Keppra + Lamictal

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bentwanderer

bentwanderer

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i was diagnosed with bilateral complex partial temporal lobe epilepsy 19 months ago and was put on 750 mg Keppra 2x/day. That worked for about a year and then the simple and complex partials started coming quite frequently. Lamictal was just added to my Keppra today. Video EEG will be scheduled soon. Anyone have any experience with the combination of Keppra/Lamictal?

Thanks in advance

Susan
 
Hey wanderer, I take Keppra 500mg 2x/day, same for the Lamctal. I was put on lamictal around Aug. 2013, after going toxic on Dilanitan that summer. The lamictal wasn't very effective however, as I started having more seizures (always grand mal) more frequently, ending up in hospital three times over a four month period. That December Keppra was added to my treatment, and I have been seizure free since than, something like 14 months now. Praying this is the magic combination that will keep me seizure free forever. I am quite aware though that AED's are prone to losing their efficacy over time, and that was what happened to me once, when after 21 months being seizure free
I once again started having them. Hoping that is not the case this time. For now I just give thanks for being seizure free for this amount of time. Those grand mals just suck.
Best of luck to you, and I hope these meds work for you as well as they have for me.
 
I take Keppra, Depakote, Tegretol, Lamictal and I have a VNS. I've been on this combo for a few years. After I got the VNS I'm not sure what was added and what I'd been taken off of.

I have on average 7 complex partial seizures a month. Before I got the VNS I was having a lot more.

Just because one mixture of meds works good for someone doesn't mean it won't work for you. It could work good for you or it may work better. There's also the chance that it won't work at all or even cause you to have more seizures. It's just a 'try and see' a lot of the time. I know I went through a good bit of different meds and dosages to get where I am now.
 
I've been on Lamictal since I was first diagnosed 12 years ago. Once I moved out of state and got a new neurologist, he placed me on Keppra since my regimen at the time didn't seem to work.

I had some very nasty side effects, to the point where they had to send me to the ER. As Valerie said, what works with one person may not work for the other. They promptly took me off the Keppra and had me start taking Depakote. I've been fine since then.

But like valeriedl said, what works for one person may not work for another. It's really a matter of trial and error.
 
Hi, not been here for some time . My girl is on kepra 750 in the morning with 300 lamactal . 1000 of kepra in the evening . She's been on this for sometime now , but is experiencing terrible waves of depression and insomnia . New doctor is concerned about her mental state and is looking at changing her meds . She's back in the clinic July .
 
How come neurologist didn't think increasing Keppra dosage would be enough?

To me taking two medications would be a last resort
 
Good question George. I had wondered the same thing when my neurologist added keppra to my lamictal meds. Never asked him why, cuz it certainly didn't seem like the lamictal had done anything to help, in fact seizures had got worse and more frequent in the four months I was on it. I just trusted him that he knew what the Hell he was doing. Like I said above once he added keppra, haven't had a seizure for almost 15 months now. So anyway, I guess I feel like who am I to question if it's working. I would probably question if it wasn't working, as it is I would feel wary of dropping the lamictal at this point, cuz it could very well be the combination of both that has kept me seizure free. And seeing as how all my seizures were grand mal, I'm quite pleased with how it's going.
 
^
I have grand mal too but the Keppra dosage failed (I think) after 2+ years. Had breakthrough seizure so neurologist increased the dosage.
 
so let me ask you George, how long ago was your dosage increased, and any seizures afterwards, and how long since them? I myself at one point went 21 months seizure free, think I was on dilanitin at the time. I also wrecked my truck while having a grand mal on a very busy highway here in Denver once, and but for the grace of god, I didn't kill myself or anyone else. It did however take my livelihood away, being a carpenter/contractor, it's about impossible to work without a truck/vehicle. But honestly, because I was seizure free for that 21 months before I had a breakthrough one, I don't really see myself ever driving again, at least not on any type of regular basis. Just wouldn't be worth it if I ever hurt/killed someone. In some ways I'm sort of lucky in that I live in a city that has a fairly good transit system, though I still can't find work that pays me anywhere near as much as I earned before. Life goes on.

btw what dosage of keppra were you on before your breakthrough seizure, and how much did they increase it to?
 
^
I did a lot of heavy labour work too but I'm young enough to find better e-friendly career.

The neurologist increased the dosage two fold. 1000 mg / day (500 mg x 2) and now 2000 mg / day [(500 mg x 2) x 2]

Seizure free for 7 months now

Maybe taking two medications could be better because there's a extra layer of protection but the side effects from two medication would suck

edit - Imagine the cost of medication too. "Health care" is free in Canada minus cost of medication
 
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I am/was on pretty high dosages of my meds. There were many times that my neuro said "I'd like to add whatever med so I don't have to increase the dose of whatever med. By doing this I could maybe lower the dose of whatever med because I don't really like you being on such a high dosage of it."

That could be a possible reason that the Lamictal was added.
 
^
Isn't that kind of pointless?

One medication at high dosage vs two medication at medium dosage. You're still increasing the effect and side effects of the medication.
 
skyfire322 said:
I've been on Lamictal since I was first diagnosed 12 years ago. Once I moved out of state and got a new neurologist, he placed me on Keppra since my regimen at the time didn't seem to work.

I had some very nasty side effects, to the point where they had to send me to the ER. As Valerie said, what works with one person may not work for the other. They promptly took me off the Keppra and had me start taking Depakote. I've been fine since then.

But like valeriedl said, what works for one person may not work for another. It's really a matter of trial and error.
Click to expand...

Thanks, skyfire. Glad you've got a combo that's working for you now.
 
George__ said:
^
Isn't that kind of pointless?

One medication at high dosage vs two medication at medium dosage. You're still increasing the effect and side effects of the medication.
Click to expand...

I am on some very high dosages of my meds. He said that by being on high dosages of some of the meds for a long time can cause problems sooner rather than later if I were on lower dosages.

He may also be hoping to get me off of one of the meds that I could be taking by taking other med. I'm on 4 different meds right now and they are at some pretty high dosages. It took a good many years to figure out what was working best for me to lower my seizures.

At my last visit he decreased the dosages of one of my meds because he'd like to get me off of it. There hasn't been any changes with my seizures so he'll probably decrease the dosage again on my next visit. He said that he wants to do it slowly and not just a sudden thing.
 
I'm pleased the neuro is considering her emotional state in addition to sz control. Hope the July visit is productive for all of you.
 
George, my understanding is that a combo of meds can be helpful sometimes and with some meds because the combo can have a synergistic effect, meaning that the combo helps each drug to be more effective. Too new on the 2nd med to speak to the possibility of synergy.

Susan
 
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