I was on Trileptal for about a year. It really did not help to stabilize my moods. However, I was not on any other mood stabilizer. Trileptal is not typically used as a first line agent for treating bipolar. If you are on Lamictal and you are adding Trileptal, you may have some success. The side effects were not bad. The only ongoing problem I had with it was about a half hour after I took it, I would get a very out-of-it, sort of drunk feeling. However, this would always pass within 20 minutes and could be dealt with. As far as I know, that's not that common of a reaction.