Keppra side effects- does reducing the dose cause seizures?

[Angie140720]

Hi, I have been on Keppra 1000mg bd for the last 3 years which hasnt changed my grand mal seizure frequency, only the absence seizures. I developed side effects which I have ignored as I was too scared of another seizure to risk reducing it back down to 750mg bd. Depression and anxiety, mood changes, lack of memory and concentration all increased with the increase in meds along with suicidal thoughts. These thoughts have become too strong recently so my gp and I have agreed to reduce my meds. Has anyone else reduced medication and if so did they have a seizure following reduction and how soon after?

[EpilepsyAction1 Partner Epilepsy Action]

Hi Angie140720

It sounds like you’ve had a tough time with the side-effects of your medicine.

If you reduce your epilepsy medicine, your doctor should give you clear instructions about how to do this. And during this time, you could be at risk of having seizures. For this reason, you may decide to avoid some activities until you and your doctor feel sure that you have good seizure control.

I hope the lowering of your dosage has helped but if you are still having side-effects and seizures, it’s best to talk to your epilepsy specialist. Your epilepsy specialist can review your treatment . They may suggest trying a different epilepsy medicine. They need to find the balance against you feeling so unwell and taking an epilepsy medicine that helps your epilepsy.

If you are not under a specialist, you will need to ask your family doctor to refer you. This would usually be to a neurologist. The ideal would be to someone with a specialist interest in epilepsy, as there are many different neurological conditions, and neurologists tend to specialise in different ones.

I hope you hear from others on this platform, as sharing information and experiences can be a good idea. If you don’t hear from others in a similar situation, you may wish to try our other services.

forum.epilepsy.org.uk/

facebook.com/epilepsyaction

twitter.com/epilepsyaction

epilepsy.org.uk/newsletter

Regards

Diane

Epilepsy Action Helpline Team

[Angie140720 in reply to EpilepsyAction1]

Thank you for your reply, that was really helpful.