Carbatrol symptoms and conditions

Im taking lamictal since 2004. So far so good no seizures. As far as the side effects, well, I have VERY vivid dreams! Always bizarre! Sometimes really bad, but most the time just strange. Every once in awhile I will get the night sweats but not on a regular basis. My short term memory is shot, I've developed anxiety and also ocd even though that hasn't been diagnosed yet. Im on Zoloft for the anxiety which has brought on its own separate list of side effects! I also have dealt with hair loss, Im not balding or anything but have def. noticed a gradual increase in the hair loss. Cant grow my hair out anymore. Ive gained tons of weight! This has also been gradual. I wonder how long I can deal with this. I started out on carbatrol (is that how you spell it?) That was a nightmare! For two weeks I walked around in a dream, a haze! So when the doc switched me to the lamictal I was glad I didn't feel so terrible. Now Im terrified of switching meds. Im half tempted to get off of both of them all together. Does anyone have any suggestions? Im a 30 year old mother and newlywed and dont want to let my life pass me by while I struggle with these side effects! Help!!!!

Thanks, everyone! My (brand new) doctor had convinced me that I was simply experiencing anxiety to explain my side effects. After being off Lamictal and all medications for several months, and then restarting on Lamictal only, I noticed all the following side effects, some of which I've had before, and some completely new. Also, the ones I'd had before came back at a level of severity which I had never experienced.

One familiar side effect was hand tremors and general shakiness which sometimes also affected my speech. Even strangers would notice and ask me if I was ok. Luckily, this was during this past winter, so I would basically lie and just say I was cold and a bit shivery. Another familiar side effect that a lot of others are mentioning are cognitive issues and short term memory loss. Sometimes I felt like my tongue was lazy or I felt tongue-tied, and I couldn't get it to work right to say the words I was thinking. Sometimes, I just plain lost my train of thought or couldn't think of the words to express what I was thinking. I'd all my life been prone to mishaps of speech like occasional spoonerisms and such, but on Lamictal it was happening probably daily, and I'd even started stuttering. Teaching and explaining often difficult concepts and public speaking is part of my job, so this was causing me a lot of anxiety. I, too, completely blanked on spelling out words when friends and colleagues relied on my spelling abilities more than their computer's spellcheck. I also thought I was having sudden leaps in experiencing getting older (early 30's) because of my memory, I typically have an almost photographic memory and can picture where I saw my keys last or what have you, but all of the sudden I couldn't even piece the photo together anymore or it was foggy in my memory.

The newest side effect also experienced by others was clumsiness not only of my own body but of my surroundings. I suddenly noticed that I was doing things way more often like tripping, falling, stubbing a toe, nicking a finger, dropping things, etc. Where I was an excellent parallel parker before, I'd get out of my car and realize I'd parked 2 feet from the curb and crooked.

I decided to look up Lamictal's side effects after discussing this with my excellent talk therapist because I was extremely frustrated with my new doctor telling me I was just anxious and there was really nothing he could do for my (imagined) "side effects." And here everyone is experiencing the same thing. I don't think I should be made to feel like I don't know any better and that I should suffer the REAL side effects of this drug. I didn't study medicine, but I still have a degree in biology so I'm not so stupid that I'll believe anything any doctor tells me.

I think I would almost rather suffer a mild mood swing than suffer these side effects. I'm going to try to look for something else.

My husband and I had the pleasure of raising a beautiful, very smart grandson for the past 3 and a half years. Hunter had CP and epilepsy. Most of his siezures would last at least an hour which meant ER visits regularly. He took Keppra and Carbatrol and experienced few side effects from these medications,but still had siesures about once a month. Then he started having siezures more often. He was put on Topamax as an add on drug. He built up slowly to 150 Mg per day split into twice a day doses and still had two more siezures so 50 more Mg was added. During the time Hunter was on Topamax he suffered many side effects such as slurred speach, uncoordination, wetting his pants, agressive behavior, and lathargic. He was 5 years old and to young to discribe some of his symptoms. Everyone noticed that he was not the same child as he was before taking Topamax. We were very concerned and did discuss our concerns with his doctors. They felt that it was his body getting adjusted to the Topamax and that the symptoms would lesson when his systom leveled out. I did read that Topamax may cause nose bleeds and if he had a nose bleed to take him to his doctor. He had no nose bleeds till the morning of July 6,2005. I always slept with him because most of his siezures occured at night. It was just habbit for me to check him often if I woke up before he did. On the morning of July 6,2005, I got up at 6:A.M. made sure Hunter was okey and was getting things together for a trip to Magic Springs, an amusement park. Hunter was so excited the night before and all he could talk about was the fun he was going to have at Magic Springs. At 7:00 A.M. I checked on him. He was still asleep and okey. Again at 7:30 A.M. he was checked and was still sleeping and was okey. Twenty minutes later I went in his room to wake him and get him dressed for our trip. Hunter was laying at the foot of his bed face down in a pool of blood. When I turned him over blood was coming out of his nose massively, his face was blue. 911 was called, I did CPR on him till they got to our home, the EMT's did CPR and transported him to the ER. The doctors in ER tried to save him also. Hunter died July6,2005. When Hunter had his first nose bleed it was so massive no one could save him.

My daughter started taking Singulair at age 10 - four years ago. She also started taking Carbatrol for supposed petit mal seizures (I say supposed because her last EEG read inconclusive) at the same time. Over the last four years she slowly became a different person - introverted, anxious, clinically depressed with paranoid/psychotic features and suicidal thoughts. After four years on these meds, and after a two-week stay in the hospital, I started researching the meds she was on. Discovered that Carbatrol blocks the body's natural ability to absorb vitamins and nutrients. That was a revelation to me. Then, on a whim just today, I decided to investigate Singulair's side effects and found this message board/website. (I never researched Singulair before now because for some reason I assumed it was a pretty benign drug - yikes.) All these posts confirm to me and my husband that most likely we have not only Carbatrol but Singulair as well to thank for our daughter's emotional decline and delicate mental state. I can't stress enough how vital it is to read about side effects (and NOT just the drug's official website, which is NOT going to have a complete list of possible side effects) BEFORE starting your child (or yourself) on any medication.

She has recently been weaned off her meds (Carbatrol, Effexor, Risperdal, Cogentin), and has just today begun taking the supplement Empowerplus through the Truehope.com website. I have every reason to believe this is going to be the answer - I know that these heavy-duty drugs certainly have NOT done her any favors.

would like to know if anyone has taken a combination of depakote and carbatrol. my son is on both of these for seizures and since on this combo has lost a tremendous amount of weight and has mood swings. has anyone else had these side effects. not even sure if they are side effects.