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Fiancee - Weaning Off Keppra and Side Effects
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 17:28Topic: Family & Friends
Hi,
I'm new to this site and am engaged to my fiancee who is epileptic. A year ago she was taken off Topomax for Lamictal and was perfect. Now she's being weaned off of Keppra and on the morning of eliminating her first 250mg morning dose, she had sort of a panic attack in the evening before her only evening dose of the same amount. She was being weaned off for 7 weeks prior and this was the first reaction we saw.
She got nauseaus and couldn't control her breathing or shaking and kept saying the room was spinning. She did not throw up, but I put her right to bed. She slept ok during the night, but the next morning her body would not stop twitching. Four about 4 hours straight her arm would keep jerking. During the day it just stopped without notice. Then again at night her leg would jerk and then stop on its own.
I thought it may have been a myoclonic or motor seizure, but being this happened Sunday, she went for a checkup/EEG/etc on Tuesday and everything but her blood work (haven't received back yet) were all normal.
Anyone else deal with anything similar? Appreciate the help/advice/anything. Thanks!
Comments
Re: Fiancee - Weaning Off Keppra and Side Effects
Submitted by thesary on Wed, 2012-10-31 - 17:11
I started taking Keppra 21 days ago, in an attempt to be weaned off of Carbatrol. I am currently taking 500mg Keppra 2x daily and 300mg Carbatrol 1x daily.
I am on the same amount of Carbatrol that I've been on for years, the Keppra is the only new thing. My seizures have not been well controlled, having one to five seizures every month. We are hoping Keppra will change that.
As I've added in Keppra, I've started having these myoclonic jerks like you speak of your fiancee experiencing. My shoulders will just twitch and twitch and twitch, and sometimes when I speak I will stutter for the first time in my life.
The research that I've done gives me the impression that these sort of side effects can be considered within the normal range of experiences going on or off Keppra if they are temporary. I would say... monitor these effects, see if they continue, give it a month. Once she's totally off the Keppra, if they continue you have something to talk to your doctor about. If they don't? Chock it up to medication effects.
Epilepsy medications have a very serious effect on brainwave patterns, and any change in them is going to promote changes not only in seizures, but in all neurological function. It's not fun, it's not easy, but it's a fact of life for people with epilepsy. Give it time before you freak out too bad.
Sary
www.gofundme.com/SaryvsEpilepsy
Re: Fiancee - Weaning Off Keppra and Side Effects
Submitted by lgro002 on Thu, 2012-11-01 - 14:58
It could be withdrawal. Her body is so used to the keppra decreasing the dosage could cause such a reaction...I only say this because when I was in the hospital for surgery I was weaned off my meds (keppra, vimpat, and clobazam) and my arms and legs were jerking like crazy. But I was weaned off all meds in a matter of days so perhaps the two are not comparable? Just a thought. I hope it goes away, but I agree with Sary, give it time before you get worried.
Re: Fiancee - Weaning Off Keppra and Side Effects
Submitted by TomP on Wed, 2012-10-31 - 13:52
Hmm..well, I sort of had a similar experience with Keppra. I was on 2,000 mg. Getting to 1,000 was okay, but down to 500 mg caused me to have a really bad morning, approximately days after dropping the dosage. I was okay after that, though. The same thing happened when eliminating the final 500 mg. Two days later - shakes. Then I was okay.
If twitches continue, some condition is not being covered off. I hope your fiancée can get off all the meds possible, but not to the extent to which myoclonus starts again.
Hmm..well, I sort of had a similar experience with Keppra. I was on 2,000 mg. Getting to 1,000 was okay, but down to 500 mg caused me to have a really bad morning, approximately days after dropping the dosage. I was okay after that, though. The same thing happened when eliminating the final 500 mg. Two days later - shakes. Then I was okay.
If twitches continue, some condition is not being covered off. I hope your fiancée can get off all the meds possible, but not to the extent to which myoclonus starts again.