Keppra on it's own????

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Hand of Blood

Hand of Blood

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Can you take it on it's own for tonic clonic? I'm also on tegretol at the min my doc thinking on taking me off tegretol and rising keppra. Everywhere I read it says that keppra is ment to be took with another med, so I'm scared to try it

Don't get me wrong the tegretol and keppra are helping me at the min but the side effects from tegretol for about 6 years are just so unbearable

Any ideas?
 
I was on Carbatrol and Keppra at the age of 17, through the age of 29, when my dr then took me off of Carbatrol and kept me only on Keppra. I was taking 1200mgs of Carbatrol, and 3000mgs of Keppra. Now Im taking 300mgs of Keppra XR. So far so good. Its been since 2000 that I had a tonic clonic seizure though. So I dont know if Keppra will hold you over for a tonic clonic. All I know is that since I didnt have a tonic clonic seizure at the VEEG I had last March, my dr felt comfortable enough letting me stay on Keppra only and not adding another medication to it.
 
im scared to try it on its own! i feel so messed up you all seem to be able to change when u want ive tried for about 6 years to change and they wont let me! i had my doc yesturday tell me she had rang someone cant member who it was and they said they dont even think i have epilsey and should be off tablets.... ive never heard anything so screwed up in my whole life... of course its epilsey! u just dont have sezures over and over for no reason
 
Don't worry, Keppra has been used on it's own for well over 15 years now. I know plenty of folks who are on it as their only medication.

The references list it as an adjunct (add-on) drug, because that's how all the new epilepsy meds have to be first tested on humans -- you can't just swap out one med for another meds when someone has epilepsy! I'm on Lamictal, which is also often listed as an adjunct med. But it's been prescribed for monotherapy for well over a decade too.
 
I was on Keppra alone for several months and it seemed to work fine, but only until I found a common side-effect - headache - intolerable.

Overall, I'm sure it works well for many. Switching is always risky, and is difficult, but it's the only way to know how your system will respond to the drug.
 
Hand of Blood said:
i wanted to try lamictal..... do u get many side effects?
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Lamictal has been basically okay for me, but everyone reacts differently. Generally it's considered to have fewer cognitive side effects than some of the other meds, and that's been my experience. I had some side effects when I first started out (very restless sleep/intense dreams, hair loss, minor headaches) that have since disappeared, but others (blurry vision, mild acne, dry eyes and mouth) that still annoy me.
 
I got a feeling they won't try it with me due to lamictal and tegretol not working well together I read somewhere. I'm just to scared with keppra on it's own. Tegretol has been great at controlling them was 4 years free then had turn now I'm 9 months free. But the side effects are just to much just tired dizzy confused forget things I sort of space out, there's so many. The keppra gives me headaches and more tiredness buts that's all I'm so confused with it all I don't wanna make the wrong choose. It's took me bout 6 years to try to change tabs think they still won't listen
 
I have tonic-clonic seizures, and my last med was Keppra. My neurologist just kept raising my dosage after every seizure I had last year until I hit the max dose. Do you know what I did next? Found a new neuro. ;)~

Needless to say, Keppra alone did nothing for me. Hope this helps--take good care!

Greg
 
my daughter has just started on keppra . She is on lamictal (300mg) as well. This was not her first meds . She was on lamotingine first then lamictal and at present trialing keppra . If the keppra agrees with her, our doctor will start reducing the lamictal . I thought that keppra would help her mainly around that time of the month.
 
Hand of Blood said:
I got a feeling they won't try it with me due to lamictal and tegretol not working well together I read somewhere. I'm just to scared with keppra on it's own. Tegretol has been great at controlling them was 4 years free then had turn now I'm 9 months free. But the side effects are just to much just tired dizzy confused forget things I sort of space out, there's so many. The keppra gives me headaches and more tiredness buts that's all I'm so confused with it all I don't wanna make the wrong choose. It's took me bout 6 years to try to change tabs think they still won't listen
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I always worry a bit when one says they 'read it somewhere.' I am taking tegretol and lamotrigine (lamictal) together, prescribed by an epileptologist.
I am similar, was 2 weeks shy of 5 years seizure-free on tegretol, but didn't want to go off as over that time I didn't have side effects. We added topamax, which gave me 10 months free, then it all came back so upped the tegretol, added lamotrigine and weaning off topamax. The two seem to work well together; I agree with greggipod about finding a new neuro and see what they say and maybe don't worry so much about what you read. I don't pay much attention unless it comes from an established e site or neuro university centre or site (pub med etc.)
 
I am on Keppra on it's own and have tonic clonic/grand mal seizures (in addition to myoclonic jerks if off medicine). It works amazing. I have been driving for over a year now, which is something I was never able to do previously. I don't think it is actually approved for my type of epilepsy, but it should be. It beats everything I have tried- lamictal, topomax, depakote, trileptal, dilantin... The only problems I have had with it is a mild irritability when on a higher does, similar to that from PMS. Decreased the dose and voila...I sometimes forget I have epilepsy. :) Good luck!
 
i have been on keppra alone (1000mg/day) since i was diagnosed almost 2years ago after 10 years undiagnosed, in the first month i felt a bit tired or was really happy, but that was just while i was getting used to the meds and adjusting had absolutely no problems since and been completely seizure free! but as with everything every ones body reacts differently, hope it goes well for you!x
 
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