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Medication for simple partial seizures
Wed, 03/05/2008 - 19:53For those of you who currently have, or have in the past had simple partial seizures... what type of medication/treatment worked best for controlling them for you. Also, if you don't mind sharing, what were your seizures like?
I have simple partials in my left hand and arm... weakness, gripping, twitching, full seizing... as well as in my tongue and jaw making it hard to speak breifly (though this is less often than the arm)
I have also had a couple grand mals (in my sleep/nocturnal) about 5 years ago but they are fully under control with my medication.
In the past I took tegretol (almost 4 years) which controlled things well but caused immense weight gain... so I switch to a low dose of topomax. I have been on this for almost 2 years and am back to my "normal weight" but I have a few more simple partials than I used to on tegretol... I also get B12 shots which seem to help but I have to go back once a month for those.
thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your reponses.
Comments
Re: Medication for simple partial seizures
Submitted by Brian Hen on Tue, 2008-06-03 - 06:55
My med is Lamictal 200mg morning and 200mg before bed 12 hrs apart
+ Valium 5mg 3 times a day for stress and anxiety
But my body trembles if I stand still talking to others
My Neurologist said Valium is the cause of the trembling
My local Doc warned me to stay on Valium with Lamictal
My side effects is memory and concentration
I was dizzy to start for approximately 2 weeks and gradually stopped
Without Lamictal I would have a Grand Mal
If you can take Lamictal only do so, I started to reduce other meds with 50mg to 100mg now200mg
I now go to gym and it helps me to relax
Best of luck
My med is Lamictal 200mg morning and 200mg before bed 12 hrs apart
+ Valium 5mg 3 times a day for stress and anxiety
But my body trembles if I stand still talking to others
My Neurologist said Valium is the cause of the trembling
My local Doc warned me to stay on Valium with Lamictal
My side effects is memory and concentration
I was dizzy to start for approximately 2 weeks and gradually stopped
Without Lamictal I would have a Grand Mal
If you can take Lamictal only do so, I started to reduce other meds with 50mg to 100mg now200mg
I now go to gym and it helps me to relax
Best of luck
Re: Medication for simple partial seizures
Submitted by menoe1 on Tue, 2008-04-08 - 21:32
you sound very similar to me. I was on Topomax for about 2 years, and it decreased my seizures but I still had them about 1x/month. So after I told my neuro for the 100th time that something wasn't working, he put me on carbamizapine, and then upped it to Carbatrol. So far I haven't had a seizure in about 6-7 mos., but I think it's eating up my stomach. I also think that mine are related to my period, but when I tell my docs this (and show them the relationship in a seizure diary to my period) they look at me like I'm an idiot. So far carbatrol has helped the best but it has it's "issues", inclding that insurance won't pay for it, and it's expensive.
I also have probs w/ thinking of words/sentences/names, etc. I'm going back to school after almost 10 years away and it's not as easy as it was when I was seizure free.
you sound very similar to me. I was on Topomax for about 2 years, and it decreased my seizures but I still had them about 1x/month. So after I told my neuro for the 100th time that something wasn't working, he put me on carbamizapine, and then upped it to Carbatrol. So far I haven't had a seizure in about 6-7 mos., but I think it's eating up my stomach. I also think that mine are related to my period, but when I tell my docs this (and show them the relationship in a seizure diary to my period) they look at me like I'm an idiot. So far carbatrol has helped the best but it has it's "issues", inclding that insurance won't pay for it, and it's expensive.
I also have probs w/ thinking of words/sentences/names, etc. I'm going back to school after almost 10 years away and it's not as easy as it was when I was seizure free.