Hi I'm new...

[SAF]

Hello everyone,

My name is Steve, and I have been recently diagnosed w/ a generalized seizure disorder. I had a major seizure on 5/10 at work and was admitted to the hospital for 3 days. The doctors think my seizure caused me to go into atrial fibulation and I have an irregular heart beat.
I haven't had a seizure since I've been taking 1500 mg of kepra a day. I must admit it has been difficult dealing w/ the meds and still don't feel like myself.
Is this normal?

 

[qtowngirl]

Absolutely. It would be abnormal to go through all that and start your body on a new medication and still feel 'normal.'
Major seizures can be very traumatizing, esp. when they're new to you, and esp. when a diagnosis follows. Thousands of us on here have been where you are today, just know you're not alone. At this point try to remind yourself to take it slow and be mindful of how you feel. If there's a time when you don't feel right try to take note of your surroundings and what you've been doing - the more you understand about what's happening the better you'll feel and the sooner you'll start feeling like yourself.
The medication will take awhile to settle in too, so give yourself a big break if it feels difficult, that's just the medication and in no way anything you're doing.

Thanks for joining the forum and hope to see you around!

 

[SAF]

Thanks! Should I be used to the meds by now? Also I am taking metoprolol which also can make me drowsy. I also have sleep apnea, and sleep seems to be a help prevent seizures. I am tired all the time and feel sedated constantly. My dr. Says kepra is the best and has the least amount of side affects.

 

[valeriedl]

Alot of people taking Keppra get what's called kepprage. It's were you're angry alot and get mad very easy and all the time. I'm not sure if your a man or woman but it's sort of like you have constant PMS.

I'm not sure if I've been on metoprolol or not (I've been on so many different meds I've lost track). A few of them made me pretty tired. There was one that made me so tired that all I did was sleep, I pretty much just stayed in bed all the time.

If the side effects from the meds are too bad for you to deal with talk to your dr about them and he might beable to switch you to a different one. I've had to do this with a few of them.

 

[qtowngirl]

Steve - depends how long you've been on it. When did you start taking them?

Either way valerie's right, if the side effects are intolerable for you talk to your neuro about trying something else. Sometimes it's worth it to stick with a med and see if the effects will lessen, but if they put you in such a place where every day is a struggle then it's not worth it; we have to get as much out of life as possible, rather than just 'going with the flow.'

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

Welcome and im sorry you had to end up in the hospital. Though Keppra made me feel dizzy and out of it for some time. Compared to other medications the initial feeling on Keppra was far more tolerable. But if it becomes to much, I would put the meds on pause. They usually say 4-6 weeks but everyone is different so contact your neuro if you need to and let your body make the decision.

 

[SAF]

Thanks for the replys and info everyone

I have been taking the kepra since May and I guess it is much better now then when I first started taking it. I have been doing a lot of reading on other meds, and it sounds like the best. I think I will stay on it. Especially since I have been seizure free.
Now that I think about it the hospital visit actually helped me, because my doctors take my "passing out" as a real seizure. My primary care physician didn't order any test other then blood work. They kept telling me there was nothing wrong with me.