Keppra for Epilepsy User Reviews (Page 2)

• carol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 15, 2019

"I was tried on Keppra for a short period as a possible substitute for Dilantin, with the results that; it did control my seizures, but after just two weeks, to borrow from the prescribing information it produced "hostile and aggressive behavior" over even the slightest thing. That was the first time. The second time that I was tried on Keppra, I spent a year on probation for assault. You can guess my opinion It works well for some people, but I fear it's not as safe as the UCB and the FDA claim."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2018

"Keppra has made me angry beyond words, impatient, and now I cry all of the time. It has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion and not being able to control it. I feel like I’m going to explode all of the time. There has to be anything better than this."

• amand...
• September 5, 2009

"I have been epileptic since I was 5 years old. Now I am 24 years old. I started taking Keppra 2 years ago. In the beginning I was so tired and sleepy- nearly lethargic. That wore off after the first 3 months of being on Keppra. Since I have been on Keppra for over two years I only have had 1 seizure and it was because I missed a dose. But sometimes I think there are other side effects due to Keppra such as lack of concentration, frustruation, irritable and anger."

• Maggie...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 7, 2014

"After having seizures for reg every 8 days or so for 55 years on many different anticonvulsants, I was given Keppra, 3000mg daily and for the last 10 years have been free from seizures with no side effects whatever. This medication has changed my life around."

• User1...
• January 17, 2013

"I had my first seizure when I was 17 (now 23). I always wanted to be on a medications that was safe so one day when I had a family. And now have my family with a healthy boy. I do have to say I was having the depression, I was having dizzy spills and really bad headaches. But I talked to my doctor he lowered my dose and gave me Topamax to take with it. And now my headaches are gone. It is very hard to actually to find the right medication for yourself. I wish you all the best!"

• macey...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 16, 2013

"I have been on Keppra for 10 months. After 45 years on Dilantin my liver was being poisoned. Dilantin worked as far as controlling seizures. Keppra has worked so far but I have insomnia and no appetite."

• Anonymous
• November 9, 2009

"I took Dilantin for over 20 years and always felt tired. I regularly had seizures 2-3 times a year while taking this medicine. My doctor took me off Dilantin and I transitioned to Levetiracetam (Keppra) because long term use of Dilantin can promote osteoporosis. I have been seizure free ever since and experience no side effects. I also feel more energy as a result of getting off Dilantin."

• Beccaw
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 1, 2018

"I've been struggling with seizures for seven years. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on keppra. I currently take the almost the max dosage 1,750 mg twice a day. I struggled with grand mal seizures so much before starting keppra. Ever since I started keppra I've only had one grand mal occur a year ago. Although keppra helped my grand mal seizures it didn't prevent my partial seizures or otherwise petit mal seizures. Keppra doesn't react badly with other meds or the body. Overall satisfied with keppra!"

• Frank
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 11, 2020

"Have been taking Keppra for more than 2 years now and I have never noticed a problem when using. It has completely stopped all of my seizures and gives me no side effects, on top of that, it is a water-soluble drug meaning that I just urinate it out leaving no way for it to do any damage to me. Currently I am on 1500 mg a day or XR medication. On the first time it was prescribed, I never took it for the sole reason that there were so many side effects listed. I had seizures because of my actions. After taking it, I never had a seizure since and feel better than ever. I recommend use of this medication if prescribed!!"

• Nurse...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 29, 2017

"My experience on keppra was awful . Partly responsible for me developing a state of encephalopathy. Mood was evil. I was threatening to strangers and family. I'd flip so suddenly from 0 to 100 without warning at the slightest word out of place. I'd say it's dangerous from patient perspective and would not advocate it as a nurse. Thoughts of negative actions... prolific"

• Anonymous
• September 17, 2019

"I have been taking 200 mg of keppra twice a day after my second seizure which was 4 months ago. For the first month roughly I had constant mood swings and almost no appetite. It wasn't uncommon for me to randomly start feeling depressed and those phases could last up to multiple days on end. I would also have random anger that seemingly came from no where to the point where I would start fights with my family over the dumbest things. Even after that first month which is supposed to be when your body gets used to the drug I continually had mood swings and random depression. Although it has stopped me from seizing I highly do not recommend"

• Anonymous
• January 30, 2016

"I was diagnosed at 13 years old with grand mal seizures due to my period. Was put on Keppra 250 mg twice a day. I'm 21 now and still take it. It does control my seizures ( though I still get Aura's once in a while) and I have experienced all the side effects. My parents and friends will be the first to tell you how drastically I have changed from this medication. It makes you very irritable, tired, depressed, CRAZY mood swings and short tempered. Through the years, I've learned to handle it better. When I was 15 I stopped taking them to see if I grew it out of it, suggested by my neuro, and had 3 seizures in 3 days. Have been taking it every day ever since. Keeps me to live a normal life, like drive a car and go to school!"

• Saab
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 24, 2013

"The only few problems consists of drowsiness which is better than having seizures. Another important issue is dosing. You most take every days worth or it can lead to an aura or a full fledged seizure which can effect drivers licences (loss of 2 years). "

• Ben...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2023

"Let's just say that taking keppra increased my aggression drastically and it ended up with a lot of the people around me getting hurt and it didn't help with my epilepsy in the slightest.This was back when I was 16."

• Outdo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 4, 2023

"Avoid. I am 24 years old and I had my first seizure almost two years ago. Had another one a month after that. Grand mals to be exact. Both seizures were very violent, one of the times waking up to blood on my pillow, a black eye, and bit tongue and lips. I was diagnosed having epilepsy. I got prescribed Keppra extended-release. I take 1000mg at night. The side effects are horrible. Horrible mood swings, irritability, anger, rage, the list goes on. It has ruined relationships around me in my life. I am finally switching medication, there are better options out there. I advise you to look at the options. Take it at your own risk."

• Vanessa
• March 10, 2012

"I am on a very small dose for epilepsy 250mg twice a day. It has made me quite tired, but apart from that there's been no problems. I only have a couple of seizures a year so hopefully this low dose will keep me seizure free."

• nickky
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2020

"So far I have had a terrible experience with this drug Keppra. They increased the dosage by 1500mg a day. So now I'm taking 1500mg 2x a day on top of lamictal. I always feel tired, moody, and depressed. Most recently I started having suicidal thoughts and feeling lonely. I hope these side effects end soon"

• Pam
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 28, 2020

"My son cannot take generics of Keppra, it works for him and he is on a combination of depakote, keppra, and vimpat. Nine of the generics are equivalent to the brand. Don'be fooled by Dr or pharmacies,because they will tell you they are the same."

• Momof
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 17, 2020

"Son was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy at 12 years old after 2 tonic-clonic seizures. He was given 250mg keppra twice a day. He had a 3rd breakthrough seizure after forgetting to take 2 doses. After that he was seizure free for three years, including a trip from USA to Europe. Dr. recommended weaning process after normal EEG, which we followed to a T. He relapsed and had a tonic clonic seizure and is back on keppra, 500mg twice a day. He has a reminder to take it at 8am and PM and that helps moderate side effects. His side effects are mostly sleepiness, emotional swings, but being physically active helps a lot. We are hoping keppra works as well the second time around as it did the first."

• Pacific...
• November 18, 2017

"As a 42 year old female, I have had seizures my entire life. I have taken 14 anti-convulsants at one point or another in an attempt to control my complex-partial seizures, but Keppra is the WORST medication I have EVER taken. The side effects are horrible. Although it's the only medication that has been able to stop my seizures, the side effects are so terrible that it's not worth taking it. I couldn't string together a coherent thought, had short term memory loss, had awful mood swings, and suddenly hated life. Everything was difficult, I couldn't think straight, and felt emotionally raw all the time. I could barely keep it together while on this medication. Every day of life was AWFUL while on this medication. I will NEVER take it again."

• PearK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2019

"It wasn’t what you would call a fun experience. It was the first of 14 medications I was placed on and I was only on it for two days. They took me off because of how excessively severe the keppra side effects were"

• Abc
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 13, 2023

"We had a great experience with Keppra treating my son's pediatric epilepsy. He began taking it right before his 4th birthday and he was able to stop by 9. We saw positive changes in his behavior immediately because he was actually able to sleep through the night. His seizures also stopped and we never had a breakthrough. We would have bouts of moodiness starting around 6 years. They happened during growth spurts. We had no academic or behavior problems at school. No one ever knew he had an issue except the school nurse. Our feedback from teachers has always been positive socially and academically. The doctor felt like he was an example of the 'kindling theory' of epilepsy, meaning the low dose kept him from developing lifelong epilepsy. He has a distant cousin whose epilepsy started the same way as my son's and he still has it as an adult and cannot drive. I would highly recommend this drug if your child has grand mal seizures and if your doctor prescribes."

• Anonymous
• December 21, 2013

"My daughter is 4 and started having seizures 9 months ago. She has been on Keppra since then. Overall it has worked to control but not completely prevent her seizures. It has stopped them from spreading to her whole body but she still has them in her face about once a month even though her dose has been increased several times and she is now taking 7 mls twice a day. The side effects now are not as bad as when she first started this medicine. Since she has been on it however she has not had as good of an appetite and some days she wont eat at all. Her sleeping habits have been irregular as well. Some times she freaks out and starts biting anything she can. She doesn't talk so she can't tell me how she feels."

• CTINFL
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 9, 2018

"Keppra was terrible for me. The worst was the mood swings that were uncontrollable for me. I'm a nice guy, but I literally hated everyone. Fired from jobs for misconduct and anger issues. I had surgery in 2012 and it improved my situation, but I still take Vimpat, Lamotrogine, and have my medical marijuana license as well. Looking and feeling like the best meds combination for me."

• Princ...
• March 23, 2017

"So I had times where I'd black out and have amnesia. Basically it would scare my parents and after the second time it happened they took me to the doctor. We went through all the test and they all came back normal except for my EEG. it came back abnormal. I was immediately put on keppra and hated every second of it. I started off with 500mg 2x a day. After the first dose I was hallucinating and very confused. The four hour mark was the worst. I was super loopy and couldn't focus for nothing. the medicine caused me to have mood swings and go into a deep depression. My advice if you have any sort of mental illness DON'T TAKE IT. I've struggled with Bulimia, Anxiety, Depression, and Bipolar disorder for years. Seizures stopped. Wasn't worth it"