Infant research febrile seizures

[winniebric]

My son, only 22 months was in ER for febrile seizures. Further test on EEG machine detected another seizure not caused by fever. On amocillian for ear infection and now Keppra for 6 months observation. Still concerned because medicine side effects are strong and not reccommended for children under four. When I question the Dr. they say they have in their experience treated children the same age range with the small dosage twice of day (1.5 ML). No grand Mal seizures since leaving the hospital but notice an absence seizure when getting the discharge papers. Scared because babies can't communicate if they are suffering side effects except for crying. He hasn't been eating or sleeping well or he sleeps too much during the day. The Dr.'s say he is getting used to the medicine. Any advice appreciated dealing with a young child.

[Nakamova]

Hi Winniebric, welcome to CWE!

I'm sorry to hear about your son -- as you say it's tough to know how is feeling. Keppra has been used successfully to treat seizures in infants. The 1.5ml dosage your son is getting is appropriately low. When did he start on it? The side effects you mention are most likely from the Keppra, but there's no way to know for sure if they will lessen as your son "gets used to the medicine", since every one reacts differently. Sleepiness, nervousness, hostility, and weakness are the most common pediatric side effects of Keppra. Your best bet is to keep close watch (as I'm sure you are doing), and note if the side effects are getting worse or more frequent, or becoming problematic. Don't be shy about contacting the docs and letting them know of your concerns. You might want to ask about going without the evening dose, or taking it earlier in the day to see if your son sleeps better.

Best,
Nakamova

[winniebric]

Thank you so much for your response. I am glad they have a forum where people can discuss this type of thing. I will look for more posts. I will monitor the Keppara dosage and follow up.

[tase37]

Hi!
My daughter suffered seizures from 2 days old..she was in ICU for 3 weeks..they put her on keppra at first but it didn't hold back the seizures..after this she was put on hydantin which slowly stopped the seizures..was taken completely off meds a month or so ago and had one very minor seizure sue to rotateq vaccination..now is 5 months old and doing ok! I know the feeling of not knowing..its heart breaking!

[KellyD]

My son was put on Keppra at about 11 months of age at the same dosage, along with Tegretol and Lamictal. It's hard to say if he got any side effects because they are still developing their personalities. The tegretol definitely made him drowsy but since we have taken him off that and he is now just on the keppra that has gone. I know with my own medication (Lamictal) it did take a couple of weeks to get used to so hopefully it settles down and things get better for him.

[trust]

hello to all the mothers here,
my eight month old baby has been having seizures from birth.
they say it might be due to unilateral megalencephaly. we have
browsed the net for general information, but would like to know
more about it from people who are familiar with seizures as my baby's seizures
are worrying us very much. my prayers to all you lovely mothers,
thank you.