Keppra- anyone have any succes with it?

[qtip716977]

I have been diagnosed with partial complex seizures. I work in the medical field and my neurologist put me on Keppra. I was still having seizures on 1000mg per day so he increased the dosage over the phone from 1000 to 2000 mg per day. I still have problems so I called him back..............he told me to see a shrink. I feel like the keppra is making me have mood swings that are totally crazy! I am usually very laid back and mellow and now get upset over the littlest things for no reason................has anyone else had this experience on Keppra?

[LizaP]

I used to take Keppra (500mg 2x/day)--I didn't remember any side effect except hot temper.  When my husband and I planned to get pregnant, my neuro suggested that I shift from Keppra to Lamictal since, according to studies, the latter appears to be the safest for pregnant women.  I started Lamictal at 100mg/day. This was increased to 200mg, then 300mg/day. Lamictal was not good for me--suffered from slurred speech, memory loss, incoherence. Worse, I had seizures/symptoms every month. (Had none for 1 year and 3 mos. with Keppra)  My neuro shifted me back to Keppra.  Now, I'm back to 500mg 2x/day.  During the 3 weeks, I was so ill-tempered.  Little things which used to make me laugh irritated me.  I was also depressed, esp when I had my period.  I never understood "depression" until then.  I felt like crying for no reason at all.  I thought maybe the hormonal change was also a big factor. Now, it's been a month and 3 days... I feel ok.  Still slightly moody at times, but manageable.

Guys, I believe that the medicine usually has different effects on different people.  Some of us feel good on Keppra, others on Lamictal, still others on other drugs like Depakote, etc.  For me, it helps to track down all the symptoms and changes you feel while taking a specific medicine.  This would also help our doctors to determine if that med is the right one for us. (To be continued)

Liza P

[LizaP]

As for the hot temper/irritability and other side effects, maybe it would help that we talk to the people around us so that they would also understand.  Reading blogs and comments like these helps a lot!

I hope we all find the right med for us.  Good luck!  :-)

Liza P

[dowma]

Well after my previous post stating I was going to see the neuro for my monthly appointment.  While in the office I had a seizure, I believe still partial but had significant left sided weakness, couldn't walk a straight line without tipping over as well as couldn't add remember things etc.  It was horrible it all started out with nausea first.  Needless to say he ordered another brain MRI that day! Then admitted me the next day for another VEEG, my third one to date.  While in hosp for those 4 days I was weaned off Keppra and increased my lamictal.  Felt much better as far as the irritability goes but now have increase in szs even on increased dose of lamicatal.
Iknow have this horrible metalic taste in my mouth which can last all day but worse at times.  I can feel my head being pulled to the left and have increase blinking and zoning out periods.  I put a call in to neuro but didn't recieve call back which is very unusual.  Guess I have to wait until next week appointment.  I hope all of you are doing well.  
MB

[NcokeO]

Dang well i feel weird I have left Frontal lobal partial onset seizures, i am on 3,000Mg  of Keppra a day. I am  A very nice person most of the time but when i get hungry even a little bit my personality does a shift.
i take 1,500mg twice a day. I get a bit nasty to people if their slightly annoying i just tell them to stop being annoying, and through doing that it annoys me cause my mom telling me i am annoying irritates me.
So when i am hungry i tend either to tell people to stop being annoying rudely, or to go find a quite place in the library, put a headset on with music and study for my classes.

But 90% of the time i am More happy then any one else and that pisses ppl off. I dont randomly say things etc. I am just not a downer i try to find positivity in any THIng

The person my mood swings affects the most is my mom, earlier tonight she told me to stop twriling my hair (its a nervos fidget of mine i have never grown out of & only do it at home). I kinda just got more agressive and obvious with the hair twirling and purposly mocked what she wanted. i was being a distraction being in her line of site.
Mind u its finals week i had not eaten a thing earlier today except breakfast and it was 8pm at night. I ust feel bad cause it made her get up and leave, which was not my intent.

[JKJ]

My son was on Keppra for frontal lobe epilepsy and it didn't help at all--it only made him have a bad temper (and yes, his neuro-doc also sent him to a psych-doc).  BTW...I fired that neuro doc!!
Now he takes Trileptal and is seizure-free.

Good Luck!

[birdy870]

i too are on Keppra(3000mg a day) along with that i take 600mg of tegratol.  i sometimes have break thur seizures, and dizzy spells(which i was told wassvertigo) all i know is that i have gain alot of weight with this med and that i donot feel a 100% at any time. have not exper. any mood swings at all, that i can see. not really to happy with the keppra