# Carbamazepine?



## somedude (Jan 4, 2004)

My prescription coverage took Klonopin (Clonazepam) off the covered drug list. They listed Carbamazepine as a possible alternative. From a quick search it just looks like it's for seizures, which would make sense seeing as that's also a use for Klonopin. Just trying to figure out if Carbamazepine would be any kind of alternative for Klonopin, as far as anxiety treatment. My guess is no, but just checking.

I have a feeling I'm going to be paying full price for Klonopin again. This is a new plan I haven't had long and it covered Klonopin _for a whole month_. :roll Which actually doesn't suprise me that much, cause my previous plan didn't cover it. Kinda sucks though, cause when I got it I was kinda hyped it was covered.  I'm on disablity and this is Medicare incase anyone's wondering. Reason for change: CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) excluded product (ie. benzo's aren't covered).


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

somedude said:


> Reason for change: CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) excluded product (ie. benzo's aren't covered).


I wonder why? I can come up with two possible explantions for why benzos aren't covered:

1) The government hates controlled substances.

2) Bush's Medicare drug plan is a handout to big drug companies and they hate anything generic (which would include benzos).


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## arthur56 (Jul 31, 2005)

tegratol is very doubtful for anxiety and has several nasty side effect risks including aplastic amenia


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## mserychic (Oct 2, 2004)

I was going to ask about this med too. My psychitrist brought it up to use along with my Seroquel. She said it was a mood stabilizer but from what I've read that's like way at the bottom of it's list of uses. Had some scary percentages of folks having seizures from going off the med too fast :um


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## Disintegrate (Jun 28, 2006)

My mother took Tegretol(Carbamazepine) for severe jaw pain and she went into a drunklike state(barely could walk). She spent a few days in the hospital to get the drug out of her system.


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## Thunder (Nov 5, 2003)

> 2) Bush's Medicare drug plan is a handout to big drug companies and they hate anything generic (which would include benzos).


I'm on Medicare Plan D and generics cost way less than name brands. When I see the doc again I'm going to see if he will switch some of my meds to generics.


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## somedude (Jan 4, 2004)

Thanks for the responces. From what you've said I'm like 99.9% sure I won't be switching to this. Oh well, from $2 to $21.72/month again.

I remember when I got my prescription card a few years ago there was a list of like five types of drugs not covered. Only thing I remember is benzo's were last on the list right under Amphetamines. I take it they don't have a very good view of these drugs. This was all I could come up with from the Medicare site:

_Are Medicare drug plans allowed to cover benzodiazepines (like sleeping pills)?

Answer
A Medicare drug plan is required to offer standard prescription drug coverage, and may choose to offer additional coverage. A standard plan can't cover benzodiazepines. However, a Medicare drug plan may cover benzodiazepines if it offers more than standard coverage. The premium for these plans will most often be higher than for standard plans._

Oh, they're just sleeping pills. :con Are they behind the times or are these abused more than I thought? I'll have to check out that premium coverage thing mentioned, see if that makes a difference.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Tegretol is helpful in some mood and anxiety disorders, particularly if there is a bipolar component. It's nothing really like a benzodiazepine, pretty different.

http://www.psycheducation.org/depressio ... zepine.htm


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## ippa (Jul 21, 2009)

as far this is the only drug that helps me with sa, it acts nearly instantly, you have not to wait for several month for some miracle to happen, the effects come in aproximatly an hour, noticed that it acts much much stronger if you drink it just before eating, i drink from 1 to 4-5 pills during the day, the effect can be described like a small entering into the trans, you become more concentranted on your thoughts and your activities then on what other people think, thoughts also become more clear, your can think more calm and talking to other people is more easy, i tried this on my friend) one more positive effect is anastezy, there are much less psychogenic pain, like narcosis, it also somewhat lessens tremor, acts aproximatily 3-5 hours and what important it acts everyday with the same power as usually, i drink for a year or something and it acts always the same, no tolerance %-)
and few minuses of this med, if drink it too much the sight can fork very much and coordination can broke strongly as well, from the side you can look as if the you are very drunk, of course you dont want to be looking like this %-) i had these side effects when i drank 5-6 pills at once, so the optimal dosage i think is 4 pills if u drink at once, but i prefer to drink small dosages few times a day usually twice a day. hope this info helps someone.
and sorry for my bad english.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

If you were prescribed Clonazepam 'just' for (social) anxiety and don't have eg. bipolar disorder too then Carbamazepine is a bad choice. It's true that both are anticonvulsants, but just Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine with potent anxiolytic properties.


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## ladysmurf (Jan 3, 2012)

Is tegretol for anxiety??


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