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Hello All! I just turned 35 and was just diagnosed with simple partial seizures. I will try and make this short. The last year has been insane. About a year ago I started having these so called episodes. Flushing, sweaty, jittery, heart racing, light headed and just a feeling that I could not seem to describe to anybody. Its a strange unexplainable feeling sometimes. When I have an episode I always say my famous words "something wrong with me, something not right" to my husband every time lol, poor guy has had a tough year figuring this out with me too :) After having these episodes multiple times I went to my doctor. After seeing many doctors I recently had a last resort and saw a neurologist. I had an MRI which came back clean and an EEG. EEG was abnormal with burst in my left temp lobe. This is all just so bizarre to me. After trying to think about all these weird episodes I have had in the last year this is making some sense now. The weird thing is I have never lost consciousness. The effects some of these episodes would have on my body would sometimes last hours. At first I thought I was getting anxiety attacks and one doctor tried treating me for that and then another doctor said no way so it has been a frustrating year trying to figure this out. I really just want to feel normal again and not worry about having one of these episodes. My neuro wants to put me on Keppra and I am extremely scared to take this and have voiced my opinion to him but he feels this is the best option. Anybody taken this? I really need some advice on handling and taking this drug. Thanks all!

Comments

Welcome RocketWelcome to the

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2016-11-12 - 13:09

Welcome RocketWelcome to the club we have all had things happening that we couldn't understand and actually didn't think that much about. All of the things you posted could land in different seizures but definitely simple partial seizure is the main one. I had then a few times.The tests done are the main tests to find out where in your brain the electrical discharges are coming from. That was what the EEG did. The MRI showed the neurologists what your brain is like and anything on it that can cause issues. If it's normal fine many peoples MRI's come back normal. Mine didn't. Anything different is looked at scar tissue (on mine) a cist. blood clot, a malformation while it was growing. and the list goes on.abnormal with burst in my left temp lobe As for Keppra. It has become the go to medication for controlling seizures. I have been using it for about 15 years now. I have only use about 23 different medication in the 50+ years I have had epilepsy. They all work. They all have side effects. The newer ones Keppra being one of them have fewer side effects. If like you posted I am extremely scared to take this and have voiced my opinion to him but he feels this is the best option. Then I think I know why. If a person researches medications they will see all the comments posted by people that had problems with it. I was and am well aware of those posts. I however also know how those side effects get put on the lists. My neurologists office is the one of the few in Texas that does testing on new medications. I have been in them so I know what the people went thru during the tests. I also know that most side effects go away after the body gets used to the medication. However there are 5-8% of the people taking it that will get a side effect. Meaning all those posts about how bad it is are written by 5-8% of the people who took it. You will rarely see a post about how good or great it is. It everything is going fine and there are no problems why go to a web site and post since a lot of people with epilepsy do not even know this site exists.Relax and take the keppra. If the RX says 2 times a day those times need to be the same times daily morning and night. That way the therapeutic levels stay constant which will help you from having a break thru seizure. I hope this helps and you get seizure free.Joe

Welcome RocketWelcome to the club we have all had things happening that we couldn't understand and actually didn't think that much about. All of the things you posted could land in different seizures but definitely simple partial seizure is the main one. I had then a few times.The tests done are the main tests to find out where in your brain the electrical discharges are coming from. That was what the EEG did. The MRI showed the neurologists what your brain is like and anything on it that can cause issues. If it's normal fine many peoples MRI's come back normal. Mine didn't. Anything different is looked at scar tissue (on mine) a cist. blood clot, a malformation while it was growing. and the list goes on.abnormal with burst in my left temp lobe  As for Keppra. It has become the go to medication for controlling seizures. I have been using it for about 15 years now. I have only use about 23 different medication in the 50+ years I have had epilepsy. They all work. They all have side effects. The newer ones Keppra being one of them have fewer side effects. If like you posted I am extremely scared to take this and have voiced my opinion to him but he feels this is the best option. Then I think I know why. If a person researches medications they will see all the comments posted by people that had problems with it. I was and am well aware of those posts. I however also know how those side effects get put on the lists. My neurologists office is the one of the few in Texas that does testing on new medications. I have been in them so I know what the people went thru during the tests. I also know that most side effects go away after the body gets used to the medication. However there are 5-8% of the people taking it that will get a side effect. Meaning all those posts about how bad it is are written by 5-8% of the people who took it. You will rarely see a post about how good or great it is. It everything is going fine and there are no problems why go to a web site and post since a lot of people with epilepsy do not even know this site exists.Relax and take the keppra. If the RX says 2 times a day those times need to be the same times daily morning and night. That way the therapeutic levels stay constant which will help you from having a break thru seizure. I hope this helps and you get seizure free.Joe

Welcome RocketWelcome to the club we have all had things happening that we couldn't understand and actually didn't think that much about. All of the things you posted could land in different seizures but definitely simple partial seizure is the main one. I had then a few times.The tests done are the main tests to find out where in your brain the electrical discharges are coming from. That was what the EEG did. The MRI showed the neurologists what your brain is like and anything on it that can cause issues. If it's normal fine many peoples MRI's come back normal. Mine didn't. Anything different is looked at scar tissue (on mine) a cist. blood clot, a malformation while it was growing. and the list goes on.abnormal with burst in my left temp lobe As for Keppra. It has become the go to medication for controlling seizures. I have been using it for about 15 years now. I have only use about 23 different medication in the 50+ years I have had epilepsy. They all work. They all have side effects. The newer ones Keppra being one of them have fewer side effects. If like you posted I am extremely scared to take this and have voiced my opinion to him but he feels this is the best option. Then I think I know why. If a person researches medications they will see all the comments posted by people that had problems with it. I was and am well aware of those posts. I however also know how those side effects get put on the lists. My neurologists office is the one of the few in Texas that does testing on new medications. I have been in them so I know what the people went thru during the tests. I also know that most side effects go away after the body gets used to the medication. However there are 5-8% of the people taking it that will get a side effect. Meaning all those posts about how bad it is are written by 5-8% of the people who took it. You will rarely see a post about how good or great it is. It everything is going fine and there are no problems why go to a web site and post since a lot of people with epilepsy do not even know this site exists.Relax and take the keppra. If the RX says 2 times a day those times need to be the same times daily morning and night. That way the therapeutic levels stay constant which will help you from having a break thru seizure. I hope this helps and you get seizure free.Joe

New to this all!

Comments

Welcome RocketWelcome to the

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2016-11-12 - 13:09

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