Decreasing haemoglobin and white blood cell

[Danly]

Hi,

I need some advice here on my decreasing haemoglobin of 10.9 and white blood cell of 3.2 base on my last blood test result. I have been on seizure drug tegretol for the past one and half years and have had no more seizures. Have tried coming off tegretol for 3 weeks to find out whether this drug is causing my blood disorder but blood test result still showing a decreasing trend of haemoglobin and white blood cell. My question is should I withdraw from this seizure drug longer than 3 weeks to see an improvement in my red and white blood cells ?

[Danly]

Hi Dr. Kokil,

Thks for your valuable advice. Could you recommend an alternative AED that can prevent tonic clonic seizure, manage pain and doesn't affect blood counts ? I will discuss with my neurologist.

[Danly]

Hi doctornee,

Thks for your advice. I will request for a stop of this drug for a month to 2 from my neurologist on my next visit to see whether there will be an improvement in both my white and red blood count this time. Fyi, my neurologist claimed that my blood counts level is still not considered dangerous. So, stopping this drug will be risky as there will be no AED replacement given. I have no MS and autoimmune disease but just cps.Does chronic cps pain affects blood counts ? Worry and confuse :(

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Yes, tegretol can cause decrease in white blood cell count. Usually tegretol does not cause an appreciable decrease in WBC.  
It can also cause anemia due to bone marrow suppression. However, usually the results start improving within a month of stopping the drug. However, please do not stop the drug on your own. Do consult your doctor regarding this to see if there is any other cause for your symptom. Hope this helps. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.