Keppra symptoms and conditions

My son has been taking Keppra since his first seizure last year when he was 18, starting out with 500g. He kept having the seizures (all grand mal) off and on and because he was planning on going into the military, he was told that because of the seizure disorder, he could not serve. Given a medical discharge and coming home, he still had them, but the cause was because at times he forgot to take his meds or he worked out over exerting himself, stuff like that. From the end of April until July 6th, he did not have a seizure (his Keppra was increased to 3000g a day), and that seizure was not as bad as the previous ones he had.

We ended up switching doctors because the original doc did not want to do an eeg on my son, so with my husband and my decision plus our primary care physician agreeing, we starting having my son see a new doc. This doc seems to really care about his patients, and after talking with us, he gave my son a prescription for Depakote, 500mg three times a day along with the Keppra. A day and a half after taking the drug (the first day he took it at night then taking it as prescribed daily), he started vomiting. He would eat, later on lay down, wake up EXTREMELY nauseous, and start throwing up. This happened for four and a half days, and the doctor told him to stop taking the meds immediately. He did blood work again and said that his Depakote serum levels had dropped drastically and he wanted to put my son back on the Depakote, but at half strength; 250mg three times a day. Our answer to that? HELL NO!!! My son was miserable; he has a job and hangs out with his friends and not being sure if he would start throwing up again, he minimized going out except to go to work. It is frustrating as all HELL, took that crap for six days and four and a half of those days he was vomiting, unsteady on his feet, eyes were red looking like he was a zombie, and had starting messing with his memory in ONLY SIX DAYS! Yes we all want him to be free from this demon, and so far for these past few months of this year, (from end of April to July 6) he has had one seizure. He has not had another one since that day. As far as we are concerned as his parents, he will never take that crap again, I don't care WHAT this doctor says. And I am going to say that I believe that my son will not want to take it again either, even at a lower dose.

I took the time to call the company who manufactures the Depakote, and one of the reps I spoke to said that even if my son took a lower dose, it could still have the effects of vomiting as with the higher dose, and her concern is that when he is throwing up, he is also throwing up the Keppra which could cause him to have a seizure. NOBODY wants that!

I am taking a very small dose of Lamictal (along with Keppra) for absence seizure disorder. When I first started taking it I was feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous (that has since gone away for the most part.) The worst side-effect for me is horrible insomnia and night sweats. It does seem to be helping my seizures though so I'll probably stick it out and hope that the insomnia goes away.

I have just been put on Neurontin and found out about this weight gain thing!! I am freaked out. I have come off of Topamax due to I could not handle the side effects and I was like I was in a coma. I am also on lexapro for depression so the topamax really effected me. The Neurontin has said to be given to bi polar patients but from what I have read people are having depression problems on it. So the whole weight gain and the depression thing is scaring me.

Hi, I have been reading all the postings and my heart goes out to everyone. I been there, done that. Myself, I have a seizure disorder and been on Lamictal since 2003 (I can't recall/remember) - I had tried 5 other seizure meds that didn't work for me. For quite a while now I take 600mg a day and Keppra 250mg to control my seizures. I lost my driver's license twice so far (I know that is the rule in CA) , and once not long ago (I got my license back) I got totally lost in my town, which I used to know like the back of my hand. I thought I had lost my mind. I asked my doc if I was getting demenia and he said oh no you are too young (53). I have also learned doctor's (for the most part) are idiots too. They don't think outside the box for us. I can't spell anymore, get depressed easily. I really want to work, but I can't. I have tried time and time again, but (yesterday) it just about did me in...people explained to me how to do things on the job many many times but I couldn't retain any thing. People just looked at me as if to say what planet did you come from. I cried on the job so hard I wanted to disappear. I am so sick of my family saying "I know you can't - don't remember this or that..... I can hardly bare that. Now I have a potential kidney problem. Suppose it is from these meds? I am really scared.

Thanks, everyone! My (brand new) doctor had convinced me that I was simply experiencing anxiety to explain my side effects. After being off Lamictal and all medications for several months, and then restarting on Lamictal only, I noticed all the following side effects, some of which I've had before, and some completely new. Also, the ones I'd had before came back at a level of severity which I had never experienced.

One familiar side effect was hand tremors and general shakiness which sometimes also affected my speech. Even strangers would notice and ask me if I was ok. Luckily, this was during this past winter, so I would basically lie and just say I was cold and a bit shivery. Another familiar side effect that a lot of others are mentioning are cognitive issues and short term memory loss. Sometimes I felt like my tongue was lazy or I felt tongue-tied, and I couldn't get it to work right to say the words I was thinking. Sometimes, I just plain lost my train of thought or couldn't think of the words to express what I was thinking. I'd all my life been prone to mishaps of speech like occasional spoonerisms and such, but on Lamictal it was happening probably daily, and I'd even started stuttering. Teaching and explaining often difficult concepts and public speaking is part of my job, so this was causing me a lot of anxiety. I, too, completely blanked on spelling out words when friends and colleagues relied on my spelling abilities more than their computer's spellcheck. I also thought I was having sudden leaps in experiencing getting older (early 30's) because of my memory, I typically have an almost photographic memory and can picture where I saw my keys last or what have you, but all of the sudden I couldn't even piece the photo together anymore or it was foggy in my memory.

The newest side effect also experienced by others was clumsiness not only of my own body but of my surroundings. I suddenly noticed that I was doing things way more often like tripping, falling, stubbing a toe, nicking a finger, dropping things, etc. Where I was an excellent parallel parker before, I'd get out of my car and realize I'd parked 2 feet from the curb and crooked.

I decided to look up Lamictal's side effects after discussing this with my excellent talk therapist because I was extremely frustrated with my new doctor telling me I was just anxious and there was really nothing he could do for my (imagined) "side effects." And here everyone is experiencing the same thing. I don't think I should be made to feel like I don't know any better and that I should suffer the REAL side effects of this drug. I didn't study medicine, but I still have a degree in biology so I'm not so stupid that I'll believe anything any doctor tells me.

I think I would almost rather suffer a mild mood swing than suffer these side effects. I'm going to try to look for something else.

My daughter received her first shot on 6/20/2007 when she was 14 years old and second shot on 12/27/2007. During this time frame she complained of having headaches daily. On 1/8/2008 my daughter had a seizure. She had been a healthy, dancer and scholastic student. Since her shot she has had a total of 12 seizures and has been in and out of hospitals numerous times. She was diagnosed with epilepsy in March of 2008. She has been on Topamax, Keppra, Lamictal and Zonegran and continues to have seizures. The side effects from the medications that my daughter has suffered with along with depression has been tremendous.
We thought we were protecting our daughter and found that we have only hurt her. The doctors need to stop pushing the shot and it needs to be taken off the market. Because of this shot she has to be dependent on more drugs. She has missed so much school, which were important years (freshman & sophmore) that she will never get back. How many more girls need to suffer!

I have been on Lamictal and Topamax for approximately 4-5 years now. I also take effexor. I have a seizure disorder. At first everything was alright, however now I have been having double vision, staggering, memory loss that has occurred slowly within the last two years or so, and of course as with most meds the usual diarrhea or constipation. I wonder how long does it take being on medication for these side effects to kick in? I read all literature whenever I start a new medication even if it is a OTC drug. (over the counter). I just got out of the hospital and am being sent from one doc to another. I feel like a guinea pig in a lab! Please help!

my son has been on it now for about 4 months and has tried to commit suicide in the process of a 5 week change from keppra to the lamictal.then had to take dilantin until reached full dose of the lamictal which for him is 150mgs 2 xs a day at first the keppra made him fly in to rages so that was blamed for the suicide attempt.but just a few days ago he said that he was having weird feelings again. so i don't know what to do. waiting to hear back from the dr.i would just like to know if anyone else has experienced such severe thoughts from taking this med or if passably it could be not a high enough dose.i don't really know anymore by the way my son is only 15 and he is on the lamictal for seizures.any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I had severe stomach pains for 2 weeks when I switched to ER. However, I was able to regain control of the epilepsy when the depakote stopped working so well after 15 years.???
I have gained 80 pounds on depakote and ER over the past 20 years but I cannot fairly blame the drug for that. I have also had bouts with depression-like symptoms (never sought help) but again, who is to say that can be blamed on the drug? While I have lost hair, I still have more than many 40-year old men.
When first going on Depakote 20 years ago I slept for days it seemed. I have never felt as though I had the same energy level as before starting the medication but it has been so long and I am so thankful that I can lead a normal life without seizures by using the med.

Behold the rash. I was doing so well on this med (compared to Topamax and Keppra). I finally thought, "Hey, I am on a med that isn't going to make me stupid or psychotic.". I woke up this morning with a rash on my neck. I've phoned my neuro's service and am waiting for a call back.

I'm wonder what the early systems of SJS are? What does the rash look like? Mine is (and I looked via a cell phone pic because it's not visible due to its location) red with these bumps all over it. It doesn't itch but it burns a little bit.

lamictal controls seizures if you take it at the right time. i am on 200 at night and 200 in the morning plus epilim. sometimes i just sit and cry wen im trying to concentrate on reading books i have to study or trying to remember work i learnt at school which has left my brain. im failing school not matter how hard i try, i study all the time then the next day i have forgotten it. im so young and i havnt even started my future yet and i may have screwed it already. failing exams because i forgot wat i learnt the night before hurts so bad. its hard to say "hey everyone the reason i failed is because lamictal screws my memory" i know thats what it is. i was extremely intelligent before i started taking it, but now im a failure. i guess deep inside i know really im not a failure, but lamictal makes me one. : ( p.s add a constant hand tremor and sudden jerking movements every now and then.

My six year old daughter was given this medication for idiopathic generalized epilepsy. As soon as she started on this drug we noticed a complete personality change. She was a completely different person. She seemed to be possessed while on this medication. My daughter is a sweet little girl, and is very good for the most part, but when she started this medication it turned her into a monster. She was on this medication for about 2 months, and was taken off it when we got a second opinion. She has not been on any medications while we explore additional opinions for her condition (which is very unusual - she does not have seizures like most people do). I would not recommend this medication to anyone.

I have had temporal lobe epilepsy/ partial seizure disorder since I was thirteen. I was put on Lamictal, serzone, inderal, tegretol and a host of other things for atypical migraine disorder (which we thought I had until I was diagnosed as having partial seizure) and NOTHING got rid of my seizures until I tried KEPPRA. I call it my miracle pill. I take 500mgs 2x day and the only thing I experience is lethargy. I take small naps here and there but nothing that really is debilitating. I may have a lower libido and be slightly dry eyed but compared to the benefits for me it's worth it.

I started taking Lamictal about six weeks ago for epilepsy. Now keep in mind, I was on Dilantin which worked great for 17 years and then suddenly stopped working. I have been in medication hell since then. First Topamax made me dumb as a rock. I would space out all the time. Worst drug ever. Then Keppra which was better in that my memory/ability to speak came back but I had these intense ups and down. I had rages constantly. Now I'm on Lamictal. So far, it's better than the Topamax and the Keppra, however the dreams are very intense as are the night sweats. I'm also experiencing much hair loss. Fortunately I have a full head of hair but I'm afraid I will eventually lose it all.

I'm on my first month of Topamax and going to work for the first time in two weeks! Someone mentioned feeling like a box of rocks on this stuff, its true, but in my case the dosage increase might have been too abrupt. I take it for epilepsy, 100 mg. I was completely non-functional during the transition! Not only was I so tired I couldn't move, so sick I couldn't eat (I've lost a lot of weight), but I was constantly dizzy. I would often get icy to touch and pass out, mores after eating.

Cognitively, I was severely depressed, and had a constant "noise" sensation in my head which I started yelling at during odd moments. I believe I even hallucinated at one point that the room was expanding. Mostly, people thought I was stoned because I would just stare at the wall and have difficulty talking to them without slurring my words.

It's been a truly terrifying couple weeks, however I've settled pretty quickly out of the major side effects. I think thats pretty much what happens for everyone. I'm happy to have my brain back.

I've had a problem of chronic stress for the past few years. During the past 10 months, I've made 7 visits to the ER because I felt symptoms of a heart atack. Each time I went in, it was EKG, ultrasound, cat scan or IMR, blood workup, oxygen, stress test, etc. I was in the ICU once, for 24 hours. Each time, the results were negative. This past visit (1 month ago), they detected an arrhythmia. This prompted the ER doc to prescribe the drug Metoprolol Succinate ER 25 mg tabs. I am to take it for 3 weeks, then see my GP. Since returning, the heart beat is irregular and somewhat harder than before. It's uncomfortable laying down in bed so I sleep in the living room, sitting up. In addition, I'm taking anticonvulsants (Keppra and Lamictal) and food supplements. I'm due to go in a week and this really has me concerned. I'm wondering if everything is working against each other. I signed medical releases with all four of my doctors but they don't communicate as I had asked them to. The side effects are: constant headaches, ringing in the ears, hallucinations, mental confusion, bipolar/depression, joint pain, weakness in muscles, spasms, panic attacks, increased stress, vision problems, plus thoughts about high medical bills. Any thoughts about this? I don't expect you to respond to this but my email address is:****** Thanks for considering what I've shared with all of you.
Well, I've been having

My doctor put me on Topamax for migraines, but I can not handle the effects. I just started the 75 mg dose just as I was moving into a new college apartment with new roommates, and I felt like I was going crazy! I couldn't eat anything without feeling completely ill, I was spacing out, and I couldn't remember words.. for three whole days I couldn't remember the word 'tapestry.' I finally had to look it up in the dictionary.. not a good sign for a college student. The worst, though, was the overwhelming sense of panic that was getting worse by the day. I was no longer myself! The last straw was a panic attack, complete with hypernentilating. I have never felt so scared in my life. I actually had to go the ER to get something to calm myself down.

So, I decided to stop taking it. My parents talked to my pharmacist, and she told them that Topamax IS the type of drug you can stop "cold turkey." But after a week, I feel almost as bad as I did when I was on the drug! I still can't eat anything. Also, I wake up hours before my alarm goes off, completely sick at my stomach. I feel panicky and nervous. I have several bouts of diarrhea and this morning I almost didn't make it. I share a bathroom with three (normal!) girls, and it is getting to be embarrasing and annoying. Please, can anyone tell me.. when do the side effects go away?? I want to be a normal 19 year old again!

I have been on Lamictal for 6 weeks, working up to 100 mg once a day for seizure control in addition to Topamax (100 mg) and Keppra (3,000 mg). As the dosage has increased, the side effects have become unbearably worse. I am so sick to my stomach, I can't eat. My headaches are horrible, and all I want to do is sleep. The only thing that keeps me from sleeping is my pounding pulse rate and shallow breathing... I'm still waiting on a phone call from the neurologist to see what I'm supposed to do about this.
I noticed several other mentions of a lack of ambition. I'm now noticing my own lack of will power. Good luck to all of you.

I have been prescribed Lamictal for seizures, and am currently taking 400mg daily, with my 300mg of Dilantin. Had horrible side effects this weekend-nightmares, exhausted, worsening depression, crying jags, difficulty swallowing. Has anyone else experienced mood changes for the worse while on this drug?

Light Rash, dizziness, BAD blurred vision making it hard to drive, BAD heavy bleeding(changes in menstrual cycle lasting three weeks with spotting then heavy bleeding) easy bruising sometimes black and blue ...headache,cant think, kidney pain I have (VUR) and am not sure if i should have been givin Lamictal.... I just stopped taking it went from 200mg to 100mg for a week now not taking any its been two days. and im hoping I start to feel better soon.

I recently was given 200mg over the recommended pharmaceutical dose of Lamictal. My dr.'s partner prescribed this after a trip to the ER for a seizure to get me by until I could see my regular neurologist at the beg. of the week. The extra dose caused major blurred vision side effects, inability to walk, extreme sensitivity to light, and nausea. I am now at 400mg of Lamictal and starting Topomax with it so I hope this works. Any thoughts from anyone else taking this med combo?

I have been on topamax for almost a year now. I had been having a nearly constant migraine cycle for three months which had to be broken with migranol nasal spray. I then started on escalating dosages of topamax. By 100mg I realized that life was wonderful but that I couldn't retain much information which was a problem as I had just gone back to school for an advanced degree. Upon consultation with my doctor, we reduced my dosage to 50mg and things improved dramatically.

I have experienced some fingertip and toe tingling which have been completely tolerable. I take the medication right before bed so that I don't have problems with fatigue during the day. I do get out of breath easily when I exert myself and carbonated beverages taste horrible. But my migraines are under control.

I have a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a few years of neuroscience research under my belt. I would like to say that it is EXTREMELY important for people to understand that no medication is going to work identically for any two people. What works for one person, may not work for everyone. I know people who swear by imitrex but this medication does absolutely nothing for me. You have to be your own advocate when it comes to medications and treatments. Your genetics will also determine how well, if at all, you respond to any medication. For some topamax is a life saver, for others it will be the bane of their existence. This will always be the case for any medication. Be tolerant of others' experiences and understanding of each others' pain and progress will be made.

Hi all. I was diagnosed 3 or 4 years ago with epilepsy. So far, I have on about 5 different epilepsy meds. I can't recall the first 3 but had to get off them because of physical side-effects. My last one was Dilatin which worked pretty well for a year. I slept great - 8 hours on the dot. Then, I started to have short seizures that began to successively lengthen. So, I was switched to Keppra.

I started at 250mg/2xday on Keppra and now am up to 1000mg/2xday. I also started taking B6 100mg/day. A couple of days after starting Keppra, I started to get slight headaches. These went away after about 2 weeks. I also got a numb patch on the same place on the bottom of each foot. When I went up to 500mg/2xday, the numb patch spread, I started to feel off-balance, and I started to get the "rage" symptoms. I went up to 1000mg/2xday and most of the bottom of my two feet went numb and cold, I began to get slight tingling in my fingers and a mild case of tightness in my chest. I still felt off-balance and the rage symptoms were there. It began to get hard to get to sleep and I would get up unnecessarily early and not be able to fall back asleep. I want off this med. Maybe it works great for other people but for me it I take it at the levels I need to, I won't be able to work or do much of anything.

This was the most appauling medication I have ever taken. It made me incredibly irritable. I almost split up with my boyfriend because I was so unbearable to be around, and also got painful, recurring urinary tract infections. If you're female steer well clear of this one!

I've been on Topamax (for seizures) for almost 2 years now, gradually increasing my dosage from 150 mg/day to 400 mg/day when I learned that 150mg is a migraine sufferer's dosage and not a Epilepsy dosage. I mention that because at 150mg, the side effects were present, but tolerable. I had the tingling fingers, eye twitching that was only behind my right eye (seems everyone only has it behind their right eye...why is that?), I can't find the right words in conversation, memory loss , constant sleepiness, backaches, depression, etc. At 400mg, I was an emotional wreck...I could not handle my emotions anymore. I would cry hysterically when talking for no reason, I couldn't concentrate on my work as an analyst, I had to read and re-read instructions in order to understand them, and sometimes read them out loud....and this is the kicker...sometimes when I'm buying something and at the check-out, it'll take forever to do something as simple to count out change. I have given the wrong change to cashiers a few times and then told them something to cover up my embarrassment like "Oh, I thought I gave you a quarter!", when in all actuality, I thought I gave them the correct change.
I feel like a moron pretty much all of the time. I used to pride myself on my intelligence and speaking ability but on Topamax, that is seriously diminished.
I don't know if this is related, but because of my inability to concentrate, I lost my job in Nov. '06. I thought I lost my insurance too, so I made the decision to stop my seizure meds, thinking that I was "cured". Well, I had another seizure in Jan '07 and am back on Topamax...depressed, twitching eye, the whole gamut. But you know what? The entire month of January, before my seizure...before Topamax...was the happiest I've been in sooo long. It's not worth losing a few pounds for.