Keppra and Irratibility

[momdealingwithkeppra]

my 7 year duaghter has Nocturnal Complex Partial seizures and has been on Keppra liquid for 1 year now.  they just increased her dose to 8 ml in the am and 10 ml in the pm.  she has been extremely grumpy, irritable and very down in the slumps.  Has anybody else experienced this?  the Dr. thinks that she should talk to a Shrink, but I think it all has to do with the medication as she is normally a very happy, loving and caring girl...now she is very pessimistic on EVERYTHING!!!  I don't know what to do and I know that this is not my child's normal behavior...I feel so bad for her and feel guilty for having her to take this medication and feel like this on a day to day basis....any insight from anybody???

[efrates59]

Hi, i´m a Colombian medicine student, my gilfriend is too, we´re 19, and she´s focal temporal epilepsy, now she´s taking carbamazepine (1gr/day), but she´s slepiness all the time and it interfere with her studdies. Her neurologist talked her about Keppra because it has ñess side efects, but i´m scared about the things you wrote... Would you talk me about sleepiness with keppra and more about your general expirience??? i would really appreciate that, you can write me (if you want) to my e-mail or by this way (dr.***@**** or ***@****). thank you so much

[KixNgo]

Thanks for the heads up.. yes,.. so long to our friend dilantin..
I hope the slight tremors, stuttering, and co-ordination issues from last sz go away.

[becky808]

I just went to the neurologist yesterday and switched.
I gave Keppra a fair chance (6 weeks) and it's not for me (or my poor husband). He switched me to Lamictal which is also used to stabilize mood swings in people with Bipolar I. After reading that I felt pretty relieved. It's going to be a Happy New Year for me in 2009!

I recommend switching. I can't imagine how a child must feel on this medicine. She really can't help herself.

KixNgo - I loved dilantin. It was wonderful. I wish I could take that again. Keppra is supposed to have fewer side effects than dilantin (especially long term side effects). If you get the irritibility and mood swings though it just doesn't go away.

[KixNgo]

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""?

[momdealingwithkeppra]

did you still keep him on Keppra or change medications?   I am almost at the point of requesting another med.  They want to up her Keppra again, but warned me that the irritability will get worse.  I cannot take much more...she will bite your head off for just touching her and her younger sister gets the most of her mood swings!!

[JKJ]

Hi-
My son also used to have nighttime seizures due to frontal lobe epilepsy.  When he was on Keppra he was very irritable and his neuro-doc warned me that this was a potential side effect.