My son, 17, was diagnosed with epilepsy in Nov. 2012. He has had eight seizures since this time. His trigger seems to be sleep deprivation, but the past three seizures have seemed trigger free. We are suspecting hormonal changes. My question is this: His seizures are always 3.5 to 4 months a part. After every seizure, there has been a medicine increase. He takes 3000 mg Keppra XR. Regardless of the medicine increase, the seizure happens in the same time period. Is increasing the medicine really doing anything? He is great on the Keppra, but it just slows his brain down, which is not beneficial for college.
Does a medicine increase really help?
- Thread starter DinaHB
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For what it is worth, when I have had 3 increases in medication dose with no changes in seizures (ie. no decrease in severity and/or frequency) and I am at what would generally considered at or close to a therapeutic dose, generally my neurologist tackles things in a different way such as by changing the timing of the medication, changing from controlled release to regular release or vice versa, changing the frequency of dosing, etc. And if still no improvement another medication has been added, either supplementing or replacing the previous one.
It can be a lot of trial and error finding the right medication(s) - 4 1/2 years in my case.
It can be a lot of trial and error finding the right medication(s) - 4 1/2 years in my case.
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This is very true. I'm not sure how long it took that I tried several different meds and dosages to help with my seizures. I stayed on the same meds and dosages for a few years and just at my last visit my neuro suggested decreasing one of them.
I am still having seizures but the different dosages may have made me have more or less.