Weighing out the benefits vs side effects of Keppra

[s10sleeper]

I have been on Keppra for awhile now, I believe back in 2008 may have been when I was put on it. Up until recently I never realized how much it caused memory trouble for me. What happened was that I ran out of medication on a Friday and could not get home in time to catch the pharmacy, who closes for the weekend.

Rather than go to the ER due to lack of money, I went ahead and waited it out. My seizures were way worse, started happening during the day, sometimes twice a day, but I was actually able to remember things I hadn't in awhile, especially during those years on it. I got the medication back in me and the seizures went down immediately, however, the side effects are back again, having trouble remembering words and general memories, which is a problem as I am trying to start a business out of my home and if I cannot remember what I learned in accounting will have alot of trouble.

The doctor told me that they may taper me down some on the Keppra, and they want to ween me off of Depakote in order to put me on Vimpat. I sure hope tapering down the Keppra helps without anymore troubles, I think I injured myself twice falling in that time without it, twisted a muscle once in my side and not sure if I broke my wrist or what when I was trying to sit on the floor and fell on it during my seizure. Can't get into a doctor here for 2 more weeks though.

Hopefully I can tough it out though, gotta finish up painting and repairing my office, got real lucky when my Dell laptop crashed on me too many times, finally the corporate office decided to replace it with a newer model, so at least there is some luck there.

 

[stilldancing_98]

kreepy, but I know how you feel. Keppra helps my g-mals but if its not just right I swell up and I am moody and I'm just a mess.Depakote works for me but makes me to fat so I won't go on it any more. And Vimpat makes me faint.Help!I did taper down the keppra durring the day so I would not be so tired. Good luck on this.My whole life has to change. Diet, attitute, meds.I thinks this will help.

 

[acpollard2010]

im on both along with many others vimpat just started and scares the crap out of me!been on keppra for yrs gets me into arguments that aren't necesary with my wife and terrible memory loss thought it was from hitting my head a million times but can't go without it even though i still have multiple seizures a day!

 

[valeriedl]

I don't know if you could look into changing pharmacys. Were I live there are several different ones that open at 9 and close at 9, they are open on the weekends too. I try to make sure I refill my meds at least a week before I'm going to run out of them. Try looking to see when you are going to be out of them and write down on the calander when to get them filled so you won't forget.

I have alot of memory problems too. I don't know if it's from the keppra, having epilepsy or both. I have a good bit of problems remembering simple words too. I'll be talking to someone about something and say "You know that furry thing that runs around the house", meaning the cat. Things like this happen alot.

Some meds can work differently for different people. Hopefully changing them will work good for you.

 

[ldotlady1]

what is vimpat?

 

[ldotlady1]

my son is 22, he has been on many different meds since being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 12, they just increased his kepra dosage and since he has been having more seizures, but I've never heard of vimpat

 

[acpollard2010]

its a new drug i have been on it for about a month in a half not noticing any differences besides dont like the way it makes me feal but most pills are like that and depends on what type of epilepsy he has.

 

[momof3boys]

A year ago after having a VEEG, my dr tried me on Vimpat along with the keppra. But it made me feel really depressed and I wasnt myself at all. I remember not even wanting to be around people, and crying, feeling down all the time. It got so bad, that I called the drs office to tell them about it. I didnt know what was going on. I was on 100mgs twice a day at the time, along with the Keppra. They told me to go down to 50mgs twice a day for a week and give them a call to see if my moods had changed. Things didnt change and my dr took me off of Vimpat. After getting off, I found within days I was getting back to my old self again. I hated feeling that way. Just an awful feeling. After trying the Vimpat, my dr wanted to wean me off of Keppra, and try to get me on Lamictal. My original dose of Keppra was 3000mgs a day, and my dr was taking me down slowly, 250mgs each week. As I weaned myself off, I noticed a tingling sensation would come on very often during the days. My foot would get it the worst. It felt like it was going to sleep and would last hours. It drove me nuts. During my VEEG, I had the same thing happen in the beginning with my seizures, I would get a tingling feeling in my left foot and left hand that would work its way up my entire body. By the time I got down to 2500mgs of Keppra, and two weeks into the Lamictal, I found out I was having an allergic reaction to the Lamictal. I was taken off of that and my dr felt it was ok to leave me on the 2500mgs of Keppra. I went for a month feeling that way. Then I saw the dr again and this time I asked if I can be put back to the 3000mgs of Keppra. They agreed, and all that tingling and feeling weird went away within a matter of days. So I truely beleive it was my body's way of saying I needed more Keppra to control the seizure warnings.

 

[seizingbeauty]

I just had my keppra dose amped up, now I'm having nightmares and trouble with my lack of appetite.

 

[seizing more]

ya, i had my keppra dose doubled last month from 1,000mgs to 2,000, next time i go back and see my doc he will up it again as i'm still seizing, keppra isn't fun, i am dizzy, well dizzier than i normally am and i'm loosing weight from lack of appetite, also i feel like i am bouncing off the walls when i walk sometimes, must be a balance thing, not sure about the memory issues, could be the seizures or the meds

 

[valeriedl]

ya, i had my keppra dose doubled last month from 1,000mgs to 2,000, next time i go back and see my doc he will up it again as i'm still seizing, keppra isn't fun, i am dizzy, well dizzier than i normally am and i'm loosing weight from lack of appetite, also i feel like i am bouncing off the walls when i walk sometimes, must be a balance thing, not sure about the memory issues, could be the seizures or the meds

I have problems with blurry/double vision. My neuro said that it is a side effect of one of the medicines on but I don't think he said which one. Keppra is one of the meds that I take so I don't know if that's the one that causes it or not.

 

[stilldancing_98]

Valeried, all those meds are the same as mine except lamictal. I was on that but it just caused me to have more myoclonic seizures. But all these meds just put me in a bad mood if I get a cold I'm out. I don't even want to go to the doctor right now.I wish they would start all over on me.

 

[Nick92]

I am currently weaning off Keppra because I was prescribed Lamictal by my Neurologist. For a few months I took them both (Lamictal 150mg, Keppra 500mg 2x daily) and I have had odd side effects, and other problems such as depression and anxiety amplify by one-hundred. I have noticed that as I wean off the Keppra that I am having even more problems such as sadness, depression, anxiety, weakness, dizziness, lack of memory, to name a few. I find myself sleeping alot and I have horrible sensitivity to light, and terrible non-sensical dreams... I am new to these medications and to Epilepsy because I was diagnosed in late January after a few seizures, and an MRI that revealed Temporal Lobe scar tissue. Has anyone else had these symptoms while weaning off Keppra and while taking Lamictal? It is really getting in the way of my life. :/

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Nick --

At least some of those side effects may be related to the transition process itself -- often it can take being at a stable med and dosage for at least 2 to 3 weeks before the body adjusts and side effects even out. Lamictal is known to cause dizziness, vivid dreams and restless sleep, so I would suspect that as the culprit for those particular side effects. (In my case, those side effects went away after I was on the Lamictal for a few months). For some, Lamictal can also affect mood. If you find that things don't improve once your med situation is stable, or if things become intolerable before then, let your neurologist know.