Keppra vs phenytoin
Common Questions and Answers about Keppra vs phenytoin
keppra
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this community.
My neurologist just informed me that Osteoporosis and shrinkage of the Cerebellum are very serious side effects for long term users of Dilantin. Does anyone know more about this?
I've been taking 500mg of Dilantin for over 30 years since I was a teenager, and now I'm terribly worried. Not one of the neurologists had mentioned anything about this over the years, and now at 46, I've learned that I may have severe osteoporosis.
its been 8 months since my mothers TBI- she had a seizure yesterday-she has been off keppra for 1 1/2 months-the side effects of keppra are aweful-they ask her questions and wonder why she is out of it and doesn't know her last name-(after they gave her keppra in the hospital) what can she take that is less evasive to her health and recovery??
I'm a 48 yr old black female who began having seizures 7-8 yrs ago. they have increased to about 1 time a week. I'm taking 750 mg of Keppra and Dilantin 100mg 2 x a day.
my neuro told me dilantin will cause mood swings and cause me to be irritable and was hard on your body after being on them so long. i have started keppra and dropping 1 dilantin a month . i was told my moods will improve and i will start to think more clearly. my neuro told me dilantin does slow your thinking and leaves you in a fog.
A good Neuro would be able to tell you more specifically about your mother's condition. As my DD is in Keppra, and has previously been on other seizure meds, the Keppra, by far has had the least amount of side-effects. You could ask if some of her mood changes, memory loss, etc. are from the stroke vs. the Keppra. Please do not wean her off the medication without a Dr's directive... that could cause withdrawal seizures.
My thoughts are with you that your mother gets well soon.
, now they have added Keppra to his phenobarbital and after a visit with an animal neurologist, who believes my dog has a tumor based on some exercises he put him through, and added prednisone to the mix, I feel all of this is excessive and unsafe for my dog but he's never had any medical conditions before so I don't know what is 'normal' in doggie meds - are pheno-barbital, Keppra and Prednisone commonly prescribed together for seizures?
Also the medication he is on is Keppra, phenobarbital, Sodium Valoperate, Phenytoin and clobazam as well as the sedation drugs.
I just started taking synthroid for small hypothyroid condition . I have been on Keppra and Lamotrigene for many months for seizures. No problem with seizure meds but began having terrible oder issues ,everything smells horrible - skin, food , lotions, shampoos etc. Could this be interaction with these meds . ?
In a small study, phenytoin-induced seizures occurred most often in patients with serum phenytoin concentrations of 50 mcg/ml or higher.[393] Peripheral neuropathy, usually occurring weeks to months after drug initiation, has also been reported in patients receiving phenytoin. A single case report describes the onset of neuropathy within a few hours of drug administration.[9780]
Adverse GI effects of phenytoin therapy include nausea/vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, and anorexia.
Folic acid supplementation in folate-deficient patients with epilepsy changes the pharmacokinetics of phenytoin, usually leading to lower serum phenytoin concentrations and possible seizure breakthrough..."
It however says that initiation of Folic acid and phenytoin together is beneficial.
Since you can't go back and start all over again, you can take a small dose. It has been observed that as los as 1mg dose can perturb phenytoin’s levels, You may take doses lower than 1mg/day.
7 Months ago I had a physical, bloodwork to check dialntin level, dr called to say level was very high (i believe over 30) and told me to cut my dosage from 400 mg/day to 200mg. At same time I was taking phenytoin instead of dilantin for the first time. I started to feel tension and tingling in right leg and getting muscle spasms at night, within a week I got the dilantin back and was back up to 400 mg.Weaned off dialtin(had low vit d) since then and on to keppra.
I also take Keppra but have never had any problems at all. I suffered with depression for 11 years and came of the medicine fully just before I went on Keppra, and yes I have days where I do feel depressed but with any illness you do have days where you feel depressed even suicidal. So my advice is don't necessarily put it down to Keppra. Talk to the doctor who prescribed Keppra to you and see if you can be referred to a Psychiatrist to talk it through and find out if it is the tablets!
Moban® brand of molindone hydrochloride contains calcium ions which interfere with the absorption of phenytoin. Ingestion times of phenytoin and antacid preparations containing calcium should be staggered in patients with low serum phenytoin levels to prevent absorption problems”. Taken from http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/phenyt_od.htm
Our population is divided into 4 type of metabolizers ranging from rapid to slow metabolizers depending upon the speed of elimination of drug from body.
I have no health insurance. I was finally got a really basic coverage, but it doesn't cover keppra. i've been taking keppra for a 2 months. I was switched to phenobarbitol for when I run out. since keppra is not on the charity's formulary.
I hope to God that I cant find some source of keppra before I run out. The phenobarb is scary.
So I'm excited about the links here:
http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/index.php
http://www.needymeds.
And sent use home alll my boyfriend wanted to do was go back to sleep cause his head was hurting so bad 3 hours later he sat up in bed and I starting asking him questions he should now and got no response so I helped him off the bed and onto the floor he then started poking me and saying 123456 and then started looking threw bags and then I continued to ask him questions he then said my name so i was re leaved this episode/ seizure lasted 2-3 min and his body was hot and sweaty so I called the
Thank you for your question, you are relatively fine with Phenytoin and the seizure episodes in a form of lack of speech are the residue of a generalized type seizure. I don’t have a full description of your consciousness during the lack of speech episodes to decide whether this start is a partial epilepsy which can continue in a generalized or it is a generalized one from the first moment..
Hello AB, welcome to the medhelp forum. Phenytoin can cause certain side effects like dizziness and mental confusion. Some people may also manifest incoordinate movements. Weight gain is not a documented side effect. It could be related to your alcohol consumption or wrong dietary habits and lack of exercise. An occasional one or two drink may be fine but moderate or large amount can cause significant increases in blood levels of phenytoin due to induction of hepatic enzymes.
Did you start it after or before keppra? How long were you on Keppra? I wish my daughter could take Lamictal but her rash got the doctor worried, even though it was ringworm. Have you heard of any other anti-seizure meds that might actually work well for moods? I know Lamictal is a very good mood stabilizer. Good luck.
04/12 changed him to Dilatan and keppra more seizures. 05/12 put back on keppra only 3,500 mg. 06/12 seizures moved to keppra 4,000 mg a day! He has had only 1 seizures since been on 4,000, but this is a very high dosage. He is going to see an seizures specialist. Hoping he can get this dosage down.
t like that a 3rd medication was added before his previous two were maxed out--he was already on Keppra (max dosage) and Depakote (sprinkles--very low dose), so she titrated him up on the Depakote so we could get rid of the Lamotrigine. Well, that worked. He's now on Keppra and Depakote only, we dropped the Lamotrigine a few months ago. His Depakote dose is currently 1000mg in the AM and 1500mg PM.
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