testosterone therapy issues

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dustmansam

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i have had seizures for over 20 years and have been relatively seizure free for the last few years on a cocktail of tegretol and depakene. over the last few months i have had 3 seizures that dont really fit my pattern. the only changes i can think of are the change to tegretol xr from regular tegretol and i have been taking androgel for testosterone replacement because of the above drugs. any direction would help. thanks.
 
Hey dustmansam --

Testosterone is supposed to play a role in reducing seizures, so my guess is that it's not repsonsible for your latest batch of seizures. The change to Tegretol XR might be responsible. XR (extended release) versions of meds help a lot of people by stabilizing blood levels, but they don't help everyone. If you don't actually metabolize Tegretol at a rate more-or-less similar to the extended release timetable, then you may be ending up with uneven amounts in your system. Some people have switched back to non-XR versions when the XR ones have proved problematic, so you might want to discuss that option with your neurologist.
 
i was on tegretol xr with no problems and was switched by the insurance company to carbamazepine xr and have had a number of seizures. would drugs this close cause some disruptions. i recently had my levels tesyed and they were therapeutic.
 
There can be a huge difference between the brand version (Tegretol) and the generic version (Carbamazepine). In the generics, the active ingredient can vary widely in strength, and be inconsistent from batch to batch, whereas it's stable in the brand version. Ask your neurologist and pharmacist to specify Tegretol, brand-only, no substitutions!
 
I totally agree with Nakamova. Have your doc write to fill as prescribed, and have him say tegretol XR.
Yes, the generics contain the same chemicals, but they can be off on the strength by up to 20%. And that can even be between batches made in the same factory...so go with the brand name if you can afford it.
 
my body would not eat through the coating of carbamazepine xr. i have to bite it in half.
 
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