other meds to take

[greeneyes]

im currently on depakote but ive gained soo much weight since i started taking it...i used to be so thin! does anyone know of any medicines i can switch to that doesnt make u fat?!? see though ive been on depakote for years...it would be kind of hard to start a new medicine..im really afraid to start a new medicine ...i dont wanna have another seizure...

[xenome]

How long have you been seizure free? If it were me Id rather be overweight then having uncontrolled seizures. Id suggest you talk to your doctor though if your really concerned about it. There may be other medication. Ive been on depakote for 15 years, and a few years ago I got put on Keppra too and then I started gaining weight and my seizures are still uncontrolled. Make sure to tell your doctor all of the side effects you have on the depakote.

[brain]

*laughs*

Depakote made me on the heavy side
too, but once my neurologist had me off, I
lost it all and I don't care where it went
either!

It's sad that some of the anti-epileptic drug's will make
you heavier. Phenobarbital was another
anti-epileptic drug that made me on the heavy side
too.

I was GLAD to be off of Depakote, and
Pheno's on my anti-epileptic drug allergy list!

I think ALL NEUROLOGISTS and ALL
EPILEPTOLOGISTS should tell their
patients ...

"This anti-epileptic drug may make you gain weight"

Because most of the time, majority of
the complaints, if you've been reading
the threads, forums, etc - you'll find
the "Common Grounds" ... weight gain!

*laughs*

I forgot where it was and who it was
that posted something like:

"if I asked my neurologist to put me on
Zonegran (which is known to cause
weight loss) will it balance out the
Depakote and Topamax that I'm so
I can be back where I belong?"

(I had to admit, that was a pretty good
question there....)



BUT as XENOME posted - if you're gaining
too much weight; please let your Doctor
know and any side effects you may be
experiencing!

[alivenwell]

Has anybody had a thyroid test? I know somebody who gained a lot of weight unrelated to epilepsy. I'm not sure what meds were added to her prescriptions or whether they conflicted with anti-epileptic drugs.

I've gained some weight as well on mysoline. But, when I really watched what I ate, wrote down all the foods I was eating, I lost over 10 pounds. I had to totally cut out caffeine, red meat, and any sweets. It was a tough route, but it worked.

I'm going to try to go back to that strict diet again.