side effects of medicine

[heathercorn]

We are in the process of trying to find Josh a medicine that really works for him. He was on Phenytek but still having breakthrough seizures....and his gums were really swollen. The Dr switched him to Depakote last week in the hospital. Josh has been having really bad stomach aches, nausea, listlesness, tired. We are going back to the Dr today to talk about it. I was looking up some of the other medicines the Dr had mentioned Keppra, Topamax, Lamichtal and they are all so scary. The side effects listed sound horrible. I think the med he was on has the lease side effects- until you look at long term and then Phenytek says cerrebellum and bone problems. Are we going to have this issue with all meds? Is there anything out there that is not going to make him sick or cause severe problems later in life?!?!?!?! I am just so mad that he is having to deal with this, really that anyone has to. And once again I am scared...scared that we won't find the right medicine, scared that he will always be sick from the medicine, scared that he will find a medicine with low side effects now but greater consequences later in life.....How can you accept epilepsy when you hate it so much?

[Bernard]

All meds have side effects. From what I've seen, Dilantin and Lamictal seem to be two of the best tolerated drugs, but it's really an individual experience. Some people do fine on drugs that others can't tolerate and vice versa.

There are a few alternatives to drugs out there too (see chart linked in my signature), but most of them are not short term solutions.