Which AEDs give you the worst side effects (part 2)?

[Bernard]

I can only have 10 choices per poll and there were too many meds to list in the first poll, so here's part 2.

[Birdbomb]

Now your talkin! You are such a sweetheart, Bernard! (need a heart/love emoticon!)

[Bernard]

More emoticons and post icons are one the way. One thing at a time though.

[brain]

Diamox - has got to be a joke!



Normally a female won't reveal something like this, but being
a female with Epilepsy, since starting menses just before 10
years of age (I was 9), and had been irregular since, and the
previous epileptologist had this "order" for me to take it 15 days before
the "cycle" started.

NOW before Birdy falls on the floor dying of laugher,
how the (bleep) am I supposed to know when my 15 days
before the cycle starts? My menses span can range from 22
days to as long as 40+ days before it starts?


And then HE has the gall to say that's for me to figure it out?
MEN!

[Birdbomb]

I won't laught at you but I have a look of astonishment on my face right now for that doctor. Even if you are regular, it's asinine to say your period will begin on day X.

A message to that doctor.......

[BIGMAN131307]

Out of those choices I am taking "Lyrica". Overall it isn't too bad.

The only major problem I'm having with it is swelling & weight gain. I don't eat that much to be gaining that much weight. So it must be the medicine. At this time my Neurologist wants me to stay on my current meds. while I'm testing for possible surgery.

Hopefully a medicine will be finally developed that has no or minimal side effects.
We can all wish can't we?

[brain]

I won't laught at you but I have a look of astonishment on my face right now for that doctor. Even if you are regular, it's asinine to say your period will begin on day X.

Unless, by any perchance He attempts to
be "Mr. Cleo"? or "Dr. Cleo"?

[Duke]

Well I'm gonna have to go with Lyrica, my nuero told only side effects were weight gain and a unsteady feeling that should go a way. I was 187lbs. for about 10 years , started taking Lyrica last Sept. and now I weigh 209.Thats 22lbs, but Lyrica works great for me. I wouldn't think about a med change.

Duke

[Elisa]

I guess, I would put Keppra at the top of my list,wanted to jump off a bridge on that one. Trileptal gained a good 15+ lbs, without even eating, if I'm going to gain weight I want to at least enjoy food. Well, Trileptal was hair falling out anti-epileptic drug as to.
Let's see, Zonegran caused stomach issues and blew up my stomach like a balloon.
I won't bore you with my long list of anti-epileptic drugs I've gone through them all.
Topamax and Lamictal make my hair fall out, but control my seizures very well. I'm having maybe 1 or 2 seizures a month.
I won't bore you with my long list of anti-epileptic drug and side effects but I've been through them all.

[POSITIVEPERSON]

Mysoline was one of the worst for me, it collected in my joints and I couldn't move. It made my hair thin out. It made me depressed and headaches .

Next was diamox ,I got numb on the left side . That was horrbile!!!!!!!

Riva

[paradise survivor]

topamax was my hell on earth. Could not remember how to get out of a room I just walked into. Lost weight for sure...didn't remember to eat or where I kept the food.

[Shelley]

Does anybody know what the choices for meds were in the 50's and 60's? What might be easier is when each med came into use. I have/had absence seizures when I was a child, and was treated with phenobarbitol and Zarontin. All it did was make me high, and make the symptoms worse. I had no say in the treatment.

[brain]

Anticonvulsant Historical Information

Drugs

In the following list, the dates in parentheses are the earliest approved use of the drug.

Aldehydes

Main article: Aldehydes

* Paraldehyde (1882). One of the earliest anticonvulsants. Still used to treat status epilepticus, particularly where there are no resuscitation facilities.

Aromatic allylic alcohols

* Stiripentol (2001 - limited availability). Indicated for the treatment of severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI).

Barbiturates

Main article: Barbiturates

Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. The following are classified as anticonvulsants:

* Phenobarbital (1912). See also the related drug primidone.
* Methylphenobarbital (1935). Known as mephobarbital in the US. No longer marketed in the UK
* Metharbital (1952). No longer marketed in the UK or US.
* Barbexaclone (1982). Only available in some European countries.

Phenobarbital was the main anticonvulsant from 1912 till the development of phenytoin in 1938. Today, phenobarbital is rarely used to treat epilepsy in new patients since there are other effective drugs that are less sedating. Phenobarbital sodium injection can be used to stop acute convulsions or status epilepticus, but a benzodiazepine such as lorazepam, diazepam or midazolam is usually tried first. Other barbiturates only have an anticonvulsant effect at anaesthetic doses.

Benzodiazepines

Main article: Benzodiazepines

The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsive, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. The relative strength of each of these properties in any given benzodiazepine varies greatly and influences the indications for which it is prescribed. Long-term use can be problematic due to the development of tolerance and dependency. Of the many drugs in this class, only a few are used to treat epilepsy:

* Clobazam (1979). Notably used on a short-term basis around menstruation in women with catamenial epilepsy.
* Clonazepam (1974).
* Clorazepate (1972).

The following benzodiazepines are used to treat status epilepticus:

* Diazepam (1963). Can be given rectally by trained care-givers.
* Midazolam (N/A). Increasingly being used as an alternative to diazepam. This water-soluble drug is squirted into the side of the mouth but not swallowed. It is rapidly absorbed by the buccal mucosa.
* Lorazepam (1972). Given by injection in hospital.

Bromides

Main article: Bromides

* Potassium bromide (1857). The earliest effective treatment for epilepsy. There would not be a better drug for epilepsy until phenobarbital in 1912. It is still used as an anticonvulsant for dogs and cats.


Carbamates

Main article: Carbamates

* Felbamate (1993). This effective anticonvulsant has had its usage severely restricted due to rare but life-threatening side effects.


Carboxamides

Main article: Carboxamides

The following are carboxamides:

* Carbamazepine (1963). A popular anticonvulsant that is available in generic formulations.
* Oxcarbazepine (1990). A derivative of carbamazepine that has similar efficacy but is better tolerated.

Fatty acids

Main article: Fatty acids

The following are fatty-acids:

* The valproates — valproic acid, sodium valproate, and divalproex sodium (1967).
* Vigabatrin (1989).
* Progabide
* Tiagabine (1996).

Vigabatrin and progabide are also analogs of GABA.

Fructose derivatives

Main article: Fructose

* Topiramate (1995).

Gaba analogs

* Gabapentin (1993).
* Pregabalin (2004).

Hydantoins

Main article: Hydantoins

The following are hydantoins:

* Ethotoin (1957).
* Phenytoin (1938 ).
* Mephenytoin
* Fosphenytoin (1996).

Oxazolidinediones

Main article: Oxazolidinediones

The following are oxazolidinediones:

* Paramethadione
* Trimethadione (1946).
* Ethadione

Propionates

Main article: Propionates

* Beclamide

Pyrimidinediones

Main article: Pyrimidinediones

* Primidone (1952).

Pyrrolidines

Main article: Pyrrolidines

* Brivaracetam
* Levetiracetam (1999).
* Seletracetam

Succinimides

Main article: Succinimides

The following are succinimides:

* Ethosuximide (1955).
* Phensuximide
* Mesuximide

Sulfonamides

Main article: Sulfonamides

* Acetazolamide (1953).
* Sulthiame
* Methazolamide
* Zonisamide (2000).

Triazines

Main article: Triazines

* Lamotrigine (1990).

Ureas

Main article: Ureas

* Pheneturide
* Phenacemide

Valproylamides (amide derivatives of valproate)

Main article: Amides

* Valpromide
* Valnoctamide

Diet

The ketogenic diet is a strict medically supervised diet that has an anticonvulsant effect. It is typically used in children with refractory epilepsy.

Devices

The vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is a device that sends electric impulses to the left vagus nerve in the neck via a lead implanted under the skin. It was FDA approved in 1997 as an adjunctive therapy for partial-onset epilepsy.

Marketing approval history

The following table lists anticonvulsant drugs together with the date their marketing was approved in the US, UK and France. Data for the UK and France is incomplete. In recent years, the European Medicines Agency has approved drugs throughout the European Union.

Some of the drugs are no longer marketed.

Generic.....................Brand
acetazolamide............Diamox
carbamazepine...........Tegretol
clobazam...................Frisium
clonazepam................Klonopin/Rivotril
diazepam...................Valium
divalproex sodium........Depakote
ethosuximide..............Zarontin
ethotoin....................Peganone
felbamate..................Felbatol
fosphenytoin..............Cerebyx
gabapentin.................Neurontin
lamotrigine..................Lamictal
levetiracetam..............Keppra
mephenytoin...............Mesantoin
metharbital.................Gemonil
methsuximide..............Celontin
methazolamide............Neptazane
oxcarbazepine.............Trileptal
phenobarbital
phenytoin..................Dilantin/Epanutin
phensuximide..............Milontin
pregabalin..................Lyrica
primidone...................Mysoline
sodium valproate.........Epilim
stiripentol..................Diacomit
tiagabine...................Gabitril
topiramate.................Topamax
trimethadione.............Tridione
valproic acid...............Depakene/Convulex
vigabatrin...................Sabril
zonisamide..................Zonegran

[Bee91]

ugh...every med that Ive tried has given me a great amount of side effects...on this list I have only tried Klonopin (which I am on right now) and Valium. They both stop the seizures...but Valium makes me Talk in a British accent, call people names like "Grapenut, Goldfish, or Gorilla" read things backwards, pretend to kick things, laugh at people in the ER when they are seriously ill (I dont normally do that), you get the point. And Klonopin makes me sing in classrooms, very tired, I cant pay attention in class, I dont have good grades anymore (which I cant blame 100% on Klonopin), laugh in an incredibly high voice, and pretend to be a fairy...Im on Klonopin mostly for Panic Disorder (I've been running out of classrooms ever since I was put on Topamax) but it helps very well with my starring spells...


I love meds...Dont you??

[Shelley]

Hi Brain. thanks for the meds info.
Phenobarbitol and Zarontin left me with more damage than what I originally thought I had. Even after my dilibertate discontinuation of these nasty drugs, I still have nasty side effects that will not get better.
I wish doctors would think more.
I think I can work on the 'drunken sailor gait' side effect of the phenobarbitol, and maybe lessen some of the other side effects with deliberate co-ordination excersizes, but my co-ordination skills will take more time. And as far as my liver and Zarontin...

[brain]

I love meds...Dont you??

Was that supposed to be a joke?



You've gotta be kidding me?
I HATE MEDS!

[Bee91]

Was that supposed to be a joke?



You've gotta be kidding me?
I HATE MEDS!

I was Definately kidding...I hate meds...
I can be a little sarcastic at times....sorry...

[brain]

I was Definately kidding...I hate meds...
I can be a little sarcastic at times....sorry...

I know!

[Bee91]

I know!

[Justin...Credible]

the worst side effect I ever had was with zonegran. the story goes like this. I just met this lady while I was doing some testing at a hospital. She lived about 2.5 hours out of the metro area. We hit it off right away, so I went north to spend a week with her. I had just started taking zonegran and about half way through the trip I started itching real bad around my man zone. So I said to her what did you give me but not in that fashion. We went back and forth about the topic so I left and saw my primary doctor and asked for a test. Well the results negative and asked what meds my neurologist put me on and he started laughing told that it was a side effect of the drug, boy was I relieved. To this day I still laugh at the memory of that medication which I don't take anymore