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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My Dr is usually not that sympathetic about the side effect of these drugs sometimes tries to dismiss it and to the fact that maybe I'm just overly stressed or I "think too much." But out of 5 different Neuros I ve seen so far he has been the best so far. I even had one neuro tell me that I needed to see a Psychiatrist and he refused to prescribe me anything even though I d already been diagnosed with a seizure disorder. After checking around I found out that nobody that had seen him for neuro problems liked him.

I agree though that different drugs work differently on different people.Every body has a different body Chemistry. Just the other day someone sitting in the Drs office told me he was taking Lamcital and it was working great on him. But when I read online some people cant tolerate the drug. So who knows?:ponder:

If you go to a Epilepsy support Group in your town you might be able to get some recommendations of a better doc to go to.:e:
 
yes a few doctors did the same with me, tried to say i was stressed but you know ya own body and you know when something is not right. after the 3rd attempt the doc agreed with me. well im going to see what happens when i see my neuro and if nothing changes am gonna see if i can get a new neuroligist. the nearest support group is about 8 mile away there isnt 1 in my town so its a bit of a faff to get to.
 
Ok give the Doc another chance ........... and if it doesn't work then look around. :rolleyes:

That Dr I was telling you about that told me I needed a Psychiatrist even though he know I had a seizure diagnosis? Well I also have migraines that they say are related to my seizures. The last time I went to that other Doc I asked him for meds for my migraines and he had a smirk on his face and said to me to take Tylenol and then walked out the door!! I( was so mad, if Tylenol worked I would be glad to take it . It is certainly cheaper and has few side effects then some of these other meds. Well that was the last time I saw that other Dr which has been 3 yrs ago. And then when I started asking around Town I found 8 other people with seizures disorders, Parkinsons and Migraines that had been to see that other Dr that didn't like him so I am glad I stopped going to him. :e:
 
i want this sorted now cuz am fed up of it all, i get severe headaches with this medication, and insomnia sumtymes, if he dont sort me am gonna ask to change doctors. thanx for ya advice al defo take it on board.
 
Out of all listed, the Lamictal was the worst one for me! I had an allergic reaction to it. Swelling of my glands in my neck, sore cracked open bleeding sores on my chin and jaw line, and my mood was just horriable! Once I got off, I noticed a huge improvement!
 
Keppra was the worst one for me. I had huge side affects but my neuro would not believe me. Hes made me go cold turkey wi mine. But after 6 days if being off it i have nituced a huge differenve. I feel so mich bwttwr.
 
crazychick said:
Keppra was the worst one for me. I had huge side affects but my neuro would not believe me. Hes made me go cold turkey wi mine. But after 6 days if being off it i have nituced a huge differenve. I feel so mich bwttwr.
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Glad to hear you feel better!!!

Seriously out of all of the Zonegran was the worst followed by Topomax. Zonegran got rid of my migraines and seizures but it made me a nervous wreck!
Tergrtol gave me the fewest side effects. Now I'm on Keppra and it has been no picnic either.
 
lets see, keppra is good for seizures but makes me moody. Lamictal would not let me sleep and it made my myoclonics worse at night.I like topamax it helped me lose weight. But I'm not on that one anymore. I am on zonegran it helps for nocturnal.None are verry fun. Depakote made me so fat and ugly. I will never take it again. Vimpat works well for me. My son is on depakote and topamax. He does well.
 
I'm allergic to Dilantin, Woke up the first day after starting it covered in a full on body rash, FREAKED OUT, called my Mom asking "What do I do?" and she just chuckled and said "call your doctor, your allergic to it, and tell him about the rash, and any other side effects." Which I did, of course.

When I was on depakote, I lost a TON of hair.
 
Keppra is the worst for me upto nw. Im on a hormone pill atm. So far so good. What meds yo taking now seizure girl?
 
Valproic Acid was the worst for me so far. Hair fell out, poor memory, poor concentration, dizziness, drowsiness, hair loss, poor motor control. The top side effects were tremor - after a few months I couldn't hold a pen or cup or coffee properly. Nausea was so bad they put me on stomach ulcer medication. But the winning prize was lactation - 7 years after I had finished breastfeeding my last child. Anyone else experienced that?
Doctor responded fairly quickly to that side effect and I no longer take it.
Also changing between generic and branded Valproic Acid increased my seizures again - just as they were starting to be controlled.
 
Lamictal gave me a rash.
Tegrettol gave me double/triple vision.
Keppra make me sick,gave me massive headaches.

But the worst is Vimpat,it's making my hair fall out.
 
I chose Lamictal, because if I take it without enough food/water, it gives me double vision. It's so obnoxious.
I'm also on Tegretol and Keppra right now, but I don't think I have any side effects from either.

I forgot about Dilantin. That was the first one my doctor put me on while I was waiting for an appointment with a Neuro. I was taking it for just a few weeks, and it did nothing for my seizures but gave me nightmares and panic attacks.
 
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Dilantin - Went into Anaphylatic shock. Then when they ignored that, gave it to me in pill form and had a rash from head to toe.

Keppra - I was a living corpse. I couldn't move with out my head pounding, sick to my stomach, joint pain, photo-sensitivity, Audio-sensitivity. I pretty much curled up into a ball on my bed and didn't live for a couple days.

Neurontin - I gained 50 lbs
 
Taking Lamictal XR, Keppra XR, Topamax -All in large doses per day and still experiencing some seizures periodically, but absolutely no side effects from any of the medication. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going be this way and just going to have the make the best of it and go on with my life!
 
It's the price of pills. My doctor wrote a prescription for an XR formulation, and with insurance, the co-pay was $140.00. (90.00 with a coupon.)

She let me continue with the SR formulation for only $10.00
So in this instance, she was nice.
 
What is it with over priced pills? Most of the time, with most disabilities, we didn't do it ourselves.
 
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