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Does ANYONE like being on Keppra?
Thu, 09/14/2006 - 16:02Topic: Medication Issues
Okay, so I know no one really likes being on any medication, but I am just wondering, does anyone LIKE Keppra?
I hate Keppra. I hate the way it makes me feel. I'm always tired and grouchy and fidgety. I can't see straight most of the time and my already short-fuse is way way shorter.
Has anyone been on Keppra and NOT had bad side effects?
Because for the number of people, it seems like most people I've talked to DON'T like it.
Comments
Hiya fzMousie Here is the
Submitted by solis on Fri, 2006-09-15 - 06:55
Hiya fzMousie
Here is the info on Keppra from epilepsy.com
"To avoid unwanted side effects, the doctor will prescribe a low dose to start and increase it gradually. Young adults usually start by taking 500 milligrams (mg) twice a day. The doctor gradually prescribes more until their seizures are controlled, if side effects are not troublesome. Some people need to take as much as 4,000 mg per day, in two doses."
Also, from page one of info...
"Be careful if the doctor writes a new prescription using a different kind of pill. For example, if you've been using 500-mg tablets and the new prescription is for 750-mg tablets, be sure you use the correct number. Don't automatically continue to use the same number of pills as before."
Since the 500mg tablet can get split, I suggest you add 250 per day each week (for 2 weeks) as opposed to jumping directly from 1000mg a day to 1500mg.
For safety reasons, and to enable yourself to watch for reactions, adding AEDs slowly is a good idea.
Best of luck..
~sol
Keppra was one of a slew of meds I was put on while being tested for surgery. It did nada for me, but it has worked for many people.
Hi sol. My doctor currently
Submitted by fzMousie on Fri, 2006-09-15 - 07:23
Hi sol.
My doctor currently has me on 1500mg and told me to go up directly to 2000mg if I continued having seizures. I am not changing the amount the doctor has told me to take, just when I was taking them, which was not specified.
Also, by "increasing the dosage on my own", what I mean was, he told me to go from 1500 to 2000 if I was still having seizures after a week, and I didn't need to call him about it.
Instead of taking an uneven amount at uneven intervals, I am taking an even amount at even intervals. Given the timing of my seizures, I think my husband mau actually be onto something regarding how my body is absorbing and using up the drug.
My headaches always start early in the morning and disappear shortly after my morning keppra, and if they return, they do so 2 or 3pm.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Does ANYONE like being on Keppra?
Submitted by fzMousie on Fri, 2006-09-15 - 06:28
My husband went looking up some information on Keppra and how it is absorbed and has an interesting theory. He learned that the half life of Keppra is 6-8 hours. I am currently taking my medication every 12 hours: 7am, 7pm. 500mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening. He thinks (though he's not a doctor and doesn't actually know) that given the half-life of the med, my body is absorbing it unevenly giving me peaks and valleys. My valley would be from about 1pm until 7pm, which oddly enough is when I experience the majority of my seizures. Since the doctor has allowed me to increase my dosage on my own, my husband and I have decided together to modify the timing of when I take it. Instead of taking 500 and 1000, I am going to take it 500/500/500 at 7am, 3pm, and 11pm. I'll let you know if that changes anything in me. If not, I am not going to go up to 2000mg, I am going to call my neuro and ask for something else. I think my daily headaches are also related to the medication wearing off.