Advice please!

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Sltwine

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Myself and my daughter have different types of epilepsy. Mine is very well controlled being seizure free for eight years!! However, my daughter, who started having seizures at 13 is not quite so lucky, she is now 17. Although she doesn't have frequent seizures (only three in the last six months) we recently went on holiday and she had another one (this is not the first time during/following a holiday).

Anyway my real question is we increased her dose of Tegretol Retard from 800mg a day to 1000mg a day and since either this increase or her latest seizure she has been experiencing depression. She feels like she just wants to stay in bed and be on her own all the time. She can not say why she feels like this.

I'm trying to work out if this is as a result of the seizure or the increase in dose of Tegretol.

Please help as I feel totally useless!!!!
 
Welcome Sltwine

I've been on Tegretol Retard (Tegretol CR in Canada &Tegretol XR in the US) for decades.

I was on 2 other AED's (dilantin & mysoline) in high school & had a very hard time waking up in the morn and was depressed for years. When being taken off the other 2 meds it was easier to get out of bed & I felt less depressed but getting out of bed was still a challenge and there still was depression.

I'm almost 51 and I still feel that constant lethargy & mild depression. Sadly, it's the days that wake up feeling a lack of lethargy that I'm most likely to have a stronger seizure that knocks me out.
 
It seems that anytime my husband and I do something out of the ordinary - go to a concert, go to a party or things like that then I am usually prone to have a seizure the next day.

It seems like that since I'm using more energy doing these things so my body is worn out and I'll have a seizure.
 
Maybe it could be a lack of rest or sleep is one of the triggers. I went out of town recently and due to lack of restful sleep I noticed I had more seizures than usual.
 
Hi dear! what i can tell dear is that be with her, give her more company, talk to her, depression on times is part of epilepsy. Ask her to do what she likes. And if she likes someone else's company let her spend some time. Go to the doctor, sometimes anti depressants are needee. Well! best of luck! Life will change! Mine did!
 
Welcome :hello:

I will almost always have increased activity anytime something changes in my schedule. As much as I want to do other things (and I do them) I know that there will be a price to pay later. Maybe the added excitement of vacation had something to do with her seizure.
 
Hi

Thanks for all your messages.

What I'm really trying to establish is whether it's the latest seizure that has triggered the depression or whether it's likely to be the increase in the tablets?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
HI
,I take Tegratol 800mg a day plus Epilim 2000mg,i sometimes get a bit depressed to but i take an anti depressent to help combat this.I was wondering if in your daughters case its the fact that she has had another seizure that has put her in this downward spiral.

I was diagnosed at that age 17 and i know every time i had a seizure it was like my world had fallen apart,just totally gutted.Since she doesnt have frequent seizures,just when she feels she is making some progress WHAM,another one comes along making her feel that bit more down each time.Thats certainly how i felt at that age,i hope this was of some use,all the best.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I think it could be that she's gutted as she was hoping to be able to drive and now that's not the case. She says that she doesn't think it's that tho (and she's not felt like this before following a seizure) which is why I was wondering if it was a side effect of the tablets.

However, we're going to the GP tomorrow so hopefully she will be able to help her out in some way.
 
Thats great news,let us know how you get on will you.good luck.
 
While it's not on the official list, some folks have reported depression as a Tegretol side effect on this site: http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=16608&name=TEGRETOL

I hope it's not the meds. It may be that, as a teen, your daughter is more vulnerable to mood side effects whatever the cause. There could also be hormonal fluctuations contributing -- both as seizure triggers (high estrogen/low progesterone is a trigger), and as emotional triggers.

I hope your GP can help sort things out. Let us know how it goes.
 
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