Which AEDs give you the worst side effects?

Which AEDs gave you the worst side effects?

  • Depakote / Valproate/Valproic Acid/Divalproex Sodium

    Votes: 108 25.4%

  • Dilantin / Phenytoin

    Votes: 84 19.8%

  • Keppra / Levetiracetam

    Votes: 133 31.3%

  • Lamictal / Lamotrigine

    Votes: 81 19.1%

  • Neurontin / Gabapentin

    Votes: 30 7.1%

  • Phenobarbital

    Votes: 41 9.6%

  • Tegretol / Carbamazepine

    Votes: 78 18.4%

  • Topamax / Topiramate

    Votes: 79 18.6%

  • Trileptal / Oxcarbazepine

    Votes: 37 8.7%

  • Zonegran / Zonisamide

    Votes: 35 8.2%
  • Total voters
    425

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Over Priced Pills

The amazing part of the difference in generic and brand pills is that both have to be tested by the FDA and both have to be proven to do the job effectively on the condition that they are intended for. I guess that is why the drug companies are one of the most profitable industries in America. I sometimes wonder if there is any payback to the doctors as to what they prescribe to their patients for the conditions they have. I happen to know some people that are reps for drug companies and visit Drs. offices and solicit drugs and also leave samples of new and existing drugs. These people are paid extremely well for what they do and it just leaves some suspicion in the back of my mind? Any thoughts? Is this the reason the insurance doesn't want to pay the prices for the brand name drugs vs. the generics?
 
i am on so many but the worst are dilantin ,depakote keppra,zonegran for me and phenobarb followed by cany say for sure maybe vimpat started that one about 6 wks ago been having 10 plus seizures since the takin off of phenobarb and start upping vimpat both suck,have terrible memory loss from the keppra i use to be johnny on the spot with things not sure if if its da concussions or pills and tegretol had me as sick as u can be like food poisoning but worse!dilantin i see things that sren't there.depakote was my first medicine lets just say it didnt take.and zonegran i didnt make it home on my bike in scorching phx summer weather.er
 
I'm on all brand names of my meds because if I'm not I'll end up in the hospital after having tons of seizures.
 
I want to go all natural. I think my coctail is causing all my siezures. All day long from being exhausted,to having myoclonic seizures at night and day now. I'm having pannick attatics. To many drugs.And a doctor who just doesn't give a shit any more..I'm sorry I'm sorry.Sometimes the docs know more then us. Not me.
 
Tegretol made me fat,gave me insomnia,rashes,irritable bowel,auras and eventually seizures,keppra turned me into to a crazy angry cow,gave me headaches,took all my appetite away,made me so tired and now I'm just starting topamax and I'm totally wasted and my hair is falling out and it's only the first week.did anyone else feel like they had been smoking joints all day?I can't even see properly and stagger around like I'm drunk.
 
Oh, you poor thing. I don't even remember why I was taken off of topamax, but I would do anything to be back on it comared to Keppra and Vimpat. I just want to start all over again.My family treats me like I never had a brain.Ahhhhh help.
 
I have to agree with Kirtsy - whilst my Mirtazepine took me from 10 stones to 12 stones from 2009, Tegretol has taken me from 12 stones to 14 stones since last may and I hardly eat at all!
:(
 
Well my neuro and others I have spoken to have warned me I'll probably end up a bag of bones from topamax.I lost all the weight (I had put on with tegretol) whilst on keppra because I had no appetite and now topamax may be worse ????? Not good because I'm pretty tiny right now.
 
Stilldancing_98,I know what you mean about the family treating you like you have no brain!!!! My husband has now decided that if anything is not done,forgotten etc he can just blame it on me and when I say "you didn't tell me" he says he did and I know he didn't-but of course I'm the one with the messed up brain so it's my fault!!!!! Sure half the time I do forget stuff and im the first to admit it but now I get blamed for EVERYTHING!!!!!!! :)
 
Wow, Since I have been on Topamax I have gained about 20 pounds, which I didn't need. After my video monitor test which I am waiting for results on this week, knock on wood, he took me completely off KeppraXR? I now remain only LamictalXR and Topamax so I'll see what goes on from this point. I hope everyone enjoys the Easter Holiday and don't eat the ears of too many chocolate bunnies!
 
drugs

It's a racket. Drug companies, doctors, politicians, just part of the list getting $$$$ from drug sales. Thus the reason alternative medicine turns the drug companies henchmen loose. They are not about to jeopardize the billion dollar golden goose they have created. FDA, congress and the above are all in bed together. I have been on Dilantin now for going on 34 years, have the long term side effects now. There will never be enough money to find out why I have seizures, so essentially I am on my own. Doctors want to treat symptoms that have appeared after prolonged use of Dilantin, they have zero to say about alternative treatments.
 
yup

gigi said:
It's a racket. Drug companies, doctors, politicians, just part of the list getting $$$$ from drug sales. Thus the reason alternative medicine turns the drug companies henchmen loose. They are not about to jeopardize the billion dollar golden goose they have created. FDA, congress and the above are all in bed together. I have been on Dilantin now for going on 34 years, have the long term side effects now. There will never be enough money to find out why I have seizures, so essentially I am on my own. Doctors want to treat symptoms that have appeared after prolonged use of Dilantin, they have zero to say about alternative treatments.
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My doctor gave me a prescription for the name brand drug plus a coupon so that It would only be $4 a month.
A 30 day supply was 140, and with the coupon brought it down to $90.
While I am employed and the insurance picks up part of the cost, the co-pay is ridiculous. :soap:
 
Holy cow you are getting ripped off!!!!!!! I can't believe you have to pay so much in the US!!!!!! That's crazy.
 
Sorry Shelley, I've just read that again-so do you pay $90/mth for your meds????
 
Shelley said:
My doctor gave me a prescription for the name brand drug plus a coupon so that It would only be $4 a month.
A 30 day supply was 140, and with the coupon brought it down to $90.
While I am employed and the insurance picks up part of the cost, the co-pay is ridiculous. :soap:
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Ouch. I feel pretty lucky at this point. Our daughter script for 100 tablets of 25mg Lamictal WAS 108.68 before insurance, after insurance it was only $10.00. Not sure what it will be when she gets up to the 100mg tabs. :/
 
I really think that pharm tech made a mistake. I was supposed to be on one dose, but when the doctor gave the ok for a generic, he switched to a lower dose that I was prescribed before.
Naturally, I reacted very harshly toward the pharmacy, and had to call the doctor and insurance to get more pills at the right dose.
What's it like is "Oz"
 
My co-pay for 90 day supply of LamictalXR 300 mg and 90 day supply of LamictalXR 200mg are $140.00 each through Express Scripts so my co-pay on these 2 drugs alone is $1120.00 for the year. I am also on Keppra XR and Topamax which are three times more expensive and have had to switch to generic due to the cost. I just got the results of video monitoring test and probably going to the Cleveland Clinic before an advisory board for possible contemplation of surgery???
 
In Australia Topamax is about $30 for a pack of 60 and keppra is about $37 for a pack.if you are a sole parent,disability,unemployed or low income families you get a health carecard and pay about $6 for your meds!!!!!!!!!
 
kirsty1327 said:
In Australia Topamax is about $30 for a pack of 60 and keppra is about $37 for a pack.if you are a sole parent,disability,unemployed or low income families you get a health carecard and pay about $6 for your meds!!!!!!!!!
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As Kirsty has mentioned our medications are cheaper over here in Aussie.
We can get assistance from the government to help with meds so don't have to have private health to help with our meds. The government has the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme to help people with their meds.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) gives all Australian residents and eligible overseas visitors access to prescription medicine in a way that is affordable, reliable and timely. Through the PBS, the Australian Government subsidises the cost of prescription medicine, making it more affordable for all Australians.
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Not all medications are listed under the PBS but luckily so far all the AEDs I've had to take in the past have been covered by PBS.

The full cost for the 2 AEDS I'm currently on before the PBS & any benefits is Keppra - $139.83 & Tegretol $51.02. I'm on a health care card so I only have to pay $5.80 for the Keppra & $5.60 for the Tegretol.
 
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