That is so cool - most people wanting to use that class of drug will have to get a psych - to monitor it - I notice my regular MD and ENT start backing towards the door away from me when I suggest using any of these class of meds for tinnitus.

Most will say, "there is no data suggesting that this medication will be useful for tinnitus....."

Good luck guys, and if another one of you gets something from this med - Hey, Please come back and say something.

interesting. keep us posted. Curious, what was the reason for choosing Trileptal from a whole range of drugs?

To be honest I can't remember why he chose it. I've worked with a lot of doctor and this guys seems to be about the smartest doctor I've ever met. He can rattle off any drug and go on a ten minute lecture about it's molecular structure and how it affect the mind and body. He always asks me if I've heard of anything that I'd like to try and encourages me to bring in information about studies during our visits. The only idea he said no to and laughed at was lidocaine injections. He said he wouldn't prescribe something that had a risk of killing me. I didn't realize their was a risk but he said their was a small chance it could stop the heart. He's also a certified hypnotherapist and knows people who can do the electrical stimulation therapy if I want to go down that route.

Bob, I love your doc (psych?) who is willing to let you try things for your benefit and the benefit of all of us. It makes sense to me that he might try an epilepsy drug since they are finding a connection with T coming from the same part of the brain affects epilepsy. (There was a comment about this in a recent discussion.)

Lowering sodium and anxiety--also good. Thank you for keeping us posted as you serve as our human guinea pig. : )

BTW, does the

Wow--got cut off there. Does the Trileptal lower your anxiety or is it too soon to tell?"

Yes it's a psychiatrist and personally I now think thats the best kind of doctor to treat tinnitus.

It's very early but yes the Trileptal does lower my anxiety. It doesn't lower the volume as much as the klono/gaba combo but it doesn't need to if it doesn't bother me as much.

Yikes! This is the most horrifying list of side effects I've ever seen. If I took this I'd be a nervous wreck. Good luck, truly. Please let us know how you do.

Oxcarbazepine may cause many side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

dizziness
drowsiness
vision changes
double vision
fast, repeating eye movements that you cannot control
diarrhea
constipation
heartburn
stomach pain
loss of appetite
changes in the way food taste
dry mouth
weight gain
shaking of a part of the body that you cannot control
difficulty coordinating movements
falling down
slowed movements or thoughts
speech problems
forgetfulness
difficulty concentrating
nervousness
mood swings
back pain
muscle weakness or sudden tightness
acne
toothache
earache
hot flushes
increased sweating
cold symptoms
nosebleed
swelling, redness, irritation, burning, or itching of the vagin
white vaginal discharge

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

seizures that last longer or happen more often than in the past

headache
unusual thirst
nausea
vomiting
weakness
confusion
decreased alertness
rash
bumps or blisters in the mouth, on skin, or genitals
red or purple-colored blotches or dots on skin
red, irritated eye
itching
fever
swollen glands in the neck or under the arm
yellowing of the skin or eyes
unusual bruising or bleeding
bleeding from the rectum or blood in stool
sore throat, cough, chills, and other signs of infectio
increased, decreased, or painful urination
joint pain
chest pain

Good for you Bob to find something that is working and better yet a doctor that knows what they are doing....no easy task on either. I don't think those side effects are that bad, they must list everything. I'm taking a drug where the side effect is lymphoma (for another condition not T) you get to the point where you have to make the hard choice of quality or quantity of life. Keep us posted.

Thanks Mark,

Well there's one side effect I shouldn't have to worry about...the "white...discharge".

Well it seems like this stuff starts to poop out in 4 to 5 hours. Sometimes it last a lot longer. I don't know if it eventually builds up in the system like an inhibitor or just exits after a period of time. About the time it poops out I get a bit of that feeling you get before you puke. The mouth sweats a little and the tongue feels heavy. It doesn't last long and it's kind of random. I'm wondering if 150MG 4X a day would be better than 300MG 2X a day. I don't want to mess around too much without the doctor permission but I think as long as I don't go over 600MG a day I should be good.

I've taken Lamictal (lamotrogine) for 11 years. It's an anti-seizure med used for bipolar disorder. I developed t after a hearing loss in March. However, my t tends to stay in the mild range, thankfully. I'm wondering if there is any connection to the drug.

This is very interesting. My ENT said to lower salt intake. Keep us posted. Thanks! Shirley

The dosages of Trileptal can be spread out throughout the day as long as your levels within the blood aren't to high. I have had epilepsy since I was 6 years old and have been on all sorts of anti-convulsant. I am on depakote right now and I was hoping that it would have some effect on my "T". Congrats on the improvement.

Here is a break down of the common side effects that I may be experiencing and their reported percentages.

Nausea -- up to 22 percent

Some other common side effects (occurring in 5 percent to 7 percent of people) included:

Indigestion or heartburn
Shakiness (tremors)
Abdominal pain (or stomach pain)
Coughing


I've mentioned the short period of nausea. They are mild. I started dry coughing a few days ago. Perhaps it's just a cold. I also developed stomach pains. They're not bad but they're worse after I eat. I've had heartburn for many years but it's been gone for a few months. It started again a few days ago. Tonight I had some slight muscle spasms around my mouth. I have been wondering if I've gotten the flu.

It seems like I get the greatest effect in the morning and evenings. For some reason the middle of the day is worse. I've tried taking the pills earlier and today I broke it into 3 doses. It doesn't seem to matter. Perhaps food is affecting it. 1:00 PM is always the worse.

Today the noise was sort of loud all day long. It was between a 3 and 7. Thats louder than the last few days. However the pitch was very low most the time which is very good. It never got shrill and perception and annoyance of it were still lower than a few weeks ago. I did experienced some anxiety.

I only took my Klono/Gaba combo once today and I'm not sure if had much affect. It was the same for yesterday. It seems Trileptal reduces it's affect or prevents it from working.

I did feel depressed and sad today and maybe yesterday too. I'm not sure why. I started taking Lexapro several months ago but it didn't seem to do anything. I will be getting off it soon.

Those are the updates.

It always makes me sad/depressed when I think I have finally found something that works only to be disappointed when after a while it doesn't seem to be having the same effect as it originally did. Hang in there.