I was actually put on trileptal, which is akin to tegretol. It has an added extra oxygen molecule or something like that. My neurologist said that was now the treatment of choice over tegretol, since tegretol can have negative side effects. Trileptal can have side effects, too, of course, such as a salt depletion, but it's evidently "safer." I'm wondering if maybe you should consider asking your doctor about it.....