Can AEDs Increase Seizures?

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Even Keel
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I have a nutty question - could a low dose of an AED actually increase the number, frequency, and/or magnitude of seizures?

My mom thinks the seizures got worse when on a low dose of AED's, including when I was on a low dose of gabapentin for some years for nerve pain. The increase in seizures seemed to correlate with staring to take the gabapentin. Correlation doesn't mean causation, though! If it did trigger more seizures, at least it led to chasing this down and getting a diagnosis.

Lately, mom's observations would be anecdotal and wouldn't necessarily mean anything, because I haven't been on any one AED long enough to get good data. But mom thinks it's better than on the drugs.

Personally, I think mom's dead wrong. It's just normal random variation. That, plus now I actually notice the seizures and address them instead of trying to ignore them or cover them up. So no increase. It's all a matter of perception. Hopefully soon I'll get up to a theraputic dose of something my body can tolerate.
 
It's a pretty rare side effect, but some AEDs do increase seizures in some people, usually (but not always) at the high end of the dose. Additionally there's the risk of seizures when withdrawing too fast, or not maintaining a steady dose. Were you taking a consistent dose of the Gabapentin every day? If not, it's possible that rapidly fluctuating levels could have triggered seizures, especially if you already had a lowered seizure threshold. Another rare side effect of Gabapentin is myoclonus -- so if you experienced an increase in muscles spasms/twitching then the AED might have been a factor.

Or, as you say, it could be a coincidence. The nerve pain could have been another signal that something was going awry in your nervous system, or could have been a stressor that acted as trigger. There may have been other factors, stresses, hormonal or metabolic factors that may have contributed to an increase of seizures at that time.
 
From my experience the answer is YES
I have a journal to prove this to be true
 
In truth

it has happened. I have had it happen to me, on a couple of different drugs. Neurontin was one. Doc never did figure out why....the name of the other escapes me at the moment. But my reactions to Keppra were so weird, I have to wonder about them, too.

It's not a typical thing to have happen, mind you, but it DOES HAPPEN.
 
From personal experience -- yes they can. My partner went haywire on Neurontin. He was upped on the med too quickly for me to know if it started on the lower dose, but by the second week he was on, he was starting to fall apart.
 
A lot of seizure meds are prescribed for off-label usage...anxiety, Lamictal has been very successful for bi-polar disorder, topomax and neurontin for pain. One of the side-effects you will often see listed is that seizure meds can also cause seizures; I think this is geared toward taht off label usage...my interpretation of that means there is the possibility of increasing frequency for those taking it for its intended use too.
 
Well, the neurontin I was on for some years was taken only at night. So, there wasn't a steady amount in my bloodstream. That could have causes some yo-yo-ing, and could have triggered seizures and inflamed things. Before the last couple of years or so, the epilepsy wasn't bad enough to ruin my life. The neurontin or something else pushed it over the edge the last couple of years. I'd been in denial about the seizures for so many decades, and so adept at compensating for them, that I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until they were getting pretty bad.

Thanks, neurontin. Remind me to send a thank you note to Pfizer.

I guess the bright side is that I've finally been diagnosed and it's getting some medical attention.

And now I know if I get more seizure activity ramping up on meds, it's not my imagination (or my moms!).
 
Would you also consider that since the original cause was not treated, your body is no longer able to cope and the symptoms are increasing?
 
I've had this happen to me a couple of times. Most recently with one of the generic brands of Lamotrigine.
 
Underlying cause not being treated?

Would love to know the original cause of the E, and have it treated. Could be the fact I've had several concussions over my lifetime. But most likely inherited. My father had it. I have a savvy doc and she's already done the tests to rule out most of the less often thought of things mentioned on the forum (e.g. celiac disease, high or low blood sugar, B vitamins, etc.).

About the only thing left is diet, and I'm not willing to do a ketogenic or gard diet for a number of reasons that I won't go into here, I already follow a low glycemic index diet and have for years, make as much of my food organic as I can to avoid chemicals. I live a quiet lifestyle with plenty of sleep time. Take vitamins. And now, don't drink, not even a glass of my favorite wine. I don't have one darn vice left. Based on lifestyle, if anybody was to not have this, it would have been me. I'm a walking talking poster child for not having this. But here I am.

If dad was here I'd be signing us up for the genetic epilepsy study I saw is going on. I think that might have produced some answers. But he's not here. It would be great to have my DNA run anyway, but I hear it's quite pricey. Insurance doesn't cover it.

The one new thing I haven't been doing but have started is Magnesium. Hadn't heard of that. I'm hoping it'll help with the migraines. Not sure if it'll make a difference in the seizures. Time will tell with both. I'll give it a couple of months and see.
 
Yes, an increase in seizures can happen with AEDs. Everyone reacts to (or tolerates) AEDs differently. What works for one person might be a disaster for another.
 
Every little change has caused increases in seizures, most importantly, every change in seizure meds has caused increases in seizures. Too many to list all...
 
Yes, my son's seizures did increase on several meds. Lamictal was his worst seizure increaser.
 
Great. <note exhausted tone> Lamictal is what I'm ramping up on now. Let's hope it's a better one for me than it was on your son. So far it's decreased the ringing in my ears and the headaches a bit, even on this low dose. Can't tell yet about seizures because those aren't constant like the other two. Could be coincidence and a natural lull in my symptoms, but I'm hopeful.
 
Peachy, that would explain why I have an increase. except for the gabapentin, the increase in seizures has been while ramping up on a dose. I assumed it was because it was a low dose, but it could be the changes in dose/medication.
 
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