What has your doctor prescribed to you if you seizures / epilepsy? My daughter takes depakote and topamax...?

Question

My daughter has epilepsy (w/ no family history of it). Due to the medication, she has a very hard time retaining information and concentrating to the point where she is failing in school. She probably has blurred vision because she trips and falls everywhere. With the medication she may have one partial complex seizure a month, without the meds she can have seizures everyday. Her teacher (bless her heart) and I work with her everyday to make sure she can stays caught up with the class. I help inside her class when I have days off. I'm going to talk to her neurologist but I was wondering if there is anyone out there who has experienced this and changed to a "better" medication that helped them more than hurt them. Thanks for all your help.

Answer 1

I too, have epilepsy with no family history of it. I've now been seizure free (as long as I take meds, since 1978). I took my first seizure at age 14. I was given Dilantin, but had an allergic reaction. My physician switched to Phenobarb 30mg twice a day. I saw my neurologist soon after that, he increased the dosage to 60mg 3 x day. I took it morning, noon, and night but it made me very tired. My neurologist told me to take all 3 at bedtime and that it was the best way to take these meds because the drowsiness wears off while I sleep. I've been very blessed as I know people who are on different meds and still have seizures. I go for blood work yearly to make sure that the phenobarb level is normal and I have an EEG every 2-3 years. I was also told that Phenobard is more commonly used for petit mal seizures, also known as absent seizures. I had grand mal seizures, fell to the floor with convulsions, and everything. Always woke up with a blood blister on my tongue from biting it. Phenobarb works for me. So when I say I'm very blessed to be seizure free, I mean it.
Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Answer 2

I'm surprised she is on Depakote and Topomax together. How bad are her seizures?
depakote is used as a mood stabilizer in Bipolar Disorder. Some side effects of Depakote:
Clumsiness or unsteadiness; constipation; dizziness; drowsiness; headache; skin rash; unusual excitement, restlessness, or irritability

Depakote has also caused rare cases of life-threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Pancreatitis can come on suddenly and symptoms may start even after you have been taking Depakote for several years.

What other drugs will affect Depakote?
• Before taking Depakote, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:
· topiramate (Topamax);

Speak with your child's doctor to try an alternative medication.
Some other Anti-Seizure meds:
Clonazepam (Klonopin®)
Divalproex sodium (Depakote®)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal®)
Phenytoin (Dilantin®)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®)
Tiagabine (Gabitril®)
Topiramate (Topamax®)
Valproic acid (Depakene®)

Answer 3

Ok, well first of all, it mainly depends on her age! There are many different med's on the market. They all have numerous side effects. However with that being said , since she is already on Topamax, that has one of the broadest side effect listings on the market, I feel better mentioning a few.
Tegretol is a wonderful medication that has been used successfully with epileptic patients, for a number of years. They have used this alsone or in a combination therapy. Dilantin is another very effective medication.
You mentioned blurry vision......that is a VERY serious side effect from Topamax!!! You need to contact the Dr. immediately for a check-up, and the opthamologist. The reasoning is this, there is a corelation between the chemical make-up of this med and pressure building up in the eyes, it SHOULD NOT go un-reported,......this can be potentially serious!!!
I will even look for more information for you......
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Serious risks associated with TOPAMAX include lowered bicarbonate levels in the blood resulting in an increase in the acidity of the blood (metabolic acidosis), and hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) or fatigue. More severe symptoms of metabolic acidosis could include irregular heartbeat or changes in the level of alertness. Chronic, untreated metabolic acidosis may increase the risk for kidney stones or bone disease. Your doctor may want to do simple blood tests to measure bicarbonate levels.

Other serious risks include increased eye pressure (glaucoma), decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Tell your doctor immediately if you have blurred vision or eye pain.

More common side effects in adults are nervousness, coordination problems, fatigue, speech problems, slowed thinking, memory difficulty, tingling in arms and legs, and double vision; and in children, fatigue, loss of appetite, nervousness, memory difficulty, aggressive behavior, and weight loss.

THERE YA GO!!!!!

~~~ GOOD LUCK ~~~~

Answer 4

You musn't take other's prescription for that delicate condition, it's not a flu medication, this is serious stuff. For your daughters sake ask this same question to the doctor that's medicating her, he must find the best solution to it!

Answer 5

Keppra XR and Trokendi

Answer 6

my aunt has epilepsy, she take neurantin. it works great for her?