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From Keppra to Klonopin..help!

Mon, 03/31/2008 - 11:41

Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Adults

I had been taking keppra for about 3 weeks at a relatively low dose, but i was suffering from depersonalization (rare side effect) i started having panic attacks and kept thinking i was about to have a seizure at all times.

so my doctor switched me to klonopin...and i hate it so far! i just need to know if these side effects pass.

i completely sedated, i can barely walk. my pupils are completely dilated and i am so incredibly dizzy it's unbarable. i feel as if i'm going insane. my hearing will completely blank out for a second, come back, then blank out again. this happens quite often at night, and i'm worried its some new type of seizure.

if theres anyone with any experience with this drug...please help! i feel like everytime i take the pill its like taking poison! i have been on it for four days now.

Comments

Re: From Keppra to Klonopin..help!

Submitted by mom2superkid on Mon, 2008-03-31 - 13:05

When are you taking it? My doctor has me on it at night because of my insomnia. I am also on Keppra, Dilantin and Lamictal so I don't know which side effects are from what drug.

I had strict instructions to only take Klonopin at night. From what I understand it has a long half life so it will still be in your system at least part of the day after your nightly dose.

I hope something works for you soon!

When are you taking it? My doctor has me on it at night because of my insomnia. I am also on Keppra, Dilantin and Lamictal so I don't know which side effects are from what drug.

I had strict instructions to only take Klonopin at night. From what I understand it has a long half life so it will still be in your system at least part of the day after your nightly dose.

I hope something works for you soon!

Re: From Keppra to Klonopin..help!

Submitted by wd123 on Tue, 2012-06-26 - 02:58

I am on klonopin and have been for some three years for seizures. I take it on first sign on the seizure, and not every day. I used other meds for every day med. I fall asleep. I go to bed and just take it rather than deal with the seizures. Daily meds gave me too many side effects compared to this. I cannot imagine taking this every day though - it leaves me asleep. Totally agree, this would leave you feeling like zombie. If they could make this one, with out that side effect it would be great. I have often thought this.

Re: From Keppra to Klonopin..help!

Submitted by isjab on Mon, 2008-03-31 - 14:14

hi, my fiance has an as yet undiagnosed seizure disorder and they tried him on keppra, he lost it mentally and almost left me over the side effects, the doctors, at my request switched him to klonopin, and he responded well to it, i take it as well, but for generalized anxiety, and it controls 98% of my panic attacks. I was on ativan and the side effects were awful, so i really only noticed that I was sleepy on klonopin for about a week. Bill was sleepy quite a while longer than that but that was the only side effect either of us noticed. it did not have the full effect we wanted, but it cut his seizures from 50 to 60 a day in half, leaving mostly the more severe ones but almost eliminating the minor grandmall, and partial grandmal, as well as the petit mall seizures. but he was still having between 15 and 20 grandmal seizures a day, and of tose half were very severe. But as I said no doctor in our whole state has been able to find a cause for his seizures, every test they do comes back normal. It has been over a year and still no diagnosis. It is frustrating as hell, and he has gone from a man who did extreme storts in 2006 to a wheel chair, and severe memory loss as result of the seizures, plus three hurnias and multiple neck injuries from collapsing into the seizures. let me know what side effects you are having and maybe I may be able to help you deal with them, or find a way to eliviate them. Watch out for stomach medicines, drugs like tagamet, which is cimetidine can have an interaction with klonopin. I still take both but have found the interaction to be slight for me, but I take a low dose. call me if you want to 907-283-8197

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