Get Informed: Tegretol

68

Patient Comments about
Tegretol

Active Ingredient(s)

Carbamazepine

What does it do?

Tegretol

This product is used in the treatment of epilepsy and trigeminal neuralgia. It is believed to reduce polysynaptic responses and post-tetanic episodes, but the exact mechanism of action is unknown.

Last Text Update:
 2010-Mar-20 3:53 PM
Last Data Update:
 2010-Mar-19 9:03 PM

Other Names

  • Tegretol
  • Carbamazepine
  • Carbatrol
  • Tegretol XR
  • Epitol
  • Equetro
  • Teril
  • Epimaz

How Safe Is It?

Your Risk Rating
Please log in
Average Risk Rating
0: On hold
Pregnancy Category:
D

Black Box Warning

This product has a black box warning relating to prescribers needing to be familiar with complete prescribing information, and its risk of potentially fatal skin reactions and increased risk of aplastic anemia.)

Facts & Figures

Date Approved
11 Mar 1968
Est US Patients*
607,800
Generic Available
Yes
OTC Available
No

User Age Distribution*

9

< 21

19

21-39

50

40-59

22

60+

Age (Years)

* Estimated number of US people currently taking Tegretol or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.

Other Resources

Recent alerts for Tegretol

Tegretol Safety Report

0: On hold

The iGuard risk rating for Tegretol is on hold. It means that we're waiting for more patients taking this medication to join iGuard before we can provide a more accurate safety assessment of this product.

Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings

  • Please login or register (it's free) so iGuard can check how Tegretol interacts with other drugs and diseases in your profile.

What is Tegretol used for?

iGuard is currently tracking more than 4,000 patients that use Tegretol (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.

Disease / Condition % Average Severity
Epilepsy/Seizures 71% 4
Neuropathic Pain 21% 6
Bipolar Disorder 6% 5
Depression 6% 4

How well does Tegretol work?

iGuard regularly polls our more than 4,000 users taking Tegretol (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.

Average Satisfaction Score

(out of 10)

Average Effectiveness Score

(out of 10)

72 77
88%
of patients are confident that the good things about Tegretol outweigh the bad things.
8%
of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Tegretol.

Common Side Effects of Tegretol

iGuard regularly polls our more than 4,000 users taking Tegretol (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.

45%

45% of patients experience side-effects on Tegretol

14%

14% of patients experience signifcant side-effects on Tegretol


Most Common Side Effects...

  • 10% Weight Gain
  • 5% Grogginess/Confusion
  • 5% Electrolyte Problems
  • 5% Swelling/Edema
  • 5% Fatigue
  • 5% Numbness/Tingling
  • 5% Constipation
  • 5% Memory/Speech Problems
  • 5% Drowsiness
  • 5% Bone Loss
  • 5% Tremor
  • = 10%

Global Patient Feedback for Tegretol (Carbamazepine) ( Post a comment )

Comments, Questions, and Answers
Show Newest | Oldest first

Question/Comment:

I AM A MALE AGE 68. LIVING IN CALIFORNIA
I TAKE TEGRETOL FOR DIABETIC NEROPATHEY PAIN IN MY HANDS AND LEGS. IT WORKS VERY WELL. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTORS AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY. I HAVE BEEN TAKING IT FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS

68 year old Male – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-03-11 11:53:42

Question/Comment:

i am a 36 year old female and have been on carbatrol 600 mg twice a day for 9 years. i find that it works very well to take away sharp pains in the top of my head. i have no side affects from it. the doctors are no sure if the sharp pains are seizures or not but this med has controlled them. i have fibromyalgia with severe chronic disabling mixed migraine/cervical headaches.

36 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-02-04 15:30:01

Question/Comment:

I am 72 years old,have been on carbatrol off and on for 3 yrs. The side effect I have is hand jerking which causes me to drop things. I take it for TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA

73 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-01-26 17:59:39

Question/Comment:

I have been on carbamazepine or tegretol for almost 20 years. I have had to adjust the amounts up or down off and down over the years, the only real problems I have had are when I have to take antibotic for an infections it conteract with allot of them. 67 year old famale 5-1- 2009--4:01 pm

68 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-01 18:02:03

Answer/Reply:

I have been on carbmazepine for more than 34 yrs. In the beginning, the dosage was
adjusted but has been the same and I've never had a problem interferring with other
drugs. My doctor always checks it's compatibility with other drugs I am/will be
taking.
65 yrs. old female
5/16/09

66 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-16 08:16:53

Answer/Reply:

i been on tegretol xr 200mg for 10 yrs now . i get terrible migraines and a rash when i am in the sun and i live in florida so i asked my doc how do i avoid this rash he said stay out of the sun? I ask how when i live in fla? he said move to a cooler climate? has any doc ever told you this? i use cortizone cream. do you get a rash if so what do you use? i also get migraines and take MIDRIN my insurance stop paying for my midrin so now i just deal with it.
43 yr old male

44 year old Male – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-17 03:41:50

Answer/Reply:

I too have been on Tegretol 800mgs a day for the past 33 years. I have never had any problems. The last few years though I have been getting migranes. I figured this is due to hormone levels but after seeing your comment I'm wondering if the Tegretol could be causing the migranes even though I have not experienced them before.

48 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-01-25 10:16:24

iGuard Answer/Reply:

Headaches or migraines are not a usual side effect of Tegretol. Talk to your physician about possible treatments and the causes for your migraines. It would be helpful to document the dates the migraines occur and identify any possible triggers.

Posted: 2010-01-29 22:11:48

Answer/Reply:

AN ADDICTIONOLOGIST CAN COVER YOU WITH ANOTHER DRUG DURING YOUR ROUR ROUND OF AB. I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY OTHER KIND OF PSYCHIATRIST B/C MY MEDS INTERACT WITH SO MANY THINGS AND MANY THINGS MAKE MY BIPOLAR MEDS LESS EFFECTIVE. YOU NEVER WANT TO SEE ME MANIC--I'M EVIL AND PURSUE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES.

43 Y/O FEMALE

44 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-17 06:50:29

Answer/Reply:

I have been on tegretol 12 years ago and never had side effects, but since my brain surgery I am on Carbetrol. It has been working well. 52 yr old female 5-18-2009 8:15am

53 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-18 09:15:24

Answer/Reply:

After brain surgery 18 years ago I was left tumor free but with partial seizures. I was put on 400 mg of Tegretol per day which eliminated the seizures. Over the years I have reached thresholds where I have had some occurrances of partial seizures and the Tegretol dose needed increased to work. I'm now up to 1200 mg of tegretol XR per day and this keeps me seizure free (the XR is time-release capsules).

66 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-05-27 01:24:44

Question/Comment:

I have been on Tegretol for 8 years. I would be more concerned with the bone marrow suppression, liver issues, and bleeding issues that is causes then with weight gain honestly. I gained weight Like crazy when I was pregnant, it was harder for me to take it off then the average person but I took it off. I gained about 75 to 100 lbs with each of my kids, but I have lost almost all of it. However, I bleed like crazy. Even an IV takes 10 minutes to stop bleeding. Make sure that you get your Liver panels, Teg Panels, and you Bone Marrow Panels done. If you are still having headaches and migranes (which i still do) talk to your doctor. Do not stop taking your Teg for any reason. Teg is a step med. You are supposed to be stepped up and down. If you just stop and start it you run the risk of increasing seaizure activity.

31 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2009-04-12 21:46:57

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DISCLAIMER: iGuard is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. iGuard cannot and does not take into consideration every possible interaction or account for individual responses to medicine. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have before making any changes to your treatment. The use of the iGuard site and its content is at your own risk. The iGuard site and the information contained in it is intended for users in the United States and information in other countries may be different.

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