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Advice required for Depakote
Mon, 09/12/2016 - 08:03Topic: Medication Issues
My 9 year old son has recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and started medication 4 weeks ago. He is on the lowest dose of Depakote and takes one tablet in the morning and one in the evening. Medically it seems to have made a real difference; he is sleeping much better and for longer, waking up feeling more energised, is far less tired, eating better, and hasn't had any seizures or epileptic auras since starting.
However, the school have contacted me over the last two weeks about his behaviour. He is less motivated at school, struggling to focus and he is exhibiting behaviours that are very out of character for him.
Would it be too soon, after just 4 weeks, for the cause to be the medication? How do I know whether the cause is the drug, or that he is just a nearly 10 year old changing anyway!! We are completely new to epilepsy, know very little about it and I have been so anxious about starting the medication because of side effects. Would there be side effects that quickly? Thank you for your advice.
Comments
Thank you both so much for
Submitted by Karen Rex Dunn on Mon, 2016-09-12 - 14:21
Thank you both so much for answering. I really appreciate your time reading my post and responding - it's all so new to me that I feel a little lost! I'll contact our neurologist and ask for her opinion.
Side effects start in the
Submitted by just_joe on Mon, 2016-09-12 - 10:55
Side effects start in the first week of use. As the body gets used to them they generally go away. After the body gets used to the medication and the therapeutic levels get set they go away which can take 6 weeks to do. I had the same thing happen when I started on medications. Good relationships with the neurologist can get answers because they know more about the time for some of them to go away. IF the medications are working they may have gotten the medication and dosage right but at times adjustments will need to be made.at 10 yes there are things going on, But when he changes from a kid to a teen that will need to be watched. Hormones and growth affect the medications. Mine were changes 3-5 times in an 8 month period of time.