Dilantin and keppra
Common Questions and Answers about Dilantin and keppra
dilantin
I started having seizures when I was 12 yrs. and they put me on dilantin and other meds. they never got under control so good until I went to a new doctor (because I moved) and at that time I was about 38, and the doctor did a MRI and other test. He then said to me the first thing we have to do is get you off of dilantin. He showed me that that pill was eating up half of my brain (it is called cerebellar atrophy). He slowly put me on different levels of Keppra and I haven't been better.
my neuro is taking me off dilantin slowly. i take 400mg daily . 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.
Two meta-analyses (an analytic study combining the results of several clinical trials) done by Sirven, et al (2004) and Tremont-Lukats, et al (2008) showed no benefit to giving anti-epileptic drugs in general, and Dilantin in particular, to patients with brain tumors in order to prevent an initial seizure. Your husband may have an option not to take Dilantin since there's no difference in outcome.
You can check out the articles yourself:
www.mayoclinicproceedings.
I have a neighbor that was on it too long and she started having seizures more frequently and was hospitalized.They took her Dilantin level and accused her of not taking her meds.But it had started leaking into other places.They found that out while she was still in the hospital.
Now for my own experience.I wasn't always monitored properly;it was always easier to just dispense the med.
I just got back from my dr, they want to wean me from dilantin to Keppra, b/c of "chest pain side effects" and continued problems with balance issues after last sz.
Crabby'ness? oh just great! now i got that to ""look forward to""?
I forgot to tell everyone that when my doctor took me off of Dilantin and put me on Keppra, I'm also on diamox and carbratrol..........
8 mg twice a day phenobarbital as well as adding another 500 mg keppra to what he was taking. He has been very drowsy and started stumbling and falling into walls. He is also dragging his back feet like he's not picking up his feet. I'm very worried about my baby. Has anyone else had this experience?
I talked to the vet and am going back to just 500mg of keppra with the phenobarbital twice daily. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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.
The neurologist figured the Topamax just was not working and then put him on Keppra. (He was still taking 1 dilantin and weaned off that dilantin just before going on Keppra) I had him wean off the Topamax really slow, much slower than the neurologist wanted at first but neuro. gave us his ok to wean off slow. He also weaned on Keppra at a slow dosage. The Keppra worked ok and then he had a few other seizures, one he actually ended up w/ a compression fracture in his back.
yes app, keppra works well for both, i have just started this medication as i have been on sodium valporte and tegretol for many years, im slowly coming of the tegretol and going onto keppra, and if everything gos well they will then start to reduce the soduim valporte, i hope this has helped you in some way, if you like i can keep you informed of how things are going.
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??
Hey guys I have had seizures for about a year now. I have only had about 3 so far but I did have my license taken away and I have been seizure free for over 3 1/2 months now and I'm soon to get my license back in a few months, I'm happy they did take it away because I did not feel right or safe to drive with only having 3 full blown out episodes in a year.
he was so sedated yesterday I think it was the synergistic effect of dilantin and valproic acid.
i have been seeing a dermitologist for about a year and the first med he put me on worked great for from like feb thru july but that wore off and the doc now has me on acutaine with come witha lot of side effects itself and ive only been on it for about 3 weeks and its not supposed to realy work til after the first month but im worried that it wont do anythging agianst the keppra and at the end of the 4 months that the acne will just come back.
Had siezures once per week at night and was semi aware of seizure as it started, then unconcious and would wake up breathing rapidly and confused. Have been on dilantin since then and it has controlled seizures for over 30 years.
Over the yaers I would have problems with severe muscle contortions and spasms of my right leg. Nearly 100% of the time it would bother me at night only, last for about a week as it tapered off.This would happen at most once a year.
I have been on so many of them, and the side effects are worse than the seizures. For example, the keppra I just got off of messed with my hormones, heart rate and blood pressure. I found out by taking it, that I have a mild case of neurally mediated syncope which the keppra elevated to the point where i had to be hospitalized. It also caused major weakness and fatigue to the point where I couldnt work. And believe it or not, that was the minimum dose.
how was dilantin for you re: side effects and adjusting to it? How old were you when you began dilantin. My daughter is having a hard time with keppra. I've been wondering about adding antidepressents to her regiments if the doctor says it's OK. Very tough to know what to do with our new diagnosis of generalized seizure disorder. She's 20.
Several years later he developed a rash (not hives) all over his body and started having odd muscle movements also envolving his entire body. The neurologist told me that he had developed an allergy to Dilantin and to never use it again as a treatment. We discontinued the Dilantin while he was in the hospital while introducing a different medication. Sorry it was years ago and I can't recall what the med was. My son has generalized seizures that present as Gran Mals.
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