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Absence Seizures...Keppra out...Depakote Sprinkles in!!

Sat, 07/07/2007 - 21:03
14 weeks in counting. Tyler has been on Keppra ever since March when we found out he had the seizures. Keppra gave us no side effects at all but it helped NONE!! We were praying that the Keppra would work because of the med not having alot of toxins and chemicals. On to Depakote Sprinkles (125 mg) x2 daily for now until we reach full strengh of 375mg x2 daily. As I did before when we started out w/ Keppra I drove myself crazy trying to find info on the MEDS!! SO here I am reaching out to anyone who can give me ANY (good or bad) insight on your experiences with this new drug. Once again Tyler is only 6 and has Absence for 14 weeks now. Kinda like starting back at square one but I can honestly say I have accepted it and "WE" as a family are looking ahead. One day at a time!!!!! Good Luck and God Bless to everyone on this site. May you all find serenity in your life. Stacia (tyler's mama.."the coach") ** I look at this (epilepsy) as a boxing match. He has come back to the corner to get some new advise(meds)from his coach(me and doc). New advise has been given(Depakote) and he is back out in the ring fighting. This is one fight we will not lose!!!****

Comments

Re: Absence Seizures...Keppra out...Depakote Sprinkles in!!

Submitted by elizabethc on Sun, 2007-07-08 - 15:07
Our son has been on Depakote sprinkles since Jan 2006 (age 6 at the time). He is currently taking 125mg 3 times a day. He was taking 4 pills a day until about 5 months ago. And I cannot believe the effects it has on him! From the get go, we saw a big change in him emotionally in the negative way. He is so sensitive about everything. Gets upset so easily. He seems tired all the time - that is what made the doctor switch him to 3 pills vs 4 pills a day - it may have helped a little. Lately he seems very aggressive, hitting people and getting very upset over the littlest thing. His ability to focus on things is getting worse. At the end of the year, his 1st grade teacher even mentioned her concern on his ability to focus. He has trouble even completeing a one step command. He gets distracted too easily. We have an appointment in 2 weeks with his neurologist. Maybe he just needs a different dose due to growing? I don't know. It's just frustrating because we have complained about these side effects to the doctor, and she just never seems real concerned but he's getting worse in my mind. I'm not convinced the medicine has completely made the absence seizures stop. I see him jerk in his sleep and he never seems to sleep well. Just yesterday at the park he seemed to be spacing out alot. Of course none of the stuff I have read about Depakote sprinkles mentions any of the things we see going on. I hope your son has better luck with the medicine.

Re: Absence Seizures...Keppra out...Depakote Sprinkles in!!

Submitted by elizabethc on Sun, 2007-07-08 - 15:08
Our son has been on Depakote sprinkles since Jan 2006 (age 6 at the time). He is currently taking 125mg 3 times a day. He was taking 4 pills a day until about 5 months ago. And I cannot believe the effects it has on him! From the get go, we saw a big change in him emotionally in the negative way. He is so sensitive about everything. Gets upset so easily. He seems tired all the time - that is what made the doctor switch him to 3 pills vs 4 pills a day - it may have helped a little. Lately he seems very aggressive, hitting people and getting very upset over the littlest thing. His ability to focus on things is getting worse. At the end of the year, his 1st grade teacher even mentioned her concern on his ability to focus. He has trouble even completeing a one step command. He gets distracted too easily. We have an appointment in 2 weeks with his neurologist. Maybe he just needs a different dose due to growing? I don't know. It's just frustrating because we have complained about these side effects to the doctor, and she just never seems real concerned but he's getting worse in my mind. I'm not convinced the medicine has completely made the absence seizures stop. I see him jerk in his sleep and he never seems to sleep well. Just yesterday at the park he seemed to be spacing out alot. Of course none of the stuff I have read about Depakote sprinkles mentions any of the things we see going on. I hope your son has better luck with the medicine.

Re: Absence Seizures...Keppra out...Depakote Sprinkles in!!

Submitted by Jessica3 on Mon, 2007-07-16 - 12:07
Depakote didnt help mt id twin boys at all it did change their behavior for the worse. It also cause a 10-15 lb weight gain in 3 months. Jessica

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