Tegretol is a very strong medication but it often works for TN pain. I lived on Tegretol for 13 years. I started at 200mg a day and by the time I was through I was up to 1200mg a day.

None of the anti-convulsant drugs work overnight. Tegretol is a drug that needs to reach a therapeutic level in your bloodstream to be effective. That could take a week or two. Every time you increase the dose chances are you will have side effects. I remember having to hang on to the wall to walk. I couldn't stand, I was dizzy, I couldn't drive or work and I slept and slept. Those side effects diminish as your body adjusts to the medication. It could take a couple of weeks for the adjustment of each increased dose.

As long as you are not having an allergic reaction i would try to persevere through those nasty side effects so that you can reach a therapeutic level. Don't get me wrong, the side effects never completely go away, but they do become manageable. I remained more tired than usual and I often found it caused forgetfulness. I've heard it nicknamed "the stupid drug" because that's how you feel when you are on it. All of a sudden simple words go missing from your vocabulary. I opted for an MVD because I couldnt handle the side effects and the pain any longer. But I was on 1200 mg. which is close to the end of the line for that drug.

If the drug is causing headaches, try to see if some Extra Strength Tylenol will help get through the first week or so of adjustment. You can check with your doctor just to make sure that this is OK, but I never had a problem mixing Tylenol or Advil with Tegretol.

It is important to get a blood test every three months while on this drug. Tegretol is metabolized in the liver and therefore liver functions need to be checked. They also check for theraputic levels amongst other things.

Many drugs may affect the way that Tegretol is metabolized in the body, leading to higher or lower than expected levels of the medication in the blood. Talk to your doctor before taking any other medicines or even vitamins while taking Tegretol.

Tegretol may decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Alcohol and Tegretol are not a good combination either, as well, this is one of those drugs where mixing grapefruit and grapefruit juice with Tegretol could lead to potentially adverse effects.

There are many other drugs on the market today that handle TN however Tegretol still is one of the most commonly used drugs. Most of the drugs are anti-convulsants but some doctors use other types of drugs like anti-depressants as well.

It is important to realize that everyone is different, what works well for one of us does not necessarily work for someone else. Sometimes there needs to be a delicate balance reached between a cocktail of the different drugs. It is a difficult road for some of us to travel and you are in pain the whole time you are experimenting with the different drugs. It is important to hang in there and stay in touch with your doctor to let them know how you are reacting (sometimes easier said than done) while you find the right drug(s) for you.