hey all. got a few questions

[gota24]

so I suffered a seizure back in june of this year. never had a problem with them before.

I was prescribed TRAMAdol for knee pain. I took it pretty regularly for 2 days then BANG out of no where, my wife found me having one. I was rushed to er, where the doctor thought it was definately related to dehydration and the tramadol which is a pain medicine.

Needless to say i stopped the pain medz. about a week later i had some test results back from my eeg that there was a slight abnormality in the eeg and they were recommending me take keppra for a while.

I wasn't thrilled about it, but they said better safe than sorry. so i have been taking keppra 500mg morning, 500mg ngiht for aboug 3 months.

I have a month appoitnmemt with doc coming up and i'm pretty sure the tramadol lowered my seizure threshold and caused it so I want to get off the keppra, I'm wondering how long it takes to wean off this stuff.

he did say if i didn' thave any further problems he would let me go off it, or i could stay on it forever as soem people do. i dont care for the side effects and would like to get off it.

how long can i expect to wean, from a 4 month timeframe fo takign 500mg in morning and 500 at night.

i also dont think there is any issue where i need to change medz, just want off them. if i have another one obviously i'll be back on, but i was told by 3 doctors i have no real neurological condition and it was most likely medicine related. any ifno?

 

[gota24]

the slight disturbance in the eeg was explained to me as maybe it was a head injury or maybe it was a sleep problem but it could cause seizures, or it could NOT cause them.

and then they did another one and whatever they saw was gone, so it was like not a useful test really. i may have a tendancy to seizures from tramadol, which by the way I was taking the MAX limit i was prescribed, and can't remember if I took extra that day. I was in alot of pain after a minor surgery

 

[Fedup]

gota24

I presume you seen a neurologist and it was him who read the eeg. Like a lot of medication
You have to be weened of keppra, you do not just stop taking it. What way you come off of it is going to be down to your doctor as all our bodies are different.

 

[gota24]

oh yea, i saw 2 neuros. they both said it would seem the tramadol caused this but lets be safe. i lost my license anyway so, i figured what the heck try the medicine. two different docs recommended it to me. but i dont think i have a seizure disorder, this tramadol can cause seizures in people if they are not epileptic.

It turns out that I probably dont need to be on medicine, but am because i did have one, but I do want to at least TRY to get off it.

I know i have to be weened off, appointment with next neuro isn't for 2 or 3 weeks i'm just trying to prepare myself for this withdrawal.

will it be bad? how long wll it last? any one share a similar story? I will probably go 250mg drops at a time judging from that they both told me initially.

 

[Cint]

gota24,

According to the drugs.com website, Tramadol can cause seizures in some people even if the don't have epilepsy.

http://www.drugs.com/tramadol.html
Seizures (convulsions) have occurred in some people taking this medicine. Tramadol may be more likely to cause a seizure if you have a history of seizures or head injury, a metabolic disorder, or if you are taking certain medicines such as antidepressants, muscle relaxers, narcotic, or medicine for nausea and vomiting

If your neuro does decide to take you off Keppra completely, you will need to go slowly because abruptly stopping any seizure medication can cause you to go into a bad seizure, and you won't want that. More than likely, you will drop 250 mgs. a week.
I've been on many AED's over the years and that is how my neuro has done it, a little bit a week at a time, but all are different.

 

[acpollard2010]

im being weaned off 3000mgs of keppra and i have epilepsy so its not that bad your on a very low dose.imo but always consult your neurologists

 

[gota24]

thanks so much. this is what I was sorta thinking 250mg weekly or biweekly drop. I dont mind going as slowly as they recommend. I can't find a recommended dosage drop anywhere online.

yes - the thinking is I am not epileptic, although I did have a seizure from tramadol, and alot of people did. The ER doctor also said i was Extremely dehydrated, so they think it was a combination.

Heres the thing, my EEG showed a slight abnormality, and the neuro said if it was the tramadol ONLY you wouldn't have a slight eeg abnormality, however that alone doesn't prove you will ever have another seizure. so tehy said I could have another, or could not. it was completely random, but they said they did NOT see any signs of anything to cause it aside from the medicine.

I have been on this medicine for 3.5 months approximately. I think the doctors feel like I should take it since its so minor in terms of side effects but I have to disagree I have been very agitated and moody, dizzy and depressed. I just want to be off it.

I'm going to ask him if he can wean me off it. If he says no, i"m not sure where I go from there.

If its safe to drop 250 even at bi-weekly does anyone know if you're allowed to drive at this reduction? or if there is a period where its deemed unsafe?

1000mgs total, so that would be 4 weeks or 8 weeks of reduction, any one else suffer withdrawal type symptoms from dropping? i can't imagine half of oen of these pills a day reduction would cause anything major.

let me know all input is appreciated.

 

[gota24]

oh and I am obviously going to go with whatever my neuro says, as far as the recommended drop, its just that this stuff is pretty standard, and i'm sure people on here who have experienced a keppra reduction can prepare me better for whatever troubles i can expect rather than teh doctor. they know the book, but thye dont share the experience as users on forms. I found that our first hand a long time ago with back surgeries.

 

[no.guru]

You're on a lower dose of keppra than I was, and I was weaned off within a month. I had a new bottle, a month's worth, and slowly came off of it before I needed a new one. So we're talking a matter of weeks. No withdrawal symptoms I could tell. I was simultaneously going on another anti-seizure drug.

 

[Nakamova]

does anyone know if you're allowed to drive at this reduction? or if there is a period where its deemed unsafe?

It's considered a bad idea to drive when you're tapering off because of the general unpredictability of the transition period. Even if you don't think you have epilepsy, it's worth being cautious. If a transition goes too quickly it can actually trigger seizures in some people. Some neurologists will recommend administering an EEG during the tapering process to see whether there's an increase in abnormal brainwave activity. As to whether it's legal -- that depends on the laws in your state. Most of them specify a seizure-free period of anywhere from 6 to 18 months. Some require a doctor's note specifying that you're safe to drive.

i can't imagine half of one of these pills a day reduction would cause anything major.

Everyone has different sensitivities, and anti-seizure meds are powerful drugs. They have to be to cross the blood-brain barrier. I recommend that you taper off as slowly as possible. It can help to allow your brain to stabilize at each level of taper for a week or two before moving on to the next. The slower the withdrawal, the less likely you are to have withdrawal symptoms of any kind.

These threads discuss Keppra withdrawal:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/keppra-withdrawal-7710/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/comming-off-keppra-levetriacetam-711/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/withdrawl-symptoms-14269/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/question-about-stopping-keppra-xr-10626/

 

[gota24]

right i have heard of alot of people tapering off keppra and onto another drug. that seems pretty typical. the other drug builds up in your system and safely you can taper off the keppra. so thanks guru

I'm thinking i will just be coming off it without the replacement of antoher drug. i dont know this for sure, but I will find out very soon. if he doesn't recommend I go off it, I'm going to be very upset.

nakamova - yes everyone is sensitive in a different way. i haven't had a horrible experience with this, but i have NOT been myself either. depressed, i would consider it mild depression just not happy about anything, for example this is my favorite time fo the year and i'm not even happy about it, it feels almost like someone died, but all the time, and it hink that is the keppra.

I tried to explain it to my doctor, and he just said no he doesn't think thats from the keppra which is why i just wnat to get off it.