Lamotrigine vs keppra

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reluctantepileptic

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This is my first posting in a forum ever! And I'm only 50 something :-). I have been having what looks most likely to be complex partial seizures for 10 years, which began after a series of heart arrests. The longest of these heart arrests lasted 60 seconds so I had a cardiac pacemaker inserted. But it was only the beginning of blackouts/seizures and a whole new life of dependency and unpredictability.
I'm on my fifth AED now (trying to slowly come off Lamotrigine now that my Keppra dose is at 2000mg/day. But I seem worse off than before. Very pronounced side effects of tiredness, inability to concentrate and moodiness, plus less seizure control. Anyone else have comparative experience of these two drugs?
Thanks!
 
I haven't had the Lamotrigine but every time my Keppra dosage increases I get VERY tired and sluggish, and sometimes emotional (there have been a few days where I felt downright depressed). But it all passes after a few weeks.


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Lamotrigine has given me insomnia, and at times it was severe - as in only three hours of seep for weeks at a time. Benadryl class drugs have helped in the short term but only time has improved sleep to a tolerable level although some days it's only a few hours and not restful.

I noped out of Keppra after a severe headache that caused a heart rhythm problem that required and emergency room visit. Currently under clonazepam and lamotrigine with the plan to reduce both and phase in Tegretol as a replabement.
 
I'm on Keppra and Lamotrigine. I can't say I've had side effects from either (not even sleepiness). I've been on 3000mg of Keppra (max dose) since last October and I was still having seizures (primary generalized in my case). When I went into an epilepsy monitoring unit for a week, they actually bumped up my Lamictal because they saw so much seizure activity. As of yesterday, I'm now on max dose of Lamictal according to FDA guidelines (in addition to the Keppra). My seizures have been weakly controlled by both medications, and soon I will be a VNS candidate. I've found that keeping a diary of my seizures is a real asset. So far it's made an invaluable asset and my doctor complemented me for it. I would highly recommend it.
 
I have a VNS, it works well. I was still having seizures with it when i was moving around what sleeping drug i was taking, but after, things stopped.
 
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