Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Mood and Behaviour changes
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 19:25Hello everyone!
I am writing because I am trying to figure out what's going on with my son. He is 9 years old and is taking 375 mg of Keppra XR per day for left temporal lobe epilepsy with complex partial seizures. He has been on Keppra for close to 5 months and we've been noticing emotional, mood and behaviour changes that fluctuate so much throughout the day. He's previously taken carbamazepine and lamictal. He was never an emotional or a child who had "bad" behaviours before his diagnosis. He was always pretty laid back and easy going but recently (in the last few weeks), he goes from being withdrawn and needing his space, to really hyper and picking on his little brother and sister (which he never did before), to crying about things that don't make sense, to being easily irritated. He seems to have a lack of interest in most things (including Disneyland!) and his anxiety is at an all time high. He becomes obsessive about things like snakes and tornadoes and will refuse to go outside in the unlikely event he will come across a snake (has never happened) or if the weather changes, he's constantly checking the skies for any sign of a tornado (again, never happened) - and these are only a few. Sorry if this seems really choppy, just trying to fit as much as I can in. I'm not really sure if it's his epilepsy, a medication side effect or if I'm just reading too much into it and he's just developing into a "pre teen". I hate talking to his doctors because we've seen 4 throughout our journey and none of them have a clear idea of what is going on with him and all have different and very drastic opinions of what is going on with him and they all make me feel like I'm over reacting although I feel like I know my children the best - ecspecially when it comes to behaviour and moods. Do any of you have any insight? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Re: Mood and Behaviour changes
Submitted by MariBS on Wed, 2013-05-01 - 15:10
It sounds like your son is experiencing Keppra rage. Many of the people who experience it end up switching to a different seizure medication or take some sort of mood stabilizer. I recommend talking to your son's neurologist about it, as s/he has probably had other patients with the same problem and will have an idea of what will help your son the most. I don't know if it will help any, but I've recently started taking Keppra for general epilepsy, and have found that the amitriptyline that was prescribed for my migraines helps to balance the mood swings that have come with the Keppra. I still have some mood swings, but they're not as extreme or difficult to deal with as the ones that started when I tried to switch to a more effective migraine medication.