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hedtrouble

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Am having a bit of trouble with my depression seeping back into my life. Life isn't that sweet but it sure isn't that bad either. Anyone else have E & suffer from depression as well? Am on meds, maybe they need looking at. Anyhow hope everyone is well. Hed
 
I"ve been on AEDs all my life & have been depressed for a good percentage of it.

You might want to check if depression is a side-effect of your meds & consider if it started to seep into your life soon after changing a med or its dose.

Also, I moved your post into the Kitchen since you've already introduced yourself in the foyer. Hope you don't mind.
 
Relief

Thank you so much for replying Epleric, yeh me too, slipping in & out, am due to see the shrink later Jan. My GP is good, he put me on some meds just to help till then. I've been pretty good but sometimes the hole is just too deep to dig myself out of without help. No of course I don't mind moving to the kitchen. What's for tea??
 
Hi, Hedtrouble,

I'm so sorry you are depressed - I understand how awful it feels. And it isn't related to how good or bad life is - it's a chemical imbalance in the brain. When I was depressed I wanted to just huddle up in a ball in bed and not move. Two of the medications we have tried made me severely depressed - Topamax and Trileptal. Topamax made me dangerously depressed. My doc took me off both of them. I don't have that problem on Lamictal.

I guess the point is that it's important to go in and tell your neurologist about it. Did I read that you have an appointment coming up? I'm so glad you told your GP - that's a good step, and I'm glad he gave you medication. Is it helping?

A counselor can help you deal with depression. Adjustment of your meds could also help. I'm hoping your neuro adjusts your AEDs.

I don't remember what AED you are on. Can you remind me?

I'm so happy you are talking to us in here, instead of just rolling up into that little ball. We are definitely here for you.
 
You're sweet

Thank you for those lovely words Endless. Its nice to not feel alone. Im taking keppra and sodium valpro plus my GP put me on pristiq just a small dose till I go see the shrink. Am also on seroquel, my partner thinks Im bi-polar. Me, I do get depressed for sure but bi-polar, I get very disappointed by people, all I want is to be happy. Some people make life that little bit more difficult & I get flustered,frustrated,forgetful and lack energy. Tell me a little about Lamactil my brother was on it with dilantin, if you don't mind. Thank you once again. H.
 
Keppra is

famous for problems with "Keprrage"--in other words, emotional outbursts, and plenty of anger. Although, I had some even stranger effects on it, and it is well-known for its suicidal tendencies as well.

Sodium valproate also falls in that class as well, if my memory serves me correctly--check out this thread (Please keep in mind that this side effect does not apply to all patients, it occurs to some):

11 Epilepsy Drugs on Suicide Risk List

Lamictal, which you asked about, is used for a number of different things, including seizure control. It is also used for bi-polar disorder, of which there are several different types. It does work well for it, for many people, WHEN TAKEN ON A REGULAR BASIS. Many people that I know with Bi-polar that are on Lam, function everyday, just as any other normal person--unless they forget their meds.

Lam does have a few odd side effects for some. In some people, it causes sleepiness--others, insomnia and very vivid dreams. Some people gain weight on it, others lose. In other words, Lam is an individualistic type drug.

Ramping up (titrating) on Lam must be done slowly, though, or you risk a type of rash that can be debilitating. When I went on it, both times, my neuro did 25 mg every 2 weeks. No joke.

One other suggestion. Talk to your pharmacist, and make sure that there are no interactions going on. If you don't get answers there, then check on www.drugs.com. You'll find a good interaction checker there.

Take care!

Meetz
:rock:
 
I'm on Lamictal. It's known for being one of the AEDs that leaves your thinking ability relatively clear. Lots of people take it and feel pretty normal and they have good seizure control. According to the package insert some of the more common side effects are a headache, nausea, nervousness, incoordination, blurry vision, double vision, and dizziness.

I have the headache, nausea, nervousness (more like I feel like I'm on speed), blurry vision, along with joint and muscle aches, serious insomnia, and endless hunger. I also have a hard time understanding people, but I think that might be sleep deprivation and not the Lamictal.

Here's a link where you can get the package insert for any drug:
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm

Like Meetz said, it takes a long time to ramp up on this stuff. I started out at 25mg/day, and increased 25mg/day more every two weeks. I had to back down on the dose for awhile because of side effects, and I'm now increaseing again at 225mg/day. I'm not at the dose that controls my seizures yet.

My epi said that it is the drug he thinks is best for students or professionals, as far as them still being able to think and function. Not everybody reacts the same, and for some people they don't function well, but most do.
 
Hi hedtrouble,

Yes, I Do understand the depression as well as the seizures, too. I'm also taking Keppra and as Meetz stated, it is known for "Kepprage", although for me Keppra has been no different as far as the depression than many of the other drugs I have tried. And as she also said, Lamictal, like some of the other AEDs, are also used for bi-polar disorder.

Beware of the Seroquel, Geodon, Risperdol, Zyprexa and a few other drugs used for bi-polar. I was diagnosed as bi-polar and prescribed Zyprexa. A few months later, I was rapidly losing weight, thirsty, and losing my vision. Because of that miserable drug, I ended up with TYPE I DIABETES as an adult. Now, on top of the seizure-meds, anti-depressants, and a few other problems, I have to do insulin injections 5-6 times a day and check my glucose levels numerous times. There are class action lawsuits pending. Be very careful before taking/mixing drugs!!

Make sure your shrink is well versed in these meds before prescribing them. Mood swings and epilepsy do go hand-in-hand, so before ending up like I did, ask many questions first and do your research.

Before I was prescribed the Zyprexa, the neuropsychiatrist I was seeing said that the better thing was a tri-cyclic and an SSRI for depression and epilepsy. But for me that didn't work, so then they prescribed the anti-psychotic for depression. Here is another good website with more answers:

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/interprob_depress

I hope you feel better soon.
 
Seroquel is also another drug that has a class action law suit going against it. I've joined in on that one. After 5 years, I'm still suffering from the side effects.

Cint, you said you neuro/psych said it was better to take a tricyclic & an SSRI? You do realize you are NOT to take both types at the same time? In fact, if you were on an SSRI, you have to be off of it for a certain amount of time before starting a tricyclic.

Hedtrouble, every major illness brings depression with it. And yes, many of the meds used to treat any illness may cause depression. You have described a lot of depression, but I didn't see anything in what you wrote that would suggest "manic" episodes. As already mentioned, several meds are used to treat ep & bp. I've had both epilepsy & bipolar since childhood. I have been on every AED there is. I have also been on every SSRI, but given the severe side effects of tricyclics & my extreme difficulties with all types of meds, my neuo/psych's have refused to try me on the tricyclics. I am not on any med for my bipolar, haven't been for a number of years. Yes, it is very difficult, but I have a wonderful family & many wonderful, supportive friends who do all they can to help me. On a recent manic, we were spending the morning traveling in a car with friends & my husband was in the front, me in the back. I could not stop talking. Later my husband said he was cringing every time I opened my mouth, because there have been time when I talked about very private & improper things. Thankfully that didn't happen this time. After several hours of manic, I slowed down, slept for several hours & was fairly level for a day or two & the deep, deep depression settled in for a long spell. There have been times when my depression has been so bad & someone will say "Well it's better than being 6 feet under." I've responded that I didn't think so. So I really understand your deep depression. Please, keep fighting to stay with us.

There are very distinct symptoms of bipolar & while I'm not a doctor, I don't see that in what you have written. Even if it ends up that you have bipolar, don't despair - 98% of those with bipolar go on to lead normal lives if they stay on their treatment schedule. Keep track of everything that is going on, your moods, everything & discuss it with your doctor next month. And as was mentioned, look into the meds that might be prescribed for you, learn their side effects, ask questions, even look into what the med are composed of because a med may have something in it that you may be alergic to - I've found that in some of my meds in the past.

I'm glad someone listed drugs.com. It is a wonderful sight. There you can keep track of your meds, your health issues, your allergies, etc & print out a wallet size or full size report to take to your doctor's visits. Doctors love this report - it has everything on it & they don't have to keep asking as many questions. I've had doctors say they wish all their patients had this. This sight also alerts you to interactions between drugs, your health conditions & foods. I whole-heartedy recommend it.

Take care Hed. And please keep coming here. We all understand what you are going thru. It is easier to talk with others who are going thru the same thing. Here you can talk, get suggestions & encouragement & lots of virtual hugs. We need each other.

Shelia
 
Thank you everyone

I feel so overwhelmed by the response to my plight. I can't thank you all enough. No I didn't know about mixing the 2 drugs which I am doing. The seroquel makes me really tired. The shrink wanted me to take 100mgs twice daily but I was falling asleep through the day. It sure helps me sleep but from time to time I have nightmares. I was having trouble with small seizures before going on to keppra. Last count was 17 in a day. Since I've been on that with the valpro I've been ok but if I get sleep deprived thats when they hit again. I don't work anymore my memory is that bad. Plus daily headaches that drive me nuts.Theres always something going in my mouth in the way of a pill. Thats another problem, I can't swallow tabs, I have to chew them. Nasty. You're a very supportive group in here, I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site. Will go & check out the sites that have been recommended by all of you. Take care, Hed.:clap:
 
Hi Hed,

My goodness, it's not at all surprising that you're depressed sometimes, maybe a lot, not only because of the seizures and anti-epileptic drugs, but that aneurysm surgery 2 years ago; it takes quite a while for the brain to heal. That's a lot, both physically and emotionally, to deal with.

You said that you just wanted to be happy, but that you got frustrated, flustered, lacked energy, and were sometimes disappointed in people: I can definitely identify with that. My sister took me Christmas shopping last week; as much as I appreciated her driving 70 miles to do this and as much as I wanted to enjoy our time together, I felt overwhelmed way beyond what's normal this time of year. I felt like I was moving in slow motion and everyone was just racing around me, including my sister. I actually felt like breaking down and crying but didn't because I didn't want to hurt my sister's feelings though I felt a little hurt that she didn't seem to understand how hard it was for me to keep up.

Anyway, sorry for making this about me. But I do understand, though, unfortunately, I think you are suffering more than I am. I truly hope that you and your doctors can find some answers and that you feel better soon!

Please know that we care and are here for you. :)
 
Hi ya

Hey Bug, Lovely to hear from you. I had just logged out but noticed in my mail that you had written to me. Yeh I know all about keeping up & people racing all around like busy little ants. Hate it. Lately I feel like I just can't be bothered doing very much at all. Its coming up to Christmas & I really couldn't care. My parents are both gone, I don't have children, worse luck, not really sure whats happening for Christmas day. Im looking out the back at the moment watching a very rough looking black bird, hes trying to pinch some of the dogs dry food. Poor thing he looks like hes had a rough time. Simple things like that give me pleasure, I'd also like to call you a friend if thats ok. Take care, Bernie.:bigsmile:
 
sbncmo said:
Seroquel is also another drug that has a class action law suit going against it. I've joined in on that one. After 5 years, I'm still suffering from the side effects.

Cint, you said you neuro/psych said it was better to take a tricyclic & an SSRI? You do realize you are NOT to take both types at the same time? In fact, if you were on an SSRI, you have to be off of it for a certain amount of time before starting a tricyclic.
Click to expand...

Seroquel is one of the drugs I stated before to beware of causing harmful side effects.

Yes, I do realize I'm not to take them together. I should have stated that my shrink said that those two types of anti-depressants are best for people with epilepsy, but I didn't mean taking them together.

Here are more websites regarding epilepsy and depression:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1783479/

http://www.john-libbey-eurotext.fr/en/revues/medecine/epd/e-docs/00/04/2A/E1/article.phtml
Click to expand...
 
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Cint, I'm glad you clarified that about the tricyclic & SSRI's. I know you are very knowledgeable about meds, so I was surprised when I read your post because it sounded like your doc had you on both of them at the same time. And I did catch that you had listed Seroquel as a med to beware of - but it was after I posted my reply. You know how it is with us - we can read something & forget it immediately.;)

Thanks for the links too.

Hey, Travel Bug & Bernie! I know exactly how you guys feel about it seeming like everyone is racing around you & you don't want to do anything. It's like what happened to me a couple of months ago - we went to visit family in Oregon. Once there, my husband & his sister just wanted to go, go, go. I had no interest in doing anything. Sure there are some pretty sites to see, but I was too tired to do anything. It didn't help that I was having an allergic reaction to Lamictal the whole time we were there. But I tried to put on a happy face & keep going. But one day I had over 20 seizures. It wore me out so that I spent the afternoon & most of the next morning sleeping. I didn't want to offend my sister-in-law, so I kept going the best I could, but it was difficult. We would go to walk some trails along the rivers & my husband had to literally pull me up the trail, with me stopping every 20 feet gasping to catch my breath. And some places I would just sit on a bench & let everyone else go on ahead. It wasn't a very enjoyable time for me.

And I know how you feel, Bernie, just wanting to be happy but ending up feeling frustrated with people. You would think our families would understand what we are going thru & be more accomodating & helpful. My husband is pretty good about things.He's come to have more respect toward epilepsy & depression. My SIL in Oregon isn't that familiar with what I'm going thru, being she lives so far away, so I try to be patient with her.

The truth is we all want to be happy. We want to be healthy or at least have our health conditions controlled. But when we can't have these things, we understandable get depressed. Just keep hanging in there. Sometimes it feels like we've lost our grip with all fingers but one, but when we get encouragement & true understanding from others, we get that strength back to hang on with at least one more finger, then maybe another. Stay with us Bernie. We need each other to encourage each other.

Shelia
 
Hi Bernie,

Sorry that your Christmas plans are up in the air. There always seems to be so much pressure to have a perfect family Christmas when, really, very few ever have that. I don't have kids either and my sister's kids are young adults with lives of their own, so I'll feel fortunate if we can at least get together for one of our very informal Christmases with what we call our "traditional Christmas pizza" sometime after the new year.

I hope you get through this depression; just keep finding the little things like the blackbird eating your dog's food. I don't know what I'd do without my baby dog. I can feel so down and wonder why I bothered having surgery and chemo...and then my little sweetheart will do something that makes me smile, and that smile helps me hang on until something makes me laugh and then the ice breaks and I find that I can go on. It really is the little things that make a big difference. I certainly don't mean to imply that we don't sometimes need some help by way of medication and/or counseling, but finding beauty, wonder, humor where we can, definitely helps.

Your friend,:)
bug




Hey sbncmo,

It's hard enough to deal with seizures and meds when you are surrounded by those who understand your situation, it must have been a real trial to cope with that away from home with people who don't "get it". Good golly! 20 seizures and an allergic reaction and you still kept going-that's amazing! As much as I love to travel and see new things, I think I would have curled up in bed and pulled the covers over my head in that situation.
 
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Hi travel bug. Yes, that trip was very hard. One thing I didn't mention was that while I was on the trip with a medication I was allergic to, I was also weaning off of one that left me with great hostility(Topamax). My SIL said something & I was so angry at what she said & like I've always done, I bottled it up inside. Later when my husband & I were alone, I let it out. I don't remember now what she said & it probably wasn't even anything bad, but I reacted to it. I felt like I was such a drag the whole trip. Sometimes I literally was. And I did take some extra sleep time, but it wasn't enough. I like to travel too, but it has always been very hard on me. And the bad thing is, I rarely remember anything about it afterward!

Lamictal was the med I was allergic to. My neuro had me start it 3 days before the trip, saying if I was going to have a reaction to it, it would be in the form of a rash in the first 3 days. When the rash didn't come, he said I was safe to travel. He didn't tell me about any other reactions - I could hardly breathe, I hurt, I was tired, then I started throwing up & having diarhea. It was my pharmacist who told me I was having a severe reaction to it. Thanks a lot doc!:(

BTW, I appreciate your advice to Bernie - keep looking for any little thing to bring even a moment of happiness. I don't know what I'd do without my babies - my two cats. I used to have 3 & they all lived 23-24 years. When they died, my husband said no more cats, but 2 weeks later we got another one & a few months later got the second one. I have actually discovered a hidden treasure in the oldest one. He seems to be able to detect when I'm going to have seizures. It's like he's afraid to be around me, even running away when I go to him to pet him, and later that day I will have one or more seizures. Other days he just can't seem to get close enough to express affection & I have no seizures on those days. He unique. And the younger one has such long hair & loves to play fetch. She brings a lot of joy to us. It certainly helps with the depression to have something to make us smile for even a few minutes.

Thanks for the encouragement, travel bug.

Shelia
 
Hey sbncmo,

I also spend a fair amount of time on travel boards; you often see complaints about sore feet, bad service, etc. People really need to read what you went through on your trip to put things into perspective. You truly had what could be called "the trip from Hell". Like you said, thanks a lot doc. But good for your pharmacist. A really good pharmacist is invaluable.

Wow, three cats that lived 23-24 years, that's amazing. I can understand your husband not wanting to get another cat though; it's so hard to know that you'll have to go through that pain again. But it's wonderful that you decided to bring more cats into your lives. They are such a treasure and comfort for us, and it's always important to give a good home to animals. And your older one is more than just a comfort...wow! But it makes sense really because cats are so sensitive.

Thanks for sharing about your cats, and thanks for your kind words:)
travel bug
 
Hi Endless & Travel bug. Yes, I was amazed to realize what a treasure I have in my cat. I didn't realize his ability until recently. I had always thought it odd that he would avoid me sometimes & others times be so lovable. But I didn't understand I had epilepsy until recently because my doctors never explained anything to me. Then I educated myself & confronted my neuro. Now I know what is going on. That's when I started noticing the correlation between my cat's actions & my seizures. Sammy is such a wonderful treasure. I'm glad we have him & I hope he lives over 20 years just like my others did.

Shelia
 
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