Tegretol, Epilim or Keppra

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Hi all, after a few breakthrough seizures on reasonably high doses of Tegretol, my neurologist has suggested it might be time to give something else a try, and has suggested either Epilim or Keppra as an alternative. Does anyone have any experiences with the side effects of each that you would be willing to share? I'm told epilim can make you fat and kill off sex drive, and Keppra can make you grumpy. Much more googling to do, but I thought I'd ask some real people too. TIA!

Comments

Hi Sark:So you should

Submitted by Jazz101 on Thu, 2019-03-28 - 19:53

Hi Sark:So you should probably go to Medscape.com and just type in the medication. By the way, in order to do so you have to become a member. And their membership is free. I use them as one of my medical sources the way you have reliable sources like WebMD. Medscape covers so many medical issues and in terms of how they cover medication, you will probably like it. Put it this way, when they are breakdown side effects, they actually attach a percentage number to each effect cited. That way it gives you a better idea of what is more probable and what is less probable.That said, medication is unique. It can work really well on some and on others, well, not so good. I can recall when I tried Vimpat. It just wasn't friendly to me. But I know others who are able to say Vimpat is very effective in their scenario. By the way, my neurologist changed the Vimpat as soon as we saw the effects it had on me. In my case it made seizures more probable. But that's just me. Like I said, I know many who are doing well on Vimpat. When you are trying new medication, it requires being realistic about possibilities but to also remember that those possibilities may not necessarily play out on you. Put it this way, after looking at the side effects broken down in percentage and speaking with your neurologist, that gives you a better idea of what you would probably like to try. Again, speak with your neurologist about it. He or she may be able to even name a few other medication that you can take a look at. One more thing. When trying a new medication try not to guess how well it will work on you. Guessing can spoil the game sometimes. Just remain practical that meds sometimes work and at times they may not. But the only way to find out is by trying, which should involve minimal guessing while you are on it in terms of how well it will be. When I tried Vimpat I never guessed how well it would work. It just turns out that I found out it wasn't quite for me. :)Best RegardsP.S. Medscape doesn't need an uppercase "M" when you are visiting the site. It's just that when you type in the site here somehow the "m" automatically goes uppercase. Same with WebMD. That's also all lowercase when you are visiting that site.

Hi Sark:So you should probably go to Medscape.com and just type in the medication. By the way, in order to do so you have to become a member. And their membership is free. I use them as one of my medical sources the way you have reliable sources like WebMD. Medscape covers so many medical issues and in terms of how they cover medication, you will probably like it. Put it this way, when they are breakdown side effects, they actually attach a percentage number to each effect cited. That way it gives you a better idea of what is more probable and what is less probable.That said, medication is unique. It can work really well on some and on others, well, not so good. I can recall when I tried Vimpat. It just wasn't friendly to me. But I know others who are able to say Vimpat is very effective in their scenario. By the way, my neurologist changed the Vimpat as soon as we saw the effects it had on me. In my case it made seizures more probable. But that's just me. Like I said, I know many who are doing well on Vimpat. When you are trying new medication, it requires being realistic about possibilities but to also remember that those possibilities may not necessarily play out on you. Put it this way, after looking at the side effects broken down in percentage and speaking with your neurologist, that gives you a better idea of what you would probably like to try. Again, speak with your neurologist about it. He or she may be able to even name a few other medication that you can take a look at. One more thing. When trying a new medication try not to guess how well it will work on you. Guessing can spoil the game sometimes. Just remain practical that meds sometimes work and at times they may not. But the only way to find out is by trying, which should involve minimal guessing while you are on it in terms of how well it will be. When I tried Vimpat I never guessed how well it would work. It just turns out that I found out it wasn't quite for me. :)Best RegardsP.S. Medscape doesn't need an uppercase "M" when you are visiting the site. It's just that when you type in the site here somehow the "m" automatically goes uppercase. Same with WebMD. That's also all lowercase when you are visiting that site.

Hi Sark:So you should probably go to Medscape.com and just type in the medication. By the way, in order to do so you have to become a member. And their membership is free. I use them as one of my medical sources the way you have reliable sources like WebMD. Medscape covers so many medical issues and in terms of how they cover medication, you will probably like it. Put it this way, when they are breakdown side effects, they actually attach a percentage number to each effect cited. That way it gives you a better idea of what is more probable and what is less probable.That said, medication is unique. It can work really well on some and on others, well, not so good. I can recall when I tried Vimpat. It just wasn't friendly to me. But I know others who are able to say Vimpat is very effective in their scenario. By the way, my neurologist changed the Vimpat as soon as we saw the effects it had on me. In my case it made seizures more probable. But that's just me. Like I said, I know many who are doing well on Vimpat. When you are trying new medication, it requires being realistic about possibilities but to also remember that those possibilities may not necessarily play out on you. Put it this way, after looking at the side effects broken down in percentage and speaking with your neurologist, that gives you a better idea of what you would probably like to try. Again, speak with your neurologist about it. He or she may be able to even name a few other medication that you can take a look at. One more thing. When trying a new medication try not to guess how well it will work on you. Guessing can spoil the game sometimes. Just remain practical that meds sometimes work and at times they may not. But the only way to find out is by trying, which should involve minimal guessing while you are on it in terms of how well it will be. When I tried Vimpat I never guessed how well it would work. It just turns out that I found out it wasn't quite for me. :)Best RegardsP.S. Medscape doesn't need an uppercase "M" when you are visiting the site. It's just that when you type in the site here somehow the "m" automatically goes uppercase. Same with WebMD. That's also all lowercase when you are visiting that site.

Do you have a history of

Submitted by Blue Dragon on Sun, 2019-03-31 - 21:49

Do you have a history of anxiety, depression, or another mood disorder? If so, I'd stay away from Keppra. An epilepsy specialist told me she avoids prescribing it to patients with mood disorders.Have you considered lamotrigine, or is that not an option for you?Like Nigel, I'm a fan of Medscape.

Hi There,I took Tegretol many

Submitted by penpal59 on Thu, 2019-04-04 - 03:11

Hi There,I took Tegretol many years ago, but as with you, over time its effectiveness declined. I've taken both Epilim and Keppra. I was on Epilim in the early days when it was still experimental and the full impact of common side effects wasn't known. As with many people who took the drug I gained a lot of weight very rapidly and it took a long time to get it off. A family member still takes the drug after many years and won't come off it as her seizures are stabilized but she is very overweight and its difficult for her get around. Obesity has caused other problems as well.When I came off Epilim I was able to lose weight and now lead a reasonably normal active life. I went onto Keppra sometime later and have found it works reasonably well to control seizures. I haven't had a grand mal seizure since I went on the drug and thats been a real relief. However, the drug does cause irritability and that in and of itself can create social problems as no one wants to be around an unhappy grumpy person. I find vitamin B helps to reduce that side effect and take 2 vitamin B tablets a day. I also take high doses of fish oil to help with my concentration.I also take Dilantin and Lamictal. I've heard that Dilantin is one of only a handful of anti convulsants which is almost always successful in treating epilepsy. I've been on it for several decades and the only side effect I've experienced are receeding gums. I see the dentist every six months to keep my teeth clean and overall my teeth are in pretty good shape.All the best