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How to know when it is the meds?
Thu, 09/07/2006 - 11:23Topic: Medication Issues
Hi! My daughter is on Keppra now and we have noticed increased seizures and behavior changes. I have read alot on this site about Keppra both good and bad but my daughter is 3 1/2 and also has a sensory disorder my question is how do I tell of it is just the med. or because she is 3 or if it is because she just got weaned off of Lamictal. Anybody who has any suggestions please let me know. I called and talked to her neuro who just uped the Keppra without question. I would hate to be giving her something that is not helping but hurting her.
Thanks in advance,
Emily Klair's mom...Kari
Comments
Re: How to know when it is the meds?
Submitted by happyhutch on Wed, 2006-09-13 - 15:12
My son was on keppra when he was little .Our experience with keppra was not very positive.Long story short my 12 yr old was 4 at the time
and the seizures continued to get worse. He was admitted to Childrens
Hospital of Los Angeles for 9 1/2 weeks he seizures got worse and they still upped the dosage of Keppra. After a loud conversation with
a teem of (7)doctors they changed his medication He was released 7 days later. Not all medications work for everybody. Follow your intuition your her Mom you will know whats best for her. They did not carry your little girl for 10 months you did!Doctors are amazing but the brain is pretty tricky.Gook Luck, Halley
Re: Re: How to know when it is the meds?
Submitted by EKlairsmom on Wed, 2006-09-13 - 23:48
THanks for your comments!! You are right about knowing my child, and right now EMily Klair is not Emily Klair. I hope that she adjust to the meds. soon or we know forsure whether to take her off of it. This week has been hard to tell because she has been sick with a fever and so her seizures have increased and she has been more fussy.
I really do hate this medicine game.
Thanks again :)
Hi As a caring mom, my bet
Submitted by solis on Thu, 2006-09-07 - 13:27
Hi As a caring mom, my bet is you know your daughter's typical behaviour best. Re: Behaviour Changes I went to epilepsy.com; and, under meds, found keppra's typical effects: Some COMMON Keppra side effects, that have been reported, include: sleepiness loss of strength and energy dizziness anxiety nervousness IRRITABILITY other MOOD CHANGES I had E since I was three and I was NOT an easy to raise child. I had huge emotional outbursts (that I'd be blamed for, but most of which were the result of medications & my psychological inability to cope with a situation).
The Internet did not exist then, so I blame nobody, and my parents thought they were doing right by completely ignoring my E aside from feeding me my meds. Plus 'normal' in my home didn't include hugs (neither parent came from a physical family) & so, I grew up feeling 'rejected'.
Unfortunately, epilepsy also has an enormous emotional effect on people. (And; to children, who don't understand what is happening, the issue is no less than TERRIFYING)
http://www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/dec00/npr_dec00_epilepsy.html talks about the psyhiatric ramifications of epilepsy.
Re:the increase in seizures
Most would agree you need to be on a med for awhile for it to completely work. However, while being tested for surgery I was put on a slew of new AEDs, none of which worked; so, (IMO) it truly does not take that long to realize (the yay or nay of) the med situation.
Hope this helps; if only a titch, and best wishes to your daughter.
~sol