Oligodendroglioma ?

[evad]

I had surgery in september of 2000. I have had no other treatments since. The surgery has left me with right side weakness mostly my right leg. I take 3000mg of keppra, 180 of phenobarbital and now 300mg of lamictal and I am still having seizures about once a month after a seizure I can't walk my leg feels dead for about 10 min. My questions are.

Should I stay on this wait and see approach and if I had other treatment would it help with my seizures? My last mri showed no signs of growth(Aug 20th)

I see the Doctor about my medicine on the 9th of this month he was trying to get me on to lamictal and then try to take away another drug he just raised it to 300mg after a seizure on Aug 20th after my mri.

Can dye from a mri cause a seizure?
And am I on too many meds?

Thanks for any help
Dave

[ssciberras]

I have this type of tumor, inoperable for 4 years now.  No growth
on previous MRIs.
I have been taking Dilantin 300mg and recently stopped taking Neurontin because of weight gain and bloating.
Imediately on stopping the Neurontin I started to lose weight and my diabetes was in much better control.
I have several focal seizures everyday, but have learned to live with them instead of loading up on medications that have so many side effects.

[evad]

Thanks for your answers.

Sorry i forgot to write that I have focal seizures and I am awake for the whole seizure (about two minuets they last) and my tumor is a grade 2.

Today the doctor told me to take 1 less phenobarbital, you were right.

Thanks again
Dave

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

1. It depends on what kind of seizures you're having. If they are grand mal or generalized seizures in which you completely lose consciousness, then antiepileptic treatment should be more aggressive. Otherwise, you'll have to discuss this with your neurologist as to how aggressive you want to be. It would be ideal to be completely seizure free, but as you had/have a structural lesion (tumor) and now surgical scar - both can serve as a chronic irritant for seizures.

2.no

3.it's always better to be on the least amount of medications possible. I suspect that once the lamictal starts kicking in, the phenobarb will be taken away.  Then you'd only be on two drugs, which is fine (3 is ok too if you need it, but the risk of side effects go up with amount of meds). Keppra is relatively safe with few side effects and no significant drug interactions.
Best of luck.