Side effects from Keppra?

Hi @motobee,
I am doing well, thanks for asking.
Oh my heart goes out to you! Sleep issues are absolutely exhausting, both physically and emotionally. For me, it was the worst symptom I experienced during my first years of epilepsy treatment. Thankfully, with changes in my medications for epilepsy together with yoga practices and aerobic exercise, my sleep patterns have improved.
I understand that Zopiclone hasn't been very helpful in improving your sleep pattern, correct? What other approaches have you tried? Have you considered seeing a sleep specialist?
In the meantime, please be gentle with yourself on those rough days. Sleep deprivation is no joke - I know it well myself.
Sending you wishes for better sleep ahead. 💜
Chris

I'm happy to know that @ysv12345.
Let's keep walking.
Chris

@lluedke
I'm so sorry you're experiencing hallucinations. I once had a hallucination myself and it was incredibly frightening and distressing. Your neurologist's response is not nice at all. I can well understand your frustration with that lack of empathy and dismissive attitude. The first doctor who diagnosed and treated my epilepsy had a similar approach and was very uncomfortable with me trying to educate myself about my condition. As a result, I sought second and third opinions and changed doctors.
I'm also on Keppra, having started in December of last year. I haven't experienced hallucinations with this medication, but I know that individual responses to AEDs can vary significantly. Checking for it on the internet, hallucinations are mentioned as a possible side-effect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059131122002783.
Have you considered seeking a second opinion? If possible, I'd highly recommend seeing an epileptologist rather than a general neurologist. It has made a tremendous difference in my epilepsy journey.
Wishing you much better care!
Chris

I have empathy for your husband and hope he's feeling better. But since you mentioned hallucination, I'm sharing the following. I have been on Keppra for over 10 years and it's worked well. I don't know if Keppra had anything to do with the following, but here it is.
1) I remember: walking on the treadmill and getting off
2) I don't remember: walking up the stairs and talking to my wife about my sister with whom I haven't spoken to in almost 10 years
3) Then I remember: walking back downstairs and getting back on the treadmill and finished my walk.
I had no typical partial complex seizure. Never experienced such a thing ever in my life. I welcome any comments. Could this have been some form of seizure? Has anyone experienced such a thing? Is this a hallucination?

@royanthony
whether or notyour having seizures is a question for your doctor, I wonder if you could be experiencing absence seizures. Absences are generalized seizures, where people lose consciousness. Absent seizures, usually only last for seconds (normally less than 15 seconds) seldom more than 30 seconds but can last a few minutes but these are rare. People who have absences rarely ever have any memory of the seizure or what was happening prior to it.
How often do these forgetful episodes occur? What type of seizures do you normally have?
Have you mentioned these episodes to your doctor? Has anyone ever told you that you appear to be daydreaming?
Take care,
Jake

This event was the first in my life. Never had one since. I will see my doctor in September and tell him. Mine have been partial complex. No daydreaming. I knew what was happening prior to seeing my wife. Seizure free for over a year.

Yes I had an absence seizure about a yr and a half ago. My wife said I was standing talking to her and started to smack my lips in mid conversation and walked away and stopped. She had me lay down to rest. (I did not remember doing any of this). Have not had another absence seizure since... God Bless

@hippele
Do you have any memory of what you were doing prior to the seizure? You said talking to you wife but do you remember this or did she tell you?
How long did it last.
Take care,
Jake

yes I remember talking to my wife but when she said I started to smack my lips, walked away and just stopped and her telling me to lay down I do not remember any of that. Probably lasted maybe a minute? God Bless....

I’m taking Keppra 1000 mg twice daily since February prior to a craniotomy and possible focal seizures to opposite side of face. Now I completed the second craniotomy on the other side. My neurosurgeon reported that I can stop the Keppra because he doesn’t believe I had seizures at any time. I decreased the dose to 500 mg BID for two days then decreased again to 500 mg daily. I’m unsure if I am safe to stop the Keppra or should stay in a decreasing dose over a longer period.