change of meds after 16 years

In my opinion, if memory loss is the only side affect thats bothing you, dont change meds. My partner and i are trying to find a medication that doesnt make him violent. If we had one that made him memory go, neiher of us would care. Id rather cope with memory then the violence any day.

Personally, I've never been so glad to get off of a seizure med as I was to get off of Mysoline. It made me so tired and weak. I was in the fifth grade when he put me on it. Because it made me weak and groggy, it did made it difficult for me to learn. Also, I couldn't be as active as the other kids. I struggled thru the rest of grade school and high school. It forced me to sleep about 9-10 hours per night. And I felt as though I hadn't slept. It made me anemic as well. The Mysoline wasn't nearly as effective for me as the Tegretol or Depakote. The Depakote has never made me gain weight. In fact, it has always made me feel better so I had more energy. Depakote made me more active so I lost 55 pounds in less than 6 months and I wasn't dieting. Frankly, I have to wonder if it's not the Mysoline that's making him gain. When the neurologist pulled me off of Mysoline, he did it very slowly. He decreased the dosage over a 2 week span. That can have a lot to do with it. And while he was pulling me off of the Mysoline he was gradually increasing the Tegretol. The newer drugs like Depakote, Lamictal and Tegretol have been a cake walk for me. The only negative that I had was from the Tegretol. It would not let me sleep. Some drugs, like Tegretol, can have the opposite side effect on some patients. Instead of making them sleepy, it gives them insomnia. I was lucky if I could get 4-5 hours per night. Whatever you do check that neurologist out. Grill him when you see him. Ask for an informational meeting. Many doctors will give you one, if you ask. (They just don't promote it.) And I've never known someone who was charged. When you meet him, make him tell you ALL about his medical training and ask every doctor in the community about that doctor. If you know any nurses, they are your best source of info. They can tell you exactly which doctors to steer clear of and why. (Some just have a greater patient role than they should be handling. They are far too stressed and overworked.) If there is/are teaching hospital (s) near you, contact their department of neurology and ask them for the names of some doctors they'd recommend in your area. Don't go to a neurologist just because one doctor recommended him. Get more than one opinion. I was almost put under because a well-meaning internist wanted me to have the advantage of seeing a neurologist. It backfired. He referred me to a neurologist who'd just set up his practice. Because he was a neurologist and apparently he'd made a good impression on the other physicians, they referred patients. When I met him, he said that his objective was to get me on single drug therapy. That's great but he almost put me 6 feet under trying order achieve that goal. He had me taking 10 Tegretol in one day. After awhile it built up in my system. One night my sister took me home from work and, when I started to get out of her car, my legs gave out. She had to brace me in order to get me up the stairs and into my apartment. Both of us thought it was just because I was overtired. When I woke up the next morning, I tried to get up and I found I couldn't walk. Scary. My neurologist did not have anyone on call for him. I found myself calling my OB-GYN and asking for his advice. Later, I decided to call a neurologist I'd met when he was in his internship at Loyola. By the time I needed him, he had an established practice and an excellent reputation. I pleaded with him to take me back. He did and he told me that I should never have been taking that much Tegretol in 1 day. Now, I always question the doctors.