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Advice Please
Sun, 06/17/2018 - 15:51Topic: Epilepsy.com Help
Hello, my name is Ryan I have recently been diagnosed and I suffer from nocturnal seizures. I am currently taking Keppra (750mg morning and night which has been built up over the last two months from 250mg and 500mg). I would like some advice as I am having several side effects and I don’t know what to do:
• I feel extremely frustrated several times a day at the littlest of things
• At least once a week I feel extremely down and that I am a burden to my family and friends. It’s difficult to get out of my low mood and sometimes I get very upset and cry
• I am exhausted all the time and struggle to get out of bed most days (because I’m so tired but also because I don’t want to)
• I don’t feel like myself, I feel like I am watching myself in a movie
• It’s taking me longer to process things which I find frustrating
• I don’t have much empathy anymore – I don’t really care about things
I just wondered if anyone else is on Keppra and has had similar issues/side effects? Will I always feel like this?
I will phone the epilepsy nurses tomorrow, but I am struggling quite a lot at the moment and would appreciate any comments or advice.
Thanks
Ryan
Comments
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Submitted by just_joe on Fri, 2018-07-13 - 20:11
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Welcome to the crowd
Submitted by just_joe on Mon, 2018-07-09 - 19:33
Welcome to the crowd RyanEverything you listed can land in the side effects list. But there are many other things on that list that you have no problem with. It takes time for your body to get used to the medication until the therapeutic levels have gotten to the level the neurologists want If they had started at 750mg you might have been bounding off the wall. RIGHT NOW YOU ARE SOMEONE THAT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SOMETHING THEY KOW PRACTLY NOTHING ABOUT. You are now in the world of people with disorders. some people will always thing they are a burden to their family. Which can case mood swing. Understand that seizure medications also calm down the central nervous system so everything will be slowed down a little. But once your body is used to it nd the side effects go away of almost gone you learn how to deal with things by routing them thru your brain different way. I was in the honor roll before my diagnosis, It too a couple of months and forcing myself to get my homework done but I was back on the honor roll. I was very athletic and could play any sport but in order to play the ones I wanted I worked harder on them. Your empathy may get back to where it was or you may have more empathy then you used to because now you have a disorder that others may empathize.Yes it is a long road and it takes work. But YOU can help yourself by not letting epilepsy control you. You control your epilepsy and you can have a great life filled with many achievements