Epilepsy & Seizures Support Group

i tried lamictal at 25 mg's for the first month. i ended up with more seizure/mood type episodes.

then my neuro suggested i try tegretol. i'm concerned because the side effects, she says, are similar to depakote.

my problem is that i'm extremely sensitive to meds and herbs. so, often what is not even considered a theraputic dose effects me.

many people who have seizure disorders don't have the option not to take something to deal. after tapering slowly off lamictal last month...in the past 19 days, i've had two seizures that resulted in staying awake but with physical side effects (shaking, numbness) as well as confusion, fear, memory loss, and sometimes anger. in both cases, i felt like i was going to pass out but didn't. after they were over, i did feel really exhausted.

what gets me upset is that i don't seem to recall having so frequent episodes since before trying lamictal. i even tried it briefly last year, but it did the same thing, increase the incidence of seizures at a really low dose.

so, now i'm scared to take tegretol. potential side effects are one thing, then will it work? it also runs the risk of decreasing my calcium and sodium levels, which are already pretty low normal.

i'm scared and my neuro at this point is just throwing meds at me, saying tegretol or depakote are the 'only' things that will help, even while acknowledging that tegretol might affect my mood.

for others who have tried different meds, are there other options besides what is mentioned above?

for the time being, i'm making sure i have herbs handy plus a low dose valium that deal with the symptoms as they come up. it's not the best method but at this point, i'm treading water and hoping that there is some way i can get this under control. i'm seeing my primary in 3 weeks and am concerned he will be upset that i'm not being compliant with the meds that the neuro is saying to take.

any thoughts will help. it is really difficult to have brain damage that affects how i process meds, which doesn't make me an easy or compliant patient sometimes. i wish getting better was easier.

next month i'll be going back to my neuro to figure out what else can be done, although she's made it clear already she's told me what my options are. not looking forward to it, but it's a must to find something that works.
Posted on 06/16/08, 12:06 pm