Keppra and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Pon...
• March 20, 2013

For Seizures "I'm French and am 28 years old. I had my first seizure in 2009. My neurologist gave me Lamotrigine for 2 years, from 100mg daily at the beginning to 400mg at the end. The frequency of seizures has been reduced but I still had some. I arrived in USA in 2011 and my new neurologist prescribed me Keppra because I wanted to have a new medication, more efficient. I take 500mg twice daily. I don't have any seizures since I started this medication, so more than one year now. I'm very satisfied so far, but of course, I have side effects and it's sometimes very difficult to deal with. I'm very tired all day long, I need to sleep at least 8 hours every night. I'm like bipolar, sometimes euphoric, sometimes very depressed. I'm a different person now."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 28, 2016

For Seizures "Worst drug I have ever taken. Been on it for 4 weeks. Not even sure I had a seizure to begin with. All tests, MRI, and EEG were negative. Trying to wean myself off. Dizzy, headache, depressed, severe mood swings, angry, then lethargic. Sorry I ever went to the doctor."

• Ban...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 3, 2020

For Epilepsy "Worst drug ever in my opinion!!! Here were my side effects- irritability, paranoia, anxiety, nausea, loss of appetite, numbness and tingling in my arms and legs, it would make my aura seizures come more often than they normally would without medication, felt dizzy and lightheaded, which would worsen during an aura seizure. Made me get aura seizures when I was still asleep and it would wake me up! Made me feel suicidal also. I took the medication for about six months and have had more than enough of it. Was tired each day, I could barely get up to do normal things, even to cook. I decided to wean off myself, I decreased dose to half a tablet in the morning, hoping it would stop at the very least my aura seizures in my sleep, but it didn’t help. I then thought after a few months - enough is enough. After taking half a tablet in the morning for a few months, I stopped taking it completely. Never felt better. Wouldn’t go back on it if my life depended on it."

• Ron...
• December 16, 2015

For Seizures "I had my first seizure on 04/04/14 while driving and they found that I had epilepsy. The neurologist put me on Keppra. It is by far the best drug I've had to take. Initially, it was a pain as I was always angry, depressed because I lost my driving licence, and tired all the time. All I wanted to do was sleep. However, once I took this medication after 6 months, the side effects wore off, and I was getting back to my old self again - happy and all that. I once forgot to take my tablets for 2 days, and I had a seizure. It was the biggest mistake I've made. I always remember to take my tablets now. I'm seizure-free now. Please take your tablets. They do help."

• NDf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 30, 2013

For Seizures "46-year-old male. Over a 3-month period, experienced 3 auras and finally, the first seizure in January '13. Prescribed Keppra by a neurologist. 500mg x2 daily. Not a hint of seizure activity since being placed on this medicine. However, I do experience some tiredness (mild). Otherwise leading a very normal lifestyle."

• Tim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2019

For Seizures "I experienced mood swings, including increased emotionality (crying, anger, etc.); I had difficulty falling asleep/restlessness (tired and wired feeling); muscle cramping and joint aches became more frequent, as well as general body fatigue and lethargy; my appetite was lowered and indigestion was common; dry mouth occurred regularly; and forgetfulness and attention problems were apparent. Seizures did not continue while on the 250 mg twice a day dose, but the side effects outweighed the benefits, especially considering I could not take the full 500 mg twice a day prescribed dosage."

• Jon...
• January 31, 2014

For Seizures "I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 23. I am now 35. I was put on Tegretol 500mg twice a day. For 2 years, my life was a nightmare. I still got seizures and double vision every day. I was then prescribed 500mg of Keppra twice daily along with the Tegretol. The double vision went completely and I found that I only have 1 or 2 seizures max a year. This is usually because of lack of sleep or forgetting to take my medicines. Yes, I find my attention span is not great sometimes along with tiredness and mood swings. The positives for me outweigh the negatives. Good luck in finding what suits you best."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2014

For Seizures "Started about 1 week ago. Was fine, then all of a sudden I started feeling really tired and restless. Nothing unusual. Now I have no appetite, spaced out majority of the day. My mood swings are through the roof, and tonight I had a nightmare. Calling my doctor to see what to do."

• JJH...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 20, 2013

For Seizures "Started taking Keppra (750mg twice daily) alongside Lamictal (250mg twice daily) as the latter medicine was not 100% efficient to control partial seizures. Although the Keppra seems to have stopped the seizures completely, there are many side effects to be aware of. Drowsiness, tiredness, and irritability/moodiness are extremely common, so that is often a downer, especially when you're trying to enjoy yourself. Depression is difficult to identify as dwelling on the side effects on the leaflet only makes you feel worse! Overall, an effective medicine for treating epilepsy but I had many bad side effects."

• Des...
• September 16, 2009

For Epilepsy "I started having seizures when I was 16 (I'm now 23), with no past family history. The cause of them are still unknown, and without medication I have one every 4-5 months while sleeping. My first anti-epileptic medication was Lamictal from which I suffered a severe rash. I started Keppra (500mg 2x daily) and haven't had a seizure since taking it (knock on wood). After two years of treatment, I came off from Keppra and had a seizure after 5 months without the medication. I'm back on it, and have been seizure-free for almost two years now. I do have side effects from Keppra though. I'm tired a lot, have mood swings, experience bouts of insomnia, headaches, and dizziness. Overall the medicine works well, but obviously would like to be off it."

• Deb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2019

For Seizures "My mom began post-stroke seizures and a 1000 mg Nokia was administered in the ER. I explained she was very sensitive to meds. She was admitted and given two more doses of 500 and 750. She was so lethargic, dizzy, and nauseous I asked if we could switch. They dropped the Keppra cold turkey and she seized 96 straight times every eight minutes. We are back on it to properly wean her, but with each dose she seizes like clockwork and has been in cardiac arrest 4x. We are between a rock and a hard place with this med, but I would advise anyone to choose this med knowing side effects can be severe. She is on comfort care now."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2013

For Epilepsy "After EEG showed seizure activity, the neurologist started me on 500 mg/day Keppra. At the 4-hour mark, I felt very spaced out. Couldn't think, hazy, slurring speech, lethargic, etc. Neuro suggested I start taking it at night so that I could 'sleep through' the odd feeling. Now, I wake up at the 4-hour mark... on the dot, every single night. I still feel spaced out and find it hard to get comfortable and fall back asleep. It takes me about an hour to fall back asleep. Sleep disturbances cause me to feel tired during the day."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2013

For Epilepsy "After EEG showed seizure activity, the neurologist started me on 500 mg/day Keppra. At the 4-hour mark, I felt very spaced out. Couldn't think, hazy, slurring speech, lethargic, etc. Neuro suggested I start taking it at night so that I could 'sleep through' the odd feeling. Now, I wake up at the 4-hour mark... on the dot, every single night. I still feel spaced out and find it hard to get comfortable and fall back asleep. It takes me about an hour to fall back asleep. Sleep disturbances cause me to feel tired during the day."

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2013

For Epilepsy "I just had my third seizure, and I was switched from Topamax to Keppra. I find that this medicine makes me hyper and then extremely tired. I am 18 years of age, and I experience the depression side effect and almost all of the side effects. Really wanting to find the right balance."

• Bra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 5, 2014

For Epilepsy "I had my first seizure over 3 years ago at the age of 23. Upon receiving an MRI scan, I learned that I had a brain tumor called pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. After having it removed, I was put on Keppra XR 1500 mg twice a day and have been seizure-free ever since. However, recently I have been having new side effects appear. At first, the only side effect I had was exhaustion and occasional insomnia, however, over the past two weeks, I have had tingling sensations on my scalp and bouts of vertigo, and I am very scared about what this could mean. I hope everyone else is doing well."

• Anonymous
• October 17, 2008

For Seizures "I had my first grand-mal seizure over 1 year ago, have no reason for why I had a seizure, but I was put on Keppra the same night. In the beginning, I was very tired and had a lot of anxiety, so they gave me Lexapro along with it. I feel great, no feeling like I'm going to pass out and no more racing thoughts in my head."

• New...
• April 27, 2009

For Seizures "Had my first seizure this year, put on Keppra a month later. Stopped the seizures, but makes me sleepy all the time. I have mood swings, depression, irritable, and get frustrated easily. Tried to talk to my neurologist, but was told the only side effect Keppra has is being tired. Too scared to ask if I could try anything else because this is supposed to be the safest drug available."

• ama...
• September 5, 2009

For Epilepsy "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, frustration, irritability, and anger."

• CKL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2015

For Seizures "I am 37 years old and have had Petit Mal seizures since I was 2 years old. My seizures were always controlled on Epival. However, this drug isn't safe during pregnancy, so my doctor prescribed me Keppra (500 mg) before we started to try for a baby. Keppra works well for me to control the Petit Mal seizures. However, it has really bad side effects. It made me extremely tired and quite moody. The worst part about this medication is that it caused me to have 2 Grand Mal seizures (10 weeks and 18 weeks). Before these 2 seizures, I had never had a Grand Mal before. I am now off of Keppra and on Lamotrigine and feel great. I have energy and feel like myself again. Best of all, no Grand Mal seizures!"

• Anonymous
• August 19, 2009

For Seizures "This has been my lifesaver. I've been on this for 7 years or more. I take 4500 mg a day along with 600 mg Lamictal a day. With each increase, I have better control, but this knocked me out when increased in larger increments. People say I look tired, but I'm so used to it I don't notice. Unfortunately, I can't think straight. My reading, comprehension, and learning are shot. I've been trying college for years, each increase brings better control. I wish I could stop the medication for a few days to see if there is another world out there, but my brain gives me an unfortunate reminder if I'm late."

• Ang...
• February 16, 2012

For Seizures "In April 2010, I went into grand mal seizures, which were found to be due to brain cancer. After surgery and being sent home, I was put on Keppra. As of Feb 2012, I have not had a seizure since, but I have found this medicine makes me very tired and I itch all over all the time. I was taking 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening. Then we changed it to 1000 mg in the evening and none in the morning. I find it very hard to get motivated in the mornings. I want to stay in bed and sleep. I take antidepressants, but I'm not depressed or crying. I had been, and they felt under the circumstances I needed to stay on the antidepressant. We tried changing it, and I still stayed very tired, and that is why I am sure it's the Keppra making me so tired. Otherwise, kudos."

• wat...
• May 28, 2010

For Seizures "I did not get seizures daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, not that I'm aware of anyway. I had my first major seizure at 37 years old at a wedding, the next one was at 42 years old, and recently, May 10 (46 years old), on my way to work at our ferry. I've been on Tegretol, Dilantin, and now Keppra... now I see the difference. The Keppra is working great where before I may have been having light seizures and did not know it. My eyes were blinking too fast. I thought that was tired eyes, my right hand would become numb while sleeping, and I thought it was just from sleeping the wrong way."

• Luk...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 15, 2016

For Seizures "I have had epilepsy from 18 months old, started on Epilim. By the time I turned 3, I was seizure-free till I was 16. Just before my math exam, I had a seizure, wasn't exactly sure what caused it. I went to my GP, I was put on 100 mg of lamotrigine, then went up to 250 mg of lamotrigine, finished on 300. The drug didn't work at all. I was then referred to see a neurologist, and we started off taking Keppra 500 mg alongside the lamotrigine. We then moved to 750 mg of Keppra with the lamotrigine BD. After all of that, we then moved to 1000 mg BD, since then to know, I'm now on 4 grams a day alongside 600 mg of oxcarbazepine and currently on 6 mg of Perampanel. I'm getting the drowsiness, tiredness, and from the Keppra, I'm turning aggressive."

• nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2020

For Epilepsy "So far I have had a terrible experience with this drug, Keppra. They increased the dosage by 1500 mg a day. So now I'm taking 1500 mg 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."

• Anonymous
• January 30, 2016

For Epilepsy "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 auras 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 out of it, suggested by my neuro, and had 3 seizures in 3 days. Have been taking it every day ever since. Keeps me living a normal life, like driving a car and going to school!"