Keppra

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Tammy K

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I started keppra 500mg po bid on 4/2, ive been extremely suicidal, hostile and full of rage, cant eat, all i do is cry and sleep. I do not think this is a good medicine for me.
 
Hi Tammy,

You need to get in contact with your doctor as soon as possible! The extreme suicidal feelings are a dangerous side-effect of Keppra. You shouldn't stop taking it suddenly because that can cause seizures, but you definitely need to talk to your doctor. If the feeling becomes overwhelming before you can talk to him/her, then get to an emergency room or urgent care center.

Take care! And let us know how you are doing. :hugs:
 
I agree with Travel Bug! Certain medications affect everyone different, and if you're experiencing those kind of symptoms, you need to contact your dr ASAP. I had depression and crying spells with Vimpat. I had to be taken off of it immediately.

Please contact your dr right away and check in with us to let us know how you're doing! :Hugs:
 
I reached out to my psychologist as well as my pcp who ordered the kreppra. told them of severe symptoms, that i believed it was keppra, should i go from 2 to 1 aday to taper down? Next thing I knew I had 10 cops at my door forcing me to go to the ER for a psych eval !!!!
I was so embarrassed and humiliated. I will never trust anyone to tell my feelings to again
 
Your neurologist should take responsibility for this. He should have told you what side effects to look out for and what to do if you start experiencing them. So sorry you had to undergo that kind of treatment.
 
Tammy K said:
I reached out to my psychologist as well as my pcp who ordered the kreppra. told them of severe symptoms, that i believed it was keppra, should i go from 2 to 1 aday to taper down? Next thing I knew I had 10 cops at my door forcing me to go to the ER for a psych eval !!!!
I was so embarrassed and humiliated. I will never trust anyone to tell my feelings to again
Click to expand...

I feel so bad for you, to have these side effects and to call the Dr. as we are told to do and THEN have that happen.
----HUGS-----
 
I'm so sorry, Tammy! What a horrible experience. The insert that comes with Keppra says to "contact your physician immediately" if you have any unusual thoughts or suicidal feelings. I thought that was so your doctor could get you started making the switch to another med as soon as possible. I had no idea it could involve them calling the police. I hope after all of that, though, they changed your dosage or gave you a prescription for something else as well as detailed instructions on how to step down dosage or make the change from one med to the other.

Though Nakamova is right that your doctor should have discussed the possible side effects and what to do if you experienced them, I feel awful if I scared you into calling your doctors. I'm so very, very sorry.
 
I don't understand the psychological effects. It sounds like the effects of depression are common. Why would there be a drug out there that causes more harm than help, cuz I'm taking that medicine too. Maybe I don't have those effects because I'm taking Lamictal too, which has anti-depressants in that drug. .. anyone else in a similar situation?

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Everyone reacts differently to the medications. I take 2,500 mgs of Keppra each day (along with 1,000 mgs of Carbatrol) and I have not have those feelings. But I am so sorry for you that all of this has happened. I am sure that the police were called for your safety, but that is a bit of over the top! Please let us know how you are doing. You can always come here when you need to talk.
 
i had a very similar experience with keppra. was on it for about 3 weeks before i spoke to my doctor. my friends know me as a jovial, sarcastic goofball, and they were telling me they were seriously worried about my well being. for that 3 week period i was just feeling down all the time. while i didn't feel suicidal, i felt like i had no reason to be alive, it was all pointless, etc. i even cried a few times for no apparent reason. after i got off it those feelings went away after a couple days.

keppra works great for some people. but for a small percentage there seem to be some serious psychological side effects.
 
WOW. I am on keppra and only 1500 a day but have not had these effects. I also take a depression med too though. I have been diagnosed,(since pre-E) with clinical depression. I am hurt to hear that the doc was that irresponsible, to notify someone without your consent. If he was that worried, he is supposed to say something like; will you go to the hospital if you are in danger of hurting yourself?" and if someone says no. they could have a reason for action. But it sounds like they blew this out of proportion and that is not in the best interest of the client. Sorry that it came down that way. It makes me mad.
 
When my neurologist first put me on Keppra I saw him one month later and I told him that I've been feeling irritable and am easily agitated, he told me "I don't think it's the Keppra doing that to you, I have a feeling you had a temper to begin with"
He said this to me after only meeting me twice. He didn't tell me of the side effects of Keppra, I had to find out on my own. I'm still taking Keppra, but got rid of that doctor. My new doctor is awesome! I still get easily agitated, but not as bad.
 
So sorry to hear about this!!! Keppra was a horrible experience for me. Within a 2 months I told my neuro it wasn't for me (extremely tired, bad, bad temper, depression, lack of caring for life in general, massive crying). He said I just needed to adjust to it.

Over the course of last year he just continued upping the dosage b/c I was still having 2-4 complex partials a week (what he called "breakthrough", but they never went away so how could he call it breakthrough??? Grrrrrrr Hate that!). As many people do, I believed my doctor knew what he was doing. I should have left him a long time ago.

Over this year I've had thoughts of suicide--could never do it b/c I adore my hubby and kids--they are my anchors). Recently I found myself a new neuro (we have a Comprehensive Epilepsy Center near me--thank God I found it). Started weaning off Keppra and now on Lamictal and Topamax. Even with seizures every week, I am feeling like I have my life back a little.

Contact your Dr. immediately. If they don't listen, find someone else. I know it's hard to look for another Dr. when you are feeling so bad, but I would hate to see anyone go through what I did. If they listen--good. Just hold on and know that there are people here who can sympathize!
 
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