I just started taking Tegretol. I am very sleepy, constantly yawning - which is a major trigger for me so I am in in constant pain. I feel like I am about to jump out of my skin, all my senses seem heightened. My skin is very itchy so I scratched my legs in my sleep to the point of being raw, but no rash but now they burn. All I want to do is cry, I am very emotional. This is very much NOT like me. Could this be side effects from the drugs?
Absolutely! I describe my reaction to Tegretol as TOO. Too emotional, too tired, too sleepy, too forgetful etc. But it does work well for me! You need to check that rash/itchiness with a Dr, asap. Just to be on the safe side. It can be a serious side effect. Please make a call.
For anyone who needs authoritative information on medication side effects, I generally recommend either http://www.rxlist.com, or http://www.drugs.com. The latter also has a drug interactions checker that is often useful.
Regards, Red
That is exactly how I felt when I started it ... I was sooooooooo tired and emotional.
Oh my gosh YES!! I got use to the sleepiness after a few months, it just became my life. Tegretol is very hard to take. It made me super super tired all the time and also made me stupid. I would forget my words and feel so forgetful all the time. It also made me feel very very anxious and depressed. I held off on taking an anti depressant for months, but I finally bit the bullet several months ago and I wish that I had started it as the same time as Tegretol. I'm so sorry that you are going through this.
Yep I am on my second week of Tegretol, the dosage was increased yesterday and I am sleepy for a day or two after the increase ... so I guess I am lucky my body starts coping after that and gets less sleepy. But yep sleepy and snappy and all that lot. But it's decreasing the severity and frequency of the nasty attacks (unfortunately not much on the background headache but hey never mind).