Posted by Sunnely on July 3, 2001, at 19:39:33
In reply to Trileptal - weight loss or gain???, posted by Jody on July 3, 2001, at 17:06:19
During clinical trials of oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) in epileptic patients, the following compares the risk of weight gain of different dosages, compared to placebo (short-term clinical trials):
Trileptal 600 mg/day = 1%
Trileptal 1200 mg/day = 2%
Trileptal 2400 mg/day = 2%
Placebo = 1%
Although Trileptal is the "cleaner" version of Tegretol, it is not compltely devoid of side effects. The most common side effects (= or > 5%) reported during clinical trials were dizziness, somnolence, double vision, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, incoordination, abnormal vision, abdominal pain, tremor, indigestion, and abnormal gait. These side effects usually can be avoided by starting at a low dose and increasing the dose slowly.
You should be aware that people who have had hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to Tegretol have a 25% - 30% chance of having similar reactions to Trileptal.
Female patients of childbearing age should be aware that the concurrent use of Trileptal with hormonal contraceptives may render this method of contraception less effective.
Trileptal can also cause clinically significant drop in blood sodium level (hyponatremia). In the 14 controlled epilepsy studies, 2.5% of Trileptal treated patients (38 of 1524) had a sodium of less than 125 mmol/L at some point during treatment, compared to no such patients assigned to placebo. Clinically significant hyponatremia generally occurred during the first 3 months of treatment with Trileptal.
It is recommended that blood level of sodium be checked during treatment of Trileptal, especially if the patient is receiving other medications known to decrease sodium levels (e.g., SSRIs can lower blood sodium levels, especially in the elderly females) or, a week or so after an increase in dose of Trileptal. Sodium blood levels should also be checked if the patient experiences signs or symptoms indicating hyponatremia (e.g., nausea, malaise, headache, lethargy, confusion, or obtundation).
> The pdoc has just started me on Trileptal (doc told me it was a new form of Tegretal, but with none of the side effects). So far, it has been a wonder drug for me. I am a rapid cycler bi-polar and this is the first time I have felt "normal" in six years. It is working great, but I am wondering if it will effect my weight one way or another. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Also, any experiences would be nice to read. Thanks.
poster:Sunnely
thread:68856
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010701/msgs/68877.html