Glutamate antagonist AED - side effects?

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IslandLiz

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Hi -- I'm participating in a medical trial of a new AED called Perampanel.
it's an AMPA glutamate antagonists (like Felbamate), and I'd like to ask those reading this if they're experiencing any problems with diarrhea or soft stools. I have been having real problems lately with the aforementioned, and would like to know if it has anything to do with the medicine. Thanks.
 
Hi IslandLiz --

I've read of constipation being a side effect (when the drug was tested on Parkinsons patients), but not diarrhea. That doesn't mean the drug isn't responsible in your case. It could be messing with your stomach/nutrition or affecting the way nutrients are absorbed. I assume you've ruled out other things that might cause the diarrhea, like food poisoning or an infection picked up somewhere. It can help to keep a journal.
 
If the

med IS a glutamate antagonist, and your body is reacting badly, please watch out. You could end up like me, with a SEVERE case of celiac disease. My BODY HAS A VERY HARD TIME absorbing anything.....although it is slowly getting better, but it has taken months to get to that point.

And yes, I had the diarrhea/soft stools that you mentioned, in a very horrible way. I've dropped going on 80 pounds now because of this mess.....

While the glutamate antagonist is working within your brain to help either the depression or the other symptoms that are going on, glutamate is also tied to GLUTEN which is a protein found in wheat and is typically the cause of celiac disease.....

For some people, it doesn't matter how much gluten/glutamate they get in their system, even just a eensy bit is too much. And yes, it can even be in the fillers/binders of the pills that you take......

Take care, and welcome to CWE!

Meetz
:rock:
 
Update on Perampanel and bowel changes

Thanks for your answers. I'm pleased to say that in my 3rd month on this study drug (it's a Level 3 pharmaceutical trial), bowel movements have returned to normal, and even better -- the medicine has greatly reduced the number and severity of my seizures! I have mostly just auras now, and not many of them. I used to have at least two nocturnal complex-partial seizures that caused me to fall badly every week. I've fallen only once since starting the study drug.
 
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Ohhhh, that's

so VERY cool, Island Liz!!:clap::clap::clap: Yeah for you!!!
 
It's good to hear an update with positive news. That's great that the Perampanel is working so well for you.
 
Thanks for following up. Great to hear that you are getting a solid response. :paperbag:
 
types of seizures

Can I ask about the type of seizure / epilepsy you have? I'm on Topamax and I think the doc likes it because it also is an AMPA / Kainate receptor antagonist, and I think it's the only drug on the market other than Felbamate that does that. But it messes with my mood. I have left temporal lobe seizures... Wondering if that is the primary focus for these types of drugs.

jld
 
Can I ask about the type of seizure / epilepsy you have? I'm on Topamax and I think the doc likes it because it also is an AMPA / Kainate receptor antagonist, and I think it's the only drug on the market other than Felbamate that does that. But it messes with my mood. I have left temporal lobe seizures... Wondering if that is the primary focus for these types of drugs.

jld
CC
 
Thought I'd follow up for you all -- turned out the soft stools/diarrhea was caused by undercooked poultry, not Perampanel, which is turning out to be WONDERFUL. We got a cooking thermometer to fix the cooking.

Also, I just finished the first stages of the Perampanel trial, and am now going to be on it through FDA approval (about 5 years), which I hope, hope, hope will come through. I've gone from 8-10 or more complex-partial seizures monthly to just auras.
 
That is fantastic that you found something that works so well and they are going to let you see it through! I could live with just auras...drives other people nuts when I say "can you smell that" but that is a whole lot better than convulsing onthe floor, lol. Hope it continues working for you ! :) :) :)
 
Can I ask about the type of seizure / epilepsy you have? I'm on Topamax and I think the doc likes it because it also is an AMPA / Kainate receptor antagonist, and I think it's the only drug on the market other than Felbamate that does that. But it messes with my mood. I have left temporal lobe seizures... Wondering if that is the primary focus for these types of drugs.

jld
I'm sorry for responding so late, jld. I don't go into this site very much, although I do find it helpful when I do look at it. You asked about what kind of seizures I have -- you can read all about it in the part that tells about each of us, can't you? I'm not too practiced with social networking, but I know when I click on a person's name, I can find out what she or he wants people to know about the conditions she or he has.

Good luck!
 
Glutamate is NOT gluten

I just wanted to mention that glutamate is a neurotransmitter and gluten is a complex protein found in wheat and other grains. They are not related.

Gluten intolerance is a reaction to the ingestion of the gluten protein found in many grains. Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that causes intestinal damage when gluten is consumed.
 
Hi Bernard,
Glutamic acid is one the 20 essential amino acids that make all proteins, and is therefore very common in many proteins, including gluten.
I guess I'm not sure how that is relevant to brain glutamate antagonist function, but if you could explain what you think is the connection I would be happy to comment.
 
From the same page linked previously:
9) Glutamic acid is the parent protein in MSG (mono sodium glutamate). MSG is used as a neurostimulator, acting to sensitize the open-ended nerves in our taste buds so that food will taste better. MSG is a known trigger of seizures, as is its sister amino acid, aspartic acid, the parent protein in the artificial sweetener aspartame (Nutrasweet). Both amino acids are neurostimulators and "excitotoxins" (as Dr. Russell Blaylock terms them) and the very proof lies in the purpose for their use in the food industry.

10) It has been commonly held that blood sources of these two neurostimulating amino acids do not cross the "normal" blood brain barrier, that layer of cells that protect the brain by limiting the passage of certain blood components into the brain. This contention is only partly true, as there are areas of the brain that are not protected by the normal blood brain barrier. Also, the key word in the above contention is "normal". The question is whether we have normal barriers any longer. Air pollution, hydrogenated oils, and normal immune/allergic responses are known to alter the permeability of the blood brain barrier. Therefore, with 90% of prepared foods containing trans fats, with most of us living in highly polluted environments, and with huge populations of us experiencing significant allergies, it is reasonable to question the integrity of our "normal" blood brain barrier.

Update 4/09- It has now been shown that the origin of seizures in idiopathic epilepsy is the area of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is located on the underside of the brain. Recent studies have shown that the blood brain barrier in this area is more subject to injury, allowing certain damaging substances to enter the brain. The evidence of this damage lies in the commonly reported dysruption of the other major function of the hippocampus- memory.

Many people (including several members of this forum) have reported improvements in seizure control following a glutamate restricted diet.
 
Gluten vs. glutamic acid (glutamate) vs. Glutamine?

Hi Everyone,

I get this question regularly. It looks like Bernard and Robin have answered it but I thought I would throw in my 200 cents worth. :)

As Bernard posted, glutamic acid is an amino acid as is it neurologically inactive sibling, glutamine. Glutamic acid is found in most foods but very abundantly in gluten grains (wheat, barley, rye), soy/legumes/peanuts, dairy products, nuts, seeds, meats and the gluten-grain substitutes (quinoa, amaranth, tapioca as well as the non-gluten grains millet, flax and sorghum).

Glutamate is converted to glutamine by cells lining the intestinal tract, which in turn is used by the villi to maintain their health and integrity. This conversion is also made by the liver and kidneys, which is fortuitous because many of the foods rich in glutamic acid - namely gluten grains, casein (from dairy), and soy - are also three of the four foods that damage the villi and their ability to make this conversion. Corn is the fourth food, which is not unusually high in glutamic acid but IS an inducer of villous atrophy of the small intestine and IS neurotoxic, the latter being one of the hot topics in the autism community right now. Corn gluten meal is a "natural herbicide" (kills other plants!) and a major generator of fat, which is formed to store TOXINS as well as excessive calories.

Glutamic acid is the principal neurotransmitter as posted above. MSG (monosodium glutamate), whose parent protein is glutamic acid, is used as a flavor enhancer due to it neurostimulating effect on the taste buds. When it reaches the brain, it induces migraines, seizures, the "MSG rush", and lowers the pain threshold (e.g. people with fibromyalgia or other chronic pain syndromes).

The "revelation" is that the food sources of glutamic acid can do the very same thing. they simply take longer to reach the brain. It takes a half hour or less for MSG to reach the brain but it takes 4-6 hours for "bound glutamate in food" to get there. This the CLASSIC meal-to-seizure interval in un-medicated individuals. This is paralleled by the "insomniac" who wakes up like a shot at 1-2 AM, 4-6 hours after dinner/dessert.

Gluten is approximately 25% glutamic acid by weight and casein is 20% glutamate by chemical structure. Soy is richer than both and almost as rich as their sum. They used to make MSG from soy and from kelp. These are the worst foods because they not only contain high levels of glutamate but also induce villous atrophy, causing malabsorption of essential nutrients and reduced conversion of glutamate to glutamine. Their lectins are also incredibly inflammatory to neurons just as they are to joints, kidneys, the liver, skin and every other tissue of the sensitized individual.

People ask me about meats and the answer is "Meats don't do all of the other harm so they only need to be limited in the worst of the worst cases whose neurons are seriously compromised by the previous ill effects of the "big 4" - gluten, casein, soy and corn. This is also true of nuts, seeds, and the gluten grain substitutes. I had a case recently of a woman who did quite well on The GARD (diet) but did not completely stop seizing until she gave up her cashew fetish. She will be able to go back tom eating them in the future once her neurons return to normal.

It is "interesting" that some of the new anticonvulsants work by blocking glutamate. This should not be a surprise. The glial cells that control the level of glutamate at the synapse are the targets of numerous pleomorphic bacteria and viruses, some of the latter being embedded in the very DNA. Yes, idiopathic epilepsy runs very consistently though certain breeds of dogs and is one of the myriad of genetic viruses in their DNA (side-by-side with all of the cancer-producing ones). The field of epigenetics is a fascinating one.

The GARD - The Glutamate & Aspartate Restricted Diet - continues to halt seizures in dogs and people as well as help treat a myriad of neurological disorders when applied properly. The latter is the key. Some individuals require an extreme degree of vigilance. Think "peanut allergy" when attempting to grasp the sensitivity that some develop to these lectins. I just wrote a piece on "secondary food intolerance", which is the term I use to describe the lectins of the "big 4" we acquire when we eat the meat of animals consuming them (especially wheat, soy and corn). This is not covering my derriere...this is now proven fact.

There are many factors in the development of this "syndrome" we call epilepsy. One component is clearly a genetic virus. There are other acquired viruses and pleomorphic bacteria that can be involved along with food lectins, malabsorption/malnutrition, free radicals from chemicals/pollutants, vaccines, seasonal variants, fluorescent lights/computer graphics/etc. and more. But when we identify these things and remove them, we can undermine the syndrome and miracles can happen. I no longer put any limitations on what this body can do, only what WE can do for our body.

I hope this helps,
John (Dogtor J)
 
Thank you John.

We all appreciate the time you take in helping us to get a better understanding of what is going on with the food choices we choose to consume.
 
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