Hello again everyone,
I'm the man with the friend who was almost talked into having most of her left temporal lobe removed. With the help of the kind people here, and the Internet, I convinced D not to let them do it. They really didn't have the proper test results to make such surgery a good idea. Monday she went to see her neurologist, and the Doc was kinda cold to D. I expected that, but D didn't. What I didn't like was the main neurologist handed D to another neurologist who may not know much about D's case.
Just to remind all of you, D has had seizures 46 yrs, since she was 14. They have varied over the years, but they seem to be complex partial seizures. Usually she gets 4 - 6 a month, unless she's under extra stress. She takes Tegretol, 800 mg a day. She's been on it about 35 years, and who knows if it does much anymore. In the past it was the only drug that helped at all. Up until 5 yrs ago, D drank at least once a week, but she has totally quit. I think this matters.
So this new Doc wants her to take 100 mg of Zonisamide a day. Zonisamide is the generic form of Zonegran. We both believe in taking Name Brand meds whenever possible, but the insurance co are making this harder and harder.
D is always afraid to take a new drug (I can't blame her), but I want her to try this. She's afraid it will make her too sleepy. So I told her to take it late in the day. I even told her to take 1/2 just to see if it knocks her out. In the past, certain other drugs made her so sleepy she stayed in bed all day. That's a problem because she lives alone.
So I want to hear good and bad reports with Zonisamide. Anything anyone can tell me will help.
Thanks.
I'm the man with the friend who was almost talked into having most of her left temporal lobe removed. With the help of the kind people here, and the Internet, I convinced D not to let them do it. They really didn't have the proper test results to make such surgery a good idea. Monday she went to see her neurologist, and the Doc was kinda cold to D. I expected that, but D didn't. What I didn't like was the main neurologist handed D to another neurologist who may not know much about D's case.
Just to remind all of you, D has had seizures 46 yrs, since she was 14. They have varied over the years, but they seem to be complex partial seizures. Usually she gets 4 - 6 a month, unless she's under extra stress. She takes Tegretol, 800 mg a day. She's been on it about 35 years, and who knows if it does much anymore. In the past it was the only drug that helped at all. Up until 5 yrs ago, D drank at least once a week, but she has totally quit. I think this matters.
So this new Doc wants her to take 100 mg of Zonisamide a day. Zonisamide is the generic form of Zonegran. We both believe in taking Name Brand meds whenever possible, but the insurance co are making this harder and harder.
D is always afraid to take a new drug (I can't blame her), but I want her to try this. She's afraid it will make her too sleepy. So I told her to take it late in the day. I even told her to take 1/2 just to see if it knocks her out. In the past, certain other drugs made her so sleepy she stayed in bed all day. That's a problem because she lives alone.
So I want to hear good and bad reports with Zonisamide. Anything anyone can tell me will help.
Thanks.
