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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by snapper on September 1, 2005, at 0:04:41
How long can can I expect for its' effects to start showing up? I just started taking it on Mon 8-29-05. 300mg a.m. and 600mg hs.... I know everyone is different but just a general Idea of steady state level and other things to look for.
Thanks
Snapper
Posted by med_empowered on September 1, 2005, at 5:39:01
In reply to TRI-LEPTAL???, posted by snapper on September 1, 2005, at 0:04:41
hey! It really depends on what you're taking it for, other stuff you're taking, whether or not it works for you (it probably will, but sometimes it doesn't work for people), etc. I took it for bipolar II...basically, after a week I felt a little calmer, after 2 weeks I felt my antidepressant working better (helping w/ the depression w/o inducing a "wired" feeling or anything), and after a month or so I felt calmer, less anxious, and less hostile. But...everybody's different. Since depression and anxiety are so pronounced in my life, I didn't notice *major* until I noticed that the other meds were working better; the Klonopin was working better, and at lower dosages, for my anxiety; the celexa was working better for my depression, and the ambien was better at helping me sleep (when needed). If you tend more towards the (hypo)manic side of things, you might get benefits more quickly, or you might benefit from "loading" (you start out with super-high dosages, which are then lowered down to a more or less normal dose for maintenance). The anti-anxiety effects aren't terribly pronounced, like with benzos, but they are there and they do come in handy: the best part for me was the reduction in overall tension, which reduced my tendency towards mixed-episodes/agitation with thought disturbances. Do watch your dosage, though....I noticed that once I hit 1,200mgs, I had some *major* emotional flattening and cognitive blunting. This may or may not be a problem for you, but it seems pretty common for both Tegretol and Trileptal to have a very narrow window between the doses that give optimal mood control and the doses that make you a walking zombie. Good luck!
Posted by SLS on September 1, 2005, at 7:02:04
In reply to TRI-LEPTAL???, posted by snapper on September 1, 2005, at 0:04:41
> How long can can I expect for its' effects to start showing up? I just started taking it on Mon 8-29-05. 300mg a.m. and 600mg hs.... I know everyone is different but just a general Idea of steady state level and other things to look for.
> Thanks
> Snapper
I tried Trileptal a few months ago in addition to the antidepressants I was already taking. I experienced an antidepressant effect at 600mg at the end of the first week, which became even stronger at 900mg. For me, this therapeutic effect only lasted a week or so, but I thought Tileptal was going to be my magic pill. Arghh.My guess is that if you are looking for Trileptal to act as an antidepressant, you ought to give 900mg another two weeks before trying to go higher. If, however, you are looking for a mood stabilizer to prevent rapid cycling, it would take longer to have a robust anticycling effect. It might take months at a higher dosage for this to happen. In this case, I think I would continue to gradually titrate the Trileptal with the goal of discovering the highest dosage you can tolerate and continue your trial from there.
Trileptal is a good drug. I wish you luck with it.
- Scott
Posted by B2chica on September 1, 2005, at 10:15:01
In reply to Re: TRI-LEPTAL???, posted by SLS on September 1, 2005, at 7:02:04
agree with scott, it's good stuff. i was on about 600 for a while there and about week and half i stopped seeing sideeffects and started notice big difference.
best wishes
b2c.
Posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2005, at 19:03:36
In reply to Re: TRI-LEPTAL???, posted by SLS on September 1, 2005, at 7:02:04
Scott, Sorry to interupt but do you know where Ed is? I posted a Thread down below. But I didn't know how to get a message to you. Babble me if you know okay. Thanks Phillipa
Posted by Bowtie Bob on September 2, 2005, at 7:36:33
In reply to Re: TRI-LEPTAL???, posted by SLS on September 1, 2005, at 7:02:04
> > How long can can I expect for its' effects to start showing up? I just started taking it on Mon 8-29-05. 300mg a.m. and 600mg hs.... I know everyone is different but just a general Idea of steady state level and other things to look for.
> > Thanks
> > Snapper
>
>
> I tried Trileptal a few months ago in addition to the antidepressants I was already taking. I experienced an antidepressant effect at 600mg at the end of the first week, which became even stronger at 900mg. For me, this therapeutic effect only lasted a week or so, but I thought Tileptal was going to be my magic pill. Arghh.
>
> My guess is that if you are looking for Trileptal to act as an antidepressant, you ought to give 900mg another two weeks before trying to go higher. If, however, you are looking for a mood stabilizer to prevent rapid cycling, it would take longer to have a robust anticycling effect. It might take months at a higher dosage for this to happen. In this case, I think I would continue to gradually titrate the Trileptal with the goal of discovering the highest dosage you can tolerate and continue your trial from there.
>
> Trileptal is a good drug. I wish you luck with it.
>
>
> - Scott
Scott, you make a good point. Trileptal seems to be a dose-responsive med. In epilepsy patients, there seems to be a better response with increasing doses. The caveat here is that everyone is different and responds to different doses. The nice thing is that if we don't tolerate a higher dose, we can always back down.
This is the end of the thread.
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