Starting trileptal monday........

[rory]

Hi, I'm being switched from keppra to trileptal, i cannot wait because i find the keppra intolerable now and am so happy to be coming off it. But i am a little scared to go on a new drug, I'm preparing to be zombie like for a couple of weeks. Anyone out there on it tell me about side effects to expect. Also i have been told to get a medic alert bracelet stating I'm on it as it has serious drug interactions and i take a lot of other crap and god forbid i end up in A + E unconscious or something. so i have one ordered, but was anyone else told that?
I read somewhere that it drastically reduces tolerance to alcohol, is this true? I'm not a drinker really, after one glass of wine i get real tipsy but i do enjoy being able to have the odd glass or a whiskey( i pretty much quit drinking after my diagnosis last year but do like to indulge every few weeks) can anyone tell me about this.
i feel positive about trileptal and hope its the one for me, i did some reading on the various aeds and was hoping they would try this or zonisamide or topamax which my brother takes for migraine prophylaxis and has never had a side effect, some people are lucky, i tend to get side effects and then some, or am ridiculously sensitive to some drugs or not affect at all by others, my body doesnt like to play by the rules im afraid.
one last thing, i read that trileptal can help with tinnitus which i have in my left ear just under my defective temporal lobe, anyone have any experience with this??????????

 

[Silat]

I wound up being allergic to Trileptal, so I can't really comment on how effective it is...

It is pretty reactive to other medications, so the medic alert bracelet is probably just a precaution. It is better to be safe than sorry though, so it's never a bad idea to have one.

That said, I can say that all anti-convulsants are not good to mix with alcohol. They both work in similar ways, as in the both suppress the nervous system. That in itself can be bad, but it's typically after the initial drinking that things get bad. Your body goes from an extremely suppressed state to an slightly suppressed state as the alcohol is removed by your body. This change in nerve functioning can cause seizures. It also leaves your body depleted of B vitamins and electolytes, which can also trigger seizures.

Generally, it's best to stay away from alcohol as much as you can for those reasons.

 

[rory]

thanks man, I've never had it explained to me like that, and honestly have never done any research into it, it makes sense. I guess I'll have to knock drinking on the head altogether, its no harm i suppose. Epilepsy really made me take more notice of my general health and what i should do, its just a pity it took till last year to get my diagnosis

 

[Cint]

Trileptal can also cause hyponatremia (sodium loss). I took it for a while and had to be taken off for this reason. As Silat said, it is not a good idea to mix any AEDs with alcohol as there are side effects to all. Also, some of the meds can suppress the electrolytes.

 

[Nakamova]

I think when it doubt, it's safest to avoid alcohol altogether when you are also taking anti-epileptic medication, especially if you are new to the med. That said, everyone's reactions are different. I take Lamictal, and I have no problem having a few beers, or glasses of wine, or cocktails (not all three together of course ) . I don't make a habit of it, but I suffer no ill effects when I do.