KeppraER -- DepakoteER combination

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Hi,

I am just courius if anyone has taken 2 AEDs at the same time? I am currently taking KeppraER (for my grand mal) and soon i will be taking DepakoteER to help with the small seizures. I have taken DepakoteER before as a child but never both at the same time. Has anyone ever noticed more side effects etc.. Just trying to prepare myself.

Thanks!

Comments

Nice article on rational

Submitted by Amy Jo on Sat, 2014-05-03 - 18:44

Nice article on rational polytherapy at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2730011/ I would expect people to have different reactions. My child is starting to increase a second drug but a completely different drug combination and seizure history. Have to play around with dosing of the first drug to allow us a chance to increase the second, didn't make it past the second week without major fatigue.

I have used 3-5 different

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2014-06-21 - 12:00

I have used 3-5 different medications in a day to control my seizures. When I started having seizures I was taking 2 after a few years I was taking 3. So yes taking more then one medications does happen. I have also been un drug studies. A drug is created and tested for certain types of seizures, If it is approved and is on the market the testing does not stop. The drugs are then tested to see all the other seizures that it can control. The testing then goes to which other medications the drug can be coupled with. So testing does help and they are still making tests with the drugs or in your case medicines, Keppra is a newer medicine and does control many types of seizures. Depakote came out in the early 80's and it too was a good medication which can control many different seizures. What your neurologist is trying to do is stop all his seizures with medications he knows work on his kind of seizures. When medications are coupled it takes time to adjust those medications and keep peoples seizures down. For me it took awhile especially when I was a teen. I had my medications adjusted 3-4 times in about 1 1/2 years. Most medications are set with a person weight. When you start taking both you might have side effects. It takes the body time to get used to the new medication which generanlly takes 2-3 weeks. After that is yo uhave side effects you do need to cann your neuro and question him. Faqtigue does happen and it is because the body is trying to adjust. Just as fatigue happens with each seizure. With a seizure your body used energy. With the new medication your body loses energy becasue it is still adjusting, Asa for side effects that do happen and you might find posts regarding them, In drug studies we were required to write down NAYTHING that was different during the time we were being tested, All of the things we wrote down were listed. I didn't have all the things on the listIO might have had 1 maybe 2. Now then also understand that the list of side effects happen to 5-8% of the people using it. So if you see posts that have a bad view of the drug the person making that post is one of those 5-8%. Where are the posts from the other 92-95%. You won't find many since they are having no problems and are moviong forward with their lives. Oh if you have ER medications please make sure those meds are taken at the same time every day. If you have been taking them at 7 am daily fine. If one day you sleep in late and take them at 9-10 that 2-3 hour delay can cause breakthru seizures. If taken 2 times a day those dosages should be 12 hours apart. Unless your doctor states otherwise. I found that out years after I was diagnosed. MY doc had said 2 times a day. AFter having a seizure I asked him why when I was taking my meds. He asked WHEN. He also then informed me 12 hours apart becasue medications lose strength while in the body. Those 2-3 hours the medication is below it strength it should be. I hope this helps and you get seizure free Joe

I have used 3-5 different medications in a day to control my seizures. When I started having seizures I was taking 2 after a few years I was taking 3. So yes taking more then one medications does happen. I have also been un drug studies. A drug is created and tested for certain types of seizures, If it is approved and is on the market the testing does not stop. The drugs are then tested to see all the other seizures that it can control. The testing then goes to which other medications the drug can be coupled with. So testing does help and they are still making tests with the drugs or in your case medicines, Keppra is a newer medicine and does control many types of seizures. Depakote came out in the early 80's and it too was a good medication which can control many different seizures. What your neurologist is trying to do is stop all his seizures with medications he knows work on his kind of seizures. When medications are coupled it takes time to adjust those medications and keep peoples seizures down. For me it took awhile especially when I was a teen. I had my medications adjusted 3-4 times in about 1 1/2 years. Most medications are set with a person weight.  When you start taking both you might have side effects. It takes the body time to get used to the new medication which generanlly takes 2-3 weeks. After that is yo uhave side effects you do need to cann your neuro and question him.  Faqtigue does happen and it is because the body is trying to adjust. Just as fatigue happens with each seizure. With a seizure your body used energy. With the new medication your body loses energy becasue it is still adjusting, Asa for side effects that do happen and you might find posts regarding them, In drug studies we were required to write down NAYTHING that was different during the time we were being tested, All of the things we wrote down were listed. I didn't have all the things on the listIO might have had 1 maybe 2. Now then also understand that the list of side effects happen to 5-8% of the people using it. So if you see posts that have a bad view of the drug the person making that post is one of those 5-8%. Where are the posts from the other 92-95%. You won't find many since they are having no problems and are moviong forward with their lives. Oh if you have ER medications please make sure those meds are taken at the same time every day. If you have been taking them at 7 am daily fine. If one day you sleep in late and take them at 9-10 that 2-3 hour delay can cause breakthru seizures. If taken 2 times a day those dosages should be 12 hours apart. Unless your doctor states otherwise. I found that out years after I was diagnosed. MY doc had said 2 times a day. AFter having a seizure I asked him why when I was taking my meds. He asked WHEN. He also then informed me 12 hours apart becasue medications lose strength while in the body. Those 2-3 hours the medication is below it strength it should be. I hope this helps and you get seizure free Joe

I have used 3-5 different medications in a day to control my seizures. When I started having seizures I was taking 2 after a few years I was taking 3. So yes taking more then one medications does happen. I have also been un drug studies. A drug is created and tested for certain types of seizures, If it is approved and is on the market the testing does not stop. The drugs are then tested to see all the other seizures that it can control. The testing then goes to which other medications the drug can be coupled with. So testing does help and they are still making tests with the drugs or in your case medicines, Keppra is a newer medicine and does control many types of seizures. Depakote came out in the early 80's and it too was a good medication which can control many different seizures. What your neurologist is trying to do is stop all his seizures with medications he knows work on his kind of seizures. When medications are coupled it takes time to adjust those medications and keep peoples seizures down. For me it took awhile especially when I was a teen. I had my medications adjusted 3-4 times in about 1 1/2 years. Most medications are set with a person weight. When you start taking both you might have side effects. It takes the body time to get used to the new medication which generanlly takes 2-3 weeks. After that is yo uhave side effects you do need to cann your neuro and question him. Faqtigue does happen and it is because the body is trying to adjust. Just as fatigue happens with each seizure. With a seizure your body used energy. With the new medication your body loses energy becasue it is still adjusting, Asa for side effects that do happen and you might find posts regarding them, In drug studies we were required to write down NAYTHING that was different during the time we were being tested, All of the things we wrote down were listed. I didn't have all the things on the listIO might have had 1 maybe 2. Now then also understand that the list of side effects happen to 5-8% of the people using it. So if you see posts that have a bad view of the drug the person making that post is one of those 5-8%. Where are the posts from the other 92-95%. You won't find many since they are having no problems and are moviong forward with their lives. Oh if you have ER medications please make sure those meds are taken at the same time every day. If you have been taking them at 7 am daily fine. If one day you sleep in late and take them at 9-10 that 2-3 hour delay can cause breakthru seizures. If taken 2 times a day those dosages should be 12 hours apart. Unless your doctor states otherwise. I found that out years after I was diagnosed. MY doc had said 2 times a day. AFter having a seizure I asked him why when I was taking my meds. He asked WHEN. He also then informed me 12 hours apart becasue medications lose strength while in the body. Those 2-3 hours the medication is below it strength it should be. I hope this helps and you get seizure free Joe