muscle twitches, upping depakote

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helpinghands

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Hi everyone,
I've had epilepsy since I was 11 and after going through some different medications, I finally found that depakote worked to control my seizures. (I have juvenille myclonic). I've been doing great on this for about 12 years now, but recently I've been finding that I have very small muscle twitches and jerks, nothing that really bothers me, and nothing that even feels like a seizure is coming on, but nonetheless I let my neurologist know and his first inclination was to up my dosage levels on Depakote. However, this is all over the phone and I can't even see him til July...crazy!

Have any of you heard of this suddenly happening, where you have to change medications after such a long period of time? And I'm also wary to up the Depakote because I've had such a hard time with the weight gain and I'm worried that upping the dose will have an affect on making it even harder to lose weight again.

Thanks everyone!
 
Hi helpinghands, welcome to CWE!

Epilepsy is weird and unpredictable. It's not unusual for symptoms to change, in part because we change -- through age, or in response to our environment. The new twitches and jerks could be a sign that your metabolism has increased, and your meds are cycling faster through your system. Or perhaps your brain is just jumpier because other brain chemicals are changing.

Before upping your Depakote, you might want to try taking a magnesium supplement to see if it helps. Magnesium plays a major role in preventing and relieving all sorts of muscle tensions -- jerks, twitches, cramps, even high blood pressure (the heart is a muscle too!).

Best,
Nakamova
 
Hi there, helpinghands! Welcome to CWE!

I started having twitchs and jerks after almost 19 years on some variation of Tegretol. After I had a tonic-clonic (grand mal) in October, the twitches and jerks started and didn't stop. I've since transitioned to Keppra and am still experiencing them somewhat, but not as frequently. We're thinking about upping my dose after I've been on Keppra for a while, just to make sure it's working before we fiddle with it.

As, Nakamova said, epilepsy is an unpredictable beast. You never really know how things might change. But it's good that you're in contact with your neurologist and staying on top if it. Maybe take note of things as they happen. My doctor has told me to keep a journal of some kind, as seizures can change over time.
 
I was taking just 1/8 of magnesium at bedtime. I stopped 2 nights ago, since I change my meds. time to 10:00AM and PM.

the next day I notice the twitching started back, very mild.
 
I get twitches and jerks too, usually my toes, fingers or leg or arms. This is during the day & it used to happen at night. Hasn't lately so don't know what's going on but I wonder about them
 
Thanks so much for your feedback, everyone! Because I'd been feeling nervous about having a seizure and haven t heard from my doctor, I set ahead and have taken the extra dose the last couple days. I'd be curious to try the Magnesium though. How much would you recommend taking in the beginning? Do u just get it at the drug store?
 
I got mine at Kroger, I tried 1 whole tablet the 1st. nite, but that felt me feeling drugged the next day. then I try 1/2 tablet, I kept reducing until I found what worked for me.
 
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