Help with Overcoming Side Effects

[Dignan]

I had a seizure a month ago, and I am now on Keppra 500mg 2x a day. I was on Neurontin as well, but just finished tapering off of that this past weekend.

My main complaints are drowsiness and what I can only describe as stumblefootedness or lack of balance. I don't like feeling slow or unsteady. Can anyone tell me if these effects will generally subside or could they be leftovers from the seizure itself?

I'm hoping for some improvement now that Neurontin is gone, but its been a few days and nothing has changed yet.

Thanks

 

[Dignan]

Also, I was wondering if there was anything that a person can do on their own to improve cognition and balance even if they keep taking drugs.

Any exercise program or other methods?

 

[Endless]

Dignan,

There absolutely ARE things you can do to help balance and cognition.

Now don't laugh, but I join in with my mom at her assisted living facility's water balance and "slow and easy balance" classes. They really help. They have exercises with feet, and that has helped me be less of a klutz. Your community's senior center might have the same thing, open to the public. So might your local hospital.

I also see a physical therapist who helps me with balance in general. Especially following a moving object with my eyes and keeping my balance, which is extremely hard for me. There are also physical therapists who specialize in the brain, and can help with memory and cognition.

Are you excessively tired? Because that can make you clumsy, unbalanced, too.

There are a lot of online cognition/brain games. I play games on my computer to help keep my brain in shape. The neuropsychologist explained to me that playing games helps create new pathways and retrain your brain, in a fun way. Though this hasn't been proven scientifically to translate to real life situations. I think it does. Google "brain games" and you'll get a slew of them. Do be careful if you are photosensitive, though. Some of them have flashing lights. Now for the pessimist in me - because keppra affects our WHOLE brain, I'm wondering if building new pathways will help. But I think it does retrain our brain to work better on the drugs.

Hang in there.

P.S. The half life of neurontin is 5-7 hours, so if you've been off for a couple of days it should be out of your system by now. Though, I've noticed it takes me up to a couple of weeks to totally shake off some side effects after I quit taking the drug. If it isn't gone by then I chock it up to really being a side effect of my seizures.

 

[Dignan]

Man, I hope there are no side effects from the seizure. Aside from the few weeks immediately following one, I've never noticed any real side effects. Also, I didn't think they necessarily carried side effects unless a person had quite a few seizures and they caused some damage.

Before last month's seizure, my last full event was over 7 years ago and the last aura with no even was 3.5 years ago...

 

[Endless]

Then I think you are probably safe.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Dignan --

Another good way to improve balance is the Wii Fit. They have a lot of balance exercises as part of the basic Wii Fit package, and as you reach each level, you can go onto the next. Nothing too strenuous, and you can go at your own pace.

 

[Minkels]

I was on Keppra before my doctor switched my medication and it made me tired and clumsy. Like you, I am not clumsy normally and in fact am an accomplished dancer...so you can imagine my distress when I found I couldn't walk a straight line on the Keppra! The suggestions about the Wii Fit are good, and something else you can try is simple balance exercises such as standing on one foot, or yoga if you are inclined. I used dance (clumsily at first) to help regain my balance.

As far as the slowed reflexes, I don't have really fast reflexes to begin with, but have a male friend who also takes Keppra. He plays catch to keep his reflexes in shape, and also goes to a practice batting cage in his area.

For cognition, I would suggest learning about a new topic, taking self-development classes, or the brain games suggested by Endless...the brain games are a lot of fun. You can also buy the puzzle books put out by Mensa if you really want a challenge from a cognitive standpoint.

The clumsiness I had with the Keppra got better after I was on it for a few months and the cognitive side effects also seemed to improve after the 3 months. The only downside of it was that the drowsiness didn't go away, but I am pretty sure that most of the AEDs have at least the potential to cause drowsiness. I'm on Topamax and Lamictal XR now, and both of them make me tired, tired, tired. Exercise has helped a good deal with the tiredness that I experience; I generally make sure I exercise at least 30 minutes a day and will try to extend that to 60 minutes a day.