Recently a lot of people have been searching the internet for information about Trileptal, which is an anticonvulsant drug (that is, it helps control seizures in conditions such as epilepsy) used as a mood stabilizer in treating bipolar disorder. The search popularity may be because Trileptal is weight-neutral, unlike some other drugs in its class.
Trileptal has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of bipolar disorder, but it has been prescribed off-label for years for this use. Read the Trileptal Drug Profile for information about this drug, including major side effects and risks during pregnancy.
~Marcia
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I have been on trileptal almost 8 years with one hospital admission for hyponatremia. READ your side effects carefully before each doctor visit and get blood sodium levels checked occasionally to avoid hospital stays. Hyponatremia can affect up to 3% of thise who take high doses of this med.
I am 26 & have been on varying doses of Trileptal for 7 years. I have had much success with maintaining my mood stability. I guess he only thing I can advise is to make sure you do not skip doses because it leaves your system pretty quickly & withdrawals will usually start within 2 days. The withdrawals, for me, result in SEVERE mood swings and irritability.
Also, one of the side effects is impairment with concentration. I still notice this, even after taking Trileptal for so long & I feel like I can’t think straight for a couple of hours after taking it. I make sure to take mine right before bed so it is not problematic.
I will have to talk to my psychiatrist, however, because my partner & I plan to start a family in a couple of years, so I know Trileptal is not an option during pregnancy.
I have been on Trileptal for 6 yrs. My only complaint is memory problems. I forget things that happened 2 hrs ago, which is bad enough with the bipolar alone. My mood swings have definately gotten better, and I’m am slow to anger more so than I was without it. The tiredness isn’t so hot either, but I can live with it.
As stated above, Hyponatremia (low sodium) can be an (for me, almost fatal) side effect of Trileptal.
I happened to go and see my PCP, and I had blood taken for a CMP. I had been on Trileptal for quite some time (I couldn’t tell you how long, because I was difficult to treat, and became a guinea pig for almost every new drug that came on the market)
Back to my doctor visit. When I got home, I got a phone call from my PCP. I was asked if I was feeling ok (LOL). I said Yes and asked why? Apparently my sodium, that should be in the 130’s was at 115. I asked what I should do, and they sent me to a(NOTHER) doctor, who told me, as all of the doctors before me did, when there was something wrong with me, that it was my medication. I got angry. Little did I know that this time, it was the correct diagnoses. Long story short: I ended up being transported by ambulance after having two grand mal seizures while I was sleeping. At the hospital, they couldn’t stop the seizures, so they put me in a medicated come (they didn’t tell my parents that though. They thought I was dying and were trying to cope with my Advanced Directives). Things got worse when my kidneys shut down. The next thing that they discovered, was that my RBC had bottomed out. They gave me two blood transfusions (didn’t tell my parents). I was in ICU for 9 days, and was completely unaware of what had happened. I woke up on the 10th day (I don’t know how) and was put into a regular room.
Needless to say, I have been off Trileptal since; however, I still have a tendency to Hyponatremia, (which was never a problem before Trileptal) so I have eat salt on the days that I don’t get enough in my diet . I know when my sodium is low, because my skin starts itching.
So, if you are on Trileptal, get your sodium checked regularly. My Mom, despite my protests, allowed her Neurologist to put her on Trileptal for her seizures. She bottomed out in one day. Just a reminder for those who take this medication for seizures.