Posted by linkadge on August 22, 2018, at 14:11:29
In reply to Re: carbamazepine (tegretol) for social anxiety, posted by farshad on August 19, 2018, at 10:17:59
Hey,
Not sure what to say. Tegregol is primarily used for epilepsy. However, it has other off label uses like bipolar or pain. The problem is that it is not a first line treatment for those off label uses, meaning that if you present with those symptoms you'd likely be prescribed something else instead.
It really depends on what your current diagnosis is. If it is anxiety, you might need to try a handful of traditional meds before trying an alternative.
I know you're not too keen on taking a serotonin booster. However, you may need to 'go through the motions' on a few of these meds befor trying something else. If the doctor prescribes this, take a very low dose and see how it goes.
If your anxiety gets worse, let him/her know this and see if you can try something else.If you're not reacting well to antidepressants for anxiety, the doctor should be open to trying different classes of meds.
Many doctors don't like you to self diagnose / reccomend the first drug off the bat. However, if they see you've made a genuine attempt at traditional meds, they may be ok with trying an alternative.
You might be honest and just ask "do you ever use mood stabilizers for anxiety?" Tegretol may be a good option. Lamotrigine may also help. Keep in mind, these meds have side effects of their own.
You want to make sure you're keeping an open mind.Do you have any relatives who take mood stabilizers (or have other diagnosis - like say bipolar)? If so, you might suggest that a relative did well on (such and such).
I have found that, honesty usually is the best policy. I've also learned that meds that I don't think will work, can sometimes work.For example. The fist time I was given a script for tegretol I ripped up the script and threw it in the garbage (because I was looking for something else). A few days later I fished it out, taped it back together and took it to the pharmacy. Long story short, a med that I was dead against, ended up working.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:1100299
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20180728/msgs/1100530.html