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epilepsy and "rage episodes"

Sat, 01/08/2005 - 16:37
hello,I'm wondering if anyone has any input or experience with this. My brother has epilepsy diagnosed in his early 20's. Seizures are mostly controlled by medication. However, he has episodes of extreme, nearly violent rage where he seems out of control and screams at people in a way that is pretty scary. I have always noticed that he has what we called a "bad temper" but really it was always alot more than that. Now though, these episodes are becoming more frequent. (3-4 times weekly)We are wondering if this has anything to do with his epilepsy. The episodes are so extreme that it seems not right. He screams and throws things though he has not been physically violent. If anyone has any input it would be great to hear. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone else?Thanks.

Comments

Re: RE: RE: RE: epilepsy and "rage episodes"

Submitted by pinkangel_82 on Fri, 2008-02-08 - 20:04

Hiya all

I hope your all as well as can be expected.  Besides alot of the "rage" as we call it is a side effect from some of the epilepsy anti-convulsant drugs such as keppra and topamax.   I also think alot of it stems from the way if society or family members treat you disrespectfully and by that I mean if they provoke you in anyway and it then leads to alot of stress and depression in the epilepsy persons life.

Take Care. 

 

Hiya all

I hope your all as well as can be expected.  Besides alot of the "rage" as we call it is a side effect from some of the epilepsy anti-convulsant drugs such as keppra and topamax.   I also think alot of it stems from the way if society or family members treat you disrespectfully and by that I mean if they provoke you in anyway and it then leads to alot of stress and depression in the epilepsy persons life.

Take Care. 

 

Re: RE: RE: RE: epilepsy and "rage episodes"

Submitted by beetrees on Sat, 2008-02-09 - 15:11

Hi, my name is Betty.  I will try to make this as short as possible. I have had Epilepsy for almost 21 yrs. I have always been 'feisty', mainly due to my Cuban father. Yeah, I'll play the blame game on that one. :P

Anyway, my seizures have never been fully controlled, therefore they have changed my meds after they stop working. They put me on Keppra about almost two years ago and I noticed that I was beginning to lash out at my coworkers verbally. One day I even grabbed a coworker by the neck. Needless to say, I was fired.

I went to my doctor and demanded they take me off of the Keppra. I was doing better, no more lashing out. I ended up going to the hospital last year after having over ten seizures in one day. After a plethora of tests, they had no idea why I was having so many. The doctors put me on Primidone and I am no longer having angry fits, no more lashing out. To say that my husband is ecstatic about it is an understatement. I also take Xanax for my anxiety, which helps tremendously.

Anger/Rage could be a combination of E, meds, and possible mood disorder. I would suggest taking your brother to a psychiatrist to determine if he has a mood disorder along with E. Once that is ruled out, think about the medication he is on. The moral to my story is that Keppra was evil to me and I would not be the first one to say so. Meds do alter a person's mood regardless of what some people may say. Primidone has altered my mood, but at least it is for the better.

Hi, my name is Betty.  I will try to make this as short as possible. I have had Epilepsy for almost 21 yrs. I have always been 'feisty', mainly due to my Cuban father. Yeah, I'll play the blame game on that one. :P

Anyway, my seizures have never been fully controlled, therefore they have changed my meds after they stop working. They put me on Keppra about almost two years ago and I noticed that I was beginning to lash out at my coworkers verbally. One day I even grabbed a coworker by the neck. Needless to say, I was fired.

I went to my doctor and demanded they take me off of the Keppra. I was doing better, no more lashing out. I ended up going to the hospital last year after having over ten seizures in one day. After a plethora of tests, they had no idea why I was having so many. The doctors put me on Primidone and I am no longer having angry fits, no more lashing out. To say that my husband is ecstatic about it is an understatement. I also take Xanax for my anxiety, which helps tremendously.

Anger/Rage could be a combination of E, meds, and possible mood disorder. I would suggest taking your brother to a psychiatrist to determine if he has a mood disorder along with E. Once that is ruled out, think about the medication he is on. The moral to my story is that Keppra was evil to me and I would not be the first one to say so. Meds do alter a person's mood regardless of what some people may say. Primidone has altered my mood, but at least it is for the better.

Re: RE: RE: RE: epilepsy and "rage episodes"

Submitted by Seruzies on Fri, 2008-10-31 - 00:21
If anyone is taking Keppra, there is a side effect known as the "Keppra Rage." Do a search for Keppra rage, there is plenty of information out there about it. I don't know if it applies to other AED's.

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