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Keppra XR name brand balance problem?

Mon, 06/19/2017 - 00:06
Hi, I'm new to the forum, but I've read a lot on and off since I started taking meds for a seizure that happened in 2013. After being switched around quite a bit, we landed on Keppra at the end of 2013. I just stuck with it because it was considered a "cleaner" drug than the others. My doctor originally prescribed me 500mg,then 750mg, up to 1500mg, all twice daily. However, I only made it to 750mg and wouldn't go higher because it made me feel awful! Like in a constant state of fog, irritation and fatugue. So, without my doc's approval, I stayed at 750mg for about a few weeks. Then I got squirrely and started taking half of the unused 1000mg tabs twice daily, and I felt a little better as far as the side effects go. And that was ok for a bit. Then all of a sudden, I started getting this odd sensation. It felt like I was walking on a floating dock all the time. Or like the floor was moving up and down as I walked. I could even say like I was walking on marshmallows. Sometimes, when I would lean against a counter, like to do the dishes, and it felt like the counter was moving away from me for a second. Very odd. So I told my doctor about it, also that I had only been taking 500mg twice daily, and he suggested I try the XR formula to see if it helped. I guess it did a bit. Then he wanted me to try balance therapy, because after months of feeling that way, I went through the anxiety crap of thinking I had a tumor, or MS, or something worse. I also went through an array of anti-anxiety meds. But, I did the balance therapy for about 6 weeks and the therapist said that the "being on a dock" feeling was most likely being caused by my meds. My neurologist and my primary care both said that it probably would go away as I got used to the meds and my neurologist suggested we try the name brand Keppra XR to see if that made a difference. (We wanted to stay with Keppra because my husband and I wanted to have more kids, and that wouldn't be possible with anything else besides Lamictal.) So I continued taking brand name Keppra XR, 500mg once daily, through my pregnancy (which btw, I have a beautiful, healthy 19 month old girl, no problems:)) and was still having that sensation... I still have it today. Only now I get tingling in my toes and cold/hot sensations on my face sometimes. I also have a small numb spot in the bottom of my foot and it feels like my legs and arms fall asleep easily. The other day, my eyeball started vibrating back and forth for about 10 secs. I still have the brain fog and overall just "ugh" feeling all the time. Could this be from this small dose of Keppra?? I often feel like I take just enough Keppra to ruin my day! I've only had one reoccurrance with a seizure in the spring of 2016, we had a sudden death in the family and I had missed two doses of Keppra, otherwise I've been ok. Idk what to think of my symptoms. I also recently had to go back to the generic Keppra, because 85$/mo for the name brand became unaffordable. I've felt worse since I switched to generic, though. I just figured with such a low dose and for as long as I've taken it, that the side effects wouldnt be so bad. I don't want to mess with my dosage though now, nor do I want to switch meds, because we are trying for another baby. Any advice or thoughts? Thanks!

Comments

The generic did not work.well

Submitted by Abs on Sat, 2017-07-29 - 23:01
The generic did not work.well for.me.during my.pregnancies. I was on the name brand keppra xr. After my pregnancies I jumped to.the generic and added zonegran because I could not tolerate the mood swings that the keppra gave me. The combination really helped.

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