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My boyfriend os bipolar and currently on trileptal, I thought it was working until last week. He ran out and didnt' take it for 2 days. Now he is back on it, but still hasn't leveled out. He has tried tegretol before and that didn't work. He mentioned trying lithium but that all of his personality would be gone. Is this true? Can anyone please explain the difference between trileptal and lithium?
Lithium is an antipsychotic, antimanic medication. It has worked well for my husband - he also takes Tegretol as a mood stablilizer and has Xanax for period of extreme mania/racing thoughts.
Trileptal is "carbamazepine (Tegretol) with an oxygen stuck on it" so I guess that is a mood stabilizer.
I personally highly recommend Lithium. Lithium levels have to be monitored carefully when they take it, he get blood tests about once every 3-6 months. The only side effects he has is that sometimes his hands swell a little bit and he sweats alot when he's outside... of course we are in TX - so we have a horrible extreme thick heat to begin with...
