Apart from what individuals have said, I can't find much literature on this, so I decided to take my query up with this forum board.
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years ago and have since been on various regimes of medications, but recently I've been experiencing a few adverse side effects that are really ******* me off! I'm currently on geodon (240mg), lamictal (200mg), and trileptal (2100mg, which I take incrementally three times daily -- 900 at night, 600 in the morning, and 600 in the afternoon).
Recently, we've upped the trileptal from 1500 to 2100 and it's really affecting my cognitive abilities. My short-term memory is going to ****, at the end of every day I have a hard to remembering all the things happened that day, sometimes I have little awareness of my surroundings, I mix up my words and grammar (completely unlike me), and I have the hardest time grasping really simple concepts. I can't understand squat! My intelligence has seriously been at a relative low. I read more slowly, I don't always comprehend what I read, and I can't do my school work. Stuff that would have otherwise been easy is a struggle.
Anyone else have any similar experiences? Is this a common, but undocumented, side effect of trileptal? Or is it an idiosyncratic reaction?
Hello there, I have recently started therapy for my bipolar, ben a week now. Although I cannot speak positively on its behalf because it has not fully taken effect yet, I can say that at some points in time I get majorly confused. To the oint that if someone were to try and explain something to me, concepts that are very easy to grasp, I will simply not understand. This is very degrading to me seeming that I am on track to medical school. I wanted to switch from Lithium because I noticed that when I worked out it raised the levels. I could feel the levels lowering after a couple days of not working out, and that is not pleasant. however, on lithium I did not experience any of these side effects like I have with Trileptal. Ive been burned by the sun sometimes when ive never had a problem with the sun. Ive felt pressure in my head, skin irritation on my legs, itchy blotches, and pain as if someone were taking a needle and poking me in one spot, it is itchy as well. I did not have nearly as many side effects with lithium, just the working out adjustment. I wish I could go back to it now though. School is already upon me and I am becoming so frustrated at the lack of my understanding. Things would normally be a breeze for me but now I cant remember much. Part of it is my disorder, inability to concentrate, but on the lithium I was able to succeed relatively well in class last semester, this semester is quite different. In one week it has helped with some of my symptoms, got a ways to go, but I will definately be looking back to switching.
I will admit that one of my problems is patience, I want an answer for things and I want them immediately. When they dont work out I tend to panick and start looking for answers. Bodily pains make me worry and panick to the point where I go to the hospital to get checked out because I dont know whats going on, that fear is intense, but I am feeling symptoms, they just manifest in different places. I can only hope that Trileptil will help with my bipolar because since being off the lithium I have increased in my panick symptoms. Notice how all my thoughts and grammar are scattered and incomplete and grammatically inept? I believe that is due to the Trileptal. I just cant think as clearly, rationally, and organized.
