Keppra, Medication And Seizures (Page 1)

Hi, i'm really new here. I was just diagnosed wednesday and started keppra the same day. I've been feeling exactly that way, only more tired than depressed. It usually happens a few hours after I take my nighttime dosage. I get really bad chills, and am really out of it. I get extremely nauseous too. I wasn't sure it was the medicine, but now I know what it is. Have you talked you neurologist about this?

Hi, my little girl has what they call G.E.F.S. + Epileptic disorder and for the past year she started off having this episode where she would wake up around 7 or 8 am and start throwing up and then she would go back to bed and sleep for hours and then wake up back to normal. Does anyone know if this is a seizure or not

Grace, how much keppra do you take and since you've been on this medication have you had a seizure???????? Susan]

Hello, I am rob from holland
before I start then is my advise to you to describe what of medications you use outside keppra alone. Then it is easyer to give a hint or help.

my medication is: diphantoine 100/25mg, lamictal 100mg/50mg, frisium 10mg, neurontin 400mg, keppra 250mg (after 2 weeks 500mg)

so, I used keppra too but......... After two weeks I call the specialist that I had "trouble" with unstable walking and a lot of sleep the whole day trough. So the doctor say to stop immidiately and we have to see for an other medication. I could stop immidiately because I had it 2 weeks.

I ask the doctor to let in hospital for a blood sample to see which medication are to high,or to low. Then we saw that the diphantoine was a little to high. So we decide to remove the diphantoine 25mg and see what the reaction is til now.

I must say it go's better now.
I hope you have any good information from my letter here.
Let me know if you have a other suggestion or that I can help you with it.

Remember this: epilepsy is not a complaint but an affection.

... There'll be love and laughter, and peace ever after, just you wait and see ...

hi feelgood. Here is rob from holland and I use also keppra for a month now. The symptons you have is normal by keppra. You do not describe how high the keppra is. I have 250 mg one time a day.
I take the keppra in the evening when I go to bed. Because then your body sleep and keppra can work optimal and you have no worry about a seizure. But that is a personal impression what the doctor told me.


I hope you have something on this other wise let me know by e-mail.


Greetings,
rob

Hi rob, thanks for your email...I was taking 2,000mg a day (2a.M. + 2p.M. At 500mg each)..I finally went off them and went back on neurontin...I couldn't handle the depression, it got real bad ....Anyway i'm doing better now, I still have seizures, but i'm not depressed ........Take care, s.

Hi all. Im new here. Im having seizures too, but im taking phenytoin which are totally different from what you guys are taking.

Hello Everyone:

My daughter was recently prescribed Keppra, well actually in August, I have the prescription filled on top of the refrigerator. Yet, I am afraid to give it to her. I have read that it should be taken in conjunction with other anti-seizure meds but not alone.
Nikki my daughter has grand malls every month right after her monthly cycle starts (like clockwork). She has been med free for some years now because they never seem to help, in her instance they have caused more seizures. Not Keppra, just others.
Does anyone take Keppra alone and find that it helps with Grand Mal Seizures.
Thank you all , and I wish you all the most strength you can possibly have, I really wish I could meet you all at a conference or something. Heck maybe someone knows of such a thing, I know my daughter (18yrs) would like some support and gosh knows I would too.

All the best!!!.Gina

Gina-
My name is Brandy and I have had Grand Mal seizures since I was 15. I was on Depakote ER (1000mg per day) and that was the only medicine that EVER helped me at all. I recently changed to Keppra (started at 1500mg per day then had 3 seizures in one night so they upped it to 2000mg per day and a month later had 4 more seizures in 1 night so they upped it then to 3000mg per day) which I have to say hasn't done any good for me. I actually had MORE seizures while ON Keppra than I did while I was on anything else. I also got really horrible mood swings and some depression. The dr. had me on Keppra alone, which I was told does not work with this type of seizure and when I asked her about it she tried to say that it would work but I insisted that she put me back on Depakote ER because on this medicine I went for 2 1/2 years without ONE issue. Depakote ER does make you gain weight some and it does make you tired until you get used to it but in my own experience, I have found that Keppra is JUNK! I would never suggest that anyone use it! Like I said before, I went from having 1 or 2 seizures in 6 months or longer to having 7 seizures in a month and a half and it was all because of the Keppra. Hopefully this helps and if you have any questions you can message me....Best of luck to you!

HI, my daughter gets seizures to around her monthly and was on keppra,it made her tired and crankey,so they took her off. she is 19, and still gets them, (partial seizures),she still takes trileptal, and for now still has the seizures, wish you the best.

Hello to everyone on Keppra (levatriacetam). I was on it too, 2000mg a day in conjunction with epilim (sodium valproate) 2400mg a day. I was tired on it, felt stoned on keppra when i first started, I lost balance, and i was lathargic. Not depressed that i know of. But the two medications together made me very sleepy and i was'nt a help to anyone, walking around in a daze. I could not function and my speach was not good, i always had to describe something to get the words out that i wanted to say. It was frustrating for me and others around me.
I have now been taken off keppra and i have been lowered on the epilim down to 400mg a day of epilim, but my neurologist introduced me to lamictal ( lamotringe) I am on 300mg a day and i have never felt better, I do get nausiated on lamictal at times when i first wake up, but i have learnt to eat a peppermint lolly which is a natural anti-nausia preventative, which i learnt off my chemist. Or she said that you can eat ginger. But i dont like ginger lol. and i've found that the peppermint works very well, so i always keep them on hand.
Since i have been on lamictal i can function, i get up early, and i am acctually tired when i sleep, which is wonderful, because when i first started treatment for epilepsy i was put on tegretol (cabramazapine) which kept me awake at night and i would sleep all day, i felt like my brain would never shut down.
I have never been seizure free in the 4 yrs that i have been an epileptic, but i am greatly reduced in seizures now then ever before thanks to the lamictal. I can go up to 6 weeks with out a seizure. My seizure types are Grand mal, Simple partial, Peti mal, and a mix of others. Sometimes i can have an aura, and it really is annoying because i would rather have a grandmal so i dont remember it, because auras make me feel yucky. And sometimes an aura can last a long time for me. I do not get a warning when i am going to have a grand mal, but since on lamictal i get a slight warning and i can tell the ppl around me that i feel funny and they help me get to a place comfortable. I was told by a nurse that they dont like patients on keppra, because it highers blood pressure. And when i was in hospital for a 4 day extensive VEEG the neurologists discovered that the keppra un beknown to me was giving me high anxiety just before my seizure which was not good. My neurologist does not believe in blood levels, or weight ratio, he believes on what level makes you feel better. because my experience with other doctors and my doseages have been based on weight and level ratios.
the way that my neurologist approaches dealing with epilepsy is that best levels in blood arent nessecary in what you are taking in the drugs. Althought i might just add that lamictal is very good for women, it doesnt inteffer with the pill, and women on lamictal can safely get pregnant.
where as women on Epilim (sodium valproate) is not a good drug for women in high doesages because there is risk of polysystic overy syndrome and birth defects. Even though i am on epilim also my neurologist has me take folic acid every day 5mg in the morning, to make sure that i have regular cycles.
I hope this information helps some of you.
Regards
Sami

funny u r all on here .....LOL

i find it bizarre that epileptics should be no where near a computer at anytime especially in the case of severe epileptics

yet u r on here comlaining bout the medications not working

go figure!!!!

Strange you are on here despite how little you know about epilepsy

do you realise that computers & moniters/tvs of any sort dont affect all epileptics, i am pretty sure that if it affected the people that are typing on this forum they wouldnt actualy be typing on here.... also if you read carefully most of the posts are actually from the parents or caregivers of the epileptics.

I also want to ask if anyone has had any similar problems, my 8yr old daughter has epilepsy, she had been on lamictal, but that didnt control her very well at all, & last year just went past in a blur she couldnt concentrate & was always tired!! so the doctor put her on keppra, which has really improved her concentration, she has gone thru periods where she has had like grand mal seizures, but not as bad, & usually at night or early morning, so usually she has been fine to be able to go to school...
we were thinking that as she is on the right dose, & having these breakthrough seizures that maybe we have been giving her the doses too close together, so now we try to give her meds at 7am & 7pm or such times like that depending on when she wakes in the morning. I have found this has been better however every so often she has called me in as she cant stop trembling (as tho she was freezing cold)
also i find she doesnt loose control of her bladder she over controls it, so much so that she does not like to go to the toilet especially at night (at school the teachers send 2 other girls with her to the toilet) to be safe.... she has previously locked herself in the bathroom & fallen off having a seizure and knocking out her front teeth which is why she scared of toilet im pretty sure... has anyone experienced anything similar or have any sort of advice they could give please??

thankyou

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the site. I actually found it as I was looking up side affects for Keppra. Since I started keppra my family has noticed a big difference in my behavior. I was taken off depakote 6 months ago and put on 2000 mg of keppra a day. At first I didn't notice the side affects, but just today I woke up and realized that I have not been myself since I started this med. I am very emotional, very deppressed, angry, and I'm crying at the drop of a dime, and my relationship with my family is suffering. I'm looking for some support, advice, and guidance! Please help me!

sicerely,
cubby

Cubby,
I also have recently switched from 1000mg of Depakote ER daily to 3000mg of Keppra daily and myself as well as everyone around me has noticed that I am the same way! My best friend told me that I'm not myself because I used to be pretty happy-go-lucky and now I am VERY serious, get mad easily and I don't even laugh anymore as well as the crying and feeling down. I went to my neurologist and INSISTED that she put me back on Depakote ER because that was the only thing that worked for me and she didn't want to because of weight gain that COULD happen but in my mind, I would rather be fat and free of seizures than to look like a model and not know who I am lol. I hope this helped you in some way and if you would like you can ask me anything you want to know about both meds and if I can help I will. Best of luck to you and your family.

Cubby,
My husband was diagnosed with seizures last year and was started on keppra 500mg once a day, continued to have partials and then upped to keppra xr 750mg twice a day. Still didn't stop them then increased again to keppra xr 750mg , 2 in the morning and 2 at bedtime still having aura's. And his additude his bad , and gets angry easily and short tempered. and does not sleep a whole lot. This is the only medication the doctors have tried him on but i think it is time for a change.

Good idea,
Different medications have different side effects so it is a wild goose chase finding the perfect medication.
I have complex-partials and know that they can take a lot of medication to control (they never actually have really been controlled though!). Suggested process: (1) Find a good doctor, (2)Find the best medication, (3) Find the best dosage FOR YOU, YOUR HUSBAND AND YOUR FAMILY! The last thing I would say is, much more important than medication is the simple things of keeping routines and preventing stress; instability is highly detrimental to seizures from my experience.
I hope this has been of some use to you.

Cubby,
I also have recently switched from 1000mg of Depakote ER daily to 3000mg of Keppra daily and myself as well as everyone around me has noticed that I am the same way! My best friend told me that I'm not myself because I used to be pretty happy-go-lucky and now I am VERY serious, get mad easily and I don't even laugh anymore as well as the crying and feeling down. I went to my neurologist and INSISTED that she put me back on Depakote ER because that was the only thing that worked for me and she didn't want to because of weight gain that COULD happen but in my mind, I would rather be fat and free of seizures than to look like a model and not know who I am lol. I hope this helped you in some way and if you would like you can ask me anything you want to know about both meds and if I can help I will. Best of luck to you and your family.

ah, I feel for you, cubby. I think it's a matter of talking to your doctor openly about all of this. I am on Keppra too, but the XR, long acting type, which keeps blood level of drug steady. Helpful to me!
I also take (years ago). Seems like a mood elevater to me. I also take a small amount of antidepressant.
People are so individual and what helps one may not be good for another. I had to try numerous meds.
Make sure you have a good doc. and hang in there!

ah, I feel for you, cubby. I think it's a matter of talking to your doctor openly about all of this. I am on Keppra too, but the XR, long acting type, which keeps blood level of drug steady. Helpful to me!
I also take (years ago). Seems like a mood elevater to me. I also take a small amount of antidepressant.
People are so individual and what helps one may not be good for another. I had to try numerous meds.
Make sure you have a good doc. and hang in there!

I have been on Keppra since Dec. 2004, I switched from Lamictal b/c the Lamictal affected my hearing. Since being on Keppra 1/day 500mg at night (only med taken for my seizures) I've gone 4 yrs w/out a seizure up until recently. I have some anxiety, I am easily agitated, get angry, depressed about life (mainly due to my everyday struggles at work) I have a stressful marketing career. Of course, i worry about where my life is going and being single - all of which is probably not seizure-related, but doesn't help me either. I too would like to get support in Tampa FL. Is there anyone else out there struggling like me? I pretty much lead a normal life

Sami,

Thanks for your post, alot of useful information.

I have had epilepsy for the last 2 years. I had my first grand mal in Apr 2006, put straight onto Epilim (1000mg twice daily), had 3 more grand mals and a couple of petit mals in the year following.

I am now on Epilim and Keppra. 500mg Ep and 1000mg Kep morning (taken at midday) and 500mg of each in the evening (taken at midnight). I was told it does not matter what time you take it as long as they are 12 hours apart.

Since having Epilepsy I always get my words muddled up, and often find it difficult to find the words, to express myself, often getting quite worked up !!!!! I also get a ringing sensation in my ears. I do not know if this is related to Epilim or the Epilepsy itself.

Since I started Keppra I have not had a seizure, but in the last 2 months I have had really bad dizzy spells, I am wondering if this is anything to do with Keppra. The thing is I do not know if the dizziness is a side effect or an Aura.

I had an episode where I felt really dizzy, thought I was going to have a seizure, but ended up sitting down, hyperventilating and had a terrible headache which lasted 1 week. I don't know if this is Epilepsy related or a panic attack / Migraine or side effect. This is all so frustrating.

If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it. It is great to hear from peple with first hand experiences of Epilepsy and the drugs prescibed for it.

Thanks for reading through my overly long post. Hope I didn't bore you too much

James

Does anyone have anything to say thats good about this drug?
I am on Lamictal but it does not controll the seizures so he wants to add this.
I am not sure what to do, I have done so many drugs I am not sure if it is worth it.
I already not sleep and nausia seems to haunt me so I am not sure if this will make it worse or help. Help!

Carm

Keppra sent me mad in only 4 weeks.My wife Devorced me for good.

i know this is way later than your post, & i hope that if you did go onto keppra that it has helped you!! my daughter was previously on lamictal but it didnt control her & was making her tired & not concentrating at school... (her teacher didnt listen to us & thought she was just being silly!! as she didnt have any major episodes at school that year) however her doc decided that as keppra is similar to lamictal we should try this, & her concentration levels have improved greatly & she rarely has seizures, she has been having some but realised that it was cos she was having her meds to close together, now that she is having them 12hrs apart she seems to be doing fine!!!

My son 13yrs just had his 1st and 2nd seizure within three weeks last month. This coming week he is going for MRI and EEG tests. The neurlogist are talking about putting him on Keppra. After reading all these information by people taking Keppra now, I am greatly concered. Should I be?

my 4 month old is epileptic and she takes 100mg 2x a day of keppra. her seizures have stopped the only side effect she has is decreased appetite and sleepyness. i recommend keppra

I know this is a old post, butI thank you and wonder if you have any update. My 5 year old just started on Keppra. She has had several patials daily. New to meds and looking for right dosage but we have seen a marked improvement in frequency of seizures. Side effects so far have been decreased appetite. Otherwise positive including decrease in nocturnal seizures and better quality of sleep. She wakes rested and perky. I hope we continue in this positive way!

please my son also on keppra 3 days duration but his seziures didnt stop how long it need to control seziur

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hi i also have episodes of depression and dizziness. but the drug controlled my seizures[simple partial seizures]very well.even valproate controlled my seizres very well,but the problem with it is wt gain and extreme muscle cramps.. be patient with the drug and complete the course as u r doctor told to u. but can change u r drug if u have too much problem with it,after discussing with u r doctor. even though i have lil problem with keppra, i choose to be on it, coz it controlled my seizures very well.and relatively safer when compared with other anti epileptic drug. hope i am helpful to u

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it only took a week for med to realize how bad Keppra XR affected me. I was angry, and outraged and agressive with people around me. I've been on trileptal for 5+ years and was completely seizure free. I took 900 mg a day seperated in 3 doses so it cut down on being to tired throughout the day. But I always went to bed before my friends or roomates because I was exessively tired. Now that I'm married I'm exploring options for a safe pregnancy. I had an allergic reaction to lamictal, didn't like all the side affects of zonagran and then Keppra made me so angry and suicidal. So I decided to on my own (my dr doesn't know yet) just go off all medication. wanted to see where my seizures are at and its been about 6 weeks with out seizures. last time I tried going off (to see if I had grown out of them as a teen) it took three weeks for me to have a seizure. But I'm not sure if i'll be able to just be seizure free. And if not, I don't know what med to go on because of the side effects. Its not about controlling my seizures right at the moment its about managing the side effects of any given medicine. Sorry bout the long post. I've never been on here before. Advice wanted please!

I've been doing the Modified Atkins Diet (a version of the Ketogenic diet) for 2 years and it's been tremendously beneficial on my seizures. The only time I have them is when I lapse on the diet (which is very strict), however there's lots of research into the diet and it's a valid alternative to tablets!

Can you tell me where I can get information on the Modified Atkins Diet?