mood changes with epilepsy

[kec111]

Concerned with changes in mood before even being diagnosed with epilepsy . I've noticed I have fits of anger up to 6 months before being diagnosed with epilepsy . The mood changes come with feelings of agitation , nausea , Numb limbs .... especially when I'm tired or have insomnia .  I'm not sure what to make of this since I thought I was a nice person before this an was able to control my self better an able to filter out what I thought an how I reacted to stressors. I'm On Keppra which may contribute to the mood issues but I think since it started before  being diagnosed with a seizure disorder I think Its not a huge factor in the mood changes . I feel bad with my angry reactions to small stressful situations  Its like  I'm possessed at the time an don't feel bad up to days later upon reflection . Sometimes I have memory loss for days or hours unable to focus my attention to even watch tv or listen to a conversation. I lose words I knew an it may take days to remember a name or I word I was searching for in my brain .

[wipharmtec]

Hello,

I had several seizures 3-4 years ago.  The first thing they used with me was Lamictal.  Unfortunately, I had another seizure before my blood levels of Lamictal got up to therapeutic ranges.  In response to this seizure, my doctor placed me on Keppra.  I hated it so much that I stopped taking it after only a few days.  It made me incredibly tired and moody.  I work in medicine and I cringe every time someone tells me they stopped a medication without their doctor's knowledge.  That should give you an idea how much I didn't like Keppra.  Lamictal, on the other hand, has been wonderful.  Whenever you start a drug like Keppra or Lamictal, there is an acclimation period during which you are more likely to have side effects.  After I got through that period (which was only a week or two), I started noticing other benefits.  One of Lamictal's other uses is for mood disorders.  Though I never considered myself to be particularly depressed, I have felt so much better since starting Lamictal.  I would talk to your doctor about adding Lamictal and possibly reducing or eliminating the Keppra.  

[teddybears4ever2]

I don't know a lot about seizures, but I can tell you this. My brother-in-law, who is one of my best friends has weird mood issues, too. He has had  seizures for 7 years. I do know how hard it can be to live with something you can't control. Keep your head up, and try not to get too depressed.

[new2epilepsy]

I am not a proffesional at this far from it finding out I had epilepsy after a witness grandmal a year and a half ago. I get upset before having a seizure. sometimes off and on in the evening when i start settling down and then after going to sleep i have a big one. Sort of like people with pms. I pretty much get all the symptoms. I just finished (2 days ago) a video eeg that lasted 8 days. I had one of the spells and the readings showed my spikes were rising from f4 where they usually are at to f8 where i had a partal seizure. After words i fell deep asleep. I woke up to the doctors.. I was confused where i was at i thought i knew untill they asked me if I knew lol. I was not my usual self. I pulled my covers over my head very embarrased and scared. after they left to look at the eeg I cried and stared at the wall for what seemed like 3-4 minutes. The doctor came back and told me I was crying for a while I found out it was 4 hours later!!!! I was depressed for 3 days sleeping so much the nurses thought i was in a coma lol. When i woke up the 2 and 3 day I stared at the wall the whole time. Once my spikes climbed again to f4 I was back to my normal self. answered alot of questions for me on what my brain does during this time. I also asked them to make sure i was not bi polar and they said i was not. I feel like I am getting dumber after each seizure. I am on keppra and lamotrigine (sp?) Lamotrigine seems to help with the anger issues keppra was causing. They both have not stopped the seizures but seem to speed up recovery time:D

[theasian]

all the things that you mention seem to be side effects of keppra. mood issues can definately attributed to it. alot of antiepileptics can also cause concentration issues which could be a cause of the inabilty to remember things. i also started having a not so great memory and concentration issues when i started my meds