hi everyone :)

[danni..x]

Hi my name is danni and im 17 i was diagnosed with absence seizures 4 years ago. It has never been severe and the maximum i usually have a day is 5 although this can vary so i feel really bad saying this as i know so many of you have it alot worse. I was just wanted to see what people's thoughts were as i have never considered medication before becuase i was not badly affected but i turned 17 in july so i can start to learn to drive but this where the problem lies. My doctor has told me to go on either lamictal or keppra but i have read about so many bad side effects of both of these medications that i am reluctant to take it as my epilepsy is not as severe as some. The only thing is, if i dont go on any medication i will never be able to get a driving license, it's really hard as all my friends are learning but i dont want to risk getting the side effects of the medication when my life is not severly affected so i was just wondering what u all thought i should do?

 

[epileric]

Welcome to the site

Hi Danni, I've had epilepsy since I was born & have never driven to this day (I'm now 47).

All the places I've seen & had other people talk about (at least in North America) have laws that say you have to go X amount of time without a seizure before you can drive. If that's the case where you live then even going on meds won't gaurantee you a license after starting.

You should know that when you read the side-effects of a medicine those are the possible side-effects. I'm on tegretol & most the side-effects don't bother me but on Keppra it felt like I got all of the side-effects. Just don't assume that because there's a side-effect that you will get it, you'll have to try it to find out.

Meanwhile welcome once more to this site, I've found everyone to be very helpful with things & extremely supportive.

Eric

 

[Meetz1064]

Hi, hello and

how do you do? Welcome to CWE. It's very nice to meet you. I hope you like it here......Mr B has built us an AWESOME home here.

I, too, have had E pretty early.......I was diagnosed at the ripe old age of 13 months. I've run through pretty much all of the meds available to me...and I understand what you're saying about the fear of side effects.

BUT. Side effects are an individual thing. Just because they hit one person does NOT mean they will get another. Even if they are identical twins.

Personally, I've been driving the entire time--although there have been a number of times that I have voluntarily pulled myself off the road for 6 months to a year at a time, and had other people drive me. But, my license has never been revoked.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

Meetz
:rock:

 

[morgan381]

Hi Danni, welcome to CWE! I was diagnosed with E when I was 20, but I can remember having "spells" (partial seizures) in high school. I got my license and have never had it revoked...but many places require that you be seizure free for a certain length of time before you drive. I take Keppra and Lamictal and have not had a seizure in over 2 years I had some of the side effects with Keppra (mainly headache and irritability), but haven't experienced any with Lamictal. The thing about the meds is that each drug affects each person differently, which means you may or may not experience the side effects...

 

[skillefer]

Hi danni! Welcome to CWE. I just got back to the site after losing internet access a couple of weeks ago....so..let's see. First of all, yes seizures can get worse. Secondly, not everyone has a bad reaction to meds. I was on phenobarbital for over 20 years with no side effects. At first I was really sleepy, but after about 2 weeks, I was fine. I was on depakote for close to 20 years...the only side effect I had was weight gain. Now I'm being put on dilantin. So far, no side effects. Every brain is different. So what works for one person without side effects, may not work for you. Also, as for driving laws...every state is different. I live in a mandatory report state. That means if I have a seizure and tell my doctor, he must report it to DMV. Other states are completely different and leave it up to the doctor. As fo rthe driving....I didn't get my driver's license till I was over 21. I kept having seizures right before the driver's exam. So I can understand your anxiety. Just remember, your health is more important than the ability to drive.

 

[brain]

:hello: Danni

Welcome to CWE, and sorry you had to
experience a dilemma like this. But I am
on Lamictal - and it works great with me,
but as with ALL prescription medications,
not just Anti-Epileptic Drugs, comes with
side effects or some risk(s). The only way
you can get the seizures under control is
via trial and error.

Keppra is both a wonder drug and a nightmare,
however, those who are on Keppra are often
taking vitamin B-6 to go with it; so you might
want to consult with your Doctor about this.
If you have no allergies to medication(s) you
should not have too much of a problem. Lamictal,
is quite popular, but the MAJOR THING IS, it
has to be slowly introduced - the titration of
both medications actually, the truth is, all
Anti-Epileptic drugs should be titrated slowly.

You will most likely experience seizures while
beginning the medication, and you very well
may or may not have some "weird" experiences
at first when you begin the medication; but
this is normal, as your body begins to adjust
and adapt to the medication. Your Doctor should
go over this with you and what to expect. Some
medications is best taken with food, and some
is not necessary - but others find it's better for
them to take it with food. Certain medications
you should not eat or drink grapefruit juice or
those containing grapefruit. And plus it is a
very wise move to shy away from drinking alcohol
and doing street drugs / recreational drugs - for
they can have a major impact on your medication!

You don't have to let Epilepsy drag you around,
You can move forward, and then once it's all
controlled, and say "I have Epilepsy but Epilepsy
doesn't have me!"

And before you know it - who knows, you could
be driving once you meet the State's guidelines
and your seizures are controlled!

:tup:


But as for me, I surrendered my driver's license
a long time ago, I just knew that I knew that I
knew my driving days were over with. True, I do
miss driving, but I could never live with myself
if I ever had a seizure and killed, maimed, or
seriously injured someone while I was behind the
wheel! Perish that thought! Sufficient enough that
drunk drivers and idiot drivers are doing just that
and should not even be ALLOWED to OWN a
vehicle or have a license! (And yet, they get it back
and back on the road again? And it's Déjà vu all
over again (credit goes to Yogi Berra) ...)



I ride a Trek (Racing/Touring) Bicycle; but I have
always been a cyclist, so I enjoy it. You can do
a lot of things with a Bicycle that a vehicle cannot
do! *grins* But of course, depending on where you
reside, you have public transportation, friends,
family, and so on - that can help with transportation.
It's not all that bad as it seems to be.

So don't look down, but rather ---> LOOK UP to a
brighter future ahead of you!

:mrt:

 

[Bernard]

Hi Danni, welcome to the forum. :hello:

Hi my name is danni and im 17 i was diagnosed with absence seizures 4 years ago. It has never been severe and the maximum i usually have a day is 5 although this can vary ... so i was just wondering what u all thought i should do?

My wife completely eliminated her multiple, daily absense seizures using EEG neurofeedback. I highly recommend it.