From personal experience, I found that worrying too much about taking a medication makes it much harder for me to see the good effects it is having. I take Tegtretol--the "parent" drug of Trileptal. I was worried at first about the liver problems--but that is being watched with blood tests.

Honestly, I was very worried about some of the side-effects. I am very med sensitive and have bad experiences with a lot of drugs. I was apprehensive, but desperate for pain relief. I tried Lyrica and Neurontin--too many side effects. All I know is that I wanted this drug to work and my body to tolerate it. I didn't know how I was going to make it through much more pain if it didn't work. For me, desperation outweighed my worries.

I have been on Tegretol about 9 weeks now and it is working very well for me. My pain is mostly at a 0-2 level, with fewer breakthrough episodes the longer I take it. I do not drink any alcohol or take any Tylenol--both bad for the liver even when not taking Tegretol. I would avoid them even if I was on Trileptal. No need to add any more health risks to the table.

Your doctor will titrate your dosage--you will start with a very small dose and increase it gradually. I do suggest that you give it more than 5 weeks to see if it works. It will take 2-3 weeks just to reach the dose your doctor wants you on. Then you have to find the theraputic level that works for you. It takes time to get to the right dose for many people. I noticed my pain levels went down quite a bit when I had been on my therapeutic dosage for a good month.

My Neurologist described the actions of anticonvulsants as "dampening down" the nerves that conduct the pain. It takes them a bit of time to fully respond to that "dampening" effect of the med.

When you start the Trileptal, keep a pain level chart so you can see a bit more objectively how your TN pain is responding to the medication.

Are you modifying your diet and managing other triggers? I stay on a semi-soft diet and that helps me a lot. I also try to avoid the things that trigger pain episodes. I have a polar fleece hat and scarf ready for winter winds, keep my hair pulled back, avoid loud noisy places-if possible, and so on.

I am so sorry you have TN, it is not something I would wish on anyone. Thank goodness Neurotalk is here for support and information. Having any chronic illness can be isolating, try and stay in touch with people who understand your illness, it makes all the difference in the world.

If I ever have to stop the Tegretol, I am very glad Trileptal is there to take its place. I hope very much that Trileptal will work for you--no one should have to live with that much pain.

from lifesaver54