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Side effects from Keppra?
This is about my husband. He started having seizure like episodes four months ago once or twice a month that lasted 5-20 minutes. After trying to convince doctors these weren't anxiety attacks they did an EEG which was interrupted by a seizure like episode. They immediately got him on Keppra without confirming epilepsy and since then he's been completely out of it, has memory loss, slurs his speech, uneven pupils sometimes and others he smells something burning, cough, panic, sees flashing lights and colors,loses contact with the environment and more. He has stopped taking it since Saturday morning and he's much more conscious but still had episodes mostly with his head hurting, panic, burning smell and getting super sleepy when this happens. Memory is getting better.
Does anyone know if all of these are normal as far as bad side effects of keppra go and if so when they will go away?
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@sunny18
Vitamin B6 helps some people with anger and aggression issues caused by Keppra. Ask your doctor about it.
Jake
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1 Reaction@sunny18
I’ve been on Keppra extended release for years with success. I’ve had no possible side effects. except I sleep a little more than I used to.
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1 Reaction@methel - that sounds like great news. Do you mean since you been on levetiracetam (Keppra), you've had no seizures?
@lisalucier
I take a heavy dose of Keppra extended release, 1500 mg 2x a day. At the beginning of this, (after the meningioma, stroke, surgery which started the seizures) I would have an occasional seizure when the medication was wearing off, just before the next scheduled dose. But the switch to extended release ( recommended by the phlebotomist) apparently evened out the med’s so that I didn’t get the ‘dip’ and my last seizure (knock on wood) was in 2017.
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1 Reaction@lisalucier
And yes, the heavy dose seems to be necessary. As the Keppra dose increased, the severity of the seizures decreased. The first seizure generalized and I woke up on the floor. The last seizure, just the left half of my tongue vibrated. (I can’t replicate that consciously. ) And the difference in seizure intensity seems to be the amount of Keppra needed to get control.
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1 ReactionI had to stop keppra. Bad side effects. I now take lamotrogine. Get a good neurologist. If yours isn’t listening get a different one. Get one that specializes in seizures. I do not have epilepsy it have. Seizure disorder.