Dad of Twins

[DadofTwins]

My 16 year old, late blooming, twin A, athlete daughter had her first T/C seizure at school on May 1, 2012. She has had two more T/C seizures on 5/7 and 5/15, again at school. She had two partials at home in her sleep on 5/28 and 6/11, after each of the partials, she lost 24 hours of memory. She was started on keppra on May 8 (500 mg twice a day). Her dosage was increased to 1500 mg of keppra xr after the 6/11 seizure.

She has been seizure free since then, but she has vertical diplopia since the second seizure. I read that diplopia is a side effect of keppra in 2% of patients. She cannot read and has headaches since May 1. I am concerned, because the neuroopthamologist cannot seen to find an answer and her the results of her visual field tests, she has had 3, have been deteriorating.

Until the first seizure, she was very active with extremely low body fat. Now she is always tired and depressed.

Is there an alternative to keppra with less side effects, or is there some vitamin supplement that can help her? I am really concerned about the double vision.

Thanks,

Tom

[tic chick]

welcome to the braintalk communities, dadoftwins!

i'm sorry to read about your daughter's problems. there is an epilepsy forum here, it's under the "neurological disorders and injury" category, if you scroll about half way down the page of the list of forums.

i am sure that the many people who post in that forum have experience with keppra and other drugs for epilepsy.

i hope you get some help and hope here.

welcome again,
jeannie

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Dad of Twins))))))

Welcome to Braintalk!

I'm so very sorry that your daughter has had seizures and is now contending with Keppra side effects.

There are numerous Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AED's) available, and all of them carry potential unwanted side effects, unfortunately. Many, if not most, people (children and adults) with epilepsy try a variety of AED's singularly and in combination with other AED's to find the most effective and least offensive solution.

Has your daughter had a CT scan and/or an MRI of her brain? Is there an indication of what prompted the seizures?

Since you mentioned that your daughter is a late bloomer, hormonal imbalance occurred to me as a potential underlying cause. Seizures can be associated with hormonal changes, and puberty is a ripe age for those kinds of changes.

Regarding vitamins, she should consult her neurologist about any possible vitamin deficiencies. A simple blood test can detect the level of vitamins in one's system. A multi vitamin might be sufficient, but she may need additional vitamins. Her diet should be full of fruits and veggies, as well as protein. Plenty of water throughout the day to flush the meds through her system.

I recommend that you post on our Epilepsy forum and our Child Neurology forum. You will find knowledgeable, friendly folks on both of these forums, with lots of experience with various medications and seizure types. My sons did not take Keppra, so I can't provide you with any guidance there. But I do know about tolerating the negative side effects of a drug to achieve maximum seizure control. And the delicate balance of coordinating seizure control and minimizing adverse side effects.

Here are the links to our Epilepsy and Child Neuro forums:

http://www.braintalkcommunities.org/...hp/59-Epilepsy

http://www.braintalkcommunities.org/...hild-Neurology

Love & Light,

Rose