Anti seizure medications & their half – lives + side affect’s

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BAHAMAS

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Anti seizure medications & their half – lives + side affect’s

I have been on both Lamictal and Keppra before as well as most of the other anti-seizure medications but at that time I did not realize that there were many chemicals in foods and a few strong scents in the environment that triggered my epilepsy.

Since that time my Dr. has had me on Keppra alone which did not work as not only was it not controlling my seizures I also had quite a few petite mals every day. My Dr. is now going to try me on Lamictal alone again.

I do know that when I was on Lamictal and Keppra my seizures were better controlled but the side affect’s were worse.

I have noticed the following difference & how they affect ME over time.
(These differences are what I have noticed between Keppra and Lamictal at the same time ).
(I will not know all the differences between Lamictal and Keppra until I am completing on Lamictal alone).

I do seem to have a better night’s sleep on Keppra alone except it was not controlling my seizures.

So far Lamictal with Keppra is definitely affecting my sleep as some night I tend to wake up and stay awake one to three hours. Also I wake up a fair amount earlier (6-7 in the morning) whereas when I was on Keppra alone I would wake up on average(8-9 in the morning). It’s possible that when I do begin to take Lamictal alone again and get completely off Keppra I will notice that my sleep will improve. (That is what I am hoping at least).

I also read on the Internet that because one person (probably others) tried the following and it seemed to work for him I might for me also . Taking Lamictal three-four times per day in smaller dosages which gave him less side effects and it because he said that his system metabolized the Lamictal faster than the average person it had the medication in his blood stream was on a more constant basis.

What I what really like to find out is does anybody know of any website that gives a complete listing of all of the antiseizure medications their side effects and to me right now all of their half lives.

In the past I heard that Lamictal had a much longer half live than Keppra - is that so ?.

(My dosages are Lamictal 100 mg twice per day Keppra = 2,000 mgs four times per day)

When I was taking Lamictal and Keppra together I was taking Lamictal 150 mg’s but only ones per day and the Keppra = 2,000 mg’s twice per day . I have heard that some people only need to take Lamictal once per day whereas others twice or more (I would guess that it all depends on the persons metabolism.


Thank you all Craig
 
Hey Craig, I was on Keppra and Lamictal and both had negative effects on me. I'm the type that will only try one type meds at a time, until i've been through all of them, before going to a cocktail of meds. There is quite a long list of E meds. I never taken both keppra and lamotrigine together though.

One thing i would say is to have a good sleep pattern, a routine, similar to a habbit, is the way to go if you want good sleep. For me it totally helps my sleep, but like you i'll wake up 2-3 hrs early, then finally fall back asleep like 1/2 hr before it's time to wake and then it's even harder to wake up then the first time. :) That's rare, but it does happen. See our bodies will tell us how much sleep we need, to me sleeping in means going to bed early, because around six i normally wake. No alarm clock needed for me.

I'm on Gabapentin now, and it has been my miracle drug, it's useful life is 6 hrs, and since i take my meds 3x during the day, 7am, 1pm, 7pm, by 1am the meds stop working. In the mornings i wait for 1 hr before taking my meds, and within that 1hr is when i will have my seizures. Since i've been on Gapabetin, 22 of my 24 last seizure have been in the mornings, in the safety of my home. That to me is a miracle the other drugs i was on could not do. So i'm happy.


Good luck with the changes.


:piano: :pop:
 
I like lamictial but it does mess with my sleep. I am now on 3 meds to help me sleep, instead of 2. I also think it has contributed to my weight loss which was good in the beginning but it can stop now. I can't afford to keep buying new clothes. I have much better control of the seizures than before I started meds, not perfect but much better. Only gone status once since starting. I may ask about changing the dosing schedule to 3 or 4 times per day instead of twice a day.

You are the only person I have heard say that you think certain odors set of your seizures. I have always thought the same about mine.
 
forgot to ad, only took keppra 4 days. stopped because i am allergic to it. i took neurotin while in pain management for nerve pain and absolutely hated the stuff. i was having undiagnosed seizures at the time, stopped taking it cold turkey because i couldn't stand it. probably not the brightest thing i ever did.

sorry about no caps. my right elbow and lower arm/hand are becoming sore from overuse so i am pecking with 1 finger on my left hand.
 
Lamictal & Keppra’s half lives (lenth of time a medication stays effective)

Lamictal & Keppra’s half lives (lenth of time a medication stays effective)

Hi everyone I know I asked a similar question before but does anyone know the half life or the length of time that a medication stays active or effective in our bodies or blood stream.

I would like to find that the half lives for ALL medications but right now especially Lamictal and Keppra as I am coming of of Keppra and going on to Lamictal. So that I know how to regulate them my

My Dr. Has given me a schedule but as I have done this before many years ago under different circumstances and a different doctor and I know how they affect to me I thought I would just ask people out there who actually take the medication , as they have a better idea than most doctors.

Thanks Craig
 
Lamictal & Keppra’s half lives (lenth of time a medication stays effective)

Hi everyone I know I asked a similar question before but does anyone know the half life or the length of time that a medication stays active or effective in our bodies or blood stream.

I'm currently taking 3000 mgs of Keppra and have taken it for over 10 years now. The half life for Keppra is approx. 7 hours. I don't remember what it was for lamictal when I took it many moons ago, but one can find out by going to www.drugs.com.
 
I know that it's a saga with getting medications right & what works for 1 that work for another person.

If you are taking more than 1 med there's more risk of side effects with these interactions..isn't it ?

So, I think it's a question of working out the compatibility of these drugs mixing in the body.

Don't the drug companies have the info on half life stuff ?
 
I know that it's a saga with getting medications right & what works for 1 that work for another person.

If you are taking more than 1 med there's more risk of side effects with these interactions..isn't it ?

Yes, if one is taking more than one AED, there are going to be drug interactions. But, many of us have several types of seizures (SP, CP, and TC) and need several different AEDs in order to help control them. I'm on three different meds, because I've had all three types of seizures. But at one time, I was taking up to four different AEDs.

Don't the drug companies have the info on half life stuff ?

Yes, the drug companies have the info on the half life of the meds. So do the pharmacies. And like I said in my previous post, you can go to a website to find out.
 
Bahamas, I have found the DailyMed site by the National Institute of Health to be very helpful regarding half-lives etc. For instance, here is a link for Lamictal. You do have to know the name of the drug (no specific listing for AEDs) but it will give you information for both brand name and all the generic suppliers in the US. Half-lives are listed under the Clinical Pharmacology section for each drug.
 
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