I have been on tegretol for almost six months now. It controls my pain pretty well, but I have noticed that I now have major problems with my memory, mainly word retrieval. It is so strange because I will be in the middle of a sentence and just come to a complete stop because I can’t think of the word that I want to say. Last night I saw a picture if the Taj Mahal and for the life of me, I couldn’t think of the name of that famous building! I was drawing a COMPLETE BLANK! It is very frustrating to me because I am a person who loves words, my job is to write with words and I love to debate. I looked on the internet to see if problems with word retrieval are a side effect of tegretol, but it’s not listed on the drug rx websites. I thought I would ask here, because in the few months that I have joined the group, I have discovered that a lot of how it is to actually have this disease is not documented in the traditional medical literature.
Does anyone else have problems with word retrieval and if so, does it get better?
Hi, although I am not on Tegretol can cause short term memory loss. I am on Lyrica and have that problem now. It is frustrating but it happens. Sorry, that you are experiencing this side effect.
You are not alone! I am having a terrible time with word retrieval also, I've been on Tegretol for only 2 months. I feel like such an idiot because it happens a lot at work, words I use daily escape me and it seems to be getting worse every day. I see my neurologist tomorrow and am hoping for direction.
I’m dealing with the very same issue. I’m on Lamictal and Pamelor and I’m constantly struggling to remember basic easy words. I’m in music and have many things to have to talk about in foreign languages. I now find myself stuck in English or any other language. When someone asks me what is the thing you are trying to say, I have to tell them I don’t know. It’s embarrassing.
It’s not you, it’s the meds. You will have to make adjustments to your life and have to write things down more. You may even need to drive with a GPS in your car as sometimes remembering simple addresses will fail you. It’s scary.
My Doctors all told me this would happen. This benefit is that it will control your pain however at the cost of your memory.
I too have that problem. I have been on Tegretol for a couple of years now and the problem seems to have leveled off, but it has not gotten any better. I am currently taking Lyrica and Tegretol together and have been doing that for the past 6 months. I was told by my physician that forgetting words and slurring my speech is a side effect of the Tegretol and Lyrica. I find that writing things down helps.
I have been on Carbamazepine, Tegretol, for almost two years. My memory and word retrieval is terrible. The side effects from the meds are why I am not working. I have been on LTD for 13 months. I wish I could offer you some encouragement that it will get better but mostly I think you learn to live with it. Hugs
Thank you, everyone, for your replies. It's encouraging to know that this is something that has happened to others, and that I'm not becoming senile at 44! I am praying for the day when there is a more effective way to treat this horrible thing, so that none of us will be in this excruciating pain any more!
KC Dancer, I will look into the lidocaine patches. I am scared to death of ritalin, having heard about how addictive it can be, but if it helps to get me out of the fog that I struggle to break through every morning, it may be worth looking into. I hope you are recovering well from your stroke and that you are done having to deal with all these neuro issues!
Mom22, was your neuro able to give you the direction you were hoping for?
Ryguy, unfortunately, I know too well about the weight gain, having gained about 12 lbs within the first six weeks of starting the carbamazapine. Took me completely by surprise! While the weight gain has leveled off, I can't seem to take it off, what with being exhausted nearly every day!
Kammy, is there a benefit to taking the Lyrica with the Tegretol for treating TN? I know Lyrica is used mainly used to treat fibromyalgia. Most days I find myself exhausted and achy. Do you know if the Lyrica would help alleviate those issues?
Patty, what is LTD?
Thank you again, all, for sending the encouragement and suggestions!
Thank you, everyone, for your replies. It's encouraging to know that this is something that has happened to others, and that I'm not becoming senile at 44! I am praying for the day when there is a more effective way to treat this horrible thing, so that none of us will be in this excruciating pain any more!
KC Dancer, I will look into the lidocaine patches. I am scared to death of ritalin, having heard about how addictive it can be, but if it helps to get me out of the fog that I struggle to break through every morning, it may be worth looking into. I hope you are recovering well from your stroke and that you are done having to deal with all these neuro issues!
Mom22, was your neuro able to give you the direction you were hoping for?
Ryguy, unfortunately, I know too well about the weight gain, having gained about 12 lbs within the first six weeks of starting the carbamazapine. Took me completely by surprise! While the weight gain has leveled off, I can't seem to take it off, what with being exhausted nearly every day!
Kammy, is there a benefit to taking the Lyrica with the Tegretol for treating TN? I know Lyrica is used mainly used to treat fibromyalgia. Most days I find myself exhausted and achy. Do you know if the Lyrica would help alleviate those issues?
Patty, what is LTD?
Thank you again, all, for sending the encouragement and suggestions!
Audrey, the Lyrica doesn't alleviate the tiredness, in fact it probably increases it, but the tegretol alone did not alleviate my pain. My neurosurgeon finds that he doesn't want to go over 600mg of tegretol so he suggested adding another medication. We tried a few different ones and Lyrica was the one that worked for me.