Myoclonus - Keppra prescribed

[jensequitur]

I've been having these myoclonic (jerks? convulsions?) Meh...  Don't know what to call them - but they sure are annoying.  When they happen, my legs get really weak.  It also seems to be associated with back pain - upper, lower, lumbar.  On top of that, I can't feel my knees.  They're numb to the touch, but more importantly, when I walk, I can't feel them.  I can feel the pressure in my calves and thighs and feet, but not my knees - they're buzzy and floaty.  And I keep getting this soft palate twitch - it sounds like a thumping in the left eardrum.  And then there's the morning myoclonus in my legs and back... which sometimes also shows up during the day.

So I told my neurologist about this on Friday, and she tells me some interesting things.  She thinks the myoclonic jerks are brought on by L'Hermittes.  Which is an interesting idea - I suppose my slumping back could cause that reaction.  She also thinks that I'm getting some garbled transmissions from other nerves (ephaptic transmission) which cross over and cause problems - rather like wires that have lost their insulation and cross, causing a short circuit.

She didn't want to prescribe anything at first, and I agreed - I'm already taking several different medications, some for my MS, and some for my blood clot.  But after I told her about the problems I'm having with my legs/back, she prescribed Keppra for me.  Small dosage at first, and if the symptoms persist, take it up to 500 mg a day.  She thinks that as I keep having these problems, the nerves learn a new pathway, and these myoclonic jerks could get worse.  That could definitely be the case - last bout I had, the jerks were longer, stronger, and involved more of my arms and legs.

So has anybody taken Keppra?  

[jensequitur]

No problem, chica!  I'll post it separately.  It's really interesting... at least to me!

[essdipity]

No experience with Keppra but I wish you well. Keep us posted.

Also, can you or anyone here talk more about ephaptic transmission? How common is this phenomenon? I haven't heard about this in terms of MS, but it would explain a lot.

ess

[drsdonthelp]

Hi Jen, Sorry to hear about all that you have to deal with.

Right now I take vimpat for my seizure disorder, but the doc. is switching me over to keppra because of the cost of vimpat.

I do not have anything to offer here, but I am interested to hear about this med as well.

stay well,
Pam