Crazy Pills: how one medication can be used in multiple ways

[nvcougar]

hey dr steve,

i have epilepsy and am on trileptal for it. the problem is that the meds im on are also used for anti depression and people with split personalities. can taking this medication make me go crazy/depressed?

[Dr Steve]

hey dr steve,

i have epilepsy and am on trileptal for it. the problem is that the meds im on are also used for anti depression and people with split personalities. can taking this medication make me go crazy/depressed?


It's a very interesting question, and it goes to how certain medications can be effective for more than one condition.

I like to use aspirin as an example of this. Aspirin is great if you have a sprained ankle, but also prevents heart attack and stroke and ALSO decreases the risk of colon cancer in certain individuals. The human body is well known for using similar systems for different things and for different functions in different places, so this all works.

Trileptal is an anti-epileptic drug that works to stabilize electrical activity in nerve cells; it's therefore a great anti-seizure drug, and in fact, that is its ONLY official indication (that I'm aware of). This membrane stabilizing function apparently also is very helpful to stabilize mood in bipolar patients or in those who are severely depressed, probably by a similar process.

Now, just as taking aspirin for my ankle won't give me colon cancer (in fact, just the opposite), taking trileptal won't cause a previously normal person to become bipolar. Having said that though, there are a lot of adverse effects that Trileptal can induce, including dizziness, somnolence, double vision, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, ataxia, abnormal vision, abdominal pain, tremor, dyspepsia, and abnormal gait. Make sure you follow up with your neurologist and report any adverse effects that you have (if any).

hope this helps


your pal,



steve