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New to group/needing info on Keppra Vs. Depakote?

Sun, 11/13/2016 - 16:26
Hello Everyone, I just joined this group with hopes of getting some information on which medication to take to treat my seizures. I'm currently taking Depakote, 250 mg twice a day. Well, that's what was prescribed before I started self-medicating as I couldn't stand the side effects of the Depakote. Just a little background to explain my situation; I was involved in a motorcycle accident in 1981 which left me paralyzed, I only have use of my left arm. I had a seizure the night of the accident while getting a CAT scan but at the time, the doctors felt it was probably a reaction to the dye that was used during the scan. I believe the dye was called Metrizimide. I then started having small blackouts a couple of days after I left the hospital. I don't recall what the doctors were attributing that too but they weren't taking it very seriously and after a few more days, I had another grand mal seizure. This time, the doctors performed and EEG but never found anything that would explain why I was having the seizures. The neurologist I was working with had me try several medications including Dilantin, phenobarbital and I think Tegretol before we finally settled on the Depakote. I had one, maybe two more grand mal seizures a few years after my accident but then it was just the petite mall seizures I had to deal with. I was experiencing severe chronic pain since day one after my accident and was only averaging a couple of hours (if that) of sleep every night and I know that had a lot to do with these petite mall seizures I was having. It wasn't until 2006 when I had an intrathecal pump with medications for the pain that I finally got to a point where I could go seizure free for many days even weeks in a row. This was because I was finally getting a full night sleep pretty much every night. It was at this point that I started self-medicating with the Depakote. Not the smartest thing I know but I was really tired of the MANY doctors I was seeing at the time. I did slowly lower my intake of the Depakote and at one point felt like I could stop taking it totally but I never actually did that. Unfortunately, in the past few years I've been experiencing more pain and more nights with little sleep and it's after these nights that I would experience the occasional petite mall seizures. I describe my seizures as split-second blackouts and mentally I usually feel perfectly fine before and after they occur. However, last Sunday night I woke up with severe chills and nausea, I experience occasional urinary tract infections and it turns out I had one that night. But unlike with other infections I've had, I was also experiencing quite a few petite mall seizures, from what I recall they were happening at first every few minutes but then quickly one every minute. The seizures also seem to last a bit longer and I was also a bit confused whenever I came out of the seizure, not to the point where I didn't know where I was but did have to think for a second what I was doing prior to it happening. I was having so many seizures that I was barely able to call 911 and explain to the operator what was happening and was barely able to give them my address. An ambulance took me to a hospital where they gave me a Keppra IV and I was amazed at just how quickly it worked, how much better I felt and most of all, how little side effects (as in none! ) there were. I do have an appointment with a neurologist but he can't see me for another couple of weeks so in the meantime I'm trying to get more info on Keppra and whatever other medications you all can recommend for seizures. Is Keppra the most popular medication for seizures? From the posts I've read, it seems a lot of people are taking it. While Depakote did keep my seizures in check, it was the constant drowsiness and severe skin rashes that I didn't like, are there any similar side effects with Keppra? Any other antiseizure medications you all can recommend? Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

Comments

If it was your first seizure

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2016-11-13 - 17:47
If it was your first seizure then yes the docs could have thought it was a first time seizure. Many people have had them. Those petite mal seizures might not have been noticed by the docs. After the second grand mal they wanted an EEG. A brain wave test showing the electrical output coming from your brain. Many people have their EEG's come back normal. If it was short it probably would show normal. I only had 20-25 come back normal in a year and half. It was a longer EEG in which I fell asleep in that showed abnormalities (spikes, waves aka seizure activity or epileptiform). They put you on keppra IV which works fast because it gets in the blood stream quicker. Now you want to know about regular keppra. Yes it is good. It has become the go to medication for all kinds of seizures. I used it and am using the generic now. If you research you might find posts about how bad it has been for others. Some call it KeppRAGE mood swings is a side effect. Yes all medications have side effects but keppra was designed and created with fewer side effects. It takes time for your body to get used the a new medication and if you are currently on one weaning you off that will take time too. All medications have side effects and yes some people will have them. Generally 5-8% of the people taking a medication get them. Which means for every post you see that say it didn't work for them there are 92-95 people that had not side effects and it is doing what it was created to do. Keppra not reduced the number of my seizures from 4-6 seizures a week to 4-6 a month. Those seizures were 5-8 minutes long and were considered simple partial seizures. so that number of seizures reduction was good. We coupled the keppra with vimpat and the seizures were reduced again. Now I have a seizure every 8-14 days. The seizures now are 2-4 seconds long and even my PG didn't know I had one while I was answering a question he asked. So for me it has been the best seizure medication I have ever used in the 50+ years I have been living with epilepsy. I think you will have posts from at least 2 others who have their kids that have taken or are taking keppraI hope this helps Joe 

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