Tegretol causes weight gain?

[butterfly_dreams]

I was prescribed tegretol by my neurologist. Ive read 'awful' stories in the web of people gaining huge amounts of weight on it.

I asked my neurologist to give me something that wouldnt have such side effect.

I'm just begining to recover from bulimia and i know that putting on weight at th wis point would have a terrible effect on me and my attempts of recovery.

My neurologist says tegretol WILL NOT cause ANY sort of gin weight and that she has never ever treated someone who gained weight on it.. and refuses o give me anything else.

I am freaked and struggling to convinve myself to take the meds. Do any of you have links to reliable sites where i can get more info?
I need to know if it does or not. And if it does i can show it to my neurologist and maybe get her to prescribe something else

[BIGMAN131307]

I was on Tegretol before (at least 15 yrs ago), and never had a problem with weight gain.

Tegretol

Commonly reported side effects include drowsiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty in thinking, diarrhea, double vision, nausea and vomiting. Rare effects include allergic skin rashes (in about 10 percent of patients). Some skin rashes may be severe. Other potential side effects which may occur with Tegretol include low sodium levels and increased eye pressure in glaucoma patients. Bone marrow suppression and liver damage occur in rare cases. Tegretol should be used in caution in patients with liver, heart, and blood disorders. Unless severe reactions warrant, abrupt discontinuation of Tegretol therapy should not be undertaken.

Tegretol-XR

Commonly reported side effects include drowsiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty in thinking, diarrhea, double vision, nausea and vomiting. Rare effects include allergic skin rashes (which may be severe), bone marrow suppression and liver damage. Other potential side effects which may occur with Tegretol-XR include low sodium levels and increased eye pressure in glaucoma patients. Tegretol-XR should be used in caution in patients with liver, heart, and blood disorders. Unless severe reactions warrant, abrupt discontinuation of Tegretol-XR therapy should not be undertaken.

Some people may experience different side effects. It all depends how sensitive you are to medications. Tegretol is usually the first anti-epileptic drug Neurologists prescribe.

[drarvindr]

Tegretol is carbamazepine. I haven't seen a case with weight gain either. i don't know if it's a reported side effect but as far as i know it's not. Weight gain is far more common with Sodium valproate ( depakene or depakote). The thing you should watch out for as far as i know are:

Rashes hypertension( see if you have palpitations) blurred vision, Stomach upset,liver trouble, and you will need routine blood work every 2-3 months. ( carbamazepine can cause agranulocytosis , that is a depletion of soldiers in your body's army against infection and also mess with your liver on prolonged use).
It may help you to take the drug along with food and at regular intervals to avoid the stomach upset.If at any point you decide you wish to try to get pregnant or want to go " on the pill" , you need to talk to your doctor for drug change or dose adjustment.

THINGS TO GO TO DOC ASAP FOR:
sudden unexplained bleeding and bruising , very dark urine, pale stools, jaundice, mouth ulcers , disturbances in your mood (eg depression , thoughts of suicide)

Hope i've been of help

[Eyes_herself]

I've been on and off Tegretol for almost five years. I have not experienced any weight gain. I've been the same weight for basically those five years give or take the holidays

Good luck w/ everything and don't be stressed. Try and take care of yourself first!

[skillefer]

I think you might be confusing Tegretol and Depakote. Depakote causes weight gain...but it comes off quick when you stop taking the med. Everyone I've known that took Tegretol didn't have any weight gain issues.

[darkmarkshark]

My weight was stable on tegretol - I gained alot pretty quickly after stopping it though. As long a time period as there was, I don't believe the tegretol had anything to do with the sudden weight gain

[Kate]

Only problem I had on tegretol was a rash, and well.. thats because Im allergic to it. lol. I was taken off of it, so I didn't gain any weight.. but I haven't heard anything about weight gain on it either.

[April1811]

When I was on it tegertol made me gain weight and I didn't like it. Maybe it was the doses but I was better off it than on it.

[TeeTees]

No weight gain for me - I've been on Tegretol for yeeears now as well

[kellie ebury]

Hi im kellie ive been on tegretol (carbamazipine) since i was 7 years old and I have always struggled to put on weight im on this site to find out how I can put on weight whilst being on theses tablets. what are the neurologist telling you the causes are? im in the uk if you are, then try contacting the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford for there of there advice because they have dealt with me since the age of 7 and ive never had problems with them and they have always been helpful with any of my issues concerning epilepsy. are you diabetic by any chance?

[Belinda5000]

I've been on Tegretol since it came out an d it has never caused me to gain weight.
Belinda

[brain]

Before I was allergic to Tegretol, I only gained
a few pounds while being on it; but then again
I was not on it for very long due to the reasons
implied in the beginning as stated.

[simple.partials]

I've been on Carbatrol for several years and haven't gained weight.

[Crystal11]

Hello- I was on Carbamazepine chewable tablets when I was 13 for a few years, now back on it as an adult and taking 600mg Tegretol XR plus Keppra 3000mg and neither one of those causes weight problems or increase. I did notice I had gained weight since seeing my neurologist but I believe that to be food at college LOL. I know that I didn't really eat well at college living there hehehe.
I would not worry too much about weight gain. I would give it a try and if for some reason you're not tolerating it well then maybe your neurologist can help you some more with it.
Take care-
Crystal

[kellie ebury]

Hello my name is kellie, I have been on tegretol since I was 7yrs old and I have never put on weight im 27yrs old and im only 8 stone, mines infact the opposite im under weight, I know 6 other people that take tegretol and they have the same problem as me we cannot put weight on. But if you r still worried about it dont stop looking until you find what your looking for hun.

[kellie ebury]

hello im kellie, ive been taking tegretol retard 800mg & 200mg lamotrigine and I have always had problems with putting weight on ive been on them since i was 7yrs old, but like you I enjoyed other things in college rather then eating loads of food lol. and even on this amount of medication I can still have a great nite out with my friends and be hanging in the morning lol. what type of epilepsy do you have? I suffer from grand mal and petite mal but my grand mal is now more under control (thank god) my seizures are stress related so im not allowed to get to stressed but im a woman so im allowed to get stressed now and then lol it just has concequences.

[mat0703gizmo]

I am taking Tegretol as a mood stabilizer and have been experiencing a great deal of hair loss, has anyone experienced hair loss while on Tegretol?

[April1811]

When I was on Tegertol and Depakote I lost my hair as well and gained weight. It wasn't something that I couldn't understand at all. My hair was like comeing out like mad and all I could do is wonder what was going on. In fact I got pregnant and I lost it as well. Fianally the doctor took me off of Tegertol and Depakote, my hair came back and I lost 75 LBs on Weight Watchers. I wactched what I ate and it didn't take me but a few years to lose it all but I did so Good luck with it. Pamela

[weimerluvr]

Hi Mat,

I'm currently being switched from tegretol to keppra...I've had the hair loss problem with tegretol and with dilantin. The specialist I'm going to said that I shouldn't have the hair loss problem with keppra - I hope he's right.

[Eve]

I took tegretol for 10 years and it never made me gain weight.

The only seizure drug that ever gave me weight issues was topomax, it made me loose alot of weight and it wasnt good for me.