Vimpat, need feedback

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Ruth

Ruth

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Hi Everyone,

I have a new neurologist. Today she gave me a prescription for Vimpat.
My epilepsy is not under control.

I would like to know how each of you have responded to it. Good or Bad!! I want to know what I am getting into. Would you please tell me?

Ruth
 
Hi Ruth
I've been taking Vimpat for several years now with no big side effects after my Dr. figured out the right dosage. I take 100mg. twice a day whenever I started on it he worked me up to 150mg twice a day and that made me really dizzy.
I also take 2100mg of trileptol and 2500mg of Keppra daily and I'm still not controled. i'm looking for a different doctor now.
I wish you the best of luck.
 
Everyone is different but...
for me vimpat was the worst. I immediately had nausea, vomiting, depression and had 33 seizures the 2.5 weeks I was on it. It was added as a supplement to keppra.
 
Thank you very much Nakamova, I looked up Vimpat fyi and found out that it has to be taken at certain hours. Like, if you take the morning dose at 9 a.m, then you take the night time medicine at 9 p.m.

I will look up the other threads, now. I have also found out that it is an adjunct to Keppra. I am on Keppra. She is going to decrease my Neurontin very slowly.
 
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Vimpat caused severe insomnia and suicidal thoughts in me as well as a bit of dizziness, it was also as an adjunct to Keppra.

I was on it for three months and had missed two months of work before my doctor agreed it was the Vimpat causing the problems.
 
I am on Keppra, as well. I already have insomnia. I only sleep 4 hours a night and I take a nap in the afternoon.

I am sorry that you went through all of that before your doctor realized that it was the Vimpat. Your neurologist should have saw it right away and taken you off.

Some of the meds for E causes suicidal thought. My husband looked Vimpat on the internet and found that out. For instance, it is a controlled subtance. He did not give me the links, but I plan on asking him what websites he went too. I will pass them on to everyone.

I need to know what everyone has been going through, so I will know what to expect. I have also learned from CWE how others have made it work.

Neurologists do not tell you anything about a medicine that they are putting you on. We have to do our own research.

My husband looked up the chemical name, Lacosamide. He found out that it is a controlled substance. It is also for diabetic neuropathy. That sounds to me that it is for pain. It was approved by the FDA in 2008. Here is the link:

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacosamide
 
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Last evening, I read the fine print to find out the side effects.

One of them was not to take it if you have heart problems. I have a heart flutter sometimes and I do not want it to get any worse. After I took my second dose last evening after the 12 hours, my heart started racing.

I called my neurologist and she said to get right off of it. I had not taken any today.

Vimpat also causes falling down (ataxia). I all ready have that problem.

Just to let you know that I cannot take it.

Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.
 
ruth,i was on vimpat made me even more depressed and contemplating suicide and had multiple seizures in clusters almost went into full status a couple times got no sleep and had to fight with dr to get off of it to say the least no longer see him and i too was already on keppra to name a few others wont bore u with those that's my terrible experience didn't even include side effects:(
 
You would never bore me with your experiences.

How much were you on? Was it hard getting off of it after that long a period of time?

I have had status two times. I read that is one of the problems with Vimpat. It is also very expensive.

I called my doctor and she agreed that I should get off of it. I am glad that she listened to me. So many neurologists think that they are above us. My new neurologist does not feel that way.
 
i wasnt on it too long cause of the way it made me feel once he told me no i know were not suppose to do stuff on our own but i weaned myself off 200mg.i was already taking phenobarbital,lamictal,keppra,topamax which ihate keppra hate it too and ativan and celexa for depression
 
I am taking enough meds too. I am on Keppra, Lamictal, ativan, clonazepam and Lamictal. I did not know that ativan is for depression!!

Thank you!! I have depression.
 
acpollard2010 said:
i wasnt on it too long cause of the way it made me feel once he told me no i know were not suppose to do stuff on our own but i weaned myself off 200mg.i was already taking phenobarbital,lamictal,keppra,topamax which ihate keppra hate it too and ativan and celexa for depression
Click to expand...

Did I misunderstand, when you said that you take ativan and celexa for depression?

I take ativan prn, too.
 
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