Carbamazepine and Depression: What Users Say

• ren...
• February 18, 2008

Carbamazepine for Bipolar Disorder "My son, age 5, has used Tegretol for the past 6 months for bipolar disorder. It has shown a great improvement in his mood changes and has allowed others to accept him more. If the Tegretol is not given, we notice a huge mood swing and rage, and depression becomes more apparent."

• Mny...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 25, 2019

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "Tegretol is the only medicine that stops my tonic-clonic seizures. I've been on it over a year, taking 1,000 mg a day. The first month I had memory problems and drowsiness, but that went away fast. The biggest side effect I had that never went away is severe depression caused by it. My depression is gone thanks to Lexapro 20 mg a day. I highly recommend Tegretol for tonic-clonic seizures due to epilepsy."

• Kat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 20, 2014

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "I have been on this medicine for 27 years. Except for extreme tiredness, I seem okay. Have not had a fit when on this medicine. One week I came off the medicine, between suicidal thoughts, crying jags, and depression, I had massive fits. I have not been off since. This medicine seems to affect the liver, so liver tests are a must."

• ssd...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 20, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with Bipolar I and OCD when I was 14. I am now 38 and a mother of 3. I have been taking Equatro/Tegratol XR (carbamazepine) for 3 years now. I also take it with a mild antidepressant. I think on its own the carbamazepine worked okay, but I found myself still depressed. No more rage or bursts of anger, but zombie-like. As soon as my doctor introduced the antidepressant into my regimen, I feel wonderful!!! I take 600 mg a day total of the carbamazepine XR, 1 tablet in the AM and 2 before bed. My morbid thoughts have stopped, and my suicidal tendency went away almost completely. My moods are elevated and stable now. I am able to enjoy life now."

• sar...
• October 31, 2010

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "I have been using Tegretol retard 200 mg for ten years now. I made the mistake of forgetting to collect my script from my doctors for a week! I have been lucky as I did not have a seizure, but my word I have been so poorly, depressed, loss of appetite, and body tingles, from my lips to my toes. I never realized how important it is to take my pills till now. I will never make that mistake again. The 1st day I started them again, I was a ball of tears, very sad and tired, but a day later I'm back to my old happy self. I'll never forget them again."

• Car...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 17, 2013

Carbamazepine for Epilepsy "I have had epilepsy for 14 years now, and during the first 9 years, I took Carbatrol. At first, it was great, seizure-free, then the side effects kicked in. I was depressed and had anxiety, my emotional state changed. I felt nausea, dizzy, and sometimes uncomfortable in my body. I switched to Keppra, and I'm happy. I'm normal, moods, and so far, no side effects in Keppra."

• Mba...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 16, 2021

For Epilepsy "Prescribed for my epilepsy and was consuming this along with Keppra for 3 years. I recommend carbamazepine to be taken for people with mood problems instead of epilepsy. Because it doesn’t really help prevent your seizures, however, it helps maintain your mood. My seizures never stopped, and the medication was useless for them. Didn't even help with anxiety. Sadly, the dependency rate starts increasing after 8 months of daily usage, more dosage is needed every 6 months, and its withdrawals were so hard on me. Never had a problem with bipolar or anything like that, however, carbamazepine’s withdrawals really messed up my sleeping pattern and mood (depression and anger). Eventually, my epilepsy got worse due to carbamazepine’s withdrawal effects. Wouldn't recommend this drug for kids or teenagers."

• Anonymous
• December 2, 2010

Carbamazepine for Bipolar Disorder "I started taking Epitol 2 1/2 weeks ago. I know I'm supposed to wait for the medicine to enter my system, but it's made me so sick already. I started on a medium dose for 7 days, then bumped up to more twice a day. Well, I dropped myself down because my doctor appointment isn't for a while, and it's making me so sick! It makes me dizzy, unsteady, my head 'floats', and I even swear I've been more depressed. I'm hoping it's just a dosage and time thing because it's a very inexpensive medicine, and I need that!"

• Was...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 12, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "It’s been a year in taking Tegretol and escitalopram for bipolar. With some changes, 300 mg of Tegretol and 20 mg of escitalopram now seem the perfect dose and have brought me out of misery into more balanced, more of the time. It has been a wonder drug. My memory isn’t great, but I don’t really care because my mood is so much better. I didn’t take meds for a long time and suffered a lot of depression. Meds are worth considering, but it’s important to be able to communicate your experience with your doctor well so they can properly diagnose. I’m so grateful for my doctor identifying what seems the right diagnosis for me (Cyclothymia - Bipolar)."

• Lov...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 26, 2019

Carbamazepine "I have been drinking Tegretol since I was very young. It assists me with my manic episodes, keeping me satisfied and excited. Before, I had a hard time at school, my academic performance was very poor. Still, I was in a treatment with Epilim, but it wasn't working, instead, it made me even worse. It caused me to have depression and manic episodes at the same time. I was very tearful and lonely, also sad in high school during those previous years, 2014-2016. Now that I am on Tegretol, it is the best medication that is suitable for me. Now I am stable in my condition, balancing my manic episodes and depression."