Another episode even with the meds

[RockerMama]

My daughter was started on seizure meds, Depakote Sprinkle. She has made it a few days with no episodes, but had one again last night. She saw the white sparkles, and also felt really sad for no reason and started crying. I think the sadness/crying MIGHT have been because she was overtired.

She has only been on the medicine since Sunday night. Is it possible to still have episodes on medicine? Since we have been through so much, especially with people telling us it isn't seizures, I am wondering if her having an episode on the meds rules out seizures now.

 

[Bernard]

Epilepsy medications do not work like aspirins or most other meds. They don't start working 100% effectiveness within an hour after taking the first dose.

Depakote and most other epilepsy medications have to titrate into the blood stream. It can take a week or more for the blood syrum levels of medications to reach the levels considered a therapeutic dose.

Since your daughter has only just started on the medicine less than a week ago, I would suggest giving it more time before drawing any conclusions. You can always ask your doctor to check the medication blood syrum level to see if it is too low (not therapeutic dose yet) or too high ("toxic" levels generally engender more pronounced side effects).

 

[FIORALEJOS]

My son started taking LEVETIRACETA 35 days ago and just had another episode last night. And now I have the same question you have; is he still going to have convulsions even when he is taking the medicine? I am starting to believe that he is and I am so worry about it .

 

[kd2020]

My doctor told me that my son shouldn't take the generic Levetiraceta but the brand name of Keppra. My son has been on Keppra since October and has had 5 seizures. We are thinking that this is not the drug for him. He is depressed, frustrated, grades are tanking and he can't seem to go for more than a month without a seizure.

 

[FIORALEJOS]

Levetiraceta

My son started on EPITOL on 1/7/12 and started developing a skin rash and he was switch to DIVALPROEX on 1/16/12 but it just got worse, so bad that he had not one clear spot on his body and he also started vomiting and not wanting to eat, I even had to take him to the emergency room; that is when the doctor started him on LEVETIRACETA. Everything was fine until last night when he had another episode. Now that I was asking him about the second dose (yesterday) I am not so sure he took it and I understand that one missed dose can cause a convulsion.