Keppra & extreme exhaustion

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Hi guys! I've been dating my boyfriend for almost two years now and he is epileptic; I'm here to find more info on how you all go about dealing with the side effects of your epilepsy meds. He takes 1500 mg of Keppra every morning (500 mg x3). He works in construction and operates heavy machinery as long as he takes his medication consistently and daily. If he misses a dosage, he may be susceptible to a petit mal or on a rare occasion, a grand mal seizure. Also, excessive stress is a big trigger for his petit mal seizures, which is kind of an ongoing issue considering he has a very short temper. He has made it a point to calm down and let things go a little more easily, reducing the frequency of his petit mal seizures. However, he is always drained and exhausted no matter how much sleep he gets (which usually is between 8-12 hours). His doctor said this chronic exhaustion is a side effect of Keppra. So my question is, do any of you deal with this side effect as well? If so, how do you deal with the drowsiness on a daily basis? Did your doctor recommend something to take to counteract it or a change in lifestyle? Thank you in advance!!

Comments

Hi,Thank you for posting.

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2020-03-24 - 09:09

Hi,Thank you for posting. Treatment and how your body may react to certain medications varies for each individual, like Gianna & Kelly shared with their experiences taking AEDs. As Gianna mentioned the goal treatment is no seizures & no side effects. However, we know that some individuals may experience too many side effects, that are very bothersome or cause other health problems. It’s important that you all are continuing to follow-up with his healthcare team to explore his treatment options and side effects further, or if he experiences any changes in seizure types/frequency, moods, symptoms or behaviors, to determine what individual treatment plan is best for him. It’s important that you all are open and honest with his doctor's about how this is making your boyfriend feel, and how this is affecting his health and daily life. If he has not already, he may want to consider getting more specialized care for his epilepsy at a comprehensive epilepsy center. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/find-epilepsy-specialist/find-epilepsy-center . It’s also important that your boyfriend is able identify and recognize his triggers. Stress, & missed doses of medications are some of the most frequently reported triggers for some people living with epilepsy. While managing stress is very personal and specific to each individual situation, there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people, here: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for him, he can document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help him, and his healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing him to modify his behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. He can also have electronic reminders sent via text or email, when it's time for a dose of medicine. In addition to identifying triggers, tracking seizures and documenting how he’s feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with his doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of his healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . It’s common for those who are in caregiver role to feel overwhelmed. It’s important that you're making your health and overall well-being a priority as well. https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/Caregivers%20factsheet.pdfAdditionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline , or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates

Hi,Thank you for posting. Treatment and how your body may react to certain medications varies for each individual, like Gianna & Kelly shared with their experiences taking AEDs. As Gianna mentioned the goal treatment is no seizures & no side effects. However, we know that some individuals may experience too many side effects, that are very bothersome or cause other health problems. It’s important that you all are continuing to follow-up with his healthcare team to explore his treatment options and side effects further, or if he experiences any changes in seizure types/frequency, moods, symptoms or behaviors, to determine what individual treatment plan is best for him. It’s important that you all are open and honest with his doctor's about how this is making your boyfriend feel, and how this is affecting his health and daily life. If he has not already, he may want to consider getting more specialized care for his epilepsy at a comprehensive epilepsy center.  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/find-epilepsy-specialist/find-epilepsy-center . It’s also important that your boyfriend is able identify and recognize his triggers. Stress, & missed doses of medications are some of the most frequently reported triggers for some people living with epilepsy. While managing stress is very personal and specific to each individual situation, there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people, here: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for him, he can document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help him, and his healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing him to modify his behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. He can also have electronic reminders sent via text or email, when it's time for a dose of medicine. In addition to identifying triggers, tracking seizures and documenting how he’s feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with his doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of his healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . It’s common for those who are in caregiver role to feel overwhelmed. It’s important that you're making your health and overall well-being a priority as well. https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/Caregivers%20factsheet.pdfAdditionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline , or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates

Hi,Thank you for posting. Treatment and how your body may react to certain medications varies for each individual, like Gianna & Kelly shared with their experiences taking AEDs. As Gianna mentioned the goal treatment is no seizures & no side effects. However, we know that some individuals may experience too many side effects, that are very bothersome or cause other health problems. It’s important that you all are continuing to follow-up with his healthcare team to explore his treatment options and side effects further, or if he experiences any changes in seizure types/frequency, moods, symptoms or behaviors, to determine what individual treatment plan is best for him. It’s important that you all are open and honest with his doctor's about how this is making your boyfriend feel, and how this is affecting his health and daily life. If he has not already, he may want to consider getting more specialized care for his epilepsy at a comprehensive epilepsy center. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/find-epilepsy-specialist/find-epilepsy-center . It’s also important that your boyfriend is able identify and recognize his triggers. Stress, & missed doses of medications are some of the most frequently reported triggers for some people living with epilepsy. While managing stress is very personal and specific to each individual situation, there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people, here: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for him, he can document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help him, and his healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing him to modify his behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. He can also have electronic reminders sent via text or email, when it's time for a dose of medicine. In addition to identifying triggers, tracking seizures and documenting how he’s feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with his doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of his healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . It’s common for those who are in caregiver role to feel overwhelmed. It’s important that you're making your health and overall well-being a priority as well. https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/Caregivers%20factsheet.pdfAdditionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline , or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates

Hi there! I took that

Submitted by a.markovich97@yahoo.com on Sat, 2020-04-04 - 15:05

Hi there! I took that medication, and I am familiar with that side effect. I ended up switching medications because the chronic exhaustion would just prevent me from living a stable life. I would suggest a switch or you can try to focusing on natural sources to boost energy. I have found that eating cleaner, supplements, etc have increased my mood and energy a ton!

I have been taking keppra

Submitted by hihellothere on Sat, 2020-04-18 - 02:17

I have been taking keppra 500mg x4 for over three years and I am now questioning the side effects with this medicine. It does its job to control my grand mal seizures but the struggle of always yawning due to feeling sleepy, the headaches, the mood swings and anxiety, and now struggling with weird joint pain in my knees and lower back makes me wonder if this medicine is worth all the side effects. My dr. gave me the option to switch to Brivact but I dont know how it will react with the clobazam I take as well. my doctor suggested I try cognative therapy to reduce stress and anxiety. yoga has helped a bit too and i cut down to one cup of coffee in the morning.