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Fear of Depakote

Fri, 09/11/2009 - 23:06

Do you have to medicate absence seizures? 

My son, 5.5, was diagnosed with Childhood Absence Epilepsy this summer.  Reluctantly, I gave him Zarontin.  Eleven days later, he had a drug reaction (rash).  Now the ped-neuro wants me to give him Depakote.  But fear gets in the way. 

Please, tell me what side effects your elementary school aged children experience while on Depakote.  Hair loss -- when, how much, grow back?  Weight gain -- when, how much?  Tremors -- when, what kind?  Low platelets -- bruising, bleeding?  Liver disease?  Pancreatitis?  Behavior issues?  Omg. 

Is it true that untreated absence seizures can result in long-term epilepsy (vs. childhood)?  Is it true that untreated absence seizures result in tonic-clonic and other seizures?  Is it imperative that you treat absence seizures with medication?  Can absence seizures be treated with a low glycemic index diet or keto diet? 

PS.  I'm still waiting to see ped-neuro, hence all my questions.   

 

Comments

Re: Fear of Depakote

Submitted by trrnmalice on Mon, 2011-10-24 - 12:24
my son has juvinile mayoclonic epilepsy and when he was on kepra it turned him into a monster so i would suggest trying to take her off of kepra and see if that helps with her mood but hey thats just my opinion

Join the Yale Childhood Absence Epilepsy Study!

Submitted by Yale Absence Epilepsy Study on Tue, 2011-07-26 - 14:56

Hello everyone. My name is Leisel and I am a Yale University medical student. My lab is recruiting absence epilepsy patients for a study we are currently conducting. We are recruiting absence epilepsy patients from the ages of 6-18 for an fMRI study at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Here is some more information about our study.

- We will consult with and ask permission from your neurologist before you participate in the study
- fMRI is safe and has not been found to cause any long term effects; You will play a simple computer game while in the scanner.
- You will be compensated $100 per scanning day (~2.5 hours) and $0.50/mi for travel. We will arrange for flights or lodging if needed
- We can scan on weekends or over the summer so you do not miss school
- You will get a picture of your brain!
- You will help us find out more about absence epilepsy, which may benefit patients and their families in the future.
You cannot participate in the study if you have other types of seizures or if you have a brain
abnormality. Please contact us if you have questions!
To participate, please contact Jen at yaleCAEstudy "at" gmail.com or call at 203-815-7231
You can also visit our website at www.yalecae.com, or our Facebook page. Just search for "Yale Childhood Absence Epilepsy Study"!

Thank you very much for supporting our research in absence epilepsy!

Hello everyone. My name is Leisel and I am a Yale University medical student. My lab is recruiting absence epilepsy patients for a study we are currently conducting. We are recruiting absence epilepsy patients from the ages of 6-18 for an fMRI study at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Here is some more information about our study.

- We will consult with and ask permission from your neurologist before you participate in the study
- fMRI is safe and has not been found to cause any long term effects; You will play a simple computer game while in the scanner.
- You will be compensated $100 per scanning day (~2.5 hours) and $0.50/mi for travel. We will arrange for flights or lodging if needed
- We can scan on weekends or over the summer so you do not miss school
- You will get a picture of your brain!
- You will help us find out more about absence epilepsy, which may benefit patients and their families in the future.
You cannot participate in the study if you have other types of seizures or if you have a brain
abnormality. Please contact us if you have questions!
To participate, please contact Jen at yaleCAEstudy "at" gmail.com or call at 203-815-7231
You can also visit our website at www.yalecae.com, or our Facebook page. Just search for "Yale Childhood Absence Epilepsy Study"!

Thank you very much for supporting our research in absence epilepsy!

This is my first post.  I've

Submitted by Jeremy75 on Sun, 2018-11-04 - 14:37
This is my first post.  I've had epilepsy since 2009.  I'm a 42 year old mail and for the most part my seizures haven't been all that frequent when compared to many I've read about on this website.  I've been on depakote for a few years now and every time I've had a seizure, my depakote level gets raised.  Now my doctor says I'm maxed out at 1500 MGs in the morning and the same at night...3000 total.  My seizures as far as I know have been under control with the exception of several back in February.  The side effects for me have been a little tough.  My memory is terrible, often confused, brain fog and when reading or listening to people, I feel like I need to REALLY force myself to pay attention.  I didn't even realize any of this was happening until a friend brought it to my attention.  Has anybody else had this experience on Depakote?

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