Have any of you been put on trileptal for bipolar? I was put on it for facial pain, but then I've read that it can be used as a mood stabilizer. I am Bipolar II and haven't been on a mood stabilizer for awhile, so I was wondering if anyone has had success with it. I hope so, because maybe then this drug can take care of both of these problems!

Dear Payne

Welcome to the forum!

i have taken trileptal before, as a mood stabilizer. it was helpful for several months. then at a certain point, i developed upper body paresthesia and overwhelming fatigue/drowsiness after taking the morning dose. we never figured out why for certain as i had to d/c, but my suspicion is hyponatremia, because my previous labs had shown borderline sodium which is not typical for me.

Hyponatremia is a known possible side-effect of Trileptal but it does not happen to everyone. It is something which is easily monitored for (labs should be drawn every few months during the first year of treatment).

Since it can affect other functions, regular blood counts and liver panels, incl. GGT, should also be done throughout treatment, in persons of all ages. Your doctor will know how often they need to be done but i don't think it's more than twice a year. (it's about the same with carbamazepine, which i took for several years, but i don't remember how often the blood draws were ).

If you already find trileptal useful for pain management, it is definitely worth seeing if it will serve as a double-duty drug for you!

Good luck, and let us know if you would, how you fare...

~ waves ~

I am glad that is helping your facial pain.
I too became low sodium at a higher dose.
and was anemic and another electrolite was off.
WE switched to lamictal as my mood stabilizer.
I like that but don't know if that would help your facial pain?
Nice to see you here.
welcome
bizi

Yeah, I took Lamictal (highest recommended dose) for years and then began to have problems with walking and facial twitching. My GP thought that I might have a toxic level in my system, so I was taken off of it. That meant I was on no mood stabilizers. I have been on all kinds of drugs over the years--anti-psychotic, anti-depressant, and mood -stabilizing....I am hoping that this will work out! Thanks for responding. I hope my doctors will check my blood from time to time....

I took this once. Just remember it made me so sleepy I wasn't able to function at all. Constantly doped out.

However one thing that my doctor told me: All meds work differently for every person. Always keep that in mind when trying a new medication.

Take care

Coffeegirl

Forgot- I've taken/tried LOTS of mood stabilizers/anti-seizure meds.... Too many to count. Can't remember them all. That is how many- TOO many!!

I take lyrica for mild TN and lots of neurological pain. It works pretty well for me. However, I take lamictal for a mood stabilizer.