Hello all, greetings from central Europe

[schmeringa]

Hello, I have seizures from about 18 years old, im now 31.

After second one I started to take Depakine Chrono 500 mg twice a day.
Had about 1-2 seizures per year, sometimes even less.
Summer 2011 started to disable Depakine and started to take Keppra 500 mg twice a day ... seemed ok, but seizures get worse ... after consultation with my doctor I started to take 750 mg twice a day ... get again worse so now I'm on 1000 mg twice a day ... now get two seizures in 2 months ... next week I go to doctor, make EEG and propably get back to Depakine.

The reason of seizures as I have watched my life are propably psychical stress and irregularities of sleep ... I have sometimes difficult work as an engineer and 2 small children so it's sometimes hard to keep seizure-careful life.

But it's ok, I live with it, just I have fear when I get seizure to not threat my family e.g. crashed by a car or what.

Sometimes I feel aura very clearly so I get myself to ground, but sometimes like today ... nothing, just awake with emergency doctors starring at me

[Krista2882]

Hi! Welcome to CWE!
Your seizures getting worse as the Keppra is being increased shows that the Keppra might be making things worse rather than better. Talk to your doctor about it and they will probably try a different medication.

[RachelinAZ]

Welcome (I am new too!)!
I can not offer much advice, but I hope you find answers. I love this board. I hate the reason for it, but I love "meeting" people from all over. People who can empathize and understand.

[Nakamova]

Hi schmeringa, welcome to CWE!

Sounds like Keppra wasn't the med for you. I hope the transition back to Depakine goes well. Are there any other meds your neurologist has suggested?

Best,
Nakamova

[schmeringa]

I'm going to meet him this wednesday ... he wrote me that we will talk about it, make some EEG in reply to my email "Dear Dr., Keppra seems to be wrong choice let's switch back to Depakine" ... we will see ... my wife writes every my seizure into her diary she told me today I had 5 seizures last year ... that is very bad, I remember times with 1 seizure per 1-2 years.

[tinathesingergirl]

Schmeringa,
Welcome to CFE!
What part of Central Europe are you from? I was just curious. I too remember the days before I was medicated and I was only had 1-2 seizures a year, it seems the medication is not always the answer. I hope that the doctors there can figure out a good working solution for you so you can to continue to provide for your family I pray this is the case. It is good that your wife is documenting all of this you will find this very helpful in the months to come. My husband thankfully has been witness to all of my seizures that i have had over the last 4 years. This was when I was diagnosed.

[schmeringa]

I am from Slovak Republic ... I live in a small village but I visit the neurologist in capital city for about last 3 years ... he also told me that Depakine in long terms is bad to my liver because there is some substance from it that is mineralising in liver and suggested me to go to Keppra ... of course I agreed and understood with dangers of transition ... now I see it was bad choice in my case ... anyways, when we last made the liver tests, he told me I have liver like a small baby ... means in very good condition ... so I see no problem to go back Depakine for now

[Bathtub]

Difficult decisions, schmeringa, I pray your meeting on Wednesday will have good outcomes for you. It's good to know that your liver is so healthy and that you have full information from your wife, these will both help. As Krista2882 has written above, different drugs act best on different types of seizures, I read that taking the wrong medication can even make your condition worse; so when you have the EEG test and results, this should enable your specialist doctor to choose the drug that will give you better control.

[tinathesingergirl]

Schmeringa, Glad to know that your liver is doing so well. I have known and worked with many people from your part of the world here in Central Florida at Nike where I work in Orlando, one of my managers that I work with is from Bosnia, and another girl that was with us last summer she was on a university exchange program I think from your country. We also have many others who work at some of other stores from the former Czech republic and from Romania also. So I know a little about your part of the world.I pray and hope that they can find a medicine that works well for you I hope that you do not have to travel far from your village to the capital city for treatments and tests. I find this so amazing that we can talk to so many people from around the globe so we can give each other information.

Tina

[DadofTwins]

Welcome (I am new too!)!
I can not offer much advice, but I hope you find answers. I love this board. I hate the reason for it, but I love "meeting" people from all over. People who can empathize and understand.

Good luck with the neurologist!

[RunningGirl85]

Welcome! I am also new here in the last couple of weeks (within the past couple of weeks). I have found everyone really helpful! I was also curious where you were from - I actually visited Slovakia once (Bratislava) - neat place to visit!

I hope that you can find a medication that works for you and good luck!

[travel bug]

Hello schmeringa, and welcome to CWE!

I went through the Tatra Mountains and stayed in Stary Smokevic (spelling?) a couple of times while I was living in Poland. That part of the world is beautiful!

I hope you are able to find the right medication to control your seizures. It sounds like you have a very busy, stressful life; you shouldn't have to worry about seizures too.

Take care

[schmeringa]

travel bug

Yeah it's spelled Stary Smokovec, but I was never here ... aah, come on, people from other countries know my own better than me

RunningGirl85

Yes, I go to Bratislava, from here it's 2 hours by train ... wish I could go by a car, but it's impossible here ... it's strictly forbidden to drive a car when u got epilepsy ... my wife also didn't had driving license but I told her listen honey, I will never drive a car even if I can ... so she made it and now she is ours family driver (I feel noble like a lord or what )

[schmeringa]

Ok yesterday I visited my neurologist ... we talked about my status ... now I take 1250 mg morning/evening ... if I get seizure, I will take 1500/1500 if that doesn't help, I go back from Keppra to Depakine Chrono 500/500.

I have nothing to lose ... Depakine is last choice because it's heavy for liver in long-time term.

[Meetz1064]

sounds like a good plan, I think. I'm pleased for you!

[RunningGirl85]

Good luck - I hope it works out for you! I am also trying to avoid changing over to Depakote (similar anyway). The damage it can do scares me... It'll be a last resort if I have to change.

[schmeringa]

Running girl how many miligramms do you take and in which time intervals?

I now take 1250 mg every 12 hours. The Dr. told me 1500 mg /12 hr is recommended maximum value.

[schmeringa]

Ok, I now take Keppra 1500 mg / 12 hr. About 6 moths seizure free. Last week I visited my Dr., we will stay on 1500 and we will see what's going on.

This last half year I had about 4 times the feeling I'm gonna have a seizure, but it last about 30 seconds then ended and everything was ok. Someone experienced this also?

[Nakamova]

Congrats on being seizure-free. I wonder if what you experience is the med kicking in, doing it's job. Is the feeling one of anxiety?

[RunningGirl85]

That's great news. I actually switched to the XR version so now I take 2250 mg once daily and now take Lamictal XR also (currently at 175 mg but eventually 300). I get what you're experiencing I think, though with Lamictal it is less. I mostly have partial seizures that only sometimes generalize. Sounds like maybe a part of your brain is starting something but the meds arr stopping it so thus is good

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