Focal awareness seizures or auras?

Yes, I agree that living with epilepsy is definitely a risk factor for anger and depression. It’s difficult to live with the thought that when you take a shower, you could drown, when you go up or down stairs, you could have a fatal fall, etc and etc. Not being able to drive when all their friends have the new-found freedom is particularly hard for young adults.

I agree that the efficacy of the medications depends on more than just the seizure types but multiple factors that are dependent on the individual person. I wish there was a blood test that could just tell us which meds and which doses would work best! 🙂

My daughter appears to be on the upswing with her mood. It is hard to tell because sometimes a seemingly small setback can cause her to drown in sorrow but I do feel like she is increasingly improving since the med change. She also hasn't had any seizures to my knowledge since the Briviact was added!! I am so grateful the doctors at Mayo took our concerns seriously and went ahead and admitted her for the med change instead of having us do it at home. I think it could have taken months at home and it took a week at the hospital.

I am so glad Keppra is working for you! It really did control her grand mals well and we will never truly know if it was a factor in her depression, anger, or suicidality. I often wonder if seizure meds have that reputation simply because living with epilepsy is a risk factor for those issues to begin with.

Hi @adoptivemother
Unfortunately, Keppra rage is a side-effect that many report while trying this medication, bringing much suffering to the patient and the family. I am sorry your daughter and you went through this with Keppra. How is your daughter doing now?
From my experience, I more and more observe that treatment with those medications is a very individual one, depending not just on the epilepsy type but also on other individual factors. Finding the right drug and dosage can be a process that requires much patience and persistence, not only from the patient and his/her family, but also from the doctor responsible for the epilepsy treatment. I well understand when you mentioned the feeling of playing a guessing game. I also had the same feeling many times, especially while being treated by neurologists who just followed a certain protocol and did not take into account certain individual aspects.
When my current doctor suggested taking Keppra, I got so scared because of all the stories of rage side-effect of this drug I have heard so often. But I see today it was the best alternative in a certain circumstance I had faced last December. Thank God, no Keppra rage and seizures so far in those 4 months, though I confess I am still struggling with other side-effects. My doctor, with all his patience and persistence, has been doing a fine-tuning process and reducing my dosage in a safe manner, little by little. I pray it works and ask God to continue with persistence!!
All my best to you and your daughter.
Chris (@santosha)

She has had a couple EEG's and an MRI and nothing showed up. We are seeing a neurologist at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. We are in the process of trying to figure out if something else is going on. Thank you for your reply! I feel like her Keppra dose is high for the symptoms she was having. We are going to discuss with Doctor but sometimes they are so stuck on protocols.

Hello

I am sorry your daughter is going through this, as is mine. My understanding is that Keppra is typically prescribed for generalized seizures (grand mals) and 1000mg twice a day is a very high dose. Trileptal is an example of a common first line med for partial seizures. There are many others available, however, which do not carry the same reputation for side effects as Keprra. We just took my daughter off of Keppra due to mood issues/suicidality/rage. It is always hard to pin down the cause for such feelings and I often feel like we are playing a guessing game but so far I do believe it was beneficial to remove Keppra.

Something to consider is PNES. I hate when people question if my daughter is "actually" having a seizure yet there is increasing evidence that anxiety and stress particularly when paired with PTSD can cause physiological symptoms that mimic epileptic seizures yet there is no evidence on an EEG. If a high dose of anti-seizure meds isn't working, I would be curious about this.

Has she had an EEG? Are you being seen at Mayo or elsewhere? A Neuro-psychologist might be helpful regardless.

Hi @kelspal , Good Morning
I also have focal seizures, auras (or simple partial seizures) and complex partial seizures (when your awareness is impacted).
I started to have auras while I was a teenager. They have then evolved to complex partial seizures when one's awareness is impacted.
What does she experience while she has auras? Deja vu episodes, strange smell and taste in the mouth? Those are quite typical during an aura. In case you are interested, I am sending here a link with more details on auras: https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-types/focal-onset-aware-seizures.
Stress, anxiety, and menstruation are common triggers to seizures.
Has the doctor told you what kind of epilepsy your daughter has? It would be interesting to know. According to my knowledge, not all kinds of epilepsy have auras. I have temporal lobe epilepsy. My seizures start with auras and can evolve to complex partial seizures or not. I am also on Keppra since last December. I also feel very tired and face other side-effects. But I may not be a reference, as I am very sensitive to anti-convulsant medications.
You also mentioned that your daughter has aura feelings. It seems those are prodromes. Prodrome is a feeling that an aura is on its way. Some people feel it, others do not. I have had prodromes in certain circumstances, before having an aura.
I hope this information helps!
Chris (@santosha)
PS: The Epilepsy Foundation (https://www.epilepsy.com/) has great material on understanding epilepsy, in case you are interested.

Hello

I am sorry your daughter is going through this, as is mine. My understanding is that Keppra is typically prescribed for generalized seizures (grand mals) and 1000mg twice a day is a very high dose. Trileptal is an example of a common first line med for partial seizures. There are many others available, however, which do not carry the same reputation for side effects as Keprra. We just took my daughter off of Keppra due to mood issues/suicidality/rage. It is always hard to pin down the cause for such feelings and I often feel like we are playing a guessing game but so far I do believe it was beneficial to remove Keppra.

Something to consider is PNES. I hate when people question if my daughter is "actually" having a seizure yet there is increasing evidence that anxiety and stress particularly when paired with PTSD can cause physiological symptoms that mimic epileptic seizures yet there is no evidence on an EEG. If a high dose of anti-seizure meds isn't working, I would be curious about this.

Has she had an EEG? Are you being seen at Mayo or elsewhere? A Neuro-psychologist might be helpful regardless.