i am bipolar

i am 26 year old ,and i am bipolar! the medicine i am taking carbamazepin . is this medicine a mood stabelizer?

[azeman]

Tegretol®
(carbamazepine) USP Chewable Tablets of 100 mg - red-speckled, pink Tablets of 200 mg - pink, Suspension of 100 mg/5 mL


Tegretol®-XR
(carbamazepine) Extended-release tablets 100 mg, 200 mg, 400 mg

WARNING

SERIOUS DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS AND HLA-B*1502 ALLELE

SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL DERMATOLOGIC REACTIONS, INCLUDING TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS (TEN) AND STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS), HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING TREATMENT WITH TEGRETOL. THESE REACTIONS ARE ESTIMATED TO OCCUR IN 1 TO 6 PER 10,000 NEW USERS IN COUNTRIES WITH MAINLY CAUCASIAN POPULATIONS, BUT THE RISK IN SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES IS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 10 TIMES HIGHER. STUDIES IN PATIENTS OF CHINESE ANCESTRY HAVE FOUND A STRONG ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE RISK OF DEVELOPING SJS/TEN AND THE PRESENCE OF HLA-B*1502, AN INHERITED ALLELIC VARIANT OF THE HLA-B GENE. HLA-B*1502 IS FOUND ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN PATIENTS WITH ANCESTRY ACROSS BROAD AREAS OF ASIA. PATIENTS WITH ANCESTRY IN GENETICALLY AT-RISK POPULATIONS SHOULD BE SCREENED FOR THE PRESENCE OF HLA-B*1502 PRIOR TO INITIATING TREATMENT WITH TEGRETOL. PATIENTS TESTING POSITIVE FOR THE ALLELE SHOULD NOT BE TREATED WITH TEGRETOL UNLESS THE BENEFIT CLEARLY OUTWEIGHS THE RISK (SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS/LABORATORY TESTS).

[Xila31]

A lot of meds have scary things attached to them. It is good to know these things even though it is scary. I am on Lamotrigine (generic) or Lamictle. The first thing my doctor said to me was, "This medicine can cause a rash that can be fatal. Don't worry, though, it is very rare and mostly happens if you raise your dose too quickly. But, if you get a rash of any kind stop the medication right away and call me."

Wow! I've been on edge ever since, checking every time I have an itch to make sure it isn't a rash. >.> So far so good, but I start my bigger dose tomorrow.

I dont' know a lot about meds, so I'm not sure about the one you are taking.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

It is an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizing drug.