Overdose

Well, it happened—-the thing I’d decided to bet against when I agreed to try a trial of the drug Tegretol, in an effort to combat the horrible daily headaches that have plagued me for many years.

I essentially went into mild Tegretol poisoning.

When you start on this drug, which is known most for being an anti-convulsant but which is also prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia (a wicked face pain caused by an irritation of a cranial nerve inside the skull), you start on a low, non-therapeutic dose. You have blood tests often, to make sure your liver is not being affected and that your Tegretol levels remain within a certain range.

Gradually, the dose is raised—as long as you’re not having terrible side-effects—until you are taking a dose that is considered safe and one that is holding your pain at bay. With Tegretol, it’s a fine balance. The goal with me was to use the Tegretol to establish the firm diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia, and then switch to a drug that has comparable results with far fewer side effects.

Yesterday I saw my doctor and he upped my dose, since I was only experiencing mild relief from the face pain (mine is actually a stabbing pain in my right eye). I took the first increased dose last night. This morning, before I took my morning dose, I noticed I was twitching. Hands, feet, face, thigh—everywhere.

I also noticed I was replacing a word in a spoken sentence with another word which made absolutely NO SENSE. Doug was NOT THRILLED when I told him I planned to fix “newspaper” for dinner. Now, if I’d just been looking at a newspaper, or had just emptied the trash and laid my eyes on a newspaper, it might explain why that word came out of my mouth, but there were no newspapers anywhere. Hmmm.

I went ahead and took the morning dose. Four hours passed. I was still twitching and told Doug that my brain was so fuzzy all I could do was crochet a simple pattern. NO WAY could I have driven a car. In fact, when I cut up the onion and potato to put in the crock pot with the newspaper, I mean pork chops, I KNEW I should NOT be using a knife.

Around noon, things began deteriorating rapidly. It all started when I stood up. Within a couple of minutes, I was staggering, slurring my words, and finally actually falling on the floor. (Doug caught me not once but twice before I crashed. My hero…) Doug tried to get me into bed, but I knew I had to go to the ER. Fast. The rapid onset of the symptoms was too alarming for me to wait for the doctor to get back from his lunch break before trying to get medical attention.

I do not know how Doug got me in the car, especially since he also had to fit all four of him in the driver’s seat. That’s right, four. One of the symptoms of Tegretol poisoning is double vision, but I’m talkin’ quadruple, baby. To only have double vision, I had to keep one eye completely closed—-which I did.

I remember nothing of the 20-minute ride to the hospital. I do remember telling Doug not to let me fall asleep, because I was pretty sure that wouldn’t be a good thing. He chatted me up the whole time he drove, the sweetie. I also don’t remember much of the first hour we were there.

It’s all one big Tegretol poisoning blur.

I do know that the Tegretol level in my blood came back at 13.8. A therapeutic level is considered between 4-12. Anything higher than that is just too darned high and can cause the kind of overdose symptoms (and much worse ones) I experienced today.

Yikes!

So. I’m to skip my dose tonight. (Ya think?) Then take a lower dose for the next few days. Then maybe switch to the other drug that won’t carry these risks, because it looks like we may have hit on a diagnosis.

On this intoxicating dose of Tegretol? My head hardly hurts at all!

Posted by Katy on 05/16/08 at 04:50 PM

Fallible Comments...

Oh my goodness. That was a scary read. Can an overdose cause a stroke? It seemed like stroke symptoms. Heavens. Well, I am glad you are OK now and on a lower dose. Newspaper would have so ruined your crock pot
Posted by Becoming Me on 05/16/08 at 07:11 PM
wowee, that sounds pretty scary! I hope you are all better soon. :)
Posted by mandy on 05/16/08 at 07:34 PM
Wow. You are certainly courageous and strong if you can handle all that. (And still prepare dinner while enduring those side-effects! Proverbs 31 woman had nothing on you.) I'm thankful to God that you're doing better now, and taking a lower dose of medication. At least the Tegretol helped your headaches.
Posted by Gracie on 05/16/08 at 09:12 PM
I'm glad you are okay, Katy! What a scary thing for both of you!
Posted by D'Ann Mateer on 05/17/08 at 07:45 AM
Yikes! I'm glad you're doing better - here's to no more side effect for you!
Posted by Carrie K. on 05/17/08 at 10:07 AM
I was on Tegretol for 2 yrs for daily headaches that turned out to be Trigeminal Neuralgia. Most likely if the tegretol is helping you then you have TN too, which you probably already know. I have overdosed, underdosed and then eventually threw it away altogether immediately having surgery for it. It is GONE for me now. Please contact me via email if you'd like to know more about Tegretol, TN or surgery, plus I know lots of online resources for you. Good Luck Feel better, I'VE BEEN THERE TOO! Hang in there.
Posted by Susan Engels on 05/17/08 at 08:07 PM
Thanks, friends! I am still researching all the problems that could occur with this drug. I think later today (Monday) my doc will probably be upping my dose again (though hopefully not as high as when I presented in the ER). I'm a little nervous about that. But Doug will be home tomorrow in case of...stuff.

Susan--Thank you for your offer! I will email you.....
Posted by Katy on 05/19/08 at 08:47 AM
Keeping you in my prayers. In the meantime, maybe doug ought to be taking notes for you--great book stuff!
Posted by Christa on 05/19/08 at 06:29 PM
wow. i am glad you are ok! i will pray that God would just heal you and you would not have to take it any longer!

my only experience i had with tegretol was a friend of mine was taking it for chronic pain in the early 90s and ended up sponge painting her entire living room in garish colors.
Posted by joshua Petrillo on 05/19/08 at 10:08 PM
Christa--When I was preparing to have brain surgery, I bought Doug a ten-cent spiral notebook. He literally wore it on a chain around his neck, with a pen attached, so that he could write down all the crazy stuff that happened. I love having that chronicle! And I have a non-fiction book idea in mind (medical topic), but I'm not sure how to use this stuff in a novel. Any suggestions?

Josh--Healing sounds fantastic. I appreciate the prayer. About your second comment: So THAT explains what happened to my living room!!! Kidding. Seriously: Tegretol, which is mainly prescribed for seizures, also modifies behaviors in people with bi-polar disorder. Like taking away one of the "poles" or something. Just a thought....
Posted by Katy on 05/21/08 at 11:04 AM
Katy, you could use the stuff as something of a humorous, autobiographical version of CS Lewis' "A Grief Observed"... in that book, he has a journal-style account of being the helper to Joy as she suffers from cancer, so yours could be a from your own as well as Doug's perspective account.

I'm amazed how even in this post that scared everyone so much, you still made me laugh... all four of him, especially!
Posted by PattyT on 05/21/08 at 10:12 PM
Thanks god that you r okay.Pls be careful from now about dose
Posted by Hemorrhoids on 02/23/09 at 02:07 AM
You are lucky that you are saved.Do you know that it may cause hear attack.One of my cousins have died from overdose.never do it in future.
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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Overdose Well, it happened—-the thing I’d decided to bet against when I agreed to try a trial of the drug Tegretol, in an effort to combat the horrible daily headaches that have plagued me for many years. I essentially went into mild Tegretol poisoning. When you start on this drug, which is known most for being an anti-convulsant but which is also prescribed for trigeminal neuralgia (a wicked face pain caused by an irritation of a cranial nerve inside the skull), you start on a low, non-therapeutic dose. You have blood tests often, to make sure your liver is not being affected and that your Tegretol levels remain within a certain range. Gradually, the dose is raised—as long as you’re not having terrible side-effects—until you are taking a dose that is considered safe and one that is holding your pain at bay. With Tegretol, it’s a fine balance. The goal with me was to use the Tegretol to establish the firm diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia, and then switch to a drug that has comparable results with far fewer side effects. Yesterday I saw my doctor and he upped my dose, since I was only experiencing mild relief from the face pain (mine is actually a stabbing pain in my right eye). I took the first increased dose last night. This morning, before I took my morning dose, I noticed I was twitching. Hands, feet, face, thigh—everywhere. I also noticed I was replacing a word in a spoken sentence with another word which made absolutely NO SENSE. Doug was NOT THRILLED when I told him I planned to fix “newspaper” for dinner. Now, if I’d just been looking at a newspaper, or had just emptied the trash and laid my eyes on a newspaper, it might explain why that word came out of my mouth, but there were no newspapers anywhere. Hmmm. I went ahead and took the morning dose. Four hours passed. I was still twitching and told Doug that my brain was so fuzzy all I could do was crochet a simple pattern. NO WAY could I have driven a car. In fact, when I cut up the onion and potato to put in the crock pot with the newspaper, I mean pork chops, I KNEW I should NOT be using a knife. Around noon, things began deteriorating rapidly. It all started when I stood up. Within a couple of minutes, I was staggering, slurring my words, and finally actually falling on the floor. (Doug caught me not once but twice before I crashed. My hero…) Doug tried to get me into bed, but I knew I had to go to the ER. Fast. The rapid onset of the symptoms was too alarming for me to wait for the doctor to get back from his lunch break before trying to get medical attention. I do not know how Doug got me in the car, especially since he also had to fit all four of him in the driver’s seat. That’s right, four. One of the symptoms of Tegretol poisoning is double vision, but I’m talkin’ quadruple, baby. To only have double vision, I had to keep one eye completely closed—-which I did. I remember nothing of the 20-minute ride to the hospital. I do remember telling Doug not to let me fall asleep, because I was pretty sure that wouldn’t be a good thing. He chatted me up the whole time he drove, the sweetie. I also don’t remember much of the first hour we were there. It’s all one big Tegretol poisoning blur. I do know that the Tegretol level in my blood came back at 13.8. A therapeutic level is considered between 4-12. Anything higher than that is just too darned high and can cause the kind of overdose symptoms (and much worse ones) I experienced today. Yikes! So. I’m to skip my dose tonight. (Ya think?) Then take a lower dose for the next few days. Then maybe switch to the other drug that won’t carry these risks, because it looks like we may have hit on a diagnosis. On this intoxicating dose of Tegretol? My head hardly hurts at all! Posted by Katy on 05/16/08 at 04:50 PM Fallible Comments... Oh my goodness. That was a scary read. Can an overdose cause a stroke? It seemed like stroke symptoms. Heavens. Well, I am glad you are OK now and on a lower dose. Newspaper would have so ruined your crock pot Posted by Becoming Me on 05/16/08 at 07:11 PM wowee, that sounds pretty scary! I hope you are all better soon. :) Posted by mandy on 05/16/08 at 07:34 PM Wow. You are certainly courageous and strong if you can handle all that. (And still prepare dinner while enduring those side-effects! Proverbs 31 woman had nothing on you.) I'm thankful to God that you're doing better now, and taking a lower dose of medication. At least the Tegretol helped your headaches. Posted by Gracie on 05/16/08 at 09:12 PM I'm glad you are okay, Katy! What a scary thing for both of you! Posted by D'Ann Mateer on 05/17/08 at 07:45 AM Yikes! I'm glad you're doing better - here's to no more side effect for you! Posted by Carrie K. on 05/17/08 at 10:07 AM I was on Tegretol for 2 yrs for daily headaches that turned out to be Trigeminal Neuralgia. Most likely if the tegretol is helping you then you have TN too, which you probably already know. I have overdosed, underdosed and then eventually threw it away altogether immediately having surgery for it. It is GONE for me now. Please contact me via email if you'd like to know more about Tegretol, TN or surgery, plus I know lots of online resources for you. Good Luck Feel better, I'VE BEEN THERE TOO! Hang in there. Posted by Susan Engels on 05/17/08 at 08:07 PM Thanks, friends! I am still researching all the problems that could occur with this drug. I think later today (Monday) my doc will probably be upping my dose again (though hopefully not as high as when I presented in the ER). I'm a little nervous about that. But Doug will be home tomorrow in case of...stuff. Susan--Thank you for your offer! I will email you..... Posted by Katy on 05/19/08 at 08:47 AM Keeping you in my prayers. In the meantime, maybe doug ought to be taking notes for you--great book stuff! Posted by Christa on 05/19/08 at 06:29 PM wow. i am glad you are ok! i will pray that God would just heal you and you would not have to take it any longer! my only experience i had with tegretol was a friend of mine was taking it for chronic pain in the early 90s and ended up sponge painting her entire living room in garish colors. Posted by joshua Petrillo on 05/19/08 at 10:08 PM Christa--When I was preparing to have brain surgery, I bought Doug a ten-cent spiral notebook. He literally wore it on a chain around his neck, with a pen attached, so that he could write down all the crazy stuff that happened. I love having that chronicle! And I have a non-fiction book idea in mind (medical topic), but I'm not sure how to use this stuff in a novel. Any suggestions? Josh--Healing sounds fantastic. I appreciate the prayer. About your second comment: So THAT explains what happened to my living room!!! Kidding. Seriously: Tegretol, which is mainly prescribed for seizures, also modifies behaviors in people with bi-polar disorder. Like taking away one of the "poles" or something. Just a thought.... Posted by Katy on 05/21/08 at 11:04 AM Katy, you could use the stuff as something of a humorous, autobiographical version of CS Lewis' "A Grief Observed"... in that book, he has a journal-style account of being the helper to Joy as she suffers from cancer, so yours could be a from your own as well as Doug's perspective account. I'm amazed how even in this post that scared everyone so much, you still made me laugh... all four of him, especially! Posted by PattyT on 05/21/08 at 10:12 PM Thanks god that you r okay.Pls be careful from now about dose Posted by Hemorrhoids on 02/23/09 at 02:07 AM You are lucky that you are saved.Do you know that it may cause hear attack.One of my cousins have died from overdose.never do it in future. 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Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri