Carbamazepine and Rash: What Users Say

• Tay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 24, 2012

Carbamazepine for Bipolar Disorder "Caused me to be very drowsy all of the time, sleeping about 16 hours every night, and I developed an itchy rash of red pimple-like bumps on my scalp, neckline, and middle of my back after taking it for a few days."

• Anonymous
• July 7, 2010

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "No seizures while on Tegretol. Extreme headaches first 4 weeks, extreme tiredness. Six weeks after starting Tegretol, hives started to appear and got worse. Blood tests showed liver enzymes were three times higher than usual and red blood cell counts slightly reduced. Thyroid gland swelled up also. All these were shown to be a severe allergic reaction to the drug. People should be aware of this as a possibility."

• Mir...
• January 9, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I am a lady of 29 years. I have been using carbamazepine for bipolar disorder for a month now. It is a miracle medicine, but the downside of it for me is dermatologic side effects. I have rashes, swellings on my face, peeling on the skin, itching of the whole body. Can someone please help me out how to handle the side effects? I love the medication, it helps me a lot."

• Anonymous
• December 8, 2008

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "My neurologist just discovered I had seizures about a month ago, and it has been a constant trial and error finding a medication that will work. I was taking 600 mg of Tegretol for the last week, and I developed an awful red rash and itching all over. My doctor has changed me to Dilantin today, and I hope I do better on that. Keppra was the first drug, and that didn't help."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 24, 2017

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I started on one tablet a day at the beginning of July for an acute attack of TGN, increasing to two a day for three weeks, then down to one, then alternate days, last one on 14th August 2017 as pain gone. Since then, I have had skin rashes, swollen eyes, which initially was diagnosed as 'prickly heat,' then in the last two weeks, I have suffered from mood swings, disturbed sleeping, emotional, irrational, hyperactivity. My brain never stops working, thought not always sensible, nor speech. I do loads of tasks, going from one to another and making more work for myself. Had bloods done and awaiting results. Whilst researching, came across this and wondered if this could be the cause. Has anyone else heard of it? Studies show it is people with epilepsy."

• yik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2023

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I started this medication on 4/20. Took 100 mg in the morning at 8 a.m. and my second dose at 8 p.m. By 10 p.m. I started having severe muscle spasms in the neck but told myself it was just from my TMD. I again woke at 12:30 a.m. in excruciating pain from every muscle in my body in spasm and all my joints hurting. I spent the rest of the night trying to just find a comfortable position until the doctors opened. I stopped the carbamazepine and went back on baclofen according to the doctor's orders. After seeing the doctor, I started to develop a rash. Pretty sure I'm allergic, but the doctor wants me to try it again once the symptoms subside. I'll post again, I guess, in a few weeks if I do start it again."

• wan...
• January 6, 2009

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "I have been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy (seizures are so fleeting that I referred to them as funny turns). Lamotrigine worked for 4 months, and then I was changed to Tegretol Retard, which for the last 3 months has been effective. Side effects were tiredness and a rash, which was treated with an antihistamine."

• Yel...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 31, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Well, I've been taking Depakote 250 mg twice a day with Citalopram 25 mg for 10+ years. It has worked brilliantly for me. Love it. Here recently, the last month or so, it's working so well. Tried taking Carbamazepine, and it threw me for a loop. I had suicidal thoughts again, I broke out in rashes on my shoulders and arms, my face would get flushed, and I started my cycle 2 weeks early. Which my doctor then immediately took me off of it for that last reason. I wanted a bump up from my 500 mg, so that's why she prescribed me that. Two 300 mg pills a day along with my Citalopram. My doctor said a lot of her patients love it. I did not! Lol. I told her I took one for the team. Now on to try something else. Shit. By the way, I'm 35."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2024

"In short. It helped for the pain within the first week. I was tripping over my own feet, though, and battling with my memory. Dizzy and confused. Week three felt great but broke out in a skin rash. Went back to the hospital only to be seen by another neurologist who said neurologists don't treat FM. Took me off the drug and took blood yesterday to test to see if they didn't cause Johnson something disease. Skin disease that could be fatal. OMG. I am mortified. I found the medicine to be a 7 out of 10 relieving pain."

• hlt...
• March 14, 2015

Carbamazepine for Trigeminal Neuralgia "Worked for a while okay. After 2 1/2 months, I developed a reaction to it called 'Stevens-Johnson Syndrome,' which is a potentially deadly skin rash."

• hlt...
• March 14, 2015

Carbamazepine for Trigeminal Neuralgia "Worked for a while okay. After 2 1/2 months, I developed a reaction to it called 'Stevens-Johnson Syndrome,' which is a potentially deadly skin rash."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2013

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "This medicine has given nothing but trouble. Headache, feeling sick, and worse of all, I now have a very itchy rash all over my body, which is driving me round the bend."