Keppra users: do different dosages cause different side effects?

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I take 1500mgs in the morning and 1500 at night. I never experienced nightmares. The medicine just makes me really really drowsy,hard to focus, motor skills are slower, and more irratable. Yes, i did notice as i increased the mgs the side effects would increase. I felt the side effects within a few days to a week usually. I have been taking Keppra for 5 years now and still feel the effects.
 
I started on the regular Keppra and had a rough time with the side effects but finally adjusted, sort of. When they started offering the generic version it was like starting over with every refill. Quite frustrating. I discussed it with my Neurologist and he told me that once it can be sold generic that some of the ingredients can vary. He switched me over to Keppra XR, which is not available generic yet. That made all the difference for me. I finally had at least one variable under control. I then found that if I stayed well rested, hydrated, and reduced stress factors in my life, I was able to minimize side effects. I also take some carefully selected vitamins. I still have problems with memory, and fatigue, but it is not as bad as it was.
 
When my daughter was on 1200 keppra daily, she had hallucinations. She is now on 500 keppra daily and the only side effect I see, if it is the Keppra, is she cant sleep. Seems she sleeps 3 - 4 hrs at a time, at best.

I wish you well,
joan*
 
I've found that sticking to an exact routine, 1000mg of Keppra at 9am and then again at 9pm has helped immensely. My neuro says that keeping the level of keppra in the blood consistent was very important and it makes the drug much easier to manage.
 
ddr1166 said:
Hi BarryIreland - thanks for your post. In my (very limited) knowledge about Keppra, I think the idea prevailing neuro's offices is that across the board it has less side effects than some of the others - especially the older ones. Plus, it's processed through the kidneys (although I'm not sure that's much better than the liver, frankly, except you have two of them), and it doesn't "seem" to interact with other meds as much...in theory. I'm learning after reading this site for a few weeks now that many are able to control seizures in more natural ways - yet, in some cases, the meds still have to be taken. Good luck in your case - this is a great site and keep us posted. Cheers, D in Dallas
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Hi I was looking up side affects from Kepra and read your reply and noticed you said there were natural ways to help with seisures, what were they?


Thanks Hadley
 
OK, it's not just me. Every; since they added this to my regiment (2000/day plus 750 Lamotrigine), I've had very vivid and weird dreams. And I remember them, which not that usual for me. Not nightmares so much (at least not all), but certainly weird....
 
I take 3000mgs a day of Keppra XR. (1500mgs in the morning, and 1500mgs at night). Ive noticed that I am sleepy during the day, but at night time, I find that Im not as tired before going to bed as I am in the middle of the day.
 
I take 1500 of Keppra. At first the side effects were will bad So I had to take Zoloft to get over the nasty moods. Now I am taking B complex vitamin and that seems to help. So far it has stopped the simple partial nocturnal seizures but I still have trouble sleeping with the leg cramps I am getting, not sure if it is a side effect of the Keppra or what. I am taking Magnesium too. I just don't know what else to do.

I also have started having some weird dreams too , they often seem so real. The dreams are definitely different then when I was taking Cabatrol. When I was taking Cabatrol I didnt have much in the way of dreams. If I sleep more than 6 hours I start to have the dreams.

I get really tired about 3:00 everyday and I have to have a cup of English Breakfast tea with Lemon and Honey to get by for the rest of the day and to make it through dinner preparations.

I just wish I didnt even have to take this medicine at all but the Dr says there no chance going off my medicine. I really hate taking pills.:e:
 
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Ive been taking Keppra for almost 14 years now. I take 3000mgs a day. 1500mgs in the AM, and 1500mgs in the PM. I started out taking regular Keppra. Then in November 2010, I saw a new dr who changed me over to Keppra XR. Still taking the same dose. The difference I saw was the headaches. I went from having everyday headaches, and having to take Excedrian for the headaches, to having no headaches when I switched over to the Keppra XR. I recall having some minor side effects when first starting the Keppra, but since then, Ive gotten use to it. If your husband is having trouble sleeping, have him try Melatonin. You can get that at any store, and its in the pharmacy area. My dr said you can start out by taking the smallest amount they make... 3mg tablets. And you can go all the way up to 10mgs each night. It helps to get to sleep. I take (2) 3mg tablets at night and it helps me sleep very well. Along with taking a Vit B in the morning, it helps with the Kepprage if he is also having that as well.
 
loveslight57 said:
Hi ever heard of anyone taking 6000 mg a day? and if so did it cause more seizure activity
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The most my dr has said is safe for anyone to take is 4000mgs a day. I tried that two years ago and became a zombie and had alot of break through seizures. I had to go back down to 3000mgs. I would think that would be very dangerous to take that amount of medication. Please check with your dr before taking that amount. In my eyes, thats like overdosing. Im no dr, but that sounds like a very HIGH amount!
 
I didn't have weird dreams on Keppra alone. It was the addition of Lamictal that gave me crazy dreams (though they have decreased). Now everytime my Keppra dosage increased, I had the same side effects I had when I first started (dizziness, couldn't walk straight, etc.) but it always went away, so I think it was just my body getting accustomed to the new dosage the way it had done before.
 
travel bug said:
So I have a question to others on Keppra: Do you take it more than once a day? and if yes, do you take it regularly...in other words, do you set an alarm to make sure you take it on schedule?
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1000 mg total (500 mg morning, 500 night)

I should do that but I don't. I get up at different times most days so it's hard for me to keep it 12 hours apart. The bad part is that when I don't do that, my odds of having a seizure go up dramatically. Even if I'm only off by a few hours, I can have simple partial seizures. Strangely enough, not my normal complex partials though.

As for side effects, the most common ones for me are fatigue and insomnia. I had that exercise actually wakes me up out of that fatigue. I know that sounds weird, but I guess the fatigue is more of a psychological thing than me being physically fatigued. As for insomnia, I've had that before Keppra but Keppra made it worse. I normally fall asleep when listening to history or philosophy podcasts on my PC nowadays.
 
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