I'm looking for any information regarding withdrawal effects from the above.

I've been taking tegretol for about five years at 400 to 600mg daily, along with effexor at 75 to 150 mg daily.

Recently, I've been going through a hellish health situation, suffering from a full body, burning nerve pain.

Subsequently I've been taking 600 mg of lyrica a day along with a few hundred mg of tramadol, and we started cymbalta to help reduce the neuropathy pain. I stopped the effexor when going on the cymbalta, but found cymbalta way too activating and not worth the nerve pain relief, which was insignificant anyway. Being on so much lyrica, I stopped taking the tegretol too, which was probably pretty stupid.

Anyway, after getting a spinal tap (part of the diagnostic tests going on for the above) I've had a bad reaction. I had a sort of 'brain event' that felt like a seizure or something, where the right side of my skull feels inflamed and I am constantly dizzy. Muscle spasms too.

What my neurologist was thinking on Friday is that what I'm going through may not be a reaction to the tap but perhaps associated with a withdrawal from tegretol and efexor. Does anyone have any ideas on any of this?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Oh my dear.
These are drugs that in most most cases must be carefully titrated off.
Going of tergratol can of course cause seizures. It looks like lyrica was not adequate or not the right drug to substitute for the Tergretol. Lyric is adverstised as an add on drug for anti-seizure meds, not a substitute.

Effexor is notoriuously difficult to taper off.
It is nearly impossible for certain people. I have heard of people three times go off it and finally giving up and staying on it.
The best web site for going Effexor suggests taking Prozac. Try showing this to your psychaitrst/ neurologist.
http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Ant...scontinua.html
This is basic stuff -- prozac has a longer half-life that Effexor and is easier to go off of.

Here is a good page about Efexor:
http://depression.about.com/cs/venla...fxvenlafa.htmf

Here is a list about the effects of Effexor withdrawal.
I am sorry that I could not find a better site but it is late at night and the site certainly covers the basics.

http://www.join-the-fun.com/effexor-withdrawal.html
How much Tramadol? I don't know much about this one but at certain doses and in certain conditions can cause seizures.


I hope that this helps a little.
Mari