Can anyone suggest any other medication besides Keppra for seizures?

Posted by 1710dave @1710dave, Aug 18, 2020

Can anyone suggest any other medication besides keppra for seizures.These pills are destroying my brain and body.The pill attacks my miscle so bad I cannot walk some times the pain is so bad in my legs.The pill is like a statin and it does damage to your muscle and tendons it is calls rhabdomyolysis.The doctors are no help at all, they just say all the pills have side effects and leave it at that.Hope someone has a suggestion.Thank you Dave

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Epilepsy & Seizures Support Group.

@dawn_giacabazi

@1710dave
Here’s some information that you might find helpful.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/levetiracetam-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20068010

I highly recommend contacting your insurance company to see if Mayo Clinic is in your network. I went through Mayo Clinic’s Epilepsy Center and I haven’t had a seizure since. They are fantastic. Before going through the seizure clinic, I was having seizures daily for several years tried dozens of different medications and always felt horrible. They admitted me to the seizure clinic and after 10days I was taken off all my old medications and started Trileptal which was the perfect drug for me! No crazy or weird side effects for me. But keep in mind ever patient is different what works for me may not work for you which is why their clinic is so perfect. They find what WORKS FOR YOU!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/epilepsy/care-at-mayo-clinic/mac-20350102

Time for second opinion.
Dawn 😉

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Thank you

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Great article @john1492, thank you for sharing it!
I have already been exploring some of those alternative ways of treating epilepsy, I have refractory epilepsy (Temporal Lobe with Mesial Sclerosis on the left Hippocampus).
Last year, I have started to treat myself with full-spectrum cannabis with high CBD and since the start of this year, I take pure CBD. Though my seizures continue, they have in general become much milder and I am feeling much better. Additionally, I practice yoga (hatha and nidra), which has been helping me much in terms of anxiety (an epilepsy symptom) and feeling better.
I also pay more attention to my alimentation, trying to include nutrients containing magnesium, other vitamins, and probiotics (I have read some studies showing a relation between some types of epilepsy and the gut). I also take omega 3 as a supplement.
I can for sure say that my life quality has improved much!
If anyone is interested, I am more than willing to share my experiences.
Have all a great day! đŸ™‚
Santosha

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someone said to see a epilepsy specialist is there any difference than a regular neurologist

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@1710dave

someone said to see a epilepsy specialist is there any difference than a regular neurologist

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For sure @1710dave! I have seen a great difference between my current doctor (epileptologist) and the others (neurologists and psychiatrics) I have seen. If one has refractory epilepsy as I do, I more than recommend a neurologist specialized in epilepsy (epileptologist). I am feeling much better with my current treatment and it is clear to me that my epilepstologist is much more knowledgeable than the other doctors with whom I have treated myself before. If only I knew there is a neurologist specialized in epilepsy before...

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@1710dave
I agree with @santosha. Epileptologists receive more training than general Neurologists. However, I'd ask the Epileptologist or any other Neurologist who claims to specialize in Epilepsy.
Jake

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@santosha

Great article @john1492, thank you for sharing it!
I have already been exploring some of those alternative ways of treating epilepsy, I have refractory epilepsy (Temporal Lobe with Mesial Sclerosis on the left Hippocampus).
Last year, I have started to treat myself with full-spectrum cannabis with high CBD and since the start of this year, I take pure CBD. Though my seizures continue, they have in general become much milder and I am feeling much better. Additionally, I practice yoga (hatha and nidra), which has been helping me much in terms of anxiety (an epilepsy symptom) and feeling better.
I also pay more attention to my alimentation, trying to include nutrients containing magnesium, other vitamins, and probiotics (I have read some studies showing a relation between some types of epilepsy and the gut). I also take omega 3 as a supplement.
I can for sure say that my life quality has improved much!
If anyone is interested, I am more than willing to share my experiences.
Have all a great day! đŸ™‚
Santosha

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Hi Everybody!
Perhaps in my last post, I gave the wrong impression that I self-treat myself. All I do is with the orientation of my epileptologist and his consensus, including yoga, alimentation, vitamins, etc.
Wishing you all a nice week!
Santosha

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Hello, new to this board, thank you for all the information. Doctors scoff at this but my seizures started after my first Covid Vaccine, it has been a nightmare. I’ve had 2 Covid Moderna Vaccine shots, and 1 booster, within 5 to 6 days of each shot I had a severe seizure. I have never had a seizure in my life prior to the Covid Vaccine. At first my Doctor and Neurologist scoffed at a connection, but finally my Doctor (a wonderful man) said he would not rule it out and felt there might be a connection. Originally, they prescribed Gabapentin and Carbamazepine. At work, my memory was diminished, along with balance issues, etc. It was a nightmare. Because my seizures were nocturnal only I took the Gabapentin and Carbamazepine in the evenings before sleep. My seizures were controlled but still returned at the first week of every month for 2 years, bizarre, some kind of a biorhythm issue. Because I was so weary of memory issues, not remembering people at work who I knew well, and a myriad of other new maladies, I decided to stop the Carbamazepine (as the half life was 36 hours). I increased the Gabapentin (also an anti-seizure) as the half-life was 6 hours, this way I felt I could be free of medication during the day. Either way, after a week I stopped the Carbamazepine completely, within 5-days I had a massive seizure attack, 7 in succession. My husband who has always stood by me with my nocturnal seizures, was horrified. The next morning, he called ER, they said ‘get him in here’. I was there for 7 hours. I have now been prescribed (Keppra, 750 MG, ER, morning and night) with continued use of Gabapentin. I have an appointment with a new Neurologist in a week, my previous one has left the system. This all said, the Keppra makes me feel weird, I have taken 2 weeks off work (first time off in 5 years). I have had a stomach ulcer in my past, completely went away and has not been an issue. Guess what? It has slowly and now aggressively returned. I feel aggravated by the Keppra tablet sitting in my stomach each night. Just wanted to share my issues, and certainly appreciate reading what others are experiencing. Thank you!

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By the way, they did an MRI and CT scan, Chest X-Rays etc., in ER and found no anomalies. (After all nocturnal seizures I have no memory, and can hardly talk for hours, very scary)

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