Vimpat User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• PAO...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 21, 2018

For Seizures "I must rate Vimpat as negative, a source of seizures. Started – fighting seizures for 45 years. I started the Lamictal-Vimpat regimen 8 years ago. The doctor received nothing but complaints. He cut the levels in half. Afterwards, he got questions when why meds were only working when I was on a limited light-carbohydrate diet. He got tired of me and stopped the Vimpat. Now on a light amount of Lamictal. The past year, the seizures are gone, first time. Stopped diet and gained weight? Best guess, excessive meds have been my primary source of seizures."

• Jen...
• September 13, 2017

For Seizures "Got switched to this after being on Aptiom (which made me crazy). I'm having fewer seizures, but it's like my brain is shrinking. My memory has gotten worse, which is saying something. I can't think of the simplest words sometimes, like I'm losing part of my vocabulary. I haven't had any emotional issues. I feel back to myself in that respect, but like every other medicine, it will work for a while, then I will slowly start having more frequent seizures. This is lasting longer than my others, but it feels like it's not just keeping my neurons from over-firing. It feels like my brain is shutting down slowly. I don't know what to do about it."

• Sus...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 16, 2018

For Seizures "I take 100 mg Vimpat, twice daily with Topamax (125 mg, twice daily). Works very well. However, I have lately noticed a ringing in my ears, noticing it only at night, and am wondering if that's a lesser-known side effect of the Vimpat. Anyone else out there experiencing that too? Just curious. Otherwise, no complaints."

• TJS...
• March 26, 2016

For Seizures "Nocturnal grand mal seizures with tremor for 35 years. I have been taking Vimpat for 3 years with limited success. At times, I have had headaches, dizziness, vision problems, weight gain, and tongue swelling, to name a few. I was taking 300 mg morning, 300 mg night, along with 1200 mg once daily of Aptiom (the new Tegretol with a twist). No problems until 4 months ago. My knees started swelling, and my joints started hurting like a severe pain I have never had. All the muscles in my legs started cramping at the same time. I went down to 150 mg of Vimpat twice daily, and the swelling went down but not away. The pain is less but still there. The trouble has to be the Vimpat because I have been taking the Aptiom for only 2 months. Hope this is helpful."

• EMM...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 5, 2015

For Seizures "I have nocturnal epilepsy, since I was very young, maybe 5, will say I've had it. I've been on all the drugs you could say nearly through primary school to high school. They made me sick and unable to function every day, spewing, etc. So at about 16, I said stuff it, I'm not taking any at all, I'll deal with it. So recently, this year, I started on Vimpat, and OMG it's a lifesaver for me!! So awake and switched on, my partner says I hardly ever daydream. He says he hasn't felt me or seen me having seizures at all!! Yes, I feel out of it still, but that's just me. If I feel more awake, I'm happy. I haven't had any of the symptoms people say, but maybe headaches, and my dreams are very vivid, and I get nightmares, but it's just like watching movies each night, I guess. LOL."

• Anonymous
• February 10, 2012

For Seizures "I am on Carbatrol and Keppra and added 400 mg of Vimpat about 1 year ago. I do not believe that my complex partial seizures improved over this time period. As side effects go, it's not a bad medicine at all, but I do not like the fact that I can't remember simple words in the English language, and putting together sentences is a little more tricky."

• tut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2014

For Seizures "I was on a Depakote, Tegretol, and Topiramate cocktail of 12 pills a day. I was not controlled. I even had the VNS implanted in my chest. I switched doctors, and he placed me on Vimpat and Topiramate. Not only am I seizure-free, but I lost 10 lbs. to boot. However, not all good news; hair falling out and tingling in my hands and feet, but I am only on 6 pills a day now."

• scr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2015

For Seizures "Vimpat severely increased my seizure activity. I took Lamictal for 15 years by itself, and it was extremely effective until after childbirth. I developed a rash after a 50 mg increase to try and cover the auras I was having. So, because of 'the rash,' I had to stop taking Lamictal altogether. I started Vimpat before they weaned me off Lamictal, and I was having seizures daily, sometimes twice. As I weaned off the Lamictal, the seizures continued, and then I became aggressive. A side effect of Vimpat is mental alertness. Caffeine is a trigger for me, so it was almost as if Vimpat was the equivalent of drinking several energy drinks. I can't take Vimpat."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2018

For Seizures "POSITIVES: I have my normal energy and personality. NEGATIVES: $750.00 for a 30-day supply with insurance! I have a little blurred vision, ringing in my ears, and short-term memory loss. (Can't remember things from the day and week and can't find words to talk well, especially in groups of people). I am 59 years old and started having multiple auras at age 56, which led to 2 grand mal seizures. Keppra made me extremely tired and anxious. Dilantin made me extremely tired, off balance, and 'high' feeling. Vimpat has worked the best with 2-150 mg pills per day."

• Kat...
• May 6, 2015

For Seizures "Awful drug. My hair thinned by at least 50%, my vision was blurry for hours after taking it, I was uncoordinated and constantly bruised from walking into walls and furniture. It did control my absence seizures, but I'm on Lamictal and Klonopin now and much happier."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2020

For Seizures "I had a small cavernoma removed from my frontal lobe, and I had 2 seizures before the surgery. I have epileptic form from the site of the surgery, so I am at a higher risk of having seizures, so they are treating the epileptic form. I started with Keppra, and that was a nightmare, Lamictal did not work either. I've been taking Vimpat for 4 months, 50 mg twice a day. This is the worst medication ever. I have been feeling miserable for the last 4 months. The side effects I experienced are panic attacks, anxiety, tremors, cognitive problems, balance issues, dizziness, speech problems, problems coordinating my muscles to swallow, a very strange sensation in my throat and tongue, flushing, memory problems, and nausea. I am changing to Klonopin, we'll see how it goes. This is so frustrating."

• Sta...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 8, 2020

For Epilepsy "I have had no problems with this medication. The only 'problem' I would say was getting the right dosage. I was on Lamotrigine 300 mg ×2 daily, Clobazam 20 mg x2 daily, and initially on Vimpat 200 mg. Vimpat was WAY too strong. It made me have double vision. Lowered the dose to 100 mg with no problems. My doctor added this medication because I have frequent seizures, and my other medications are not as 'fast acting' as Vimpat."

• Bja...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2019

For Seizures "I have only been on Vimpat for a month. So far, I love it. No real side effects. I haven't had any partial seizures. The most wonderful thing, not sure it's the Vimpat but not sure what else it could be, is that I have not had migraines. My migraines were very similar to my partial seizures... no headache... but speech and cognitive issues. Was having either migraines or partials almost daily. Nothing. And nothing helped. So happy. Hope it holds true!!"

• Max...
• October 23, 2015

For Seizures "I'm 25 and a little over 1 year ago, I had my first seizure, grand mal. I had no warnings or auras, and I fell and hit my head, leading to me being in a coma for 3 days. I started on Dilantin 100 mg twice a day. I started having loss of coordination and slurred speech, so I was switched over to Lamotrigine and was taking 25 mg twice a day. That seemed to work nicely for about 4 months when I got up to 150 mg twice a day. One morning, I woke up with this giant, nasty rash on the side of my neck and down the right side of my side and stomach. It was an allergic reaction. I'm now on Vimpat 150 mg twice a day. The only side effects I have with the Vimpat are serious issues trying to sleep and unexplained noise in my ears. However, I'm still having seizures!"

• Nik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 8, 2015

For Seizures "I have partial complex seizures. I also take Tegretol XR and Diamox. Before Vimpat, I was having seizures at least 3-5 times a month, especially after my menstruation. But I can say with Vimpat, I don't have seizures, I will have a little jump here and there, but nothing major. The major side effects I have experienced are the following: weight gain (about 50 pounds), dizziness when I initially take it if I don't eat enough food, and sometimes my words and thoughts would be off. Lately, I notice that I fall a lot, but I don't know if it's related to Vimpat. But I can say it has controlled my seizures. It didn't increase my appetite, but I have gained a lot of weight, my doctor says it's normal with Vimpat. I receive Vimpat for free with the patient assistance."

• Mik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 10, 2021

For Seizures "Vimpat 200 mg x2. I am allergic to Keppra. I'm stuck with a drug pusher... these 'neurologists' might as well sell cocaine too. Vimpat numbs my face, blurs my vision, dehydrates me. I'm sure it's helped recede my gums. Can't remember anything, anger, then I get withdrawal if I get screwed with my prescription. Thank goodness my insurance is straightened out, you don't get held hostage for some ungodly out-of-pocket cost. Depression, suicidal thoughts, can't drive sometimes. I don't think my mind has a choice about having a seizure or not, but I do know this: there's more than three drugs to treat seizures, and they certainly didn't go past three. You couldn't wish this drug on your worst enemy... later, shakers."

• Sco...
• August 16, 2017

For Seizures "Vimpat saved me! After years of off-and-on seizures (petit mal), I struggled with Epival as a lone source of control. A few years ago, my neurologist combined Keppra into my medical regimen. It worked fairly well for about a year or two in controlling my seizures. One of the major problems was that my emotions went wild. When I was happy, I was ecstatic, when I was sad, I was depressed, and when I was perturbed, well, I was furious and not fun to be around! Sadly, my seizures returned, and then my neurologist placed me on Vimpat (together with Epival). Since the change, life has become MUCH better. I am back to my normal self, the person I was many years ago, and I am ever so grateful!"

• CTa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 24, 2020

For Epilepsy "I’ve taken Phenobarbital, Dilantin, Trileptal, Keppra, Vimpat, Fycompa, and Lamotrigine. Vimpat is the best by far and no side effects for me. Even though it doesn’t completely control my seizures, only marijuana works more efficiently for me, and that includes surgery back in 2012."

• Blo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 25, 2018

For Seizures "Vimpat has also saved me. I have tried nearly all the anti-seizure medications. Most of them had side effects ranging from dry mouth to memory loss, where I have not been able to remember friends' names or common words. The main problem was that I had to increase to such high levels that they were unsafe, or my body seemed to develop a tolerance. I have been on Vimpat for nearly a year now with very few of my symptoms, which is amazing because without medication I would have problems every 1-2 minutes. The side effects are virtually negligible. My tongue and lips are a little numb when I take the tablets, and I get headaches when the medication is altered. The major problem is the cost!"

• pau...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 27, 2019

For Epilepsy "For the last 16 months, I have been taking Vimpat 200 mg 2x/day, Oxcarbazepine 600 mg 2x/day, Keppra 500 mg 2x/day, and Dilantin ER 300 mg at bedtime. The most difficult to adjust to is Vimpat. It makes me feel like I got a buzz for 3 to 4 hours after taking it, then I feel sleepy after about 3 hours, and I take about a 2-hour nap every day. When I first started on Vimpat, I was very sick to my stomach and sometimes would throw up until I started eating something light about an hour before taking it. This also helped reduce the feeling of a 'buzz' as well. After 30 to 40 days of taking it, my body adjusted to it, and now I'm okay. I still get that 'buzz' feeling most of the time and have talked to my doctor about it. Nothing could be done regarding the buzz feeling, she said it's just a side effect. Vimpat is a good med as long as it's used with another."

• Edi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 4, 2022

For Seizures "I was prescribed Vimpat in July 2020, and on August 31, 2020, I was in the ER. I was unaware it was the medication, but after 9 CT scans and 3 MRIs saying that my brain is okay, I knew it had to be Vimpat. I am bed bound since November 2020 to this day, May 4, 2022. I hope my neurologist can prescribe me another anti-seizure medication. I hope this is useful to someone."

• lau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 30, 2014

For Seizures "I started on Lyrica for my simple partial/partial complex seizures 5 years ago (by a previous neuro), and even though Lyrica was far from my current neuro's first choice, he decided to keep me on it. He immediately added Vimpat. For the next 8 months, I had continued frequent spontaneous seizures, and he persisted, saying we just had to find the right dosage of both. He'd change the dosage by 50 mg increases, different times of day, etc. 8 months of terrible short-term memory, lethargy, and a rainbow of different types of seizures, and as a last-ditch effort, he lowered my morning dosage by 50 mg, and I went from a zombie to me again! 5 years and I had issues only when stressed or sensory overload. But now they are sneaking back again..."

• Nad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2021

For Seizures "Almost 3 weeks taking this med. 200 mg twice a day and with 700 mg of Keppra only at night. I was able to be seizure-free for almost 3 years only taking Keppra once a day (my own diagnosis) but got careless and drank a beer at night and went to bed really late and that provoked a seizure. My doctor told me to start taking Vimpat, and after a week and a half, I started to get headaches, dizziness, vertigo, started to wake up earlier than normal, and my urine comes out almost a greenish color. I don't like this pill."

• lis...
• July 23, 2015

For Seizures "I have partial seizures. I take lithium and also take Valerian. The lithium worked fine. Now I just take Valerian. I do not think this would work for gran mal. I had Vimpat pushed on me. I tried a free sample. Total garbage. In fact, that's where I threw it out. Horrible drug. Felt like I was on LSD or some kind of mind-frying drug. Yuk. Makes me sick to think how I felt on it. I could not tolerate it at all."

• jrm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 19, 2023

For Seizures "No seizures since taking Vimpat; not sure if other conditions are related to Vimpat or other medications I take. Memory problems, speech problems, sleepiness. I am 88 years old so I am not sure if my problems are related to taking Vimpat or part of my aging process. Relatively easy to take with much liquid or applesauce, take twice a day."