Vimpat Serious Side effects
My doctor added a new drug, Vimpat to the Lamictal I have been taking to help control simple and complex partial seizures. I know my reaction is extreme, and very rare, however, just in case there is someone else out there that had similar reactions to Vimpat, they can now know they are not alone. Lamictal has always worked fine for me, but I needed a little boost to help control these seizures, which, unmedicated, can be up to over 100 per day. I was on the Vimpat for less than a month, and I experienced two frightening events, both of which sent me to emergency. The first, was a cardiac episode, with palpitations, and chest pain. The second was a seizure where I did not lose consciousness, but had no muscle control, and was able to grab the phone and dial 911 on my way to the floor. In retrospect, there were other symptoms, which I didn't realize til after these two episodes, were also reactions. Pretty much the day I started taking it, I felt like everything was too loud, lights too bright, and daylight was excruciatingly bright. Both times the emergency people could find nothing wrong, no proof of heart attack or stroke, and attributed my problems to anxiety. I didn't believe that, and stopped taking the Vimpat myself, went to my family doctor, who said that indeed, it was a reaction to the Vimpat. Since I stopped taking it, all those symptoms are gone. My neurologist supported my family doctor, and even more important, believed me (not the emergency doctors) and added Keppra which I am tolerating well. Needless to say, Vimpat is now on my allergic to drugs list. I have to emphasize though, that most people have a good experience with Vimpat, and I believe people should give it a chance; it does help a lot of people. I just happen to be one of the probably 1% of people who have a severe reaction to this medication.
