Aa
Seizures becoming more frequent
Hi, First time poster on this forum. Hopefully someone can help!
Basically I'm suffering from Seizures and they're becoming more frequent. I am on 1,000mg of Keppra twice a day 12 hours apart (Morning & Night)
I have lost count of how many I have had but my first one was around 4 years ago now and was believed to be cause by severe dehydration working physically in 40-45+c Degree heat with not enough fluids to drink. -I was taken to hospital and put on a drip when I quickly felt better again.
I was fine and never had another seizure until the 11th of October 2013- I had not been doing any physical work and was hydrated - Feeling great. It Happened while I was driving and very lucky to survive the accident I had as a result of the seizure. I was taken to hospital, Had a full blood test, CT Scan, MRI and referred to a Neurologist where I had an EEG and was placed on 500mg of Keppra twice a day 12 hours apart. Also was banned from driving for 12 months. This pretty much ruined my life. As a result I lost my house, Job, Girlfriend & Many, Many, Many more things. In the meantime I continued to see my neurologist and had more blood tests and EEG scan which all as usual came back clear- I was in perfect health according the tests. It was around this time I had my dosage of Keppra increased to 1000mg as my Neurologist felt my levels needed to be higher.
I have had roughly 5 seizures since the 11th of October 2013 - Each time I get a weird taste/smell in my nose after if that helps? Obviously my body is sore after and fatigued mentally and physically after- Sometimes I bite the side of my tongue during the seizure. Memory loss is also quiet common too.
I can feel when the seizures are coming and have put together some exercises to help avoid the seizure which sometimes works & sometimes does not- I basically use very simple mathematical sums to distract myself and it brings me out of the seizure and has a strike rate of about 50% success. I know the seizure is coming because I feel very disoriented and confused and random memories come to mind with random thoughts which I have no control over.
Keppra does not seem to be working and the tests are all coming back clear. I feel as though I lose intelligence every time I have another seizure and feel as though there are long term effects. Many if not all of you may feel/think this is sill also but I cannot tell my neurologist about any seizures because if I report another I will lose my license for 5 years instantly- My life is over at this point, I will not be able to survive. Pretty much screwed. I feel horrible for having to do this and have hinted as much information as I can to my neurologist and think he may understand what i'm trying to do hence raising/doubling my Keppra dosage.
My mother has Epilepsy and but this was caused by a horse riding accident when she was a young girl and left her with a scar on her brain. So epilepsy is not in the family on my mothers side. As for my father- I do not know him, He ran out on my mother when I was 6 months old. However as far as we know he did not have any related medical issues.
I'm a pretty active person and not overweight either- I'm 6.4" and weight 84kg clothed so probably less if i were naked. I was anaemic when younger and as a result had low blood pressure and once fainted after standing to long for school photos. This was because of not enough meat in my diet but have since cleared that up and is no longer an issue
Very sorry if I have rambled pointlessly but i'm trying to give as much information as I possibly can. I'm waiting eagerly for your responses.
Thank you.
Basically I'm suffering from Seizures and they're becoming more frequent. I am on 1,000mg of Keppra twice a day 12 hours apart (Morning & Night)
I have lost count of how many I have had but my first one was around 4 years ago now and was believed to be cause by severe dehydration working physically in 40-45+c Degree heat with not enough fluids to drink. -I was taken to hospital and put on a drip when I quickly felt better again.
I was fine and never had another seizure until the 11th of October 2013- I had not been doing any physical work and was hydrated - Feeling great. It Happened while I was driving and very lucky to survive the accident I had as a result of the seizure. I was taken to hospital, Had a full blood test, CT Scan, MRI and referred to a Neurologist where I had an EEG and was placed on 500mg of Keppra twice a day 12 hours apart. Also was banned from driving for 12 months. This pretty much ruined my life. As a result I lost my house, Job, Girlfriend & Many, Many, Many more things. In the meantime I continued to see my neurologist and had more blood tests and EEG scan which all as usual came back clear- I was in perfect health according the tests. It was around this time I had my dosage of Keppra increased to 1000mg as my Neurologist felt my levels needed to be higher.
I have had roughly 5 seizures since the 11th of October 2013 - Each time I get a weird taste/smell in my nose after if that helps? Obviously my body is sore after and fatigued mentally and physically after- Sometimes I bite the side of my tongue during the seizure. Memory loss is also quiet common too.
I can feel when the seizures are coming and have put together some exercises to help avoid the seizure which sometimes works & sometimes does not- I basically use very simple mathematical sums to distract myself and it brings me out of the seizure and has a strike rate of about 50% success. I know the seizure is coming because I feel very disoriented and confused and random memories come to mind with random thoughts which I have no control over.
Keppra does not seem to be working and the tests are all coming back clear. I feel as though I lose intelligence every time I have another seizure and feel as though there are long term effects. Many if not all of you may feel/think this is sill also but I cannot tell my neurologist about any seizures because if I report another I will lose my license for 5 years instantly- My life is over at this point, I will not be able to survive. Pretty much screwed. I feel horrible for having to do this and have hinted as much information as I can to my neurologist and think he may understand what i'm trying to do hence raising/doubling my Keppra dosage.
My mother has Epilepsy and but this was caused by a horse riding accident when she was a young girl and left her with a scar on her brain. So epilepsy is not in the family on my mothers side. As for my father- I do not know him, He ran out on my mother when I was 6 months old. However as far as we know he did not have any related medical issues.
I'm a pretty active person and not overweight either- I'm 6.4" and weight 84kg clothed so probably less if i were naked. I was anaemic when younger and as a result had low blood pressure and once fainted after standing to long for school photos. This was because of not enough meat in my diet but have since cleared that up and is no longer an issue
Very sorry if I have rambled pointlessly but i'm trying to give as much information as I possibly can. I'm waiting eagerly for your responses.
Thank you.
This story reminds me of my brother-in-law's. I understand your not wanting to tell your doctor about having more seizures for fear of losing your license. I've been listening to my brother-in-law complain about that for 10 or more years at this point.
I agree with fliiper336 that it might be time to try another medication. I will point out that we are not doctors here, just people who have an understanding. I hope all goes well for you and be sure to come back and updated us on how you are doing.
I agree with fliiper336 that it might be time to try another medication. I will point out that we are not doctors here, just people who have an understanding. I hope all goes well for you and be sure to come back and updated us on how you are doing.
Jay,
Sorry to say, but you are not going to like the answer to your question.
First off if you are only having 5 seizures per year give or take a couple of months, your seizures should be classified as under control. At one point I was having more than 5 a week.
As for your anti-seizure pills not working. The only way to deal with that issue is to talk with your doctor. Keppra might not be the one that works best for you. Keppra did not work for me and I was taking around 3,000 mg a day. You might have to have a higher dose, another drug added along with Keppra or try something completely different.
So sorry, you are just going to have to talk with your neurologist.
Sorry to say, but you are not going to like the answer to your question.
First off if you are only having 5 seizures per year give or take a couple of months, your seizures should be classified as under control. At one point I was having more than 5 a week.
As for your anti-seizure pills not working. The only way to deal with that issue is to talk with your doctor. Keppra might not be the one that works best for you. Keppra did not work for me and I was taking around 3,000 mg a day. You might have to have a higher dose, another drug added along with Keppra or try something completely different.
So sorry, you are just going to have to talk with your neurologist.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Epilepsy Community
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
