Has anyone else taken Vimpat? URGH!!

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Bravo for Dr. Amir

:clap: So nice to hear about a doctor who is interested in perpetuating compassion and empowerment for patients. Unfortunately my son is uninsurable, therefore on medi-cal (medicaid in other states) and we are extremely limited regarding choice of doctors but I speak up anyway if I have to - The way I figure, if you don't plan to do it right you have no business accepting responsibility for helping the helpless or sick.
 
Stuff doesn't usually effect me the same as other people, but Vimpat increased my partials.:dontknow:
 
I started vimpat about two months ago. I was having a really bad time on Keppra xr. I am not sure which was worse the memory loss, the anger, or the depression. Fortunately my husband threw me a lifeline and drug me to my neuro in tears of fear...the black cloud has lifted, I actually know what happened yesterday, and I get pretty good control. So far..so good:pop:
 
Great to hear so far you're doing ok on Vimpat!

I hope you'll keep us posted on how you're doing, especially regarding side effects if any. Good luck!:clap:
 
I tried Vimpat in March and April of this year and it was a terriable experience for me. My moods were all over the place at first, and then I got to the point where I didnt care at all about anything or myself. Me being a stay at home mom of three little boys, I just couldnt handle it. I was on it for 3 weeks or so. They started me out at 50mgs and I worked my way up to 100mgs, twice a day and it was just not working for me.

As soon as they took me off of it, I noticed a difference in how I was feeling. I was soon put on Lamictal afterwords which didnt work either, had alot of mood changes, and ended up having an allergic reaction to it.
 
Sorry to hear that Momof3boys

My son is having a lot of mood changes lately. He's been on Vimpat for 1.5 years. I wonder if the Vimpat is the cause. You were on for such a short time, I also wonder if those symptoms would have eased up.

My son also tried Lamictal and had a terrible reaction to it. He went through periods where he would gag every 5 seconds for 10 or more minutes at a time and we had to quickly take him off it.

What are you taking instead now? Is it for seizures? I wish you all the best.:ponder:
 
lynnrx52 said:
My son is having a lot of mood changes lately. He's been on Vimpat for 1.5 years. I wonder if the Vimpat is the cause. You were on for such a short time, I also wonder if those symptoms would have eased up.

My son also tried Lamictal and had a terrible reaction to it. He went through periods where he would gag every 5 seconds for 10 or more minutes at a time and we had to quickly take him off it.

What are you taking instead now? Is it for seizures? I wish you all the best.:ponder:
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I saw the mood changes in the first couple of weeks starting it. I wanted to ask my dr about it at first, and from the way I described it to her, it was just getting worse and with me being a stay at home mom, she didnt want it to be let go, so thats when she decided to cut my 100mgs in half to 50mgs twice a day and see if things changed. Unfortunately they didnt. I became a different person and it was concerning to me and also my husband. So after we contacted the dr again, they asked if things got better and once they heard things were not going right, they didnt want to chance it, so I was taken off. The nurse said its not uncommon for the Vimpat to mess with peoples moods. Her decreasing my dose was her way of seeing if it was going to get better or worse. If it got better, I would have been left on the 50mgs of vimpat. Since the Lamictal didnt work, they increased my keppra back to 3000mgs a day, and put me back on the Keppra XR. I was having alot of headaches with the Keppra 500mg tablets, and once I got off that and switched back to the Keppra XR all the headaches went away. The numbness and tingling I was having on the 2500mgs of Keppra, is now gone too. My gut was telling me that when my dr decided to wean me off the Keppra, that the numbness and tingling started to get worse, and i knew I didnt have prior to when I was on the Keppra XR at 3000mgs a day. Its been 7 days now that Ive been back on the Keppra XR and all the numbness and tingling sensations I had day and night are all gone.

I called my drs nurse to leave her a voicemail and let her know the progress since being switched. They said if anything were to change to let them know. My VEEG came back with abnormal waves in my left temporal lobe for epilepsy. Due to those results, I had to be left on the Keppra XR. I have simple partial seizures.
 
Thanks!

Can't tell you how useful it is to get detailed feedback. It is such a help as I try to assess my son's situation since he can't speak for himself. Thanks again.
 
I have taken most of the AED's available with varying degrees of control and numerous side-effects. I have lived with E since '97. It has been a bumpy ride to say the least. At one point I decided to go med-free...it was the death of Riva (see Riva's memorial) that caused me to rethink my course. It took half a dozen neuros before I found my current neuro. While I am not seizure free, I am more controlled than before and I am watchful of side-effects. The side -effects I hate most are the ones that creep up. The black cloud that gathers and colors my thoughts, the erosion of memory till I can't remember my own address, those I hate the most. It is though I am drowning and all I see is the water, I gasp a quick breathe of air just long enough to know I am drowning...fortunately for me my husband is my lifeline. I will continue to move foward:e:
 
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