Oxcarbazepine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 28, 2020

"This is a serious weight gainer. Doctor said no but 15 pounds. This after 30 pounds from saphris. Very bad. Can’t lose the weight and always hungry. Next will try Vraylar, but it is also a weight gainer. Doctor will not give me Topamax."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 31, 2012

"I am not really sure if this medicine is working as well as it could. I feel better since I started taking it but I still have serious manic days around my period. So much so that I am not allowed to work during those few days. I also wake up with shaky hands and my teeth chatter until the medicines kick in. When my dosage was higher (I take 600mg twice a day) I would have a half hour of being seriously high and I was unable to walk around. It would feel as if I had a really strong eyeglass prescription. "

• bp666
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2021

"I was on only 150mg of oxcarbazepine for 6 weeks as a treatment for BPD and bipolar disorder. I cannot suggest enough against using this awful medication. 2 weeks after I began my treatment I developed migraine headaches daily from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. These headaches could not be stopped by any pain medication. I began to worry that something was wrong and visited my local urgent care to get bloodwork. As it turns out, oxcarbazepine made me severely anemic. I have never had anemia in my life and because of this drug I am now suffering with extreme hair loss as a result of the anemia that it caused. I am constantly fatigued and have daily headaches still after stopping the medication. Never again. Beware. Oh, and also I am under the age of 25."

• BAAEE...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 30, 2015

"I started taking this medication because Lamictal stopped working for my bipolar disorder. I'm giving this one star because this medication didn't stabilize my mood disorder and I had side effects: dizziness, nausea, sedation. I have since switched to other medication and have been stable for many years."

• Anonymous
• February 19, 2010

"I have been taking Trileptal (oxycarbazepine) for years now for bipolar. I've tried so many other drugs and they either didn't work or I couldn't live with the side effects. Trileptal has been a life-saver for me! I also take low doses of a Wellbutrin and Celexa and .5 klonapin 1xday for anxiety. My doc wanted me to substitute Abilify for Trileptal and I said, "no way!" I compromised with her and take .5mg Abilify with the rest of the my meds for a week or so when I get depressed. So many docs have tried to steer me to the newest drugs for bipolar-I've tried them, don' like them, and I will stay on Trileptal. I only gave it a 9 instead of a 10 because I have to take other things with it, so it's not a 100 percent cure-all."

• VAbaby
• October 28, 2009

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) "This mediicne was given to me as I was being taken off an antidepressant and has given me headaches, nausea, joint pain, and feeling of not being fully alert. I was started at a 1500mg daily dose and I think that is way too high for me. I have been at this dose for over three months and the doctors seem to think that the side effects are outweighed by the positives. I have felt more depressed since they put me on this but they don%u2019t worry about that it. I would rather have the antidepressants back at least, I could be a human with them."

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2009

"I started taking this medication about a year after I'd been on bupropion with no lessening of depression. After 6 months on oxcarbazepine minimum dosage I stopped drinking. Had to increase dosage to 900 mg/day (I'm one who really doesn't like having to take medicines). I've been clean/sober for 18 months and tried to get off both medicines mentioned in a week. Nearly relapsed so went back to former dosages. Doctor suggested reducing dosage of bupropion over a year. I decided to stay on full dosage unless I lose my job/insurance. No more suicidal thoughts or that feeling like my brain is going down a dirt road. I'm not sure I'd label myself bipolar, but this does seem to help, a lot."

• Yeezus
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 29, 2022

"It helped quite a bit the first couple months but I am now noticing a severe reaction when I happen to miss them. From the moment I wake up the next morning I am a ticking time bomb, I'm violent, angry, depressed, suicidal. I honestly fear for myself and others when I happen to miss the meds. The only downfall when I am on them is that I am almost feel emotionless, and severe lack of empathy."

• Sadgirl
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2018

"I have been taking this for bipolar disorder and it works great for me as a mood stabilizer if you find that perfect dose. It helps a lot with the manic mostly. No side effects from this for me. I take it in conjunction with another mood stabilizer and a couple of antidepressants to keep everything regulated."

• Kate
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2021

"I have been battling severe mixed states for over a decade with my bipolar II diagnosis. I started a low dose of oxcarbazepine about three weeks ago and while it does help your brain more or less "relax" it also strips it of any creativity or motivation. I have been sleeping better but feel like I am in a constant haze. I will have therapy sessions or doctors visits and not remember any points from the conversation. For this drug to be considered mild compared to other meds seems inconceivable to me. I think this medication would be helpful for those in manic episodes but because I am battling severe depression I do not think its going to be a long term solution as it strips me of wanting to do what little hobbies I enjoy doing anymore. Also, my skin is a nightmare. I prayed the listed acne side effect would not select me as a victim but it indeed did. I am breaking out like an 8th grader in puberty."

• Hlarkin
• May 23, 2017

"I have tried almost every medication on the market. I am on a cocktail. I take 1800 mg of oxycarzapine, 600 mg three times a day, 1200 mg of lithium, 1200 mg of topomax, and 180 mg of geodon and this last increase from 1200 to 1800, seems to have finally stabilized me."

• bi_po...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 1, 2017

"This was the first and only medication that I have used, and within 2 weeks, I noticed a difference in my manic side, and my depressive side is nil. My manic side is triggered by slow and inconsiderate drivers, which makes it easy for me to judge how well it works, and if I am missing a few doses. The only downside to it is a low libido. I I was taking 300 mg in the am and 600 mg in the pm, and I just tried to up it to 600 in am and pm. That made my libido almost nil, but it did stop the frustration with any drivers on the road. I think I will lower the meds back down to what they were, or try something else."

• Joshx
• August 1, 2014

"Even at the maximum dosage, this was honestly nothing more than a placebo, and I didn't feel any more balanced than I was before I got on it. After this, I took Neurontin, which was definitely better for my mood swings, although it took a pretty high dose, and made me a little slow."

• ladag...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2013

"My son has been placed on this medication for bipolar type 2 he had been off medicines for 6 years and after he quit smoking he lost it totally, could not keep his cool and blew up at everything. The girl he was seeing was the last straw and he snapped. Went back to suicidal thoughts and they put him on Celexia which was not helping any of the thoughts he was having and he was in tears over some things and punching walls on other things. He started this medication about 3 weeks ago, the thoughts he says are better but the agitation he got from quitting smoking is still a major problem. He just jumps down someones throat for seemingly no apparent reason or he will not understand what someone is saying to him and read into it."

• Anony...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 14, 2023

"I'm the same person who vomited like I'd never imagined, but I must have gone too quickly or made a mistake. This time, I nibbled my way up to 300mg without food or other meds near. I felt glad to be alive, mildly satisfied with my room and its heater. I've had no food to go anywhere! After two hours, I took another 150mg. Being rather weak, I'm taking tiny bits of four things that work well together (Lamictal, Gabapentin, Olanzapine). None have had a great effect on my medium bipolar one with lots of anger (enough to throw things) and mild depression for decades. I take one at a time, testing. Gabapentin did stop continuous nightmares, but this Trileptal has the only clearly good effect with no other meds nearby! Now I'll slowly reduce the other antiseizure meds and return here, but so far, I'm mildly happy. That's news!"

• lildude
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 13, 2022

"I'm gonna be real here - this drug is a damn miracle worker. I was diagnosed with bipolar type 1 a few months ago (I'm 20 now) and also have C-PTSD and ADHD. For the longest time I was against taking medications, and when I finally caved I went through a handful of them that made my life even more hellish then it was before. Latuda, Abilify, and Risperidone to name a few - none of them worked well for me. After taking a short med break and switching psychologist I was given this drug, oxcarbazepine 300 MG a day and from the first WEEK I noticed a change. I don't feel like i'm drowning in internal conflict anymore. My emotions went from an ocean I couldn't control to a lake that is far more manageable. I've seriously never been this calm in my life - and on top of that it makes me sleepy, which is almost unheard of for me. I know that meds are a bit tricky and are definitely not a one size fits all deal, but I can't recommend this enough. Try it and see how it goes for you - it might change your life."

• HenryJJ
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2019

"Lamictal didn't seem to help for my bipolar so I figured I'd try something else. Dr put me on Trileptal 150mg twice daily. Within a few days I was depressed and overwhelmed with emotions. I searched online for reasons why I was feeling this way. Apparently I take Seroquel XR and Buspar, and I just realized that Trileptal decreases the effectiveness of those two drugs. NO wonder I was miserable. Feel tired and having more anxiety than before. Headaches too. Waiting for next visit with doctor. Either I stick with Trileptal and start another atypical psychotic or get off the Trileptal completely. I don't like the emotional imbalance in my brain. Very scary stuff."

• kbclimb
• October 16, 2009

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) "This medication has helped me so much and with minimal side effects. I am also taking gabapentin and a low dose of Lexapro. This combination has finally made the difference. but everyone has a different body chemistry."

• Jenni...
• August 16, 2018

"I was diagnosed with Bipolar II when I was 16. They started me on 1800mg/day of Trileptal along with a several other meds. I've taken it for the majority of the last 12 years. It worked wonders for me! Since it can be harmful to a fetus, I've tried several other meds, including ones that were "safer" to be pregnant on (Lithium, Risperdal, Geodon, Abilify, Latuda, & Zyprexa along with Zoloft, Prozac, Buspar and/or Topamax). Unfortunately, none of those ever helped my bipolar enough, so I always reverted back to Trileptal. The only side effects/negative that I've had was extreme fatigue & that it decreased the effectiveness of my birth control by approximately. 40% (Lybrel/Amethyst). I was willing to deal with those to be as wonderfully stable as I was though. I was able to feel "normal" emotions for once. Appr. 6 months ago I decided to try Lamictal, which is in the same class as Trileptal, so I still can't get pregnant on it. It is now my go to just because it doesn't have those 2 side effects."

• Ellas...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 23, 2021

"I have ADHD and bipolar disorder. I cycled over week or so periods. This started after college and by the time I was 25, I felt like a guinea pig. Xanax, lithium, Seroquel, depakote, neurontin, celexia, tegretol, Wellbutrin, prozac, Then finally...I got 15 mg of Adderall and 600 mg of Trileptal....totally fine now! Been on for 5 years...got my MBA...and now work for well over 6 figures a year, for one of the most successful companies in the world! It's not bad when used with the right stuff!!!"

• under...
• September 7, 2011

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) "I have been on Trileptal for a little over a year. I was taking 1200mg/day. On the flipside, the symptoms of dizziness and double vision I had about an hour after I took the medicine I just dealt with because the medicine worked so great in stabilizing my moods. These two side effects never lessened. I am Bipolar 1 with one major depressive episode. I also take Welbutrin. I am being taken off the medicine slowly due to acute hyponatremia which hospitalized me for 3 days. I took Tegretol prior to the Trileptal. I loved the Tegretol but wanted to change because there were less potential side effects with the Trileptal which is now very ironic. I will be starting Lamictal when the Trileptal is completely out of my system."

• Banc
• October 4, 2014

"I've been on atleast 10 different medications for bipolar in the last 10years. At the moment I takes Invega, Rivotril, Lamictal, and Trileptal. Trileptal was added later about 6months ago. Since Trileptal was added, I became noticeably less depress and no thoughts of suicide. My mood became more stable and less agitated. The down side is that I now have less energy and don't feel like leaving the house. From what I was feeling before, I guess Having less energy is better than depress and constantly have suicide thoughts. After switching all kind of different drugs back and fourth, I realized there are no perfect drug! There will be side effect and set back but you just have to lives with what can do most for you."

• Noel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 24, 2021

"I took it in combination with an antidepressant to stabilize my mood after a type 2 bipolar disorder diagnosis. This medication helped me a lot in the recovery and prevention of relapses towards both hypomanic both depressive episodes, which I feared enormously. I have not reported any side effects, but I recommend you to add it gradually starting from a half tablet in the evening. Another thing I recommend is to take a vitamin D supplement because, like many antiepileptics and mood stabilizers, oxcarbazepine can reduce the amount of vitamin D in your body. With the integration no problem however: my levels were optimal!"

• Music...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 18, 2021

"This is for my Bi-polar depresson - moderate. I take about 2 or 3 of 300 mg pills of trileptal each evening. Makes me drowsy. Helps me to sleep better. More soundly - don't wake up too much. Doctor says it helps my bi-polar depression. For me it helps my sleep and I feel better during the daytime."

• B Dogg
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 11, 2021

"I'm bipolar 1 and I've been taking oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) for over 3 years now and absolutely love it. It worked right away for me and it was a revelation. My first pdoc insisted on going the anti-psychotics route but they all had really, really nasty side effects. I'm mostly manic but I take lamotrigine and bupropion for my depression and they both work well together for that. The mania has been a real challenge to control. Oxcarb was the first one my new pdoc suggested and I immediately felt it working like nothing had before. I've always been a high-strung, intense person but this drug really smooths me out and helps me truly manage my emotions. I'm back up to 1200mg x 2 a day for 2400 total which is the max but that's what works best for me. I have ZERO side effects that I can tell unlike depakote which worked half way but did all kinds of weird things to me. I actually think all bipolars should start with oxcarb if possible. It's that good."