jt07 Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 If you take carbamazepine (Tegretol) along with other meds, make sure you check for drug interactions because you may not be getting the dose of those other meds that you think you are. I am taking 5 mg of Abilify. I ran this through the interaction checker at http://www.drugs.com and found out that carbamazepine reduces the peak plasma concentration of Abilify by 70%! So in reality, it's like I'm taking a 1.5 mg dose of Abilify. This is not only true for Abilify. Many, many, many meds have an interaction with carbamazepine that results in lower blood levels of those meds. This is because carbamazepine induces a liver enzyme that metabolizes the other drugs much faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Yeah, teg interacts with like, every med on earth. One of my pdocs wouldn't use it for just that reason. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 The pharmacist did not warn you about this ? It is mentioned in the Abilify PI, so it should be well known. nf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarie Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Your pdoc or pharmacist should have said something, and as nf said, it is in the Abilify PI as it is in many other drugs' PI sheets. Depakote is another to watch. It works the opposite by doubling the stregth of some drugs, Lamictal for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I would sit and stare, just kind of blank out, on it. I didn't know about that SE until a year after I had stopped taking it, I read it in the book "After her brain broke". Pharmacists and pdocs really need to tell their patients these things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccamel84 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 My pdoc never tells me about any of my medications, I have to read about them online. I've been on tegretol for about a month and he's never even asked for a blood test before or after. Ya, I know, I need to find a new pdoc, I'm working on it but it's easier said then done sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccamel84 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Oh and I was wondering if any of ya'll had a good med checker that told you percentages like how Abilify is onlyi think 30% effective when taken with Tegretol. I'm wondering what the percentages are for tegretol with ambien and tegretol and xanax. Anyone have a link to a good site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuttlefish Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 My pdoc never tells me about any of my medications, I have to read about them online. I've been on tegretol for about a month and he's never even asked for a blood test before or after. Ya, I know, I need to find a new pdoc, I'm working on it but it's easier said then done sometimes. I've had to ask my pdoc for blood tests. Have you tried asking him? When I know I haven't had a blood tests in six monthsish I remind him and he does the paperwork I need to get my blood test done at a lab. If you're not getting something from your pdoc, it really could be just as simple as asking for it. Lots of patients, and it can be very easy to overlook specific details about each and every one. I use this site to check for interactions: http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html As for the topic, I take 400mg of Wellbutrin and I wasn't feeling much if any effect on on Tegretol, since it reduces plasma levels. I requested to switch to Trileptal for that reason, since it supposedly affects plasma levels of medications less than Tegretol does (though it still does interact). I think I've benefited pretty well from the switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Oh and I was wondering if any of ya'll had a good med checker that told you percentages like how Abilify is onlyi think 30% effective when taken with Tegretol. I got the percentage from the prescribing information for Abilify (which was included in the samples I was using). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirlygrl Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Oh, and grapefruit products, which are on the label now. So sad, I loved grapefruit. Blood tests are key. Watch out also for the carbamazepine/lithium interaction which is rare but serious. I was walking into walls for a while there, and it could have been worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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