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Seizure medication

Sun, 04/19/2020 - 17:48
Hi my name is cody. Yes I'm not a woman but I'm I'm trying to find help for my wife . She has had gran mal seizures for about 10 years now. She has been through multiple medications over the years but to no avail they didn't work. But the last medication she tried was keppra. It has worked for about a year now. The side effects didn't really start to show up till about 6 months into it. Now they are quite bad. I couldn't imagine how hard it is to deal with. Can anyone please give me some ideas on a medicine that will pair well with keppra. I dont what to do or how to help. Any ideas would be extremely helpful. Thank you

Comments

Hi, Thank you for posting.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2020-04-20 - 09:42
Hi, Thank you for posting. Treatment and how the body may react to certain medications varies for each individual. The goal of treatment with medicines should be –No Seizures and No Side Effects. However, we know that some individuals may experience too many side effects,that are very bothersome or cause other health problems. We cannot determine what medication may be best for her. It’s important that she's following-up with her healthcare team to review this further and if she continues to experience any changes in side effects, symptoms, moods, behaviors or seizure types/frequency, to help determine what individual treatment plan is best for her. You all may want to consider keeping a journal or a diary to help keep track of her seizures, side effects, and more by using a diary or a journal. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize her health issues, manage medications, develop seizure response plans, and more, which can be shared with members of her healthcare team: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . Many clinics and offices are now offering telemedicine options for non-emergencies if she's unable to see her doctor in person currently. Ask her doctor’s if you all can schedule a time to talk via phone/ other telemedicine resources you all can utilize, or if they can make any additional recommendations for her. It’s common for those who are in caregiver role to feel overwhelmed.  It’s important to remember that you are not alone, we are here to help support you and that you’re and making your health and overall well-being a priority. https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/Caregivers%20factsheet.pdf . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline , or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates

Cody,It's wonderful that you

Submitted by birdman on Mon, 2020-04-20 - 22:00
Cody,It's wonderful that you are doing research to help your wife and it's nice that you recognize that it is impossible to imagine what it's like to deal with the therapy.   I'm not sure how many medications your wife has tried but maybe it's time to consider alternative treatment.  The next time she visits (in person or via telemedicine) don't just ask the doctor about medication that would combine with Keppra, but also ask if any of the alternative treatments are an option.  It's a longer path but the benefits can be greater.  She will probably need to see an epilepsy specialist for the full range of options, but I found just working with a specialist, whether for "drug therapy" or alternative treatment, has often lead to a greater sense of understanding and control.

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