Anyone taking this Rx to control the pain? If yes, how many mg and how long have you bee taking it?

From my experience and from reading the others here, tegretol is usually the first med they put you on. If your dosage is high enough there seems to be some nasty sude effects.

I am lucky so far and have just recently started taking the drug on a daily basis. My episodes were very sporadic at first, now about twice a week. I would suggest that anyone who is on the tegretol (Carbamazepine) to ask for the extended release formula - I take Carbatrol - the side effects do not seem to be as bad for me as the regular chewable tabs I used to take.

I currently only take 200 mg per day (prescribed 400 daily) but if I have an episode I usually end up taking about 600. I do not want to get to the point where the meds prevent me from working, or they quit working!

Good luck!
Rhonda

I started out taking Gabapentin, then tried Tegretol, then Aventyl. I ended up going back to the Gabapentin. It seemed to work the best with the least amount of side affects. Don't get me wrong, I can't take it & drive/work, but it was better than the Tegretol, for me!

I take 600mg/day if I don't have to function, but usually only 200/day at bed time if I'm working.

I take 800 mg daily... been taking it for over a year now.. plus others. and some days its not enough.

for what illness do you guys take this for.
I am on 200mgs a day....being told that is a super low dose....
for my bipolar.
was going well at first, but is getting progressively worse.

I am on suboxone, for opiate addiction recovery...it prevents me from
withdrawl symptoms and controls cravings.....
the tegretol seems to be eating all this med up (or causing my body to)rapidly and I am being thrown into wicked withdrawls.

I have to admit, the first thing I did like about it, was that it actually allowed me to feel "manic" as opposed to being severely depressed all the time...
Yeah, now that I think about it....I actually had a "high" from it....
But it is destroying the effects of my other meds.

Anybody else have this effect from tegretol....ruining other meds????

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.....

I don't have the episodes as its described as a pinching sensation. Its Intermittent since last month. Carbamazepine 200mg was working for me for 8 years straight. The pain would comeback after 4-6 months or so lasting no more then 7 days.

Now, its just there most of the day. Went up to 800mg before the discomfort would go away and it worked or a week, now mostly it doesn't. Whats going on? Too much drowiness with this now.

I got on 800mg for a week now. Causes Drowiness. I don't like that. 200mg had none.

It just means you have to more caution while driving.

Sometimes they make me tired too... depends on the day.. other days are more zombie-like.