Hi Everyone,

I just started taking carbamazepine three days ago and I am currently at 600 mg per day (I am going to try 800 mg today). I am wondering what side effects I should expect and if they will diminish as my body adjusts to this medication. Currently I have: dizziness, drowsiness, unsteadiness, increased appetite, fuzzy thinking (about 4 hours after taking medication). I have found that the carbamazipine brings the pain down to a level at which one Advil and one extra strength Tylenol can provide me with with a couple of hours of pain free joy. I am currently "between jobs" but I am concerned about the side affects and how they could interfere with the requirements of a job.

I have just recently been diagnosed with TN and I don't think that I have yet grasped the reality of the situation: I will have this affliction for the rest of my life and therefore will require the meds for the rest of my life. The challenge is to find a balance between the pain and the side effects of the medication. But can I still work even once I find a balance?

Thank you for reading the musings of a newbie.

I wish you all some relief from the pain.

The Buzz

Hey Buzz, you might try the extended release capsules - lessened the side effects for me, but my dosage is not as high as yours - unless I have an episode and I take an extra dose. I had all those side effects you mentioned while taking the regular tablets, but not with the extended. I had bad dreams and phantom smells as well - smelled pot all the time. LOL

I am on the CR ones (or XR in the US) and I only have that horrible fuzzy dopey confused feeling when I am increasing the dose for a few days then it comes right again. So I agree that the extended/controlled release sort might be better.

Another option is to take the same doseage that you would daily but break it into smaller amounts more often. So instead of taking 800mg and taking 2 doses of 400mg, try taking 4 doses of 200 mg.

Often you can avoid the highs and lows that way and keep a more consistent amount of medication in your system, so one you get better pain coverage and two you have less medication rush, Tegretol is I think the best drug for TN but I could not deal with the side effects and changed to Neurontin and Lyrica for many years. Funny enough now I do take 200mg at night, so I sleep off the problems and still get the benefits,,,

Good luck, hope it all works out for you.