Keppra/Lamictal

[Thegame]

Hi ! I had an appointement with my neurologist today. My seizure are tonic clonic and myoclonic during the night. I didnt have a grand mal for more than a year and it was because my tegretol level was low.

Today, he told me I should change tegretol and clobazam to keppra or lamictal . Since clobazam dont work anymore he gave me clonazepam for two months.

I dont understand why my neurologist want to change a med who work, I respond well and I took it for ten years . Could I just add one to tegretol ?! Anyone on these two meds can share their experience ? Which one is the best against the myoclonic seizure ?

 

[Nakamova]

I dont understand why my neurologist want to change a med who work, I respond well and I took it for ten years.

Your neurologist needs to do a better job of explaining his decision. If the Tegretol works for you, and the seizure was a fluke due to low levels, then yes, staying on it would make sense. If your neurologist has some other reason for making the switch, he should be able to communicate it better to you than he has done so far. If you're uncomfortable making the switch, talk to your neuro until the decision makes sense, one way or another.

Both Lamictal and Keppra can work against myoclonics. They each have their pros and cons. You can get up to a therapeutic dose quickly on Keppra, but it's known to have potential mood-related side effects. Lamictal has a better reputation in terms of side effects, but the ramp-up process is slow. But your mileage may vary -- there's no way to predict which will be most effective for you, or have the fewest side effects. But here again it sounds like your neuro has let you down -- he should go over all the medication options, the pros and cons, as well as the possibility of just adding one med to the Tegretol. Get in touch with him to get more answers. Remember he works for you, not the other way around.