Tegretol users: headaches

[Shihtzux2]

Hi, all. I just started taking tegretol a week and a half ago for trigeminal neuralgia.

I've been having headaches nearly every day. I know that's a typical side effect but have any of you found that they diminished over time as you adjusted to the medicine, or did you just throw in the towel and try another med?

I have migraines anyway, and the crappy weather we've been having with wildly fluctuating temperatures and storms every other day probably aren't helping matters.

[jackie66]

Tegretol does indeed create headaches, so much so that I believe it could be referred to as meningeal irritation, or even meningitis. I was taking tegretol long term for misdiagnosed epilepsy. I was also taking Sodium valproate which in its turn also caused headaches. I got used to the pain.

When Doctors eventually stopped prescribing drugs, they did it abruptly. After several weeks of halucinations, I eventually convulsed so hard that I fractured my spine. It was several months before the head pains subsided.

I now suffer midline cerebellar ataxia and paralysis from spinal cord lesions. All this because Doctors were not listening to the patient. I was also suffering from malabsorption of vitamin E, which also causes ataxia and paralysis. (only recently diagnosed).

I am taking 800 units a day of vitamin E which over time is showing helpful results.