Posted by 2sense on July 6, 2002, at 18:08:14
found a new pdoc and almost off the horror of carbamazepine (tegretol) only 100 mg left and then 2 weeks and it is out of the system BUT still have to be weaned off of the clonazepam and the new doc is saying .5 mg once a week and I think this is WAY to fast -- I had the grand mal sezure when I went 3 days w/o sleep and 4 days without the clonazepam (dose 4 mg for insominia but the old pdoc was backdooring me on the reason for the upped dose). I DO NOT want another seizure and it took a lot of money, time, stress, and aggravation to retain my driver's license.
Anyone had success? What weaning process did you use? I do NOT want to go on a 'complementary drug' the Tegretol added nearly 20 lbs. and now my thyroid (I have Hashimoto's) is VERY screwed up and the Synthroid stopped working basically because of the Tegretol but I need a real thyroid doctor because my reg doc is being so conservative and my hair is falling out, going gray, the depression, the weight, the whole nine yards I did 4 years ago -- my TSH is at 4 X it was when I first was treated the lower the Tegretol dose the higher the TSH (it the TSH was VERY depressed like hyperthyroid -- but the Tegretol has a side effect of DEPRESSING the TSH levels -- the new psych doc is horrified the meds I've been given -- she is surprised I didn't have more seizures long ago given the combo or WORSE). What side effects has anyone experienced?
PS and by the way they are telling me I probably not definitely have a mild case of MS slow moving and I get to start daily for the rest of my life injectiond of Copaxone starting August -- it is a relatively new (8 years) MS drug that doesn't cure it but slows it, stops it in its tracks -- except for a mild case of optic neuritis 3+ years ago I have had no symptoms at all and only know this due to the grand mal and the mri they did and they found a couple of small enhanced foci .... keep on trucking ... and thanks for being out there ... Sue
poster:2sense
thread:111590
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020628/msgs/111590.html