just wondering?
- Thread starter bazpa
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Bluesbrkr
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Haven't done it, but thought about it often.... looking down at those meds... it can get pretty depressing. And the side effects... soooo tired of them. I'm exhausted all day, difficulty sleeping, get dizzy from time to time, can't focus well or keep track of crap... and all the other lovely ones we all know about.
I'm so sick I of it all. I get those "why do I get to have this on top of everything else life throws at us in general. We have our up and down days, but it's always there. I've stopped other meds (anxiety, ADD) off and on because of side effects, but it has usually not been a good experience. Problem I have with the seizure meds is if I miss even a dose, I start having breakthrough seizures several times a day.
I think stopping the meds is probably not a good idea. Especially with having to maintain serum levels and the side effects of not only issues with epilepsy symptoms coming back, but also withdrawal and then having to build back up.
I totally hear you, it gets so hard sometimes. but, I tell myself I just have to suck it up and deal with it, and that's just how it's gonna be the rest of my life. And as always, it could be ALOT worse. there are plenty of other diseases that would be torture to have to live with.
Good luck! Keep your chin up!
I'm so sick I of it all. I get those "why do I get to have this on top of everything else life throws at us in general. We have our up and down days, but it's always there. I've stopped other meds (anxiety, ADD) off and on because of side effects, but it has usually not been a good experience. Problem I have with the seizure meds is if I miss even a dose, I start having breakthrough seizures several times a day.
I think stopping the meds is probably not a good idea. Especially with having to maintain serum levels and the side effects of not only issues with epilepsy symptoms coming back, but also withdrawal and then having to build back up.
I totally hear you, it gets so hard sometimes. but, I tell myself I just have to suck it up and deal with it, and that's just how it's gonna be the rest of my life. And as always, it could be ALOT worse. there are plenty of other diseases that would be torture to have to live with.
Good luck! Keep your chin up!
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Stopping meds cold turkey = a bad idea (because it can CAUSE seizures.)
That said, I have slightly lowered my dose on my own, without getting my neurologist's approval first. I made the decision while being fully aware of any risks, and I proceeded with extreme caution -- going verrrrrry slowly and in tiny, tiny increments.
That said, I have slightly lowered my dose on my own, without getting my neurologist's approval first. I made the decision while being fully aware of any risks, and I proceeded with extreme caution -- going verrrrrry slowly and in tiny, tiny increments.
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Hey,
I've never stopped taking meds due to frustration with doctors etc... However from the age of about 13 my parents didn't watch me take my pills anymore, so I never took the night ones - stupid, seeing as they are probably more important. Only taking half the medication I should was more of a "teenager rejecting the idea of having epilepsy" thing rather than being angry at the people who are supposed to help me, such as doctors. it was too easy just to say that I had already taken them...
I've never stopped taking meds due to frustration with doctors etc... However from the age of about 13 my parents didn't watch me take my pills anymore, so I never took the night ones - stupid, seeing as they are probably more important. Only taking half the medication I should was more of a "teenager rejecting the idea of having epilepsy" thing rather than being angry at the people who are supposed to help me, such as doctors. it was too easy just to say that I had already taken them...
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Oh yeah, and what happened was about 9 years of seizures (particularly after drinking and not sleeping) which could easily have been avoided. It's been 5 years since my last, and because of lifestyle changes and finally accepting that I have an illness which can be controlled by taking medication TWICE a day, I'm now at the stage where I have reduced one of my meds by 40% so far. Don't do anything hasty!
Dear Bazpa,in reading your posts I have felt a connection with you.I am a single mom of 8 with 3 little ones still at home and 2 more that bounce back and cause me alot of stress-Ive lost most income,house was in foreclosure and usually have had no support system.After my VEEG where I was off meds the end of July,I came home and said screw it-I had lots of canning to do and my house was a disaster and we had fleas again and I was tired of being tired from the meds and just wanted to enjoy the rest of the summer working in the flower beds with a few beers which I had given up 3 yrs ago.I will tell you it was nice the first 2 wks but it progressively got to the point where I was so tired of the constant auras and the partials and the feelings that i was not normal in the head that I started back up on my meds.I have left temporal lobe seizures and the constant feeling that i was not responding normally to any given situation in addition to the weird emotional feelings and the panic and anxiety that I began to encounter.Each day seemed worse than the previous and I will take the side effects of trileptal and zonergran over what my mental state was becoming .I will say that my med side effects were never that debilitating though and I did notice my memory seemed a bit clearer
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I havnt ever stopped my medication before, but when my previous dr raised my keppra from 3000mgs to 4000mgs and I was having break through seizures, feeling really tired, bad headaches, just wasnt myself at all... I finally said enough was enough! After leaving two voicemails for the dr, and recieving no call back, I went back to the 3000mgs of Keppra. Didnt cause me any harm, but after doing that, the seizures stopped, and my energy went up alittle. I got into my drs office within the next few days, and it turned out my body couldnt handle that much medication. So it was causing the symptoms and break through seizures.