Tegretol and Tiredness: What Users Say

• ggr...
• May 14, 2011

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I've been using CARBAMAZEPINE 200mg twice a day for about two years. It does a good job in limiting the amount of pain I have with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I found it best to take the medication regularly. If I skip days when I am not having problems, the pain will be right back and it will take several days to get it back under control. I've tried GABAPENTIN 300mg and OXCARBAZEPINE 150mg, but they did not help. The CARBAMAZEPINE makes me tired and sleepy but that is a lot better than the pain."

• rji...
• May 31, 2011

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I was put on Tegretol 2 weeks ago, and boy oh boy, the build-up felt like forever, but now that it is at 800mg, I am feeling so much better. I believe I will be going up yet again this week by another 200mg and then again if need be, before the doctor tapers me down to where it is maintainable. I am still having just a bit of breakthrough pain a few times a day, which is nothing compared to where I was 2 weeks ago. I would gladly take the tiredness, stumbles, and slurs over where I had been. This medicine works, and works well! I pray it doesn't stop working for me, ever!"

• Gur...
• August 26, 2016

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I started taking Tegretol 500 mg every night after dinner. The initial ten days were extremely tough.... very sleepy and was sleeping over 12 hours a day. Slowly, there was some improvement, but still very lethargic, struggling to concentrate, do day-to-day activities. Going back to the doctor for a reassessment. The pain is down almost 70% and has given me some relief and relaxed me a bit."

• Rai...
• April 6, 2016

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "Diagnosed with TN (glad to learn about it and find out I'm not dying of a brain tumor or something) - the pain is horrific. I've been on the generic form of Tegretol (Carbamazepine) 100 mg 3x per day for 3 weeks. I still have episodes of pain a couple of times a day, but at least I can walk around, talk, and eat without the excruciating pain I had been experiencing. Only downside is I feel like a zombie - tired and 'out of it' - but like others have said - I'd take that any day over the near constant pain I was having."

• Ann...
• June 20, 2016

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I started taking Tegretol for TN, and it did greatly improve my ability to function. Pain was much duller during episodes and had stopped being totally debilitating. 6-7 weeks after use, I began to be so lethargic I couldn't get out of bed and was relying so much more on my husband to see to our toddler son. It was very worrying. I then developed severely enlarged glands under my chin, lumps on my neck, and started to feel generally unwell. I then had a full blood count done, and it returned a very low white blood cell count and abnormal-looking cells also. Enlarged spleen also occurred. Now being referred to hematology and had to be taken off Tegretol as they believe I am having quite a severe reaction to it."

• Sar...
• November 10, 2017

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I have been on Tegretol for seven years now. I still have general pain with the occasional flare-up of unbearable pain that I had before taking this medication. I am also on a high dose of folic acid as I became very anemic, this caused tiredness. It was just by chance I was diagnosed with TN after being in extreme pain for over six months. Many doctors and tests, one specialist just said it could be this, let's try this drug, it may not work, but if it does, we are on the right track. To be honest with you, if she said I needed to cut off a limb to ease the pain at that point, I would have asked for the knife. I was miserable, the pain was unbearable, and so was I. I do feel it is not working as well after all these years, may be due for review."

• Sea...
• March 27, 2012

For Epilepsy "Have had complex partial seizure disorder for over 40 years. My main medicine that held me for years was Phenobarbital. When I started having breakthrough seizures, Tegretol was the secondary medicine that has held me okay for the past 4 years. I tried Tegretol XR first, but for me, I felt very tired, some dizziness, poor memory, and very bland. When the Dr. switched me to regular Tegretol, it was totally opposite! I felt alive again, memory sharp, out riding horses, happy as a lark, and felt like my good old self. People should know there are many different medicines for epilepsy these days and also that there is a Tegretol XR (long-acting)."

• Anonymous
• July 7, 2010

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."

• Kat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 20, 2014

For Epilepsy "I have been on this medicine for 27 years. Except for extreme tiredness, I seem okay. Have not had a fit when on this medicine. One week I came off the medicine, between suicidal thoughts, crying jags, and depression, I had massive fits. I have not been off since. This medicine seems to affect the liver, so liver tests are a must."

• Adv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2024

"I've been on this med for a few months. I haven't experienced any highs or lows yet. Some of the side effects I've had are that I am still getting nausea after a few months. Sometimes when I stand up, I get light-headed and dizzy. I feel like I have some light tremors. At times, I feel like I get hot flashes that come and go. I'm still too young to be in menopause as well. I saw another man had mentioned this in his review too about having the hot flashes. At times, I feel tired and less motivated. I'm losing some weight, but that may be because I came off the drug risperidone, which I was on for 25 years."

• Wil...
• February 13, 2013

For Epilepsy "Have been taking for 13 years. Have been seizure-free. It has changed my life. Only side effect I've noticed is a little more tired than normal. Only sometimes. Other than that, good to go!"

• Anonymous
• July 11, 2010

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "Made me exhausted every day (wanted to sleep 24/7) and had changes to menstrual cycle."