So, this post will be long. Let me tell you all what I did. I damn near killed myself! I decided that I needed antibiotics and started taking them Monday. It was Biaxin that my husband had a full bottle of. He and my daughter always have bottles laying around because they get them filled and never take them. I went to the clinic Monday afternoon and they gave me steroids and something for cough. I failed to tell them I had started on these antibiotics. Well, yesterday morning I started feeling VERY dizzy, drunk and sick. It got worse all day. I wondered if something she gave me at the clinic was increasing my Tegretol levels because certain meds and foods can do that when you're on Tegretol and I have felt like this if I have too much Tegretol at one time. I looked them up and nothing she gave me did that, so I checked the Biaxin against the Tegretol and low and behold, it can SEVERELY increase the levels of Tegretol in your system! I can't believe how stupid I was! Who would have thought that an antibiotic could do that! Not all of them do, but THIS one does. I did not take my 7pm or 1am Tegretol doses because I needed some of it OUT of my system. I don't know how I made it all day at work OR drove home, but I did. Now I know to NEVER take anything else without checking to see if it increases my Tegretol levels. o.O
Thanks for sharing, this could be any of us here I guess. I suppose we should all try to remember to check any meds out for adverse reactions etc. with a pharmacist.
I do hope you feel better soon 
I'm glad you are okay.
A lot of the anti-seizure meds are metabolized by a particular enzyme found in the liver. There are a LOT of meds that can inhibit or induce this particular enzyme. If a med inhibits the enzyme, any drug that is metabolized by it will have increased levels, and those that induce it will speed up the metabolism so the medication dose will need to be increased. Definitely check with interactions when taking ANY medication when on anti-seizure meds as a LOT of medications have interactions with this particular enzyme.
I am fine now that I skipped 2 dose schedules and let some of it get out of my system AND stopped those antibiotics. I am also glad that I recognized the signs, just wish I had noticed it sooner. At first I thought it was the fluid in my ears. I learned my lesson and will ALWAYS check first from now on!
Very interesting and thanks so much for sharing your experience!!! I wouldn't have known that either, now I will be more careful as well.
I did the same thing 18 months ago when I was put on Clarithromycin. I thought I was going crazy with the double vision and dizziness. After putting up with it for a couple of days I ended up asking my pharmacist (figured he would be better to ask than the doctor who put me on the antibiotics as they specialise in medicines). He told me to stop the antibiotics immediately as I was toxic and could be poisoning myself. It took a couple more days to get the antibiotics out of my system. Very scary experience!
Pharmacist and Surgeons are top dogs here !
Thanks for sharing, sorry you had such a time!
Never wise to take medications not prescribed for you. Thing is I would have never thought a antibiotic could do this.