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Depakote to Lamictal to ?
Sat, 09/30/2006 - 20:45Topic: Medication Issues
I had my first tonic clonic seizure when I was 17 years old. Prior to this I had been experiencing myoclonic jerks not realizing they were linked to epilepsy. I am now 30 years old and have been diagnosed with Juvenile Myclonic Epilepsy.
My drug journey began with Depakote I remained on depakote until I was 27 years old when I found out that it caused birth defects in our new-born. He is 4 now and was first diagnosed with fetal valproate syndrome. Now they have added medium to severe autism to his diagnoses.
Depakote was very successful at treating my epilepsy. I had only 3 seizures over the ten years I was on it. I was on a hefty dose of 2000mg daily. I spread it out over morning noon and night. After I found out about depakote causing these defects in our son I decided to change drugs. I switched to Lamictal 2 years ago and in a very short time found that I had lost 30 pounds and cognitively I was more clear. The problem was I've been having break through seizures every 3 months since I have been on Lamictal. Every seizure I've had has been right after I woke up from a long or short sleep.
I am now looking for another alternative to hopefully become seizure free. I know Depakote ER is an option but the weight gain and cloudy mind scare me. Of course I would be terrified to have another child on Depakote.
Anyone have any suggestions. I have a doctor's appointment with a neurologist who only treats epilepsy on October 11th. So I guess I better decide by then. I have searched the internet about Keppra, Topamax, Tegretol, and many other options but none seem to fit my case exactly. My doctor doesn't seem to keen on mixing medicines, I don't know why as many on this board are on a mix of several drugs.
Any help suggestions or sharing of experiences would be extremely appreciated.
Angie
Comments
Re: Re: Depakote to Lamictal to ?
Submitted by akq08 on Thu, 2006-10-05 - 20:52
Hi bjoy,
Thanks for the info. Did your doctor suggest lamictal as a drug option? How did your Doctor know how much Keppra to put you on. Did he share any other information about Topamax with you? Also, have you taken any fish oils or omega3 vitamins. I've read that fish oil/omega3 can helps prevents seizures. Thanks.
Re: Depakote to Lamictal to ?
Submitted by bjoy on Mon, 2006-10-02 - 07:38
Hi Angie, I'm a 27 f with JME. I had myoclonics in the mornings when i was younger, but dismissed them also becuase I didn't realize it was such a serious thing. I was put on Depakote, 750 mgs when I was 16, and since then, I've had no seizures. Myoclonics have also been kept to a minimum, but my hormones went wacky, I gained 15 pounds, and I feel moody. I'm currently switching to Keppra. The whole changeover takes 6 weeks, and I'm in the 5th week now. I'm working up to 2000 mgs total of Keppra. So far, so good. I only take 250 mgs of Depakote this week, and next week, monotherapy with Keppra! So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Its been scary to let go of something that's been working for so long, but the side effects of D are too much. My doctor also mentioned Topomax, but because of the cognitive side effects of that one, we went with the Keppra. I've been very sleepy since there's more Keppra in me now, and I do have mood swings. My appetite is non existant, which isn't a bad thing since I want to lose 15 pounds. The doctor said I have to give my body a good 3-4 weeks of the Keppra monotherapy to really see how my body will adjust to it. I'm sorry about your son. Depakote is the first line drug of choice for JME but not for females for this reason. Lamictal also can increase the myoclonic jerks characterisitc of JME. Keppra has been shown to control them in some patiens. Hope all is well. Let me know what you decide to do and how you make out!