Which way to turn? :(

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ln1

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Hello all,

I really don't know what to do anymore. Everything is going fine with my seizure med, but I am so fed-up with my antidepressant. I was put on 10 mg of Lexapro. Things were fine for a year, then it wasn't working as effectively as it had been. I talked to my doctor. She raised it to 20 mg. That worked for a couple of months. I am back to where I a fighting depression everyday.

I could ask her to raise it again, but I wonder if it's even worth it. I was told I don't have many options with antidepressants since I'm on Keppra (in terms of the increased risk of seizures).

I don't have the energy to try to figure things out anymore...
 
Hi ln1,

Keppra can be a pain for some people it caused me to have more seizures along with a hot temper. I was only on it for 1 month and my Dr. took me off the med and then I went on vimpat and that helped me a lot along with cbd oil (medical marijuana).

My Dr. told me to stay off of antidepressants because they would just reverse what seizure meds were supposed to do and in turn cause more seizures.
I found out that when it comes to epilepsy depression is all part of it and it can really effect a person if the seizures are coming from the right temporal lobe.
You may want to try using the cbd oil it has done wonders for me. If you are interested check out healthyhempoil.com what I like about buying the cbd from them is if a person doesn't like it they can return it and get there money back. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
It's quite possible that the Keppra is contributing to the depression, since it's well known to exacerbate mood-related side effects. I know it's a pain to switch AEDs, but maybe there's a seizure med that would be a better fit?

As far as anti-depressants go, there are ones that are considered safer for people with epilepsy. Everyone is different, but you might ask your Dr. about trying another med such as Paxil. And/or check with your doc about trying a low amount of CBD oil.

Unfortunately, since there isn't a lot of data about the best anti-depressants for people with epilepsy, finding the right meds can involve lot of trial and error. :( So if you do change your meds it should be under close supervision by your doc, and with testing of your blood plasma levels since the meds can interact.
 
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