Tegretol and depression

[pita300]

Hi,

I'm new here as of yesterday. This is a question to all the members who are or have been on Tegretol. If you are on it are you struggling with depression? what are you doing to manange it? What anti depressants work well or which should I avoid. I don't understand how a drug that is also used in the treatment of depression can make me feel the way I do some days. I've been on Tegretol XR since it came out. My seizures are completely controlled and have been for about 15 Years. I know there are all kinds of new drugs on the market that have come out in the last 15 years. Would it be worth the switch? Dealing with comming off one med and going to another? Dealing with seizures again while I'm adjusting to the new med. I'm interested in your opinions

Thanks,

 

[nicholas:)]

Hi. I've been on Tegretol since may (800mg), I've been told they are used for epilepsy and as a mood stabilizer. They sometimes make my mood 'flat', but I do feel benefits also. They have brought my seizures down along with Clonazepam (5mg).

For depression I am on Mirtazipine 45mg and Quetiapine 500mg. I still get depressed, sometimes it's down to yourself to pick yourself up as well as taking medication.

 

[epileric]

I've also been on the Tegretol XR since it came out & I do go through frequent bouts of depression that I attribute to the Tegretol.

If your seizures have been completely controlled for so long I think it might be an idea to ask if your dose could be lowered (slowly).

 

[pita300]

No I don't think thats an option. The reason I have a seaizure 15 years ago was coming down off the meds. Back then I was on Tegretol and Phenobarb no less. I told my doctor I was sick of taking the meds and she agreed to bring me off. I think she was just trying to get me to realize that I was never going to be able to come off the meds. She was right. had a seizure 4 days into coming down off the meds. The good out of that was going from taking 10 pills a day to just 2 when she put me on the Tegretol XR

 

[nana1]

I am so happy for you, that you have been under controll for that long. I am not under control at all. I am on 3 different meds and take 12 pills a day. I have had these seizures for over 50 years and still no contol.

 

[pita300]

Thank you. It was not an easy battle. I had a right temporal lobectomy about 25 years ago. That helped get my seizures under control but did not stop them all. I do know however I am 1 missed pill away from starting all over again. I found this site because I thought I might be having simple partial seizures. Now realize it could just be a side effect of the Tegretal along with others. I am planning an appointment with my GP to help rule that out.

 

[RobinN]

My daughter took tegretol as the first med we tried 6.5 yrs ago. We both were new to seizures and I am sure that fact added to depression. She had terrible vision loss which cleared up when I suggest we take her off the drug. It was her second trial that caused extensive depression and suicidal thoughts. I did not learn from her doctors ever about the suicidal risks of the top 11 meds . I learned that fact from my personal research.
Good luck.

 

[karapbara]

I am so happy for you, that you have been under controll for that long. I am not under control at all. I am on 3 different meds and take 12 pills a day. I have had these seizures for over 50 years and still no contol.

nana1

50 years is a long time for seizures to not be under control- do you mind me asking how many you have a day and what you take for them?
I always was under the impression that once you found the right medication it would all be okay.

 

[karapbara]

Thanks for this post - I'm glad I'm not the only one..
I've been on sodium valproate since january this year and it's gradually been increased so now I take 400mg 3x daily and since that didn't control the seizures I'm now on 100mg 2x daily of tegratol. I've tried the tegratol once a day but it didn't seem to help. This balance of medication considerably helps with seizures but I hate feeling so depressed.

Do you guys find that you have bouts of where you are depressed? Like for example, this morning I was really really upset for no particular reason, and then i had a seizure, but other times I might be quite depressed and then I'll kind of snap out of it- possibly what could have been a seizure?

Please let me know and thanks so much..

 

[Nakamova]

People with epilepsy tend to have higher rates of depression. In some cases it's a co-occurring disorder, one that can be made worse by the stresses associated with having chronic seizures.

But in some people, the depression has to do with the mechanism of the actual seizure. Seizures that originate from an emotional center in the brain can produce changes in mood, and those changes can occur before, during or after a seizure. Maybe that's what's going with you?

The third possibility is that the meds are causing the depression.

It can be hard to distinguish what's causing what, but if you keep a health diary you may be able to connect the depression to either the meds or to the seizures. It's important to keep an eye on depression and mood swings and let the doctor know before things get way out of whack.

 

[karapbara]

People with epilepsy tend to have higher rates of depression. In some cases it's a co-occurring disorder, one that can be made worse by the stresses associated with having chronic seizures.

But in some people, the depression has to do with the mechanism of the actual seizure. Seizures that originate from an emotional center in the brain can produce changes in mood, and those changes can occur before, during or after a seizure. Maybe that's what's going with you?

The third possibility is that the meds are causing the depression.

It can be hard to distinguish what's causing what, but if you keep a health diary you may be able to connect the depression to either the meds or to the seizures. It's important to keep an eye on depression and mood swings and let the doctor know before things get way out of whack.

Hi Nakamova,
Thanks for your message!
Yes that all makes sense- just to clarify, I'm not depressed at the moment. I did have depression about 4 or so years ago but now I consider myself a very happy person. I have actually had these bout's of depression since I was increased on the tegratol from 1 to 2 tablets daily. I was just wondering if that was in anyway related- or more importantly, what information it revealed.
Do you know where the emotional center in the brain is located? I get a headache after every seizure in the same spot.
That's a good idea, I'm already keeping a diary but I'll try and be more specific.

 

[Nakamova]

Although many parts of the brain play a role in our emotions, the amygdala is often considered the emotional center. It's located in the medial temporal lobe (roughly above the ears and back slightly on either side), so it's an area that's particularly vulnerable in folks with temporal lobe epilepsy.

 

[karapbara]

Hi!
Thank you for that information - I'm interested in learning more but can't seem to find any good websites that are genuine; what else do you know about it?
Much appreciated!

 

[Nakamova]

It's a little technical, but you may find this article helpful:
http://labnic.unige.ch/nic/papers/CC_PV_EPI07.pdf
Skip through to the third page of the pdf to get to the meat of the article. It discusses the role of the amygdala in emotional memory and in perceiving emotions in others. And it talks about damage to the amygdala may affect those processes.

 

[mylo]

It's a little technical, but you may find this article helpful:
http://labnic.unige.ch/nic/papers/CC_PV_EPI07.pdf
Skip through to the third page of the pdf to get to the meat of the article. It discusses the role of the amygdala in emotional memory and in perceiving emotions in others. And it talks about damage to the amygdala may affect those processes.

aren't these the same areas of the brain involved in borderline personality disorder?

i'm very interested in the disorder because i happen to fit ALL the criteria...

 

[Dottie]

Hi All,

I remember the depression on Tegretol and while on Keppra. While I was on it I found that regular exercise did help a lot with depression, and if I slacked off I would notice it worsen before long. Just be very careful in the summer's heat. It is lowered electrolytes that triggered my last seizure in July 2012 after a lot of cycling in extremely hot weather.

I've been off of all meds since last November 2012 and doing very well without them. I certainly don't miss the side effects I experienced on AEDs. I am still concerned about exercising on hot summer days. So far this summer I have been adding ConcenTrace to my water to try to maintain my electrolyte balance. I saw a nutritionist that suggested I try it and it seems to be helping. No seizures yet!

Dottie

 

[Intothatendlessblue]

Hello!
I'm on Tegretol and Keppra and I've been dealing with the depression as well. No one warned me about the depression related to Tegretol, just that it can be a side effect with Keppra. I was studying in Istanbul, Turkey when I started the medication, I had to start improvising ways to make myself feel better. It's difficult (then and now), but everyday I try to do something that usually makes me feel happy. I go see a movie, go for a walk, talk to a friend, read a book, go for a run, anything that makes me feel a bit better. It may not make me feel better for very long, but if I can feel better for just a few minutes during the day I know that things will get better. I wish you the best of luck and if you ever just want someone to talk to please feel free to message me.
Good luck and lots of loving support,
Mary