Acute Anticholinergic Syndrome?

I did some reading today on the possible effects of carbamazepine overdose.


http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/pharm/pim100.htm#SectionTitle:9.1 Acute poisoning


Ingestion

                    The first signs of acute intoxication begin 1
                    to 3 hours after an overdose but may be delayed;
                    presenting symptoms usually include disturbances of
                    the central nervous system, and cardiovascular and,
                    less frequently, anticholinergic signs and symptoms.


I then checked wikipedia to find out what anticholinergic signs and symptoms might be when they're at home:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticholinergic




When a significant amount of an anticholinergic is taken into the body, a toxic reaction known as acute anticholinergic syndrome may result. 
 ...





Acute Anticholinergic Syndrome

Possible effects of anticholinergics include:

Ataxia; loss of coordination
Decreased mucus production in the nose and throat; consequent dry, sore throat
Xerostomia or dry-mouth with possible acceleration of dental caries
Cessation of perspiration; consequent decreased epidermal thermal dissipation leading to warm, blotchy, or red skin
Increased body temperature
Pupil dilation (mydriasis); consequent sensitivity to bright light (photophobia)
Loss of accommodation (loss of focusing ability, blurred vision — cycloplegia)
Double-vision (diplopia)
Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
Tendency to be easily startled
Urinary retention
Diminished bowel movement, sometimes ileus - (decreases motility via the vagus nerve)
Increased intraocular pressure; dangerous for people with narrow-angle glaucoma
Shaking


Possible effects in the central nervous system resemble those associated with delirium, and may include:

Confusion
Disorientation
Agitation
Euphoria or dysphoria
Respiratory depression
Memory problems[3]
Inability to concentrate
Wandering thoughts; inability to sustain a train of thought
Incoherent speech
Irritability
Mental confusion (brain fog)
Wakeful myoclonic jerking
Unusual sensitivity to sudden sounds
Illogical thinking
Photophobia
Visual disturbances

Periodic flashes of light
Periodic changes in visual field
Visual snow
Restricted or "tunnel vision"


Visual, auditory, or other sensory hallucinations[3]

Warping or waving of surfaces and edges
Textured surfaces
"Dancing" lines; "spiders", insects; form constants
Lifelike objects indistinguishable from reality
Hallucinated presence of people not actually there


Rarely: seizures, coma, and death
Orthostatic hypotension (sudden dropping of systolic blood pressure when standing up suddenly) and significantly increased risk of falls in the elderly population.[4]


Acute anticholinergic syndrome is completely reversible and subsides once all of the causative agent has been excreted.
A lot of this matches what I experienced, especially the CNS-related effects. I also clicked through to read up on ataxia, and found that it describes my problems moving/balancing well, especially the cerebellar ataxia, and it specifically states that 'most antiepileptic drugs have cerebellar ataxia as a possible adverse effect' - carbamazepine is an antiepileptic drug as well as a mood stabiliser.  

People with cerebellar ataxia may initially present with poor balance, which could be demonstrated as an inability to stand on one leg or perform tandem gait. As the condition progresses, walking is characterized by a widened base and high stepping, as well as staggering and lurching from side to side.[1] Turning is also problematic and could result in falls. As cerebellar ataxia becomes severe, great assistance and effort are needed in order to stand and walk.[1] Dysarthria, an impairment with articulation, may also be present and is characterized by "scanning" speech that consists of slower rate, irregular rhythm and variable volume.[1] There may also be slurring of speech, tremor of the voice and ataxic respiration. Cerebellar ataxia could result with incoordination of movement, particularly in the extremities. There is overshooting with finger to nose testing, and heel to shin testing; thus, dysmetria is evident.[1] Impairments with alternating movements (dysdiadochokinesia), as well as dysrhythmia, may also be displayed. There may also be tremor of the head and trunk (titubation) in individuals with cerebellar ataxia.[1]
Obviously, I am not a doctor, but I do intend to bring this up with my GP to see what she thinks, because it certainly sounds to me like it's a pretty likely explanation of what happened.  It also means that all the symptoms I presented whilst in their care were actually symptoms that were consistent with having taken a carbamazepine overdose. And that they discharged me (without any advice, and without putting any kind of safety net in place in case they were, y'know, wrong about their decision that I was just faking - they didn't say 'if xyz happens bring her back', or make sure she goes to see her doctor on monday or anything) whilst I was presenting symptoms of a syndrome that can - admittedly rarely according to wikipedia - lead to seizures, coma and death.