Hi! Everything has side effects, that's one thing none of us can get away from. As for which AED to suggest to your neuro: alot depends upon what kind of Epilepsy you have- some AED's work better for one kind, and not very effectively for another. I have Catamenial Epilepsy and am on Trileptal, 600mg daily. I was just reduced from 900mg daily because I had big trouble with dizziness. I also just started (today!) Progesterone Replacement Therapy, because Catamenial Ep is caused by insufficient progesterone. Try epilepsy.com- this website is very comprehensive, and you might find better answers there.

if you want newsletter with info about hormones just let me know send me a hug with your email and i will send you a bunch of info. the hormone therapy is working very well for me. i am taking progestrone creme and tegretol 400 mg bid and topamax 100 mg bid

I heard that tegratol can really mess with your emotions. Someone I know (knew) that had been on it for a brief time advised me to never take it. I never have. Dilantin (generic=phenytoin), Phenobarbital and Keppra are my mix

i wwas on tegretol wen i was younger and it was sum bad side effects i had i would get moody n sleep alot and of course depressed then my seizures got worse and i went on dilatin i still had seizures but i went from name brand to generic n i have not had a seizure in 3 yrs u need alot of rest dont STRESS OVER THINGS U CANT CONTROL I NO ITS EASIER SAID then done but i learned the hard way with a black eye from them i sleep 10-12 hrs thats just me tho i dont stresS N I DRINK ALOT OF WATER N STAY AWAY FROM A HABIT OF SODAS N ULL BE JUST GREAT IN UR HEALTH I LOVE IM SEIZURE FREE OF 3 YRS SO FAR i hope everythin works out what ever u choose to do....

lamictal doesnt have too many side effects, none for me anyways. but everyone is different. If your nero suggests Keppra only take it if its the last resort. Ive tried several different meds and none have been as bad as keppra. hope it works out for you

Lots of meds out there Zonegran, and Lyrica have had the fewest side effects for me. But, we are all different. Good luck!

Funny, most side effects of tegretol and depakote went away for me when I really started regulating my diet and exercise.

And also, I love your avatar. Never have I seen a retropig - but it's exactly what it is. Hats off and cheers

It depends what kind of seizures you have. I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). I was on Depakote and it was bad. If you have JME, talk with your neurologist. I was initially diagnosed with complex partial seizures and at one point was on Tegretol and Dilantin at the same time. Then I had a 1/2 hour grand mal seizure. I got a 2nd opinion. Turns out I have JME and the 2 meds that cause those kinds of seizures are Tegretol and Dilantin. Figured I would throw that out there.

Anyway, I then got switched to Lamictal and I've been great since then. Good luck.

I think everyone reacts to various drugs differently. It's taken 7 or 8 changes of medication of the last 20 years to reasonable seizure control with minimal side-effects. I had a hard time with Keppra - on a higher dose I constantly felt like losing my temper. With lamotragine, which I'm on now, there's a whole list of 'potential' side effects which I'm not getting at all. How long have you been seeing your neurologist for? I ask because she/he may not take kindly to suggestions from you, unless you have a really good rapour with her/him. Mention what you've heard about the tegretol though - you may get some reasurance there.

I have only been on one type of med. and that is Keppra. The side effects were bad at first and within a month they went away. I was told by my sx. that they are water soluable so they are extracted in your urine not your liver. I have been on it for about three months and it has been increased twice, but I started on the lowest dose. I only have fatigue at times.

Hi, my son has Rasmussens Encephalitis which causes untstoppable seizures, but the one med that has slowed them down a little is the Keppra, Ive been told that it's one of the best drugs out there that works on all nueron activity. All though there is no cure for what my son has he has gone from a seizure erery 5-10 min to one every hour and that is big!!

My 23 month old son was recently prescribed Keppra in place of his trileptal. I'm reading in some of your comments that Kepprs is bad. Please tell me your experience with Keppra.

no help and gained 100 lbs

When I first started the Keppra I had quite a bit of difficulties with my balance. I take it in combination with Depakote. After about two months though I started to level out with the horrific balance (I mean I would literally walk into doorways at full steam and such). I have been on it for about three years or so now and since the initial process of getting used to it, I don't seem to have any problems at all with either the Keppra or the Depakote. I can become fatigued from time to time, but I am not certain if this is a side effect of the medication or just being plain old tired from working and such. The thing that I have learned about these types of medications is that everyone is different...the causes of their seizures, the way they react to medications, etc. What works wonderfully for one may not be so great for another.