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just started keppra

Thu, 02/10/2005 - 20:40
Diagnosed this past year with complex partial seizures. Doc put me on Topomax and I felt like sleeping ALL of the time. He then tried me on lamictal and I had an allergic reaction. They put me on keppra.Any advice, please?? I'm on 500mg twice a day. I've been on it for 3 days. With the seizures and changing of medication, I feel a huge loss of control with my life. Any advice would be appreciated.Michele

Comments

RE: RE: RE: just started keppra

Submitted by hedi on Fri, 2005-02-11 - 20:57

Why don't you like the keppra?  Does it make you sleepy and cause you to gain weight?

hedi

Why don't you like the keppra?  Does it make you sleepy and cause you to gain weight?

hedi

RE: just started keppra

Submitted by lorrifm on Sun, 2005-02-13 - 09:31

I've been taking Keppra for nearly 3 years now. My dosage is 1500 mgs twice a day. I can't say if it increased the sleepiness, since all of the meds we take for seizures have that same side effect.  But Keppra has been the most effective drug for the seizure control... and I've taken Lamictal, which helped and then *stopped working*, Carbatrol, Depakote, Topamax... the list goes on.

Now I take the Keppra twice daily, with a low dose of Topamax at bedtime, Ativan at bedtime as needed <.5 mg> and Prozac, also at bedtime.  One of my docs suggested trying more of my meds at bedtime in an effort to decrease daytime sleepiness... I was falling asleep in Starbucks! One of the baristas teased me and said I was bad for business... LOL, people were going to think the coffee wasn't strong enough!

Anyway, lots of our treatment is the result of trial and error. Hang in there and best of luck.

I've been taking Keppra for nearly 3 years now. My dosage is 1500 mgs twice a day. I can't say if it increased the sleepiness, since all of the meds we take for seizures have that same side effect.  But Keppra has been the most effective drug for the seizure control... and I've taken Lamictal, which helped and then *stopped working*, Carbatrol, Depakote, Topamax... the list goes on.

Now I take the Keppra twice daily, with a low dose of Topamax at bedtime, Ativan at bedtime as needed <.5 mg> and Prozac, also at bedtime.  One of my docs suggested trying more of my meds at bedtime in an effort to decrease daytime sleepiness... I was falling asleep in Starbucks! One of the baristas teased me and said I was bad for business... LOL, people were going to think the coffee wasn't strong enough!

Anyway, lots of our treatment is the result of trial and error. Hang in there and best of luck.

RE: just started keppra

Submitted by WendyS on Sun, 2005-01-23 - 15:55
I've had seizures for a long time and have been on meds for a long time,Keppra has been the best one I've been on so far! I take it with Trileptol and Zonegran. I just need to make sure I have a coating for my stomach is all. As long as I eat a good meal I'm fine. I've found that I'm only tired in the morning when I first wake up but once I get going no problem. I've gone the longest without any seizures on this combination than any other but I have had seizures but not as many. I hope this medicine can help you even better than it's helped me! WendyS

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