Hi all ... I haven't posted in a while although I have been lurking. :l I no longer drink and haven't drank (or I should say gotten drunk) since the beginning of January. I have been thinking of something and I wonder if there is further testing being done in the medical community anti-epilectic drugs being used for alcohol cravings.
I have bipolar disorder. I was self-medicating with alcohol. A couple of years ago, my doctor tried me on Tegretol to help stabilize my moods. Tegretol is an anti-epilectic drug that is also a mood stabilizer and is used for people with bipolar disorder. I noticed that the first time I took it, I completely stopped drinking. The cravings were gone! I looked up online and saw that it's also used for people with drinking disorders. Unfortunately, the side effects were too much for me and I had to stop taking it. And, of course, I started drinking again.
Fast forward to November 2008. My doctor decided to try me on another mood stabilizer. This one is called Lamictal and is an anti-epilectic medication that is also used for people with bipolar. Around the end of December, I noticed that I wasn't getting that euphoric high when I drank. And it didn't matter how much I drank. Instead, I just got real tired and slurred my words, but that was it. In the beginning of January I drank, but didn't get drunk then either. I also started taking Campral seriously in the beginning of January. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep taking Campral because of severe diarrhea. I did do some research on Lamictal but it doesn't state that it is used for people with a drinking problem.
Topamax is also an anti-epilectic drug. Do you see a pattern here?
All three drugs are serious drugs to take. I think that Topamax is the less serious of the three because with Tegretol you have to keep getting blood tests to ensure the dosage isn't too high. Lamictal's has a serious side effect. You can get a life-threatening rash if you dose up too quickly.
Anybody have any thoughts on this?
SK
I have bipolar disorder. I was self-medicating with alcohol. A couple of years ago, my doctor tried me on Tegretol to help stabilize my moods. Tegretol is an anti-epilectic drug that is also a mood stabilizer and is used for people with bipolar disorder. I noticed that the first time I took it, I completely stopped drinking. The cravings were gone! I looked up online and saw that it's also used for people with drinking disorders. Unfortunately, the side effects were too much for me and I had to stop taking it. And, of course, I started drinking again.
Fast forward to November 2008. My doctor decided to try me on another mood stabilizer. This one is called Lamictal and is an anti-epilectic medication that is also used for people with bipolar. Around the end of December, I noticed that I wasn't getting that euphoric high when I drank. And it didn't matter how much I drank. Instead, I just got real tired and slurred my words, but that was it. In the beginning of January I drank, but didn't get drunk then either. I also started taking Campral seriously in the beginning of January. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep taking Campral because of severe diarrhea. I did do some research on Lamictal but it doesn't state that it is used for people with a drinking problem.
Topamax is also an anti-epilectic drug. Do you see a pattern here?
All three drugs are serious drugs to take. I think that Topamax is the less serious of the three because with Tegretol you have to keep getting blood tests to ensure the dosage isn't too high. Lamictal's has a serious side effect. You can get a life-threatening rash if you dose up too quickly.
Anybody have any thoughts on this?
SK
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