Have had TN for 3 years now and currently take 1200mg of TEGRETOL CR daily, Dr just reduced it to 1000mg and added Lyrica 75mg twice a day. I function like a Zombie at the moment. Can anyone advise if the Zombie mode is due to the Lyrica? I have appointment with neurosurgeon this Monday to discuss MVD.
I live in Australia and my Dr advised me that Dr's here are inclined NOT to mix cocktails of drugs, rather keep the medication "pure" therefore allowing better control of side effects.
My picture is not a hamburger but an icon of Australia, Ayr's Rock more correctly referred as Uluru
I cannot take tegretol because I become zombie like. So Lyrica is just a newer firm of gabapentin. Lyrica is known to sedate. But so does tregrtol. I bet the combo has you wonky. They say the side effext of being like a zombie wears off in most people in about two weeks.
I've only ever taken Tegretol and I was a total zombie for two weeks. When I had the dose doubled , same thing!! Luckily the woman in the Chemist ( see, I'm Aussie too!) warned me about the dizziness and zombi -ism. Why did your Doctor decide to mix them?
Uluru just looks like a big chunk of rock however you photograph it!
Only just changed 3 days ago, currently on Prednisolone course for 13 days to try and overcome the pain, so he dropped 200mg of tegretol and replaced with 150mg of Lyrica expecting this would help more to soften the nerve endings?
Hopefully neurosurgeon can come up with better solution, MVD. Experience has shown that when the prednisolone has finished TN comes back. Not Happy Jan
I take both and have for at least 6 months. I wonder if you should drop you Tegretol as you increase Lyrica…but I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know. I feel like my side effects are more due to Tegretol than lyrica. I agree though that they will subside as time goes on. You will never be the same or feel normal, but if it manages the pain I can live with side effects.
Good luck with your MVD! I had one a year ago. I had a fabulous doctor and was able to drop 2 medications I took daily!
I’m also aussie! Im on tegretol and lyrica but at small doses as i have a very low resistance to Both drugs. Had them both by themselves just 150mg lyrica a day made me sick and 600mg tegretol started my liver going crazy. I now take them together at smaller doses as i reacted well to tegretol but couldn’t take an adequate dose so the lyrica is now a top up. I feel pretty but i still get tired easily. It’s crazy how i can take such low doses and react well but still have side affects and then others just take astronomical amounts. None of my neuros or gp’s would ever let me take more then 600mg of tegretol no matter how much pain i was in.
I would imagine there is some synergistic action occurring and it will take some time to adjust to this dose...hang in there because it will get better with the new adjunct to the Tegritol. I would keep the doctor informed of current affects you are having very closely. Eventually you will adjust to this new regimen. In regards, to the Tegritol it seems you have maxed out so this is actually a good thing. Perhaps, your liver will have a bit of a break as well
Had a toxic reaction 3 days ago to tegretol (1200mg/day) so now on 800mg + Lyrica(150mg/day) + Panadol Osteo every 8 hours. I am scheduled to have an MVD on February 3rd with Mr Andrew Danks in Victoria. This drugs regime is hopefully going to reduce the pain for 2 weeks and also just keep me "floating along" on a cloud until then. Time will tell if successful. The Dr did some sort of blood test last week in relation to the amount of Tegretol in the system and the count was 48, apparently 50 is the maximum number that he wants it to be but he thinks I dehydrated the other day causing the count to increase into the toxic level, the reaction was trembling hands, inability to control hands. I was at a restaurant at the time, definitely not a good look for other patrons when I had to eat using fingers (I was very hungry).
4 more sleeps until MVD, can't come quick enough. 1000mg tegretol +3 x 75mg Lyrica + 6x Panadol Osteo daily and the pain just won't go away. Zombeville has reduced. Fortunately I am retired and have a lovely wife who looks after me. Will write after the MVD when I can. URU