My doctor had given my a prescription for Nori. I filled it and then have somehow lost it. I called his office to see about them refilling it. My doctor was out of town and then today his nurse called back and told me that he wants me to start on Keppra instead. She said that he feels that this would be a better medication for me. I am terrified of medication and finally have gotten to the point where I felt like I could try the nortriptyline. I went back and forth a couple of times with the nurse and it sounds like if I am ready to try a medication it is going to be Keppra. I am really upset. I feel like because I was spending so much time be wimpy about it I missed out on the medication. My symptoms are so bad that I am having trouble getting through the day.
That is interesting…I wonder if his pharm rep was just in the office?
The good news is that Keppra is a pretty tolerable med, and it either hits or misses pretty obviously from what I’ve been told. It is on the list of meds for migraine, so you might as well give it a whirl. You could actually do a low dose nori with it if it doesn’t do enough for you.
But don’t be afraid…be a pioneer…conquering new territory!! Put your flag up on Keppra Isand and take over the place…lol…the only thing I"ve heard on the negative side, is that it can make you angry. SO you are suuposed to have someone keep a lookout for you to see if you seem more angry or tempermental…
Kelley
Kelley is right, kepra can turn on the anger. I was on it for a couple of months during the year I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I have no recollection of whether it helped. All I remember is that it made me flip my lid; I came relatively close to braining a guy with a pipe because I thought he was talking about me behind my back. Shortly after I experienced a mini-halucination at the airport (don’t know if that’s a side effect or if I just lost it on my own). I got off it and went drug free for a while thereafter.
I hope it works for you. All of this is trial and error so there is no reason not to give it a shot. Like Kelley posted, have a significant other, relative or friend keep an eye on your behavior, particularly after week 2 to 3. Good luck.
Thanks Kelley. I just thought Keppra was low on the list as far a treatment. You could be right. The drug rep probably had just brought him an incredible lunch. I guess if this does not work we can add the Nortriptyline. Or try it alone. It is just so different from what I was thinking. Keppra Island? I hope it is beautiful there. I will let you know.
Boy, Ed that does not sound good. I am wondering if you remember if you were on a high dose. I think I am to start with 250mg three times a day.
I don’t recall my keppra dosages. You may want to do a little internet research on keppra, specifically - recommended dosages. Finally, I’m not sure it was that helpful to have related my experience with the drug. After all keppra is one of the many medications considered for controlling MAV and we all have different reactions to these meds. Sorry about that. I wish you the best of luck.
Ed,
No worries. I am glad you said something. My husband travels so I am home alone with my kids a lot. My doctor said nothing about that so it is important that I know that can be an issue. I had a horrible reaction to Lexapro when I was alone with my daughter and I sure do not want a repeat.
I am newly diagnosed and brand new to this board. This is an old post so I’m hoping you maybe tried Keppra and can give me an update? I have been on the generic Keppra for almost 2 weeks. My neurologist chose that medication because I am VERY sensitive to medications and often have severe side effects. She said this is usually the best tolerated medication as far as side effects so she wanted to start there. So far I feel pretty much awful but the neurologist wants me to give it more time. Has anyone out there had success? Do the side effects get better with time?
Hi Sarah,
I have been on Keppra since the time of this post. I did have side effects at first. I went off of it and tried two other anti-convulsants…that were way worse. After that I went back to Keppra and have stayed on it. I am very sensitive to medications also. I did have to play with my dosing a little bit but that got worked out. I hope you can stay on it long enough to give it a good try. I think it was about 5 weeks before I felt better on it.
