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TAKE2LA

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Popular Anti-Convulsants Carry Increased Suicide Risk

Seeded on Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:38 PM EDT
Read ArticleArticle Source: Reuters
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Seeded by take2la
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Widely used anticonvulsant drugs, including Pfizer's Neurontin and Novartis' Trileptal, may increase the risk of suicide, attempted suicide and violent death in patients taking them for the first time, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

HEALTH

Compared with Johnson & Johnson's generic epilepsy drug topiramate or Topamax, the team found an increased risk for suicide in new users of Neurontin, sold generically as gabapentin, GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal or lamotrigine, Novartis' Trileptal or oxcarbazepine and Cephalon's Gabitril or tiagabine.

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take2la

And just in case you were thinking about switching Topamax ain't that safe either.

    Reply#1 - Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:40 PM EDT
    Megidoloan

    Topamax made me dumber than a box of rocks. I couldn't remember the names of my coworkers and could barely string a coherent sentence together. And I wasn't even on it for that long! A few weeks at the most. That stuff will rot your brain and turn you into a zombie. I don't see how Topamax could be a suicide risk because it'll make you too stupid to kill yourself.

    I was on Trileptal for years, though, and never noticed any suicidal feelings while I was on it.

      #1.1 - Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:58 PM EDT
      take2la

      Not all seizures are convulsive. Similar to strokes there can be greater or lesser strengths, for lack of a better term.

      In my understanding there very well could be a seizure which makes one

      dumber than a box of rocks

        #1.2 - Wed Apr 14, 2010 4:48 PM EDT
        Megidoloan

        Sorry, I should have clarified that I wasn't taking them for seizures. I was on the Topamax for migraines and the Trileptal for trigeminal neuralgia.

        But I do have seizures, and they do vary a great deal in their intensity and the way they strike. I've only had two or three grand mal ones in my life (and one was an allergic reaction to Claritin, of all things), but I get lots of little ones where you'd never know I'm having one.

          #1.3 - Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:51 PM EDT
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