Lithium vs Tegretol
 | Lithium |  | Tegretol |  |
| This medication is used to treat manic-depressive disorder (bipolar disorder). It works to stabilize the mood and reduce extremes in behavior by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. | Carbamazepine is used to prevent and control seizures. This medication is known as an anticonvulsant or anti-epileptic drug. It is also used to relieve certain types of nerve pain (such as trigeminal neuralgia). This medication works by reducing the spread of seizure activity in the brain and restoring the normal balance of nerve activity. OTHER USES: This section contains uses of this drug that are not listed in the approved professional labeling for the drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional. Use this drug for a condition that is listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional. This drug may also be used to treat certain mental/mood conditions (such as bipolar disorder) and other types of nerve pain. | |||
Alternatives
Reviews
| Add Lithium review I have seen or felt no change with my Bipolar, but have had the severe side-effects. NOT worth it to me. Lithium works very fast. Within a day I felt much better. It pulled me out of a depression that wanted to leave me crying for no good reason. It is a very wonderful mood stabilizer. So if you need something to work today and not 6 weeks from now I recommend lithium highly but beware of side effects. At the time this was the best thing for me but after awhile the side effects became worse. I gained 25 lb. in just a couple months. After two months I lost so much hair that my hair got so thin it felt like I had got a haircut. The worst thing of all was the restlessness which will keep you uneasy and twitchy the whole time. I'm sure this is dose dependent. I took 1200 mg daily. If you can deal with the fact that lithium might make you fat and bald then this may be the perfect bipolar medicine. | Add Tegretol review This was the first drug I was given after being diagnosed epileptic. Right away, I suffered a lot of side effects. Felt sick to my stomach, twitchy eyes, shaky, unstable. About 3 weeks in to the treatment, I had an allergic reaction. My body broke out in an aweful rash, head to toe. I suffered extreme burning and itching, redness, swelling, and some of my skin was covered in blisters. After a week of being treated for said reaction, I am still not completely better. 7/9/12-NOVARTIS has now discontinued 100 mg tegretol. Have to use them along with the 200 mg (they are still making 200 mg, so far) to get my dose of 300,350,300,350. I don't know what I'm going to do. Taking too little is dangerous, taking too much makes me so dizzy I can't walk. I know 100 mg was not a money maker for them. My pharmacy said I was their only customer. I called Novartis today and confirmed what Walgreens told me. I have family all over the country who can get it for me, out of pocket. But that will only last so long. I'm young and have alot of years left. Means I will have to find another drug---AGAIN! This happened to me when I was 18 and on a different drug that was removed. I take it to controlseizures--Im so scared. The life I have been leading since 1968 at age 11. | |||
