Oxcarbazepine and Nausea: What Users Say

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 4, 2016

For Anxiety "I suffer from chronic depression and high anxiety all my life. Other medications work, but I am so out of touch with reality that I choose not to take them. I started a 300mg twice a day dose of oxcarbazepine with 50mg of Pristiq. I have only been taking this for two weeks, but so far, everything is great. I am experiencing what it's like to be 'normal,' a feeling I have rarely experienced, so it feels a little abnormal. Life is much better now, the best I have ever felt. I hope it works for years to come."

• 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."

• mtn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2012

Oxcarbazepine for Trigeminal Neuralgia "Stopped the incapacitating seizures. Side effects are bothersome but not as awful as the seizures: Sugar-sweet taste of all food, fatigue, occasional nausea, memory issues, sight issues, balance problems."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I am BP2 and have been on so many drug combinations for the disorder. I gained about 30 lbs on the Depakote/Zoloft combo. The absolute worst is when I was put on Topamax. Anyway, I was recently moved to Trileptal. I thought to myself, here we go again. The first week sucked because I had a never-ending headache and nausea. The second week, I debated going off the drug because I was seriously sick and tired of feeling sick. But, I decided that I would try something different by eating small meals every couple of hours, and that ended the nausea right away. The headache went away about midway through that week. This has been the absolute best I have felt in years!!!! I am so happy not to be hungry all the time like I was on the Depakote. I am hoping that my hair starts growing back because on the Depakote half of it fell out. My quality of life has really improved. My moods are stable, and I feel great and want to go to work every day!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 18, 2017

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "Female, over 70. Have had TN since 2007. Had MVD in 2013. Pain-free for a little over 3 yrs. Episodes have returned big time. Back on oxcarbazepine, but not totally effective. Prior to MVD, I tried upping the dosage from 300 twice a day to 300 three times per day, which caused false gallbladder symptoms and depletion of sodium. I am having some blurred vision at times and nausea. If I don't take the medication on time, the shooting, screaming, electric pains hit me with full force. I still have pains throughout the day, but can deal with those. I live in fear that the bigger pains are going to hit me any minute. I think the oxcarbazepine is effective with fewer side effects, from the information I've read."

• Sin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 2, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I took Trileptal for 8 months for bipolar type 1. I was rapid cycling due to an antidepressant, but the Trileptal was very effective for stopping the cycle. My mind wasn’t going a million miles an hour anymore. However, horrible, dangerous side effects started with dizziness and nausea. At 8 months, hives on my skin, rash on my palms, and it was in my mouth. Scratchy throat and respiratory problems also. Stopped cold turkey, and now I’m cycling into depression."

• Anonymous
• August 21, 2011

Oxcarbazepine for Anxiety "Completely messed up my stomach - constipated, nauseated, vomiting, rectal bleeding. Agitation, sleep problems, and muscle discomfort (restless leg syndrome) upon discontinuation of medication. I also believe the increased agitation and abdominal discomfort led to an increase in my blood pressure."

• Viv...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 30, 2017

For Anxiety "18 year old female - I have been taking oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) for almost 3 years now (for my PTSD), and while it does help manage my PTSD, I experience some unsettling side effects daily, such as nausea, fatigue, and recently I was diagnosed with chronic hyponatremia, which my doctor has linked to my oxcarbazepine because it lowers your serum sodium levels in your blood. Within the last 4 months, I have started having acute migraines if I take my Trileptal even as little as ten minutes late. In my opinion, the long-term effects are not worth the decent level of PTSD management. My doctor is thinking of changing my medication due to the negative effects on my health."

• Hmm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on this for half a month, and I took Lamictal prior to this. So far, it's been positive mentally, and I'm much more balanced. Physically, I'm on the lowest dose, but instead of my usual reflux, I'm getting more nausea. Also, strangely, my knees are more limber, but my back is so stiff that it makes noise (snap, crackle, pop) when I squat. My thirst has increased slightly, and I find that I cry more, but I feel less depressed. The anxiety level I have is way down, but now it tends to revolve around thoughts of COVID effects on society or the severe side effects that could pop up. I know this isn't likely to be the right dose, but I'm nervous about taking the dose higher."

• Ema...
• May 3, 2020

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "87 yr old. I've had TN for about 5 years now, gone through multiple drugs (gabapentin, baclofen, Lyrica, and oxcarbazepine) and surgeries. As far as drugs go, I feel oxcarbazepine has helped the most. It took some time for my body to get over the nausea, but eventually became used to it. Just take nausea medication to help while your body gets used to it. The fatigue, dizziness, and lack of thought process is improving as I've slowly reduced the meds."

• Kai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2022

For Anxiety "So I was prescribed this medication for my anxiety “flare-ups” and my horrible mood swings. For reference, I am only on 150 mg, which is the lowest mg you can get, and I have to split the tablet in half, which makes that 75 mg. I have only been on it roughly a week, and the side effects outweigh the positive effects. I’m so exhausted, I have diarrhea after everything I eat, I feel sick to my stomach, and I feel SO disconnected from reality. Like my body feels here, but my mind is somewhere else. And it’s so overwhelming that it’s an uncomfortable feeling. I also kinda feel like a zombie as well, like I'm just here. I don’t really do anything or wanna do anything, and I just feel numb. This medication is either a hit or miss, and for me, it’s a complete miss."

• VAb...
• October 28, 2009

Oxcarbazepine for Bipolar Disorder "This medicine was given to me as I was being taken off an antidepressant and has given me headaches, nausea, joint pain, and a feeling of not being fully alert. I was started at a 1500 mg 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’t worry about that. I would rather have the antidepressants back, at least I could be a human with them."

• 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."

• Gep...
• August 10, 2019

For Trigeminal Neuralgia "Have had TN for some 13 years and have been on carbamazepine (Tegretol) and slow release 160g for about 10 years. Recently started taking oxcarbazepine, as their similar drug makeup to 'carba' was like for like. It worked fine and cleared my head from the small fugue (a loss of awareness of one's identity) that 'carba' does. It went good for 3 weeks, then the slight pain, stomach, nausea, and balance symptoms started. The doctor thought it unrelated and gave me 3 types of medication to counteract the symptoms and increased my dosage from 900 to 1050mg twice a day. Then I started to have the worst 4 days of my life. It was like watching a junkie on TV with withdrawal symptoms, only it was me. My wife said enough is enough and went back to carbamazepine and just took the other medication for a few days following. Two days later, it was as if I’d just woken from a bad dream. Don’t get me wrong, but I still get pain, but it’s manageable."