Another Newbie Hi everyone

[tripletdad]

Hi everyone:

Wanted to say I am excited to have a resource like this and to be on this forum!

I have been coping with e for about 32 years (diagnosed when I was 8). It seems my seizures concentrate themselves in the left temporal lobe (though I have some scaring on the rt temp lobe too) I've had ups and downs over that time with the seizures and battling the meds (i hate them and the way they make me feel). I am on 2000 mg of kepra (i was on neurontin previously, depakote, dilantin and phenobarbital before that) and it is is driving me nuts. I found that if I don't keep to an exact schedule on dosage and sleep patterns I am a wreck. My emotions are unstable, i cant focus and almost seem in a haze and apathetic(or worse). But when it works it seems to stabilize me better and I can focus a lot better; better than anything else i have taken and with 4 kids and my own business to run it's pretty hard to not keep pushing through to the next day.

I am committed to making this work but Kepra has been a roller coster for me. The first 3 months on the drug I thought I was losing my mind, now things seem a bit better but god forbid if I accidently alter my dosage routine.

Is anyone else on Kepra? If so, do you have any advice?

thanks!

 

[epileric]

Welcome Tripletdad

Good to have you join the party. :banana:

There's quite a few people here that have been on Keppra. I used to be but it made me depressed, angry & unable to focus at all. On top of all that it seemed to worsen my seizures. I guess I'm lucky because I don't have to take my meds on a very strict schedule as long as I take them but thanks. You reminded me to take mine just now.

The main advice I see here for people on Keppra is to take Vit. B6 to help lessen the various side-effects.

Meanwhile make yourself at home, check out the nooks & crannies & see what we've got.

 

[Heather]

Also, the slower you raise keppra, the less of a change of mood swings, depression, etc. Luckily, I've had better seizure control with keppra than any AED I've ever taken.

I've taken pheno, dialantin, tegretol and others over the years. Pheno was the worst for me. I stuttered so bad, I could hardly say hello. I had learning problems on pheno too. After I got off of pheno, the stuttering went away immediately. I started doing better in school too.

 

[tripletdad]

thanks for the warm welcome

It's nice to know I have someone to talk to that is going through the same things!

As I have been weened off of neurontin I have gone from 500mg of keppra to now 2000, with the end goal of 3000. (gulp)

I seem to have managed to get on top of the keppra but I have to schedule another eeg soon to see what progress i have made.

My wife is the only one who sees what I go through and I couldn't imagine doing this on my own. I dont discuss any of this with anyone else in my family as they wouldn't understand.

thank you again!