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Any Briviact experiences to share?
Epilepsy & Seizures | Last Active: Jul 2 5:51am | Replies (161)Comment receiving replies
I have been taking lamictal for years for TLE and my seizures were well controlled. Then I started experiencing mycolonic jerks in one leg. I was prescribed Onfi for this and it worked well for the jerks. Recently I have been having small seizures where I am kind of out of it for a few minutes so my neurologist increased the dosage from 5mg/2x day to 10mg/2x day. I started experiencing intense depression so we decided to try briviact. I took 25mg/2x day for a week then went up to 50mg/2x day. I took the 50mg for 2 days and I was so dizzy I had to hold on to walls and furniture to get across a room. My neurologist told me to stop taking it and has prescribed zonisamide. Its been over a week since I stopped and would expect the dizziness would stop by now since I took it for such a short period of time but I still get really dizzy if I bend over or move my head too fast. I am apprehensive of taking zonisamide because the warnings are basically the same as with briviact. Any input?
Replies to "I have been taking lamictal for years for TLE and my seizures were well controlled. Then..."
@ldlauwers I have not had those specific side effects with Briviact - but that’s what this thread is all about - sharing info on Briviact. I find most E meds cause me coordination issues. Lacosamide in particular made me unsteady, so I have had balance issues on other meds.
@ldlauwers I am on 400mg of zonisimide at night due to myoclonics for over 30 years. I found it to have the least side effects of any of the AEDs i have been on in the past.
it was also very effective in prevention of myoclonics.
@ldlauwers I'm just wondering why... if the lamictal was what you were on for years and it was controlling your seizures well, did you start having the monoclonics while still taking the lamictal so your neurologist prescribed the Onfi for this? I would ask why I couldn't go back on the original lamictal that worked so well for years. But upon reading your post again, I thought perhaps the Onfi was taken in addition to the lamictal. I guess its pretty obvious that I am lacking knowledge regarding the treatment of seizures due to epilepsy.
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@ldlauwers
Welcome to our group at Mayo Clinic Connect! I'm glad you found us, and I hope you'll find the support you're looking for here.
I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with this dizziness. It's really difficult to manage daily life when you can't move without holding onto things. I hope this passes soon.
From my own experience, I've learned it can take time to adjust to new AEDs. Earlier this year I started a discussion called "How Long Does It Take to Adjust to New AEDs?" that you might find helpful. Here's the link: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-long-does-new-aeds-take-to-adjust/
I haven't tried Zonisamide myself, but I have experienced dizziness with other AEDs. It does seem to be a common side effect with many medications, and often it lessens once the body adjusts.
That said, since you stopped Briviact over a week ago and the dizziness is still this severe, I think it's important to let your neurologist know that. Have you been able to reach out to your doctor?
Chris
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