My journey with Vimpat

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The medications actually created a food allergy for me. So no more oranges, tangerines, or grapefruits. Lemons and limes are safe. It has taken me a while to learn to read ingredients on everything due to the fact that I never had a food allergy. It is a very sensitive allergy so even the slightest amount causes a reaction.
The worst is that oranges are in one of my favorite items. A-1 steak sauce!! Who knew?!?
 
Vimpat

Thanks Steve,

I know this will really help me out too. Unfortunately for me I need to go through the appeals process with United Healthcare to see if I can actully take it first. Got the 14 day sample packet from the neuro on thursday was planning to start it on Sunday. Went to the pharmacy today after work to see if the stocked it or to see if they would need to order it in for me cost all of that and it turns out not in the insurance formulare.... uggh..... Went home called Insurance company asked questions found out the appeals process can take 14-30 days. Oh and the cash price for this med? $785.00 a month. I definitly can not afford that. I think my neuro will need to rethink his drug decision even with the savings plan from big pharma if insurance will not approve.

Tina
 
Tina that is not uncommon and i hope the doc can write it up for you so you can get it.
 
wow, really one the food allergy,


I am starting it now, still on the starter pack. past few days have been rough, several grand mals.
 
Yes, Hopefully the appeals process will go by smoothly. I have a good relationship with nuero and his staff for the most part just don't want to start the starter pack unless I know I won't have an unlimited supply line and I can afford the copay on the drug even with the insurance and the loyalty plan from Vimpat. Just curious How much everyone is paying out of pocket copays monthly out of pocket for the Vimpat and if you go to a regular pharmacy or mail order and have it delivered I have the option for both. I am already on 1500 mgs Keppra 2x daily, 200mgs topamax daily, 10mgs lisinopril 1x daily.He was planning to cancel the keppra and just go with the topamax and the vimpat but after the last EEG which I had last week which showed several generalized seizure discharges he decided not to. I was happy I got the results of the EEG I never had anything show up before if you can belive that! Haha this was my 4th one. I made sure to schedule this one during my period sure enough they were able to capture some activity lucky I guess. Every other time it was like a week later after a seizure too late. Guess what people they only happen then! Seize the day....oh my what a bad joke....I just relized now well they tell people to laugh and lighten up..... : )

Tina
 
$6.36 copay reg pham
united healthcare with medicare plan D and an extra pay package
 
The Vimpat Experience

Personally of the arsenal of drugs that I am presently on, I think Vimpat has made the other players into a fairly successful team. I wish I could reduce one of the others but that is always a recipe for disaster. I live up in Canada but when the neurologist up here perfused to prescribe it I took my body with brain attached down to the US and I have been taking it for about 2 years now. I am happy when other people have success. I take Keppra as well and and never experienced the "KEPPRAGE"....
Good Luck with Vimpat.
:clap:
 
mania, talking to myself and insomia. making me feel more emotional. we will see how it goes. could be placebo i hope so
still in the starter pack. we will see how i fell on the full dose.
 
I was on tegretol, vimpat and keppra at one point and had no issues with mood. Then we decided to try vimpat monotherapy with a higher vimpat dose, but on vimpat alone even before the I started the dose increase my mood was very down. I decided to stick it out at this same level before I started the increases but after a couple of weeks decided no way. Odd that when I was on all three I did not have this mood issue. Either the tegretol or keppra (or both) must have been counterbalancing this negative effect of vimpat for me. I'm on completely different seizure medications now so never had the opportunity to experiment to determine which of the tegretol or keppra was helping with mood.
 
Ok So everyone got the Vimpat Approved by the insurance with no trouble yay! On day 4 of the ramp up on the 50mg so far so good along with my keppra 1500mgs 2x daily, topamax 200mgs daily, next week onto the 100mgs! Insurance was going to make me go through the apeals process but the doctor proved otherwise after the last EEG results thankfully. I am feeling more normal than I have since I have since I have been prescribed the Topamax thats for sure.... I feel like a normal person again. Funny right? Well almost a normal person. I was really dreading going on another medication too. especially after the ramp onto the topamax was so terrible. OMG I was so high....hahaha my poor co-workers.....
Tina
 
I am kind of new to lamectal and i know not of vimpat. ???
 
Vimpat and I didn't get along. It was my first ant-E and I was on it only. I felt like I was in another world. I was dizzy all the time. Even while lying down. I had triple vision and lots of other SE. Of As I listen to others talk about how much they were on though I realize once again how fast my old neuro took me up on it (200mgs am and pm in 2 weeks).
 
Penny said:
Vimpat and I didn't get along.
Click to expand...

:agree:

vimpat was hell for me. tried it once in 2012 after VEEG stay and took myself off after 10 days, even told my epi.
she asked again to try it as a 'bridge until i had surgery' and i gave it another go. a few times a week i'd shut down, head was beyond fuzzy and i couldn't walk straight. walking into a wall was enough for me, so without saying anything after surg (had to ramp down for 60 days), i lowered my own dose. for the last 30 days i was on 50mg before bed, was all i could handle. didn't tell her, and it did nothing to me, no withdrawal or seizures or anything. been on four E. meds, and that's the only one i hate.
 
Its good to hear what works and what does not work for everyone after all thats what this forum is for after all. So far it seems to be working for me as far as I can tell will start to take the 100mgs tabs tomorrow for next week and after that to the 150's as doctor has precsribed I should be already be on that but was waiting to see what co-pay was going to be so waited for two weeks for them to actully get the drug in at the pharmacy. Its not one they stock although it is one they will put in special rotation for me now at my local CVS. Tina
 
I tried vimpat in addition to my keppra several years ago. I don't remember all the details of the problems I had with it, but my body didn't like vimpat at all!
 
So started the 100mgs this week and lo and behold the itching has begun no rash or hives though placebo effect maybe??? stress? It is the week of my period I am gonna wait it out and see since this is the week I am most likely to have a seizure. In the meantime Aveno baths and the itching is not too bad just slightly annoying. Tina
 
masterjen said:
I know this thread is old, but curious how is everyone doing on Vimpat. Some of you have now been on it close to 3 years now; I just started it 6 months ago as an add-on. Am only at half dose (200mg), and I'm encouraged by the improvement I'm getting so far.
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I've been taking Vimpat longer than a 3 year period. My dosage is 200 milligram a day (100 in morning/100 at night) We did attempt to do an increase 6 to 8 months in however my reaction was not pretty so the amount went back to the original settings and has stayed there. I've been doing just fine since. Let me ask you this, when you say you're at a half dose, is that similar to what I spoke of in my comments?
 
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