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Keppra and anti depressants?
Tue, 12/12/2006 - 05:25Topic: Medication Issues
Hey guys how are ya? I've just been put on Keppra recently but I'm finding it's giving me really bad depression, was just wondering if anybody else has had this problem and has found a successful anti-depressant to go on with it? I've heard that a lot of them can make your seizures worse so I don't want to risk that, any info would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers and have a good day!
Comments
Re: Re: Keppra and anti depressants?
Submitted by andy m on Tue, 2006-12-12 - 11:53
I have to agree with Hannah here. Having lived with both Epilepsy and depression all my life although one did not lead to the other. One route I didn't want to go down was taking tranx and never have done although I do take Clobazam which is from the same family as Valium etc but I take it as an AED, plus there are not the same problems with tolerance build up as there are with other meds from this family. I have taken Keppra, Epilim and Clobazam together for the last 3 and a half years and during that time my seizures have been under control, sure depression still pops up from time to time but having myself gone down the road of CBT it is nowhere near as bad or frequent a visitor as it used to be. Of course another factor was finding somewhere like this site where I could talk and write to others who knew where I was coming from, it certainly lifted the burden a bit.
I got an excellent referral for CBT through my epi nurse and social services working together.
Re: Keppra and anti depressants?
Submitted by Karen R. on Tue, 2006-12-19 - 13:18
My daughter is on keppra and is experiencing tiredness. Our neurologist who works with vitamins as well as medications suggested taking B6 . According to studies done, this has helped certain paople on keppra to have less symptoms. Good luck.
Re: Keppra and anti depressants?
Submitted by fzMousie on Tue, 2006-12-12 - 08:45
Hi Ninja, Yes, I had that problem with Keppra. They say only 10% do, but if you think about it, 10% is a big number. The problem with anti-depressants is that they tend to worsen your seizures. My family doctor sent me to a psych to sort out the depression/epilepsy combo. Ultimately, we decided that cognitive behavioural therapy would be the best route. Talk to your doctor about it. You shouldn't have to suffer through it to avoid seizures. Good luck,