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drowsinessworse with Keppra

Sun, 03/30/2008 - 23:51

Hi everyone- I am new to this forum and I hope somebody can give me some insight. I have been on dilantin for 26 years and now my new neurologist is having me switch to Keppra. I am still waiting for the results of my bone density scan. My biggest problem is the drowsiness and I haven't even started my full dose yet. I can barely make it through the day without caffeine in my system. I started drinking coffee the same year I started on dilantin because I couldn't stay awake in school. It didn't help that my first class of the day was physics!  Anyways, I have to drink twice as much coffee in order to function normally and I want to know if anyone has had side effects that persisted after going off there original medicine? Any advice in combating drowsiness while on AED? Thanks, nancy

Comments

Re: drowsinessworse with Keppra

Submitted by Geosmallz6 on Wed, 2008-04-02 - 20:27

Hello Nancy,

Sorry to hear about your side-effects with Keppra.  My neuro wanted me to try Keppra...after about 4 weeks, we decided that it was not the med 4 me.  I could barley move I was so tired...literally.  At first, I just thought it was the side-effects of beginning a new drug, but they didn't get better; they became more intense as the doses increased. 

Have you talked to your neuro about your side-effects?  Have you talked to your doc about other possible meds?

Is this only med you are taking for your E?  My doc added the Keppra to the Tegretol-XR that I was (and still am) taking as adjunvtive therapy...Keppra is an "add-on" med used with other AED's.  http://www.keppra.com/pc/home/default.asp

I hope it all works out for you and you are feeling back to normal soon.

Geosmallz

Hello Nancy,

Sorry to hear about your side-effects with Keppra.  My neuro wanted me to try Keppra...after about 4 weeks, we decided that it was not the med 4 me.  I could barley move I was so tired...literally.  At first, I just thought it was the side-effects of beginning a new drug, but they didn't get better; they became more intense as the doses increased. 

Have you talked to your neuro about your side-effects?  Have you talked to your doc about other possible meds?

Is this only med you are taking for your E?  My doc added the Keppra to the Tegretol-XR that I was (and still am) taking as adjunvtive therapy...Keppra is an "add-on" med used with other AED's.  http://www.keppra.com/pc/home/default.asp

I hope it all works out for you and you are feeling back to normal soon.

Geosmallz

Re: drowsinessworse with Keppra

Submitted by catsamu on Thu, 2008-04-03 - 11:33

Keppra is the only med I take for seizures; 1000mg twice a day. 

My neuro told me that Keppra would make me sleepy, but it's strange--Keppra actually keeps me from falling asleep, and having that "can barely move" feeling.  Maybe it's because my particular kind of seizures *are* like falling asleep, and Keppra counteracts that.  I never have that debilitating grogginess and head-snapping "micosleep" type things that I had for so many years without knowing what it was.

Deb

 

Keppra is the only med I take for seizures; 1000mg twice a day. 

My neuro told me that Keppra would make me sleepy, but it's strange--Keppra actually keeps me from falling asleep, and having that "can barely move" feeling.  Maybe it's because my particular kind of seizures *are* like falling asleep, and Keppra counteracts that.  I never have that debilitating grogginess and head-snapping "micosleep" type things that I had for so many years without knowing what it was.

Deb

 

Re: drowsinessworse with Keppra

Submitted by Lisa Parham on Fri, 2008-04-11 - 17:46
hi there,please excuse me but i am new to this site and dont know what i am doing.I have been on keepra 1000mg twice a day,i always felt tired  but i always thought it was from not enough sleep.i am on dilantin now and it doesnt work for me at all.I think i would rather go back on the keppra,i do drink a lot of pop,i think thats how i can make it through the day.No matter what meds my dr puts me on they dont work after about 5 or 6 months cause i get use to them.I need help on here cause i dont know what i am doing so if someone can email me at sktl4@yahoo.com and explain to me how this works it would be great for me,i am  not good when it comes to the computer at all.i would love to talk to someone one on one about this cause i am going through a hard time right now,thanks for listening to me Lisa

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