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bggirl

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Hello,

I am in my mid 40's 15 year ago I had three grandmal seizures, all three where while I was driving, crashed in to people's houses, broke bones, and total all three cars. I was put on tegratol and was seizure free for 5 years, then went off it and was seizure free for 10 years. 7 months ago they came back, I have now had 5 in the last seven months that we know about. I have had all the tests, and there is no underlying issue that they can find. I have been on Depakotexr since the first seizure, we have increased the dosage twice. Two months ago they added Lorazepam, that knocked me for a loop, I couldn't tolerate it. Last week I had my 5th seizure. The doc said, "I am not sure depakote is working" Ya think? I am now slowing going up on lamictal xr and once I am on a good level they will take me off the Depakotexr. I am terrified can you really take two of thes drugs at the same time. I keep telling myself they doc wouldn't have given it to me. I do really trust my doc, he is a great neurologist. Not only am I scared about this but what if they can't find a drug that takes them away? I finally have a fabulous job and they asked me to get a note from my doc that says I am okay to return to my duties and that I my meds won't interfer with my job. Can they really ask me to do that? I am terrified, any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
bggirl
 
bggirl said:
I am terrified can you really take two of thes drugs at the same time. I keep telling myself they doc wouldn't have given it to me. I do really trust my doc, he is a great neurologist. Not only am I scared about this but what if they can't find a drug that takes them away? Can they really ask me to do that?
Click to expand...

Welcome,

Sorry to hear of your accident. Having seizures is very scary at times. I've had my share of accidents, but only one car accident. I totaled my car back in December. I'm now taking three meds at once and have the Vagus Nerve Stimulator, also. I had brain surgery, too. I've been on 12 different meds, and still have seizures, most of them are CP, so unfortunately, some of us are in that 20% that nothing works. So if you're only taking one medication right now, then you still have plenty to work with. There are many new meds that may work better for you than Depakote or Lamictal. Or maybe just a change in the dosage. Good luck.
 
Thank you for sharing Cint. I have to keep thinking they will find a good combo that will work and there are still so many meds out there that will work. bg girl
 
Hi bggirl, welcome!

It's normal to slowly ramp up on one med before just as slowly tapering down on the other. It's done this way to provide a safety margin (in terms of seizure control) while the transition is going on. That said, there is an interaction between Depakote and Lamictal that your neurologist should be aware of: The presence of Depakote can almost double the concentration of Lamictal in your blood, so, to compensate, the Lamictal dose needs to be lower-than-normal until the Depakote is out of your system. Then, once the Depakote is no longer present, the Lamictal can be increased to normal levels. If your neurologist hasn't discussed this with you, or told you what symptoms/side effects to look out for while the transition is going on, then you may want to give him a call in order make sure everything is very clear.

Best,
Nakamova
 
bggirl said:
Hello,

I have been on Depakotexr since the first seizure, we have increased the dosage twice. Two months ago they added Lorazepam, that knocked me for a loop, I couldn't tolerate it. Last week I had my 5th seizure. The doc said, "I am not sure depakote is working" Ya think? I am now slowing going up on lamictal xr and once I am on a good level they will take me off the Depakotexr. I am terrified can you really take two of thes drugs at the same time.
bggirl
Click to expand...

I take 4 differen't meds - Depakote, Tegretol XR, Keppra and Lamictal.

I've had epilepsy for almost 10 years now and it took a good while before the neuro found a combo that works for me. Some the side effects were too bad that I coldn't tolerate and others just didn't work. I'm still having seizures but there aren't as many and they aren't as bad.

It's scarry to have to mess around with your meds, I know. Sometimes you just have to wait it out to find what works.
 
Welcome,

I can not remember if I was ever on either of those meds.

It has always taken a combo to have better seizure control. The best combo for me is Dilantin and Clonazepam.

We all react diff. the the diff. meds.
 
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Hi BGGirl and welcome. I was wondering if you are premenopausal? I experienced a return of seizures at about that age and was helped by adding low dose progesterone to my seizure medication (phenobarbital) that really helped. You may want to keep a calendar showing your period/seizure activity. Your neurologist may want to contact your ob/gyne if he thinks this may be helpful.

MaryK
 
thank you and...

Hi Mary K,

We have been looking at that and they do not seem to follow any pattern and my blood test show normal levels of protest. Although the doc is not ruling it out either.
Thanks for the advice bggirl
 
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