Depression symptoms from epilepsy?

[girlwithadog]

As many may know by now back in April I was diagnosed with epilepsy from the EEG I had done and after a few seizures lol. So apparently I also have simple partial seizures.
Since these seizures really hit a couple years ago I've been increasingly tired. I'm not sad and hopeless but I hardly ever have any energy to do anything. I want to do things but I'm just so tired all the time. The psych tried to give me anti depressants but they just aren't for me and I'm not depressed. I try to tell them but they don't believe me.
So is this common with epilepsy and if so does anti depressants help or make no difference or make anything worse? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has this

 

[pita300]

Side effects of the meds can make you want to just sit there in a haze. I take my meds at 9 in the morning sometimes by 10a I'm asleep on the couch. I have to force myself to get up and get busy. As far as depression.. I have been battling depression for a long time. I fought the anti depressant for years last year I started an anti depressant and it has helped. However since starting Keppra in March of this year I think I'm back where I started even before the anti depressant. So I guess its a catch 22 depending on the meds you are taking.

 

[Nakamova]

Are you having seizures at night? That could be messing with your sleep and making things harder. And as Pita says, the meds can be pretty tough on the system too.
Folks with epilepsy do have a higher incidence of depression, for a variety of reasons. I think some CWE members have benefited from anti-depressants; you do have to be careful with them though, since some anti-depressants can make seizures worse.

You might want to check out this thread:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/epilepsy-anxiety-depression-7928/

 

[Dignan]

never been a fan of adding more meds to solve the effects of other meds. Especially in the case of Keppra, I've noticed that I'm more "down" or perhaps just there and feeling like I don't really have emotions one way or the other. Never felt that way on Dilantin, so I think the seizure meds have alot to do with it.

Neuros have tried to give anti depressants before too, and I tell them to shove the pills. I think they just knee-jerk into, "oh, theres a pill for that symptom" instead of thinking, hey maybe a different seizure med might be a good idea..

 

[pita300]

My anti depressant was prescribed by a psychiatrist that specializes in neurology. I was referred to her by the epileptolgist. I've been on Tegretol for years with not much in the way of side effects. Keppra and Lamictal were added last year as partial seizures have been added to the mix. Since the Tegretol was controlling my tonic clonics but did nothing for the partials. That's the reason for the 2 other meds. Not every seizure med controls every type of seizure Hence the add on meds for me. Right now with out the anti depressant I would not be able to function during the day. Every case is different and not every person experience the same side effects.

 

[Cint]

I'm in the same boat as Pita. I've tried numerous AED's and suffered from depression as well as the seizures. My neuropsychiatrist was the one who prescribed a tricyclic anti-depressant initially, then an SSRI. Plus depression and epilepsy- temporal lobe epilepsy, do go hand in hand. Also, some of the AED's are used as mood stabilizers. Some make moods worse. It all depends on the individual.