keppra and sleeping habits

[jenbayly17]

So my question feels odd but I am in the last week of the current plan for my medicine change. I am on my last week of taking dilantin 100mg in the evening. I will then (as of Thursday 6-6) be left on gabapentin 300mg 3x a day and levetiracetam 500 mg in a.m. and 1000mg in the evening. My question though is that I have been having to get up to use the restroom about 4 times each night I am able to go back to sleep. I have tried to make sure to not drink too much fluid towards bed but I still get up several times anyway. Prior to my med change I was on tegretol that I had to learn the hard way that it made my body retain water. So I don't know if this is why I have to get up so much. On tegretol I very rarely had to go in the middle of the night. Any suggestions or does anyone else relate to this at all? :dontknow:

 

[Nakamova]

Increased urinary frequency isn't listed as an official keppra side effect, but you never know with AEDs... It IS listed as a Gabapentin side effect however. Maybe the Dilantin offset that side effect, and now that you're tapering off, the gabapentin side effect is showing up?

Maybe you could ask your neuro about tweaking the dosing regimen a bit to see if it helps. Perhaps take the larger keppra dose in the morning as opposed to the evening. Or take the third daily gabapentin dose earlier than you normally do.

 

[Dignan]

I've taken the exact same drugs you have and I am currently taking Keppra alone.

I can tell that Keppra has messed with sleep patterns ALOT. First, it seemed I would sleep, but not actually get into a deep sleep, and if I did wake up, I would often not be able to get back to sleep. Now, over 2 years later, I often have trouble sleeping at all. In fact, it seems I need one nights sleep for every two days since if I sleep "good" one night, I can practically guarantee that the next I will big problems falling asleep.

The neuro dismissed this saying the sleeping issues would be constant from the beginning of starting with Keppra and wouldn't get worse over time, but I don't think that is necessarily right. BTW, back when I was on Dilantin and neurontin, I had no sleeping issues at all.

That said, I have had no seizures, even though my sleep is totally screwed up (which of course is usually not good for people with E).

 

[skyfire322]

Ever since I was put on Keppra, my sleep cycles are all sorts of messed up. Before then, I would be able to sleep like a rock, even if there was a hurricane outside... Now I'll wake up if a mouse farts, LOL.

The irony about it (which I think is kind of funny, in a very odd way) is that one of my main triggers is sleep deprivation... Anti-seizure medication is the thing that is causing most of my seizures lately. Still boggles my mind!

 

[Dignan]

If you are having more seizures due to sleep deprivation and you feel Keppra is to blame, then you need to alert your doc and get moved to another med. If he refuses to believe and says this is not possible, then find another doc.