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Keppra & extreme exhaustion

Mon, 03/23/2020 - 12:06
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

I also had fatigue with

Submitted by Patriotrehab on Mon, 2020-03-23 - 13:58
I also had fatigue with Keppra, but my doctor considered that an intolerable side effect and tried different medications. Some medications don’t have any side effects for a particular person whereas other medications affect that individual greatly. The goal of treatment for epilepsy is NO SEIZURES - NO SIDE EFFECTS. As one of my epilepsy specialists said to me, missing even one dose of seizure medication can take up to five days to get the levels needed back into his blood that is needed to control his seizures and is one of the most common triggers of seizures for people with epilepsy. He may need to use a pill box and set a reminder on his phone so that he doesn’t miss a dose. Also, my advice is to talk to his doctor about trying a different medication (safely - not going off of Keppra entirely until you find another one that works and doesn’t have severe side effects). If his doctor is not willing to listen, perhaps you may need to seek a second opinion, maybe even from an epilepsy specialist at an epilepsy center if you’re not already connected to one. Someone from the Epilepsy Foundation will probably be responding to you over the next few days with some more information and resources. 

testing

Submitted by david.jost on Mon, 2020-03-23 - 14:46
testing

I take Depekote..bit I don't

Submitted by Kelly68 on Mon, 2020-03-23 - 22:14
I take Depekote..bit I don't have that side effect. Maybe if he's able try a different medicine. Mine is better than weekend and zurontin.

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