Hi All:

Has anyone on here heard of the use of Tegretol to treat psychotic and combative symptoms in LBD patients? It is an anti-seizure medication that my husband's psychiatrist wants to prescribe for my husband - 100 mg three times a day. I am wary of drugs that are prescribed off label, so I research things like this very carefully. From my research I have discovered four drug interactions with meds my husband currently takes. I have also discovered that this med causes drowsiness, dizziness, and unsteadiness.

I just don't want my husband taking any medication that is going to make his LBD symptoms worse than they currently are.

By the way, according to the nurse at the geropsych unit my husband is currently in, this med will keep my husband from being physically combative with me, as he was this past Friday.

Please reply ASAP, as I am holding off on authorizing the prescribing of this med until I hear from the wise people on this forum.

Does the psychiatrist have a copy of the LBD Fact Sheet or other LBD literature? I hope so. Tegretol does have mild anticholinergic effects. I think, if I were you, I would ask him to run it by a neurologist familiar with LBD just to make sure. If the psychiatrist is well-versed in LBD treatment considerations then he is probably acting knowledgeably.

Hi Pat:

I'm not sure if the psychiatrist has the LBD fact sheet, but I'll take a copy to him. I have a meeting with him on Wednesday. He also recommends taking him off Aricept as he says this meg causes agitation in LBD patients. Is that true?

I really don't know as my husband is has been on the Exelon patch since 2007 and has never used Aricept. But I know there are some on this forum whose LOs have used it.

My husband was on Aricept for about 2 months but now on Exelon Patch. No problem w patch but Aricpt caused terrible diahhrea. Any agitation was due to that.

Susieg