Oxcarbazepine and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Was diagnosed with bipolar type 1, OCD, and some ADHD. The first two doses were half a tablet. The second day I took half a dose, I felt normal for the first time in my life. I wanted to cry. Then I took 1 full dose for the next two days, and I felt even better. The 5th day was 1.5 tablets, and it made me super duper tired and sleepy (thank God I wasn’t working). So I went back down to one tablet. Ever since I stuck with that tablet, my racing thoughts and impulsiveness improved A LOT! I feel more focused. I actually think before I act. I don’t really care what people think about me as much. People told me I am more calm and honest. God bless the people who made this drug. I did have increased hunger, but I controlled it, and it doesn’t affect me anymore. I can't wait to go to my follow-up with my doctor and tell her about my improvements!"

• Ann...
• February 14, 2018

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "Diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia in 2011 after 2 root canals and 2 crowns. A new dentist sent me to an oral surgeon who knew what it was right away. Saw a neurologist, and he confirmed the diagnosis and prescribed oxcarbazepine. It took a number of weeks to ramp up the meds to the correct level due to nausea. Currently taking 900 mg at night. Really makes me feel loopy and drowsy. I have been pain-free for most of the past 6 years. I also play trumpet daily, which amazes my neurologist. However, I feel I am not as sharp as I used to be (just turned 60) and have memory problems to the point of literally not recalling details of recent things. (Long-term memory is fine.) There are also times during the day that I feel very sleepy."

• yom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "At 300 mg of oxcarbazepine daily, my racing thoughts from bipolar have calmed down, and I feel normal for the first time in my life. My anxiety is gone or nearly so. I have BP2 and panic attacks. I also take Ativan, although it seems that I need less of it with oxcarbazepine. I feel a little sedated, but hope this goes away in the coming weeks. This is the first medicine that has helped at all. I am surprised and thankful."

• Mir...
• October 31, 2011

Oxcarbazepine for Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Trileptal for bipolar disorder for years. I switched from Depakote as it made my hair fall out, and I hated the monthly blood tests. I take a large dose of Trileptal, 2100mg/day, and shortly after taking it, I may have some short-lived side effects (tingling in my face, mild double vision, and sleepiness) for about a half hour. My doctor says I might avoid these if I'd split it into morning and evening doses, but I have no doubt I'd forget the morning dose regularly. Trileptal has been very good to me! I still take a low dose birth control (Norethindrone 0.35mg/day) to help with 'monthly' ups and downs, and we've added Lamictal for its antidepressant effects (I found out antidepressants may increase cycling). I've never felt this 'Normal' before!"

• Lis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Trileptal has changed my life for the better. The only reason I give it a 9 is because it's been a bit sedating for me. But because it works so well, I've continued to take it. In fact, Trileptal is the only reason I am able to physically leave this review... otherwise I am emotionless and numb. I am happier overall and able to appreciate life since starting Trileptal. I wish the best for anyone willing to give Trileptal a shot. ~ Lisa"

• Hap...
• September 29, 2011

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "This has helped me tremendously. No face pain at all having Trigeminal Disorder. The pain can make you crazy. No pain pills helped at all. Take 450 mg every night and go right to sleep. Slept in a chair for 6 weeks keeping my head up and not being able to lay down in my bed to sleep. Cried every night with pain. Feel a little drowsy, fatigued and weakness some days but I'd rather deal with that instead of the pain. It's been two months now and I feel so much better. Good luck to all."

• ale...
• July 14, 2019

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I loved Trileptal. It was my ride or die. My irritability, stubbornness/nitpicking, and anger were reduced to almost 0; my interpersonal relationships became healthier and I was overall not a pessimistic, moody, grouchy, insufferable Grinch anymore. No other medication had ever done that; I've always suffered terribly from my own irrational anger and anxiety. The only downside was not being able to enjoy a drink while out with friends, but I only socially drink, and even that's rare. It made me extremely sleepy (I took that as a good sign; that's what made me mellow out), so I suggest anyone else take it at night right before bed, and it'll probably even help you sleep. The only-and I mean only-reason I went off was because the form of birth control I wanted to get (Nexplanon implant) interferes with oxcarbazepine and other anticonvulsants. Definitely recommend for others, though."

• itl...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 19, 2014

Oxcarbazepine "I take 150 mg at night. It makes me drowsy, along with a 0.5 mg alprazolam. I can finally get at least 5-6 hours of sleep at night. I did not know how ill my disorder was making me until I was on this medication, and the prescriber that I was seeing let me lapse because I missed my appointment for a refill. Within a couple of weeks, I wanted to put my jacket on and run away, thought about running into traffic, real manic, racing thoughts while feeling depressed. I never knew how sick I was for all of those years until I was on the Trileptal and felt what 'healthy' was like. Thankfully, I found a new doctor and I’m back on it and do not plan on stopping, ever!"

• Mia...
• March 5, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm on a cocktail of mood stabilizers and an antidepressant to treat the depressive phase of bipolar. Lately, I started getting dysphoric manic phases. If I take 150 mg once a day, I feel so much calmer, thoughts don't race, dysphoria disappears. I don't feel groggy or slow. I think I tried a higher dose, and it didn't agree with me. I took it, then stopped it, and now I'm on it again. I saved it for acute mania, and it helped me come down when I was worried I could not. It worked right away. Calmed my agitation and did not cause a crash. Improved my sleep too. I'm also taking 150 mg of Lamictal, 80 mg of Latuda, and occasionally 1 mg of Xanax as needed."

• Elv...
• January 5, 2010

Oxcarbazepine for Seizures "I have been taking Trileptal for almost 1 month now, and it's such a lifesaver. I have been suffering from partial epilepsy for more than a year. I have been going to the hospital for almost 5/6 months, and they could not discover what the problem was, so I had to see a private doctor who diagnosed me with partial epilepsy and put me on Trileptal. As soon as I took these tablets, it reduced the attacks to 1 every two days, and after a month, it completely got rid of it, so I am really happy with these. However, I do feel slightly drowsy after taking them, but that does not matter since it's taken all the seizures away, which was my main concern since life just felt like hell prior to these. So I would definitely recommend it."

• Jam...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 4, 2021

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "I have a phobia when it comes to meds, but suffering from trigeminal neuralgia made me get over it! I prayed and asked the Lord for some relief, and the doctor gave me this prescription. Tried this med at 300 mg, hardly any side effects, just a little drowsy, but as I continued taking it, I could handle it. Helps the pain a lot! One key takeaway to decrease side effects is to drink a lot of water after your dose!"

• Jes...
• April 1, 2013

For Neuropathic Pain "I have suffered low back pain from spondylolisthesis with peripheral neuropathy for 40 years, neck pain from damaged disks at C5-C6 and C2-C3 for 20 and 10 years, respectively. Each center of pain radiates outward, locally and peripherally. After all the qualifying trials-oral meds, trigger point injections, epidural steroid injections, and rhizotomies-failed to provide adequate relief, an intrathecal pain pump implanted constantly delivering DILAUDID and BUPIVOCAINE to my spinal canal, which has worked well with some caveats. Raising the pump rate enough to bring pain < 3 on a 1-10 scale creates too much sedation to function and disrupts sleep-wake cycles. Adding oral Trileptil has shown substantial pain reduction with no side effects noted."

• Ron...
• January 21, 2016

For Anxiety "I got put on this medicine because of my anger issues and anxiety. I'm on 300 mg twice a day, but it hasn't done anything for me so far. I've become very dizzy, I have double vision, fatigue, drowsiness, balance problems, and speech problems, and I have almost passed out a few times."

• Ani...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 28, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I’m taking oxcarbazepine, and I love it! Yes, you do get drowsy with every dosage increase, but you will adjust, and after you do, I promise the sleepiness will disappear and you will not lose your creativity. You’ll collect all your thoughts to follow through with all your many creative things you do as a bipolar. I was recently hospitalized, and the doctor increased the nightly dose to 900 mg and the morning dose to 600 mg. I was worried about being so medicated. I started out sleeping all night and day, but within a week, I had adjusted and felt great. I began baking cakes again, finished alterations that needed doing before this Easter, started more gardening, and added more to my workout regimen. I can’t believe so many people here can’t manage mixed bipolar with this wonderful drug. I was so depressed. Now I’m so much better. I’ve been on this drug for over 10 years at 600 mg, but I had recently been put on an antidepressant and ADHD medication, which flared up the bipolar."

• Jos...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 31, 2024

For Epilepsy "I have been taking this medication since 2007 and it worked really well at 600mg AM and PM. Every year I go talk to my neurologist and they give me another 1-year prescription. I had very minimal side effects, just getting sleepy after taking it. I worked as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) weird hours for 6 years with no issues. I got into construction and I developed spongatic dermatitis (what the heck), high-pitched ringing in the ears, inability to focus, and now hair thinning. I guess 17 years on this medication is causing side effects. I have been seizure-free for these 17 years and that's awesome! However, the symptoms are concerning. I highly suggest taking a sodium supplement, calcium supplement, and doing a liver cleansing every year. This med is rough on your body."

• neu...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 30, 2016

For Neuropathic Pain "64M - Taken for several years for severe foot and leg pains, not diabetic. Not 100% relief but allowed daily functions most days. Took Tramadol to get sleep occasionally. Tried Lyrica, with side effects so bad, have gone back to oxcarbazepine. Sleeping more, daytime drowsy but Lyrica effects are disappearing after seven days."

• Slu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 16, 2024

Oxcarbazepine "This medication was an absolute GODSEND for me. I was terrified of trying another mood stabilizer after lamotrigine made me cry like a hormonal pregnant woman and messed my period up horribly on only 50mg (an extremely low dose for lamotrigine). My psych prescribed this next, but I was so scared I refused to even take it. Almost a year later, a lot of things changed, and I felt like I needed a mood stabilizer to keep my head straight. I researched, and this medication seemed to be my best bet. I'm only on 300mg currently, but I started at 150mg and only had to change dosage once so far. The only side effect I experienced was extreme sleepiness during the first few days, then it was completely gone. This medication has stabilized my mood, improved my anger issues, improved my sleep quality, helped my depression (this paired with Wellbutrin 300mg and Celexa 20mg have completely diminished my depression symptoms), and I never thought I could be this stable without having almost daily counseling."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "This is for my bipolar depression - 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 bipolar depression. For me, it helps my sleep and I feel better during the daytime."

• Liv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 25, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I began Trileptal just over one year ago. Starting at 300 mg twice a day (first week half then increased to full dose by week 2). After a few months on 300 mg 2x daily, I changed to 300 mg once daily with continued benefits. Benefits include mood improvement. Accidentally skipping a dose clearly reminds me of the importance of this medication. Without it, I'm irritable, quick to anger, anxious, hurt feelings, cry, etc. On it, I am more relaxed, mood is improved, helps me 'slow down' - lessen hypo-mania. It eases negative, repetitive thinking circles and spirals. I have gained weight and had trouble losing it, which was not a previous issue. However, I can't be sure it's the Trileptal or a combo of my meds and life changes. It does cause drowsiness. I take it early evening, so getting up in the morning is easier and found a manageable dose with my psychiatrist. Overall, it's been greatly beneficial to my mental health and stabilization."

• a m...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 25, 2022

For Anxiety "This medication helped get me out of the psych ward. I had extreme intrusive paranoid thoughts as well as depression. With this medication, at the right dose (for me, it is 900 at night), my intrusive thoughts are minimum. I’m on other medication as well, but this is definitely what helps mitigate my symptoms the most. The only downsides are that it does make me drowsy, and I work early, so it’s difficult to wake up, and that it also almost completely gets rid of my sex drive, which can also lead to poor mental health. I’ve made the decision that lack of intrusive thoughts is probably my priority."

• sai...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 9, 2024

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been bipolar since 2020, and I tried a lot of medication till my new doctor put me on 1200 trileptal 600 morning and night. To be honest, this med changed my life by never experiencing hypomania again. Also, my depression went from severe to almost moderate. It did not do a lot for depression, so I had to take antidepressants. But anyway, trileptal made my mania completely disappear. So, good experience."