t find a workable dosage of phenobartibal, you might want to ask your vet about either Dilantin, Valium, potassium bromide, felbamate, or a different type of anti-seizure medicine that can be used in conjunction with potassium bromide and/or phenobarbital together called Zonisamide. Zonisamide is totally unrelated to any of the other anticonvulsants, but, like Keppra, the full extent of its side effects is not yet known so to some vets, it is somewhat controversial to prescribe it.
I have a 1 year 4 month old German Shepherd named Melo who's been having seizures since he was 1. I just wanted to share my experience because I know its comforting to hear stories of other people that are going through what you're going through, makes you feel less hopeless. Melo had 4 seizures in the span of 2 hours, he's taking 300mg of Zonisamide every 12 hours but before take refill arrived he had ran out and that's when the seizures happened.
The vet did bloodwork and put her on zonisamide 100mg twice a day. She continued having them so vet doubled her dosage to 200 mg twice daily. She continued having them but they were much shorter in duration. So the vet added phenobarbital 1g twice daily in addition to her zonisamide 200mg twice daily. My question is about the side effects. It has been a week since the pheno was added and she is still very clumsy and can't even walk up stairs.
I have been seeing a regular neurologist to see if she can treat my migraines and am currently on 150 mg. of Zonisamide every night to try to help that, but I am also working with Dr. Gardner at UPMC, who is a Chiari specialist. He believes it is best to eliminate all other possibilities before actually resorting to surgery to treat the Chiari, which I respect. I go back for a 6 month follow-up MRI and consult with Dr. Gardner next week.
of effexor and i couldnt sleep at nite so my doctor started me on 25 mg. of zonisamide and took me off effexor.I am having horrible side effects but dont know which med. is causing it.I have been crying in the mornings,having a constant stomach ache and my head feels very confused almost to the point of disillusion. Which med. is causing this?Should my doctor have me on antiseisure meds for depression?
Hi There. I know what you are going through. My dog (12 year old Beagle) started having seizures in Jun 2014. My dog went through about the same thing your dog is going through. Apparently, my dog is very sensitive to PB. Have tried several dosages on her & she does ok with a very, very low dose but the seizures come back in 2-3 wks. Right now she is taking 1/2 tab in a.m., 1/2 tab in p.m and every other evening she takes 1 full tab (this is 16.2 mg).
You could try asking about Rozerem which is an FDA approved medication that works in a similar way to melatonin to adjust the sleep cycle and is non addictive. Some people find it helpful although each person responds differently to each medication.
Hi Purple477,
I would also look at Effexor XR as part of the weight problem as well. I was on the medication for about 5 years. I went from a size 7 to a size 13 in that time. I was not eating more just the same, exersized, and other daily habits had not changed. I do realize that it may not be the sole contributor to weight gain but for me it was. It has taken about a year now to get to a size 9 and I have done nothing different to shed the weight then I did before taking the medication.
The phenobarbital is a very widely used anti-seizure medication. It is highly metabolized by the liver and over time, cause liver enzymes to rise. Keppra (levetiracetam) is mostly excreted by the kidneys are is one of the safest drugs speaking in terms of therapeutic vs. toxic blood concentrations. Other drugs include zonisamide, potassium bromide, etc. A large percentage of dogs respond to one anti-seizure medication. For some, one is not enough and they need 2, 3, or 4 others!
ve had several medications from Topomax to Lyrica with no relief and am currently taking Zonisamide daily (9 weeks) with Naproxin and Imatrex as needed. I graph my headaches daily and average a 5 on a 0 - 10 scale, no changes noted with Zonisamide treatment. No days are 0. I avoid taking any OTC medications and use the Naproxin and Imatrex very sparingly.
An MRI a year ago showed bulging but it was discounted as unimportant by my neurologist.
I also have Asthma and Epilepsy to which I take Lamictal, Zonisamide, Albuterol(when needed-which is quite rare), Claritan, and Singular. Now on another site I spotted an area that stated certain OTC meds can cause problems with Gerd. My question is I also Take Vitam that of Multi Vitamins, Omega 3-6-9, B-12, Deodorized Garlic, Ginger(which isn't too often though I did purchase a bottle to begin in the near future on a daily basis), and Ginseng.
3X DAY, 13) VIMPAT 100MG. 2X DAY, 14) ZONISAMIDE 100MG. 3BEDTIME, 15) LANSOPRAZOLE 30MG. 2X DAY, 16) SUCRALFATE 1GM. 3X DAY, 17) COLESTIPOL 1GM. 3X DAY. I'VE TRIED VIAGRA BEFORE WITH NO RESULTS. I WAS ON WELLBUTRIN BEFORE ZIPRASIDONE. AT THAT TIME WHEN I HAD AN ORGASM I DIDN'T EJACTULATE ALTHOUGH NOW WHEN I AM ABLE TO ACHIEVE ORGASM I'VE GOT LITTLE EJACTULATION AT TIMES. I'VE GOT AN APPOINTMENT ON 4/30/14 WITH MY UROLOGIST AND I PLAN TO DISCUSS THIS WITH HIM THEN.
2X DAY/ 4) ZONISAMIDE 100 MG. 3 BEDTIME/ 5) TRIAMTERENE-HCTZ 37.5-2.5 MG. 1X DAY/ 6) MONTELUKAST 10 MG. 1X DAY/ 7) VALACYCLOVIR 500 MG. 2X DAY/ 8) GEODON 80 MG. 2X DAY/ 9) ZYPREXA 10 MG. 1MORNING-2BEDTIME/ 10) BUSPIRONE 15 MG. 2X DAY/ 11) METOPROLOL 25 MG. 2X DAY/ 12) THEOPHYLLINE 300 MG. 2X DAY/ 13) LANSOPRAZOLE 30 MG. 2X DAY/ 14) METOCLOPROMIDE 5 MG. 4X DAY/ 15) COLESTIPOL 1GM. 3X DAY/ 16) SUCRALFATE 1 GM. 3X DAY/ 17) SPIRIVA 18 MCG. 1X DAY/ 18) SYMBICORT 160-4.5 MCG.
no toxicity symptoms have been reported.
Monday late morning we brought him to our vet and they said his vitals fine and gave us Zonisamide after the Valium wears off. Monday night all he did was walk around confused and drooling insistently. He drank some water and ate very little. Monday night he finally calmed down in bed but never shut his eyes. His eyes were open the entire night and he was not very responsive. We brought him to the vet this morning and he had a fever of 106.
I agree with your vet that medication should not yet be given. Most of the cases of puppy epilepsy that came into our clinics were due to hypoglycemia, and once the puppy was grown and his digestive tract was working sufficiently well post-weaning, and the quantities of food that were consumed at each meal were sufficient to sustain him for a few hours, the seizures stopped.
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