I went to see my Consultant I waited 50mins in the waiting room, went in to see him and spoke for two mins before he handed me a prescription for Epilim and told me to come back in 6months. I didnt get to ask him any of the questions I had in mind. I dont even think he listened much to what I said.I think he just heard that I needed the tegretol upped again and he thought I'll get this guy onto another med. I've no idea whether Epilim would give me less nasty side effects than Tegretol. Does it affect libido? Does it prevent me from taking antidepressants? Has anyone taken it and not turned fat and bald? I dont think that would do wonders for depression... I'll have to look for the list of other possible meds and then google for the side effects. My Neuro tells me nothing about side-effects.I think his reasoning may be that you could talk yourself into thinking you had the side-effects just from worrying about them so it's best not to give the patient that info...Still, it's the side-effects of the Tegretol that have me thinking about changing in the first place. I was on St John's Wort a while ago.I took it a few yrs ago and felt ill on it but after I did some research I found out that it was causing an overproduction of an hepatic enzyme which is the same enzyme that breaks down Tegretol. I thought that if I upped my meds I could take the SJW and the Tegretol. I did and it worked...but that was 4yrs ago and for some reason when I tried this in Setember the same trick didnt work this time. I dont know why except maybe that the Tegretol is losing its effectiveness over time... Who knows.Not me. I only GCSE biology. I think you'd need a degree in pharmocology and an intimate knowledge of neurology to understand how to work with the faulty wiring in this brain...Still, I'd sooner trust myself than my Consultant. He doesnt make eyecontact when I go to talk to him. I'm determined to have him listen this time. By the way, I read that Lamictal was also enzyme-inducing and that there may be a contraindication with Tegretol...Could this be why it mad me feel so odd before? If I were to take Lamictal on its own would it adeqauely control the seizures or just the temporal lobe probs? Could I take an antidepressant with it or would the mood-stabilizing affects of lamictal be enough. I think most antidepressants interract with Tegretol. Honestly, my thoughts go round and round on this. I'm determined to know if not MORE certainly nearly as much as my Doctor. Thankyou all who've replied to my posts.You're very kind. I hope you're all havin a good day.It's cold and chilly in Ireland today...Mind you, nothin new there.We have a saying, 'If it doesnt rain today, it'll rain tomorrow'. Again, a hundred thanks to you all.