Hi, Keppra is good seizure medication but the side effects are terrible. I was on it for month and I told my doctor to take me off. It makes you depress, effect your memory and the list go on and on. Then I tried Topamax which is ok but that also mess with your short term memory. So I refuse to take that one also. I stop taking it and my brain came back alive. My short term memory was back and I was back. So now I don't take no seizure medication. I guess it just depend on what type of seizures you are experiencing. I had the local focal seizures only when I was sleeping. So try to find a different medicine from that Keppra. Since I work in the hospital with lots of doctor including the neurosurgeon, I'm going to ask them.
Louisa C said:
Latonda, Because they put me on Keppra after my rupture, it is hard for me to know if the issues I have are due to the Keppra OR just the brain damage caused by the bleed. If I don't take the exact amount of the Keppra, I will have a grand mal..so I stay on it.
LATONDA said:Hi, Keppra is good seizure medication but the side effects are terrible. I was on it for month and I told my doctor to take me off. It makes you depress, effect your memory and the list go on and on. Then I tried Topamax which is ok but that also mess with your short term memory. So I refuse to take that one also. I stop taking it and my brain came back alive. My short term memory was back and I was back. So now I don't take no seizure medication. I guess it just depend on what type of seizures you are experiencing. I had the local focal seizures only when I was sleeping. So try to find a different medicine from that Keppra. Since I work in the hospital with lots of doctor including the neurosurgeon, I'm going to ask them.
I work in surgery and very every person that have brain surgery, including me they use the drug Keppra. I ask my Neurosurgeon why he put me on that drug(Keppra). He stated that is the best drug to prevent seizures from happening right after brain surgery. The same thing happen with my coworker mom. when she was taking Keppra. Now she don't take it and she back to normal. Yes please stay on your Keppra until your doctor can switch you to a different medication. Since I been working in the medical field since the 90's I know what I can get away with and how it should respond. Plus im around doctors and surgeons 40+ hours a week. I have a lot of doctors buddies.
Hello, I've been on Keppra for 8 months. They put me on it because I had a massive seizure, without warning. For the first 4 months, my emotions were all over the place!!! ANGER, SADNESS, FRUSTRATION and more. I couldn't tell what emotions were really mine or from the drug......... The good news is, I haven't had a seizure since. It was soooo bad that I considered switching but my injuries from that seizure were so bad that I was scared of the process and timing to switch and what if another medication didn't work???? I suffered 7 fractures in my spine and broke my left arm, at the shoulder. So I didn't switch. Thankfully, the side effects subsided after 3-4 months. Best wishes!!!! There is light at the end of the tunnel.
They put me on Neurotin and Celexa. It has helped tremendously.
Chris, I take a very low does of Nortriptyline with my anti-seizure meds for my headaches (Topamax). The worst side effects I have are hair lose (so I keep it real short) and my nails are crap now. I guess if that is the worse I have to deal with I'm good. They keep a close watch on my vision. Carol
You have prolly been told that topamax depletes both zinc and selenium as well as some B vitamins. including folate. I'm nit a big supplement person, but you might check with your pharmacist or doc. A good supplement might help. Don't forget to drink lots of water. Kidney stones are common too.
I'm drinking tons of water and talking biotin but did not know about the zinc or selenium. I'll check on that, thanks TJ!
I don't have seizures but wanted to let you know about Neurontin (Gabapentin). I was prescribed it for pain at the rehab hospital but it is an anti-seizure medication primarily so maybe that would be an option? It has side effects of course but the only one that had affected me at first was some blurry vision. The other thing that could be a big issue is that you can't stop taking it cold. It's one of those meds you need to wean yourself off of slowly or you will experience withdrawal issues. I wish you luck with your quest for the right medication. It's so, so important! Keep us updated when you can!
Phenabarb is only $10 a month… Ask your doctor…!!! I have never had the psychotic events that others have had on other meds…
Curious why the blood needs to be checked, especially if you are female. My daughter has been on it (Lamotrigine) for 5 years and she has stopped seeing the out of town neuroendocrinologist that diagnosed her. She does have an appointment with a new neurologist in January. Her doctor has always stated that this med also is the one he uses when the patient is also experiencing depression. I have read it is now approved for bi-polar and is a mood stabilize - my daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy after 3-4 years of terrible migraine headaches. It works well for her.
I hope they get your depression and anxiety under control Chris. I have been there and it's not a good time - I took Effexor while undergoing cancer treatment, in which depression was a side effect of the estrogen suppressor med I was on. It worked well (Effexor). For you, the inbalance of hormones can very easily cause depression and anxiety, too. My daughter's adrenal gland was not operating properly when her brain waves were abnormal - the abnormal brain waves causes your whole adrenal system hormones out of whack, according to the neuroendocrinologist and from what I have read.
My daughter has not had any side effects from Lamotrigine. Good luck, I hope you find some relief soon. I am planning on asking the neurologist to send Danielle for an MRA (to check for aneurysms since I have two) and also to an endocrinologist.
Wendy, I took Gabapentin after my brain surgery for the bulging discs in my back that happened while I was there and I was having terrible nerve pain down my leg to my foot. It worked really good after reaching the dosage that was needed. I have been able to stop it because the nerve portion of the pain subsided quite a bit. My daughter was prescribed it for her migraines, but it didn't help. I have read that this med doesn't work for certain types of seizures, so it is rarely used all alone for seizures. I sure was glad to take it that first year after being injured, though.
I have been on Keppra for 8 years. Down to 1000 mg a day (500 am, 500 pm). How long has it been since your aneurysm? It takes quite a while to recover... The Keppra puts me in the donut hole as I have been on SSDisability for almost 8 years...very expensive but cannot take the generic and will not. Hope this helps.
David, since the clipping, do you suffer from headaches?
Thank you,
J
David Andrus said:
Carbemazepine has worked for me since I started to have partial complex seizures in the 80s. It stopped the seizures dead in their tracks. There were no side effects. When the seizures started to come back, I was sent for an MRI, and that's when my aneurysm was discovered. Since the clipping surgery there have been no seizures. But I'm still on Tegretol (Carbemazepine).
David Andrus, Hamilton, Ontario
I am on Vimpat and Phenobarbital. It is expensive because there isn't a generic version yet, but it works for me. I hated Keppra.
The phenobarb part is very cheap! I used to just pay $2 a month but costs have risen to $10 per month…they told me just for paperwork, etc.
James Rewinski said:
I am on Vimpat and Phenobarbital. It is expensive because there isn’t a generic version yet, but it works for me. I hated Keppra.
I am taking keppra and I do not have any side effects.
I take keppra and no side effects from what I have learned if keppra works for you don’t switch seizure meds trying different ones have been a horrible experience for me face planted a few times
I take topiramate and trama-dol it seems to be working ok
Can panic attacks be a side effect I thought it was from the trauma of the aneurysm bursts