1. < Epilepsy & Seizures

Vimpat - are memory issues transient?

Posted by hillsboro @hillsboro, Aug 23 5:19pm

I have just started on Vimpat. I am slowly titrating up to 200 mg. I am also on 500 mg of lamictal for the last several years. The Vimpat is an add on. I have been on numerous anticonvulsants and this is the first time I have ever had memory issues. I know that Vimpat can help with memory but currently it is giving me short term memory problems. Has anyone had the experience of memory issues with Vimpat being transient as their body adjusts to the med?

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Chris Gautier OR Santosha | @santosha | Aug 26 6:59am
In reply to @santosha "@baa Thank you so much for your kind words. What I say to people still struggling..." + (show)
@santosha

@baa
Thank you so much for your kind words. What I say to people still struggling with meds and their condition is "Do not give up"!
Learning and studying about epilepsy and exchanging experiences with others were key to getting better and exploring other treatment alternatives.
When will you be at the epilepsy center, I mean the dates?
While you are with Bipap, one thing that can help you is practicing Yoga Nidra. While I had severe insomnia, I practiced it more than once a day and it helped me a lot. I still continue to practice it daily after lunch as I believe it increases my seizure threshold. As I have mentioned in other posts, 30 minutes of yoga nidra can correspond to up to 3 hours of deep sleep. It is a practice, where you lay down on your back on your bed or yoga mat, listen and do this mental relaxation. Give it a try!
Wishing you a beautiful week and stay strong!
Chris (@santosha)

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@baa
This is one of my daily yoga nidra practices. I also use the app Insight Timer for it.


I prefer the practices that follow Swami Satyananda Saraswati philosophy and/or the Bihar School of Yoga.
Hugs!
Chris (@santosha)

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hillsboro | @hillsboro | Aug 26 7:46am

I, too, have been on a lot of AEDs. Also several meds for depression - all of them gave me seizures, as have some antibiotics. And still seizures are not controlled. I started on lamictal after the Mayo Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. I have tried CBD and THC and both gave me massive panic attacks. Currently on Lamictal and it has been pretty good for me. After last seizure though, my neurologist added vimpat but the side effects are severe and are worsening daily. I know you have to bear initial side effects but this is like a house of horrors. I do yoga, meditation daily. I will see my neurologist after his vacation and try to work out another plan. I appreciate all the responses.

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baa | @baa | Aug 26 9:10am
In reply to @santosha "Hi @hillsboro I have checked this website many times for the side-effects of AEDs while I..." + (show)
@santosha

Hi @hillsboro
I have checked this website many times for the side-effects of AEDs while I was taking them. It was very helpful.
But again, every person has a personal reaction to those meds. I, for example, am a very sensitive person to medication since my childhood. I even had the rare side-effects while taking Vimpat.
I believe the best is to compare how you feel now versus the last med you took. Remembering that the body needs some time to adapt to a new med. For example, I had a skin rash with Lamictal in the first month and it disappeared afterward. But I had to get off this drug because I had severe insomnia which did not get better after 3 months of usage.
I believe that another good exam to do is the neuropsychological assessment. I did it in 2019 when I started treating my epilepsy with AEDs and it showed that both my cognitive and executive functions were impacted. Now that I am off AEDs, I am thinking of repeating it again to see if the results have changed.
Chris (@santosha)

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@santosha Chris, who does a neuropsychological assessment?

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1 reply
hillsboro | @hillsboro | Aug 26 11:28am

Lots of PaD neurologists do neuropsych exams. They are pretty commonly done for all kinds of problems. You can ask your PCP, psychologist, therapist ,etc. to make a referral depending on the who is licensed to make the referral in your State. I just got a response from my neurologist’s nurse who said memory issues are often transient and I should let them know if they continue. Mayo has great response times for questions in the portal since I just asked yesterday. I am so lucky in this regard.

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Chris Gautier OR Santosha | @santosha | Aug 26 11:46am
In reply to @baa "@santosha Chris, who does a neuropsychological assessment?" + (show)
@baa

@santosha Chris, who does a neuropsychological assessment?

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@baa
Usually, this assessment is performed by a neuropsychologist. I did mine with my neuropsychologist, who is a very human person and conducted this assessment in several days.
Chris (@santosha)

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1 reply
Chris Gautier OR Santosha | @santosha | Aug 26 11:48am
In reply to @hillsboro "I, too, have been on a lot of AEDs. Also several meds for depression - all..." + (show)
@hillsboro

I, too, have been on a lot of AEDs. Also several meds for depression - all of them gave me seizures, as have some antibiotics. And still seizures are not controlled. I started on lamictal after the Mayo Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. I have tried CBD and THC and both gave me massive panic attacks. Currently on Lamictal and it has been pretty good for me. After last seizure though, my neurologist added vimpat but the side effects are severe and are worsening daily. I know you have to bear initial side effects but this is like a house of horrors. I do yoga, meditation daily. I will see my neurologist after his vacation and try to work out another plan. I appreciate all the responses.

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Hi @hillsboro
Have you tried Epidiolex?
Chris (@santosha)

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1 reply
hillsboro | @hillsboro | Aug 26 2:21pm
In reply to @santosha "Hi @hillsboro Have you tried Epidiolex? Chris (@santosha)" + (show)
@santosha

Hi @hillsboro
Have you tried Epidiolex?
Chris (@santosha)

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I don’t think I meet criteria. What is your diagnosis?

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Chris Gautier OR Santosha | @santosha | Aug 26 4:10pm

Hi @hillsboro
I have temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial sclerosis (on my hippocampus - left side).
Chris (@santosha)

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1 reply
hillsboro | @hillsboro | Aug 26 5:40pm
In reply to @santosha "Hi @hillsboro I have temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial sclerosis (on my hippocampus - left side)...." + (show)
@santosha

Hi @hillsboro
I have temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial sclerosis (on my hippocampus - left side).
Chris (@santosha)

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That’s quite a diagnosis. I have I have partial seizures with secondary generalizations, cryogenic. I am fortunate in that my seizures are often months apart. I had my first seizure at 38 in 1989. I spent 7 days in The Mayo Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in 2019. It was a 3-5 day program but I didn’t have a seizure. It was determined I have seizure activity across my whole brain so I was not a candidate for surgery. I am 73 and age makes all this emotionally so much more challenging. I have had the same neurologist at Mayo all these years. For that I am very grateful.

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1 reply
baa | @baa | Aug 26 7:37pm
In reply to @santosha "@baa Usually, this assessment is performed by a neuropsychologist. I did mine with my neuropsychologist, who..." + (show)
@santosha

@baa
Usually, this assessment is performed by a neuropsychologist. I did mine with my neuropsychologist, who is a very human person and conducted this assessment in several days.
Chris (@santosha)

Jump to this post

Hillsboro and Chris, think I’ll ask for this when I go to Vanderbilt. From reading staff bios it should be easy to get done there- thanks to you both!

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