Question about keppra and topamax side effects

[~*~Mother_Of_Three~*~]

Hello every1...glad to know im not alone in this scary world of dealing with seizures Your all in my prayers and thoughts...Question...I am having very serious eye changes including weird movements and vision problems,HAIR LOSS,Pain in legs, cramps, unusual mood swings and i'm completely off balance anymore, feel tired all the time, and nervous....Prob. is i don't know which med's are causing what gotta see my neurologist next month recently took me off dilantin and put me on keppra, also added the topamax for migraines as well, also take midodrine for Syncope(hypo tension disorder) and arrhythmia....any help would be appreciated sometimes its just good to talk to someone going thru what you are...I havnt even told my husband alot of what im feelin...he worries all the time and works in the coalmines May God Bless and keep you all..Thanx for listening Need to talk im here

[sbncmo]

Hi. Glad to have you here. Just a couple of suggestions. First, please talk to your husband. I'm sure he is very tired when he comes home from the coal mines & worries about you. But what if he walks in & finds you in a worse situation, something he is unaware that you are dealing with? Surely that would upset him even more. Give him time to relax from work & then let him know what you are dealing with - perhaps while you are resting in bed before going to sleep.

Second, look into all the side effects of your medications. I personally use drugs.com because I enter all my medications & it warns of drug interactions. It also lists all side effects. And you are able to print off reports - a full size report you can take with you to your doctor's visit & a personal report to keep in your wallet. (Doctors & nurses love this wallet report - it makes it so easy for them to update information.)

As far as your symptoms, many of them could be side effects. Keppra, Topamax & Lyrica all caused severe mood swings for me, especially extreme anger. A number of my medications affect my vision. Feeling tired could be from your arythmia, medication, or the result of having seizures. I'm always tired after certain types of seizures (I have 6 types of seizures - thankfully not grand mal).

I understand your frustration with side effects on medication. I have had bad reactions to very ep med. A new one just recently came out - Vimpat - and so far I haven't had any trouble with it, although it doesn't address every type of seizure I have. Still, controlling some of them is better than no control at all.

So, please talk with your husband. Keep coming here for all your questions & lots of support. And please investigate all your medications.

Shelia

[Nakamova]

Hi Mother Of three, welcome!

I second everything sbncmo said. Meds that are meant to help the brain have to be powerful to cross the blood-brain barrier. This means they can have powerful side effects too, both singly and in combination. Keppra is definitely known to cause mood swings (including "kepprage"). Some folks have that Vitamin B6 (taken as part of a B Complex vitamin) helps with the mood swings. You should ask your PCP or neurologist about this option.

Best,
Nakamova

[Cint]

Hi Mother-of Three and welcome,

I take Keppra, 3000 mgs a day, along with Topamax, 250 mgs. twice a day and the mood swings are a known side effect of the Keppra, so do mention that to your neurologist. Topamax is also know as dopamax and can make one extremely tired and forgetful, so taking these meds along with the medication for arrhythmia could all cause side effects and may have drug interactions. Make sure you talk to all doctors who prescribe them as well as your pharmacist.

[Endless]

Hello, Mother of Three,

Welcome! I'm glad you found us.

I agree with everything that everyone else said. I'll add one more. The eye movements - do they vibrate or do you have double vision? If so, I wouldn't wait a month to tell your doctor about it. You may want to call his office now and let them know. It could be a sign that you are on the wrong medication or too much medication.

I've been dizzy on pretty much every drug I've been on. It has ranged from very mild to severe. The thing about dizziness is that it isn't safe. You can get hurt even when you aren't having a seizure. Depending on the severity, your doc might want to switch your drugs again.

I wish your appointment was sooner. Maybe when you call in and tell them all this stuff they will move you up?

[sbncmo]

I agree with Cint - talk to your pharmacist. And I agree with Endless - call your doc & see about getting in sooner. Let him/her know how serious your problems are, that you need help immediately. Do your research & take it with you so both of you can make educated decisions in your treatment. I feel strongly about educating yourself. Some doc's don't like their patients to look into things. I guess they think the patient is trying to self-medicate. But you, the patient, have a right to be informed of all options & to have a say in your treatment.

With trying to get a medication that will work for me & not cause side effects, my pharmacist has been one of my biggest supporters & help. He has even interceded for me when I as on the Keppra & couldn't get my doc to change it. He also helped me when I was on lamictal. Every time I'm in the store, he will call me over to find out how I am doing - any side effects, any improvements, etc. If I have a question & he isn't sure about it, he pulls out his books & checks it out. He is a wonderful help.

I hope you get in to see your doc sooner & get things smoothed out. It's not good to feel so bad & have so many side effects.

Shelia

[Minkels]

Hello and welcome...you are definitely not alone. Sorry to hear you are having side effects with your medicines...as the others have stated, definitely call your doctor about them.

I am taking Keppra (1000 mg a day, down from 3000 mg a day) and had a lot of problems with the Keppra at the high dose. I had a lot of hair loss (thank goodness I have an abundance of hair else I would be BALD by now), leg/muscle cramps, and was very physically uncoordinated (some stumbling). I still have a little bit of issues with the moodiness once in a while, but not sure if it is the Keppra or just due to the fact I am still kind of accepting the fact that I have epilepsy (first seizures and dx'd a few months back).

Keppra does have a repuatation for causing the "Kepprage" or mood-swings/anger issues, so it might be possible that the Keppra is involved in the mood swings.

I also take Topomax (since July of this year) and the main side effects it has caused me are weight loss (15 pounds which I didn't need to lose), gastrointestinal (not being gross, but causes diarrhea), and tiredness.

I've noticed that my vision has also become much worse since going on meds, but I also take Lamictal XR in addition to the Keppra and Topomax.

As far as feeling tired, I honestly don't know of an anti-epileptic drug out there (still looking) that doesn't have the side effects of making one feel tired and generally "out of it"...if there was, I'd be demanding to be put on it!

All the other users who have told you to look up the side effects of the meds you are on are also giving you good advice---I always look up information on medications so I know what to expect and also for information on how they work.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!