Keppra is ruining my marriage

[gymrat827]

keppra worked great for me in regards to seizure control.........Just anger and mood swings were not bearable......For my wife.

Ive talked about going back to a low dose and she already wants to get divorce papers ready cuz shes not going to do another 12-20 month period of me on Keppra.




GL all, good drug aside the sides.

 

[DH47]

Not much good reported about Keppra. My libido has flat lined with all these drugs, anybody else had this problem?

 

[Nakamova]

A lot of the seizure meds seem to have effects on libido, keppra included. Everyone reacts differently of course... Feel free to start a new threads on this topic...

 

[seetseet]

I have been on Keppra since like November, I had a seizure about a week before my wedding in September, I was put on Dilantin. I was lil loopy, but ok for the most part. He switched me to Keppra, generic brand, I couldn't afford the name brand, but he switched me and I started feeling way down about life. That Newton Elementary School shooting happened and that really made me depressed. I haven't been better since. Some days are ok, but I am not my happy go lucky girl I used to be. I went to see him about a month after I started the meds, about a week after the shooting, I am in California, so it was all over the news. I told him that I had been feeling a little down, but also that had happened,he said, so the whole country would be sad and down, right? I brushed it off, and decided to stick with it. Now it is April, I have been in a downward spiral. I am now in this deep dark hole and cannot get out I take what people say so extremely personal I flip out. I have no patience, I am angry upset down I have no sense of humor.
I have been married 7 months now and feel like I have been the worst wife ever, I get upset with everything he does, and he is an amazing man. I am so lucky to have him. I have an amazing family, no kids yet for us, but my Mom and Dad, bros and sisters, are the best, I love my inlaws.... But I seem to not get that. I cry all the time, and when I try to tell myself how great of a life I have, all I can think about are negative bad things...
Yesterday I didn't go to work, I was so upset, just talking with my husband, he said he had to go, and I got upset and blew up because he didn't have enough time for me. What am I talking about, he always makes time for me. But I flipped out and I don't know, just ended up driving around upset, I ended up writing down how I was feeling, and last night my husband read it. He never drives my car, but he did last night for some reason and he read it... He walked in with tear in his eyes and asked me if I was really feeling like that. I wrote that I felt that I didn't want to be here anymore. I wish I would just go to sleep and never wake up, and that would make everybody's lives so much better, I would no longer be anybody's burden. I have never ever in my entire life ever felt any feelings even close to these. I don't know who I am anymore. My husband finally saw what was going on and today, again, having a pathetic sad day, crying, I left work early... My husband made me go to my doctor and tell him. I finally went, I was crying uncontrollably and talked with him. He is a huge Keppra fan, bigtime, but after I talked with him just a little finally he told me to get off.

I went and saw him about a month ago, I had already told him I wanted off of Keppra, but he said I needed to get on something else before I could, so I am now on Dilantin and he told me today I could quit Keppra cold turkey. He said I should start feeling better in a few days. I am praying so deeply praying that it is the medicine and not me. I hope I can be me again. I hope these seizures haven't made me this way...

Hi Bridge, i dont know how you are these days, because i havent read the entire forum yet, but I am starting to think maybe the keppra might be messing with my head too (i have had epilepsy for 6 years and have been prescribed antidepressants heeeeeaps of times) in January i freaked out hardcore went to my gp couldnt even tell him how i felt because i was crying so bad (life felt like it was s*** in everyway possible) i took it that day. Next morning at 1am my niece called me to tell me mum had passed away so i had to fly back to australia, and only had one or two tablets of the antidepressants because everyone said alcohol and meds are a big no-no). I started finally taking antidepressants after taking a day off work (i was on the way to work on the train, lucky i happened to be talking to a mate at the time, because i flipped i couldnt go cos everything was bad bad bad planning suicide etc) annnnnnnnnnnnnd i told my bestest best friend ever and she was like yea that definitely a panic/anxiety attack start taking your meds now!!! She said it wouldnt work straight away probably a week or two- and she was right i am heaps better now. Scary thing is though i am only a month and a half into it, and i can feel it creeping back. Lol so is this keppra or anxiety/panic attacks hahaha maybe just crazy in general good ol' temporal lobe

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[truegrit]

Yes, I have the same issue now that they've increased my dose and added Depakote to the mix.

 

[Topcat]

Keppra WILL mess with your your head Google "Kepprage." Many of us here have had that problem.

I did and told my neurologist. He didn't seem surprised and took me off of it. Talk to your neurologist.

Legal Disclaimer: My opinions: Again talk to your neurologist.

 

[Freda]

My daughter is slowly being weaned off Keppra and having it replaced with lamotrigine. She used to have crying episodes regularly and almost always felt angry, plus she hated everything about herself. She said she never 'felt herself' and that was worse than having the odd seizure but now she's reached the dose of 250mg per day and upped the lamotrigine she feels a whole lot better.

The only thing she noticed with the change was she'd have a headache almost every day - last weekend she had her ear pierced in a part said to be a pressure point for headache relief, she'd read a lot about it and watched YouTube tutorials. Now whether it's a placebo effect or not she hasn't had a headache since, not even after having a focal today when she always ends up with a headache. She can't believe the change and neither can I but I know pressure points exist and just maybe this thing actually works.

 

[seagull]

if it works for you that's all that matters..THE CHINESE used pressure points for thousands of years so billians of Chinese got something right

 

[seetseet]

Hiya anyone reading this out there [emoji4] am on Lamitrogine now (100% off Keppra for just over a month because I was weaned off it) and I am feeling a MILLION times better!!!! I can't believe it, like honestly I am so thankful for all the good things, I find it sooooo much easier to handle problems, I am having fun with my kids and husband, really enjoying life.
I get sad a bit to think that i was on this crud Keppra for 6 years and i didnt realise it was the very thing that was bringing me down.
My husband says he can totally tell the difference too [emoji846]
But it's awesome now, I am actually enjoying life- letting go of harder situations like a feather!
(Hehehe and no I am not currently on any illegal drugs at the moment)
I hope you all go well x best of luck

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[Nakamova]

Finding the right med, is like finding the right key to open a door. I'm glad to hear the lamotrigine has made a difference.

 

[truegrit]

Great to hear that. I remember the difference getting off Neurontin made.

 

[seetseet]

It really is unbelievable, up until now I have "spurts of happiness" is what people feel when they are spiking on ecstasy or cocaine or some other drug. But now I feel normal, settled, easier to comprehend- work through and just be thankful it wasnt this chaos that i have had for over 6 years!
Just a message for anyone who is going through this or has a loved one, family member or a friend:::
I just want you to know that change IS POSSIBLE!!! never give up

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[Topcat]

I'm on Lamictal as well. Fell much better. Of course it has it's side effects. Was supposed to take it in the morning but my neurologist let me "fudge" it a bit after I told him that I can't do anything because usually it knocks me out for 3 hours.
I feel very sleepy and kind of dizzy.
Maybe that's why I sometimes feel chilly (different thread).
I had a hard time getting used to it. I'm a recovered alcoholic and it made me feel drunk. Maybe its the Topamax I'm also on. Are you on anything else (for seizures)?
When I take it before bed I sleep about 3 hours and have a hard time getting back to sleep.
I saw some things about "Kepprage" and even as messed up as I was I knew I had to try something else.
Neurologist switched me no problem.

There is some new drug called Aptiom supposed to cause that sleepy feeling but it just recently came on the market. No generic and expensive.
http://www.aptiom.com/anti-seizure-medication.html

 

[seetseet]

Hi Topcat, wasnt sure if you were asking me about being on something else for seizures or not, but I am not taking anything else. I was only on the keppra plus the lamicital for a couple weeks while they were weaning me off it (the keppra). And i was pretty crazy then too.
To be honest i dont get tired or dizzy from the lamicital. Where as with the keppra i did- i freakin hated it too especially when it was morning because for me it was like being stoned, no amount of coffee would help- but then i ended up getting so used to it at night, that i couldnt get to sleep without it except if i had drunk lots of alcohol- so it was basically impossible for me to forget taking it at night because it felt like i had drunk 6 coffees or redbulls.
The only logic i seem to find from these forums is that everyone gets different side effects because our body/build/brain/stress/immune system/stress handling is all different- as well as all of us having different forms of epilepsy. And i am the guessing the neuros dont know too much more than us- because l i have read and experienced is the "hey take these meds theyll fix you" and if get a seizure again they'll up your meds or add a new one
Bit of a guessing game.... lol i didnt even realise that nocturnal epilepsy EXISTED before i found this forum- and when i suggested it to my neuro after my 3rd seizure his reaction "oh yea, youre right, well then just stop taking your meds in the morning" lol i mean wtf is that?!?!?? So Dr Google IS better than paying for a Neurologist???? [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
If you dont mind me asking- how long ago did you stop drinking? How long/what type of seizures do you have?

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[Michael_M]

I have been taking keppra now for almost 3 years. I know about the mood swings and to be honest, they are a bit of a PITA. I also get my medical care from the VA and right now keppra is all I can get and it DOES control my seizures. I have learned to stay calm when these things happen that cause me to have fits of rage!

 

[Sabbo]

I recall trying Keppra when it was a brand new AED--I couldn't use it. It gave me such severe stomach cramps that I was doubled over in pain. Despite taking 400mg/day each of Topamax & Zonisamide, I still average 1-3 breakthrough complex partials/month. I believe I just had one yesterday either during or after I fished my shower. An area of my back & left shoulder were very sore, and I couldn't recall hurting myself any way.
I've tried nearly every medication out there.

 

[Post-Viral]

I haven’t posted here in a long time, and have recently checked what’s happening. I saw that there was some discussion of Lamictal. I was put on Lamictal after being on a combination of Depakote and Vimpat. I am still on Depakote but my neurologist wanted to supplemental it because I was still getting the occasional seizure, and he wanted to see what could be done to reduce them. The Vimpat was very expensive ($600 per month even with insurance), so we tried Lamictal. Within a couple of weeks my intellect and personality became stunted. I couldn’t figure out a tip on a restaurant check, and things I needed to figure out took much longer than they should have. Regarding my personality, people were asking my wife behind my back, “What’s wrong with your husband?” They said I was mildly Zombie like, and that the “light had gone out of [his] eyes.” I was taken off Lamictal, and put on Trileptal, and things seem to be ok so far. The only caveat is that I must take the Trileptal with food. If I don’t I get severe double vision, extreme exhaustion to the point where I have trouble standing up, and nausea, as long as I eat, even if just a banana or some toast with peanut butter.

 

[Nakamova]

It's amazing how people can react so differently to the same meds!

Glad that Trileptal is helping.

 

[PDS]

I'm new here, but I can say, YES, different meds work totally different for different people. I don't know if it is because technically there are many types of epilepsy and EEGs are not specific to the types (just the waveform) or what.

Most AEDs give me severe side effects, including Keppra which I am on now. I am off my seasonal work for the moment, but I can't see returning with the Keppra side effects. I am lucky I can start in the fall on sick time if I can't change medicines, but will likely need to quit teaching if I can't get side effects under control.

BTW, I am taking magnesium 3x day due to a deficiency caused by acid reflux medications. I don't take those any more, but still need to supplement magnesium.

Post-Viral, interesting about the double-vision, I normally have it and it is much worse on Keppra. I do take my Keppra with food. I would be afraid to take Trileptal because Tegretol (related chemically) causes me to have severe tremors and confusion.

I will agree with other comments, that on some meds, I am like a Zombie. Lyrica and Neurontin put me in a bad state.

 

[Plasticmask]

It's amazing how people can react so differently to the same meds!

Glad that Trileptal is helping.

The way that it was explained to me, is that human brains are exactly like fingerprints. You glance at a fingerprint, and you think, "That's a fingerprint, I'd know it anywhere" but you take a MAGNIFYING GLASS and you see that each fingerprint is different to each individual. And THAT is why our poor neuros can't just give us one pill and make ALL of us better. They have to actually EXPERIMENT on each of us exactly like we're guinea pigs, until they can get the right drug or combination thereof, to help us. Because we are all individually different.
Keppra nearly destroyed MY marriage as well, along with my relationships with every human being I met, online and in person. At first, the neuro told me to give it time, that I would adjust to the medication's side-effects of the Kepprage but after two years I BEGGED him to take me off of it. He FINALLY did, and it made a UNIVERSE of difference. I no longer fly off the handle at little things (or for no reason at all) and life is quite a bit easier in that regard. Honestly. Hope that this helps in some small way.