Which AEDs give you the worst side effects?

Which AEDs gave you the worst side effects?

  • Depakote / Valproate/Valproic Acid/Divalproex Sodium

    Votes: 108 25.4%
  • Dilantin / Phenytoin

    Votes: 84 19.8%
  • Keppra / Levetiracetam

    Votes: 133 31.3%
  • Lamictal / Lamotrigine

    Votes: 81 19.1%
  • Neurontin / Gabapentin

    Votes: 30 7.1%
  • Phenobarbital

    Votes: 41 9.6%
  • Tegretol / Carbamazepine

    Votes: 78 18.4%
  • Topamax / Topiramate

    Votes: 79 18.6%
  • Trileptal / Oxcarbazepine

    Votes: 37 8.7%
  • Zonegran / Zonisamide

    Votes: 35 8.2%

  • Total voters
    425

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I am on only VimPat. I was on Keppra which was very bad for my attitude. I was aggressive and mean on Keppra. Now I am just confused and forgetful. I think it must be an individual thing. I have to remind myself to be "self policing" about side effects.

Thanks everyone here, this is a helpful forum.
 
Depakote made me gain. Topamax made me so dopey my husband calls it dopamax. Banzel made me straight edge crazy.

I'm on heavy doses of keppra, vimpat and zonegran now. I mostly fight off sleepy when I can remember what day it is, if I'm not busy worrying about who is following me. Ugh.
Loved carbatrol and lamictal, but after a few years they stopped loving me back.
 
I've only been on a few different AEDs but Tegretol was by far the worst for side effects.
-Excessive bruising
-Disorientation
-Dizziness and general clumsiness
-Trouble with blood clotting, found that one out the hard way after getting two cartilage piercings and trying in vain to stop the bleeding for over an hour.
-Feeling like everything was moving in slow motion
-Severe headaches

Has anyone found that they get shortness of breath on either Lamactal or Tegretol? I'm trying to work out if the meds are causing it or not.
 
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I voted Tegretol (Carbamazepine) but it was actually Tegretol with Epilim (Sodium Valporate)
 
I've only been on Lamictal and valproate, but valproate was terrible. I gained weight, was lethargic, grew body hair in places I'd never had it before, and was scared by the risk of PCOS.
 
I really wonder is Depakote doesn't just slowly sterilize people. I'm infertile and have been to the best hospital's in the country. They can't find a cause. But I've been on AED's for 28 years now.
 
Dilantin made me lose vision and equilibrium for a while. And I'm starting to feel tingly I've been on my tablet too long. Talk later
 
Keppra (still on it) makes me irritable.
Depakaote, made my hair fall out and lost weight.
Zonegran, made me really lose weight, looked like a skeleton
Topamax, made me STUPID!
Lamictal, I walked like I was drunk! lol
Lyrica, out of all these was the worst for me, made me gain weight and had suicidal thoughts.
 
Lamictal seems to be the only that really likes me. And fortunately, it also works pretty well. I've also been on Keppra, Depakote, and Vimpat. I didn't mind the side effects of Vimpat as much, but it also didn't seem to be doing much.

I know everyone is different,so effects experienced by one person will not be the same for another, but I've considered Lamictal as a possible alternative to Keppra. My concerns things I've heard about like hair loss, weight gain, eye issues, and feeling "out of it."

Notice any of these issues with Lamictal?


BTW, this poll might be more useful if there was a way to determine what percentage of the time a certain med is prescribed nowadays. Some may show up as a bigger problem simply because of a higher usage rate..
 
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I got a pair of new eyes .I love this Lady,I hate Depakote. I take vimpat.She is Changing a lot of my meds. Her name is Laura Gerserterwits. She has a great sense of humor'
g
 
I can't tolerate the side effects of neurontin. I didn't take for seizures, I took it for nerve pain. I was actually having un-DX'ed seizures at the time I was taking it.
 
What specific side effects drove you away from Neurontin? Curious as it is a drug I used to take as well.
 
What specific side effects drove you away from Neurontin? Curious as it is a drug I used to take as well.

I would do things that I would have no memory of. I would drive somewhere (maybe 15 miles) and know I drove but have absolutely no recall on the drive. It made me zoombie like but also angry. It removed my filter and nearly got me fired. It was a great sleeping med so occasionally I would take one at night for sleep after I decided not to take them any longer. Beside the fact that at the only dose I managed to get to did not help my nerve pain.

Thankfully all my pain went away after back surgery, so I got out of pain management and didn't have to be concerned with that doctor trying to force neurontin on my any longer. NowI have a neuro trying to force it on me. I flat out refuse to ever try the stuff again.

Different people have different reacting. My sister took it and loved it.

I'm on lamictial and I like it. Few side effects, and although it doesn't completely control the simple partials it has reduced them, and there is still room to increase my dose.

I tried Keppra but am allergic to it.
 
When I was 6 years old, I was diagnosed with E. The doctor put me on Dilantin. I broke out in a rash. I got sicker and sicker. My Mother rushed me to the Children's Hospital at San Francisco, CA. My parents were told that I was going to die.

I had Steven's-Johnson Syndrome.

My sister took Dilantin and did well with her epilepsy.
 
Lamotrigine worsened my seizures. Valproate was pretty rough, but lamotrigine worsened my seizures. I'm surprised that so few people said pheno. It's always been rumoured to be the most vicious AED.
 
Lamotrigine worsened my seizures. Valproate was pretty rough, but lamotrigine worsened my seizures. I'm surprised that so few people said pheno. It's always been rumoured to be the most vicious AED.

I do well on Lamictal (Lamotrigine). I am allergic to Valproate.

You are right about pheno. I was real sick when I was on that one. It was vicious.
 
keppra.

i take -

keppra
tegtrol
vimpat
toppmax
klonapin


nothing touches keppra. makes you nutcase crazy.......or for me it does.

tegtrol sinks your testosterone production if your a male at a hi dose.

vimpat - tired, but im an imsominac so its odd for me.

toppmax - lost 22lbs, if your female it may be nice but i try to stay 220lbs ( lift weights, eat lots of cals, etc )

klonapin or clonazpin (same dam drug) its a benzo, nothing really. but your body will get use to the effect/dose after a while and you will need more and more if you want it to really control things.

more of a side drug + sleep helper.
 
Here is the simplest way to list it for me:

Dilantin: Wife was a dental hygenist and as soon as she started noticing the puffy gums she told me to get off of it;

Tegretol: Seemed to work great. I had muscle twitches or jerking. Suddenly my therapudic levels started to drop without changing doseage and it was starting to throw my electrolytes out of wack;

Lamotrigine: It seems to be working good except the following issues: experiencing some shoulder joint pain, sleep patterns appear to be out of wack, slight cognative issues, memory issues (just thought of another side effect and I forgot what it was) and the last one that just popped in my head is the lack of normal emotion. My wife hates it when something happens between us and she ask me how I feel nothng much comes out of it for emotion. Just had a trip to Israel and people asked if I was excited. Its not that I wasn't looking forward to it but I didn't have anything bubbling out of me saying "I just can't contain myself because I'm so excited". Everything seems to flow into the next event. It just seems like my emotion regulation isn't really working much, too much indifference in too many situations.
 
Does anyone have problems talking to themselves or know of someone who does taking Keppra?
 
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