Brivaracetam User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

• Moo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 3, 2019

For Epilepsy "I started this medicine in November of 2017. My mood swings are absolutely terrible. I'm always irritated. I feel like the medicine makes it hard for me to focus. I was put on this medicine after having a third brain surgery. I still had seizures for about a year afterward, then they stopped. I was seizure-free from September 2018 up until a few weeks ago. I'm now being taken off. My consensus: The drug may be good for some people. However, with people who have medically intractable epilepsy and have tried over five drugs such as myself, studies show that there is less than a 1% chance that any other medicines will work either. It was worth a try, I suppose, though!"

• Bri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 17, 2023

For Seizures "I have been using Briviact for over 4.5 years now and have been seizure free! I also take Vimpat, which I was prescribed before I was prescribed Briviact. Vimpat worked well, but I still had a few seizures, so my neurologist prescribed 50 mg twice daily. I can’t complain, honestly! I can’t tell you how thankful I am to be seizure free this long. I used to stress a lot in the past, which normally triggered my seizures, but my medications are working, and I am not feeling as stressed."

• Jim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2021

For Epilepsy "I tried Briviact for 40 days as an alternative to Keppra. Keppra controlled my seizures for the past 2.5 years, but the side effects were disrupting my relationships and career. Briviact seemed tolerable at first, and it almost seemed like I had more energy. I began to feel emotions that were hidden under the irritability common with Keppra. But after about 30 days, my anxiety level spiked. I could not eat or sleep and lost 10 pounds. It felt like I was on some crazy upper. Unfortunately, I had to stop abruptly and return to Keppra. Fortunately, the transition back to Keppra only took 2 days. Now I'm my gloomy self again. I hope you have better luck."

• DRU...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 28, 2022

For Epilepsy "I started taking this medication about 3 years ago when I was having many partial seizures a week. I just started with this whole epilepsy thing out of the clear blue about 11 years ago. My doctor was thinking of surgery because even though most of my seizures weren't convulsive, they were still taking a hit on my memory, and he didn't want me to damage my memory. As a last-ditch effort to avoid surgery, we tried coming off of the Keppra and using Briviact. It has worked very well, with only a small aura every now and then. I hadn't driven a car for two years, and now I am doing my thing again! Side effects for me have included tiredness and irritability. I can say that the benefit outweighs the side effects, at least for me. It is, however, a very hard drug to find, and many doctors have never even heard of it. If or when you run out, you're in trouble because not many pharmacies have it on hand, and it's pretty regulated."

• Par...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2017

For Seizures "Starting taking Briviact 200 mg March 26, 2017, had my first seizure June 11th, less than 3 months after I started using it. Gave it another try and had another seizure Oct 20, 2017, 4 months, 9 days from the last one. It does not work as well as Brand Keppra XR 3000 mg to stop seizures. It is easier to take just one pill in the AM and one in the PM, but that's about it. Also very expensive, and my insurance would only pay for 50% of it. For me, it does work well."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2022

For Seizures "I was on 1500 mg of Keppra every day after a seizure, which happened a year after brain surgery (I was on 500 mg after the surgery) to remove a benign tumor. I had major depression and irritability, aggression. I was okay most of the time, but I would go into depression if I thought about sad things, and things would set me off to the point of shouting and pounding my fists on the counter. I switched to Briviact 100 mg twice a day, and it is like night and day. The mood swings and rage issues stopped. I am not sure how it would compare to how I was before being on any meds for this, but compared to Keppra, I feel like a normal human again. I am generally a very mellow kind of person, so it's nice to return to my old self. No numbness or panic attacks except another seizure after 2 years when I had missed a dose, plus I had more alcohol than over the holidays AND it turned out I had mild Covid (had all vaccine doses, but had a slight fever), all 3 reduce the meds' effectiveness."

• Anonymous
• July 25, 2021

For Seizures "I took Briviact 50 mg in the morning and evening for a week, and on the third day, I started having difficulty passing urine, and the next day, it stopped completely, and I had to have urine removed from the catheter."

• Dva...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2019

For Seizures "My son is non-verbal, autistic, with a seizure disorder. Started taking 50 mg twice a day for two weeks, no seizures, but he will not get in the car to go to his day program. We are on day three of staying at home. The neurologist wants to try for two more weeks, then reevaluate."

• Tom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 7, 2022

For Epilepsy "I find Briviact a great drug that works well with phenytoin. I have great results with the combination. I unfortunately have to switch off Briviact due to the $800.00 a month co-pay. I have to exhaust my out-of-pocket deductible to get it for less. Great drug, but way overpriced. Goodbye, Briviact."

• Joe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 3, 2019

For Epilepsy "Replaced Keppra with this drug. Keppra was giving me severe mood swings. I am taking 100 mg 2x a day. Seems to work with no side effects observed yet. With manufacturer discount card about $30.00 a month with my insurance. Made by the same company as Vimpat, which I also take."

• Her...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2023

For Seizures "My son, age 16, is on Briviact 75 mg. The doctor started him on Keppra and increased the dose to 1000 mg twice daily. However, the migraines were very bad and lasted more than 2 months. He has since switched to Briviact 50 mg twice daily. This was a relief. His migraines stopped and he seems to be doing okay, but he had another seizure, so the dosage was increased to 75 mg twice daily. This is his third week and he is seizure-free so far and has no migraines. However, we had to rush to the ER for chest pain once. No issues were found with the heart, and he was sent home. It appears he had chest spasms, not sure if linked to Briviact. However, we are seeing increased congestion with this new dosage."

• Cra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2023

For Epilepsy "I have been on Briviact since May 2022, started at 100 mg morning and night, then upped to 150 mg morning and night in September 2022. This medication has caused so many side effects: irritability, agitation, anger, drowsiness, brain fog, memory issues-the works. I thought the side effects would go away after my body adjusted, but it seems to have only gotten worse. I just tapered back down to 100 mg 2X a day in hopes the side effects go away. But it is causing even more problems, it is making me dizzy and nauseated. I doubt I'm going to continue on with this med. It did work pretty well at taming my tonic-clonics, but the side effects are so bad that I can barely function. It just isn't worth it."

• emm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 28, 2023

For Epilepsy "Briviact and Keppra seem to be the only drugs that help my seizures. I was changed to Briviact from Keppra due to anger issues. These two drugs are the most effective for my temporal lobe epilepsy, but both cause my frustration level to be low. I mostly have partial seizures, but occasionally a partial seizure is followed by a tonic clonic seizure. Briviact does reduce seizures, and I take an average dose. I could increase the dose, but I discussed this with my doctor, and I am reluctant to do so due to frustration and anger issues. I can cope with one or two minor seizures with a short loss of awareness weekly (sometimes less), which I now have as they used to occur daily on other drugs. I can also cope with an occasional tonic clonic seizure. I prefer that to mood problems if the dose is higher. My epilepsy has an unknown cause and is resistant to most medications, except for the drug Tramadol and Quinolone-related antibiotics. I have had seizures since the age of seven and I am now seventy."

• Sal...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 19, 2021

For Epilepsy "Briviact, which has bad side effects, has messed up my 35-year-old son. He's not the person he was 3 years ago. I told the doctor I wanted his meds changed. The doctor stopped this, then put him on Keppra, which has the same side effects. After a week, I told the doctor to put him back on Depakene (Valproic Acid), which is a generic brand. He had taken this years ago with no side effects. I had been telling the doctor that my son was doing weird stuff. He said you have to deal with it... Really? He acted like he didn't even care. It's been 3 weeks, he is still not himself... Is anybody else having this problem? This is a nightmare for me and my husband."

• Mai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2018

For Seizures "Taking Briviact for 3 months, 50 mg twice daily along with 200 mg Topiramate. I have got fluid retention on my feet, ankles, and a small amount on my stomach. This isn't a known side effect, but I have reported it and let my neurologist know."

• Bri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 22, 2024

For Epilepsy "Used to treat focal seizures, and to prevent focal seizures from developing into generalized grand mal seizures. 2x100mg Used consistently with Aptiom (1200mg), and inconsistently with other medicines which haven't done the trick yet. It doesn't get rid of all my episodes, however it does an amazing job with Aptiom at stopping the grand mal seizures. I had very few side effects. Highly recommended."

• Lyn...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 1, 2022

For Epilepsy "So far, Briviact has been a huge help. I take it daily with Xcopri. I am going on several weeks without a seizure since the doctor increased the dose on December 14. The last seizure was the night before the increase. I was worried about side effects, but it hasn't caused any side effects for me yet. I am on the maximum dose. Keppra made me extremely irritable, but thankfully Briviact hasn't done that."

• Ned...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 9, 2021

For Epilepsy "I have been on Briviact for nearly 3 and a half years, alongside Vimpat. These two together so far have worked well for me in relation to side effects and seizure control. I continue to have seizures, but my mood is much better, I’m less angry, emotional, and aggressive. However, since starting Briviact, I suffered from a severe rash on my legs, feet, hands, and arm. It toned down once my body started to adjust to the medication change. I am currently having my dosage increased, and the rash once again has flared up. The neurologist had discussed with me potentially changing from tablet form to liquid form, as I may be allergic to the coating of the medication. I also have very blurry vision, memory loss, sometimes confusion, and other side effects, but overall, it has been the best one so far as I have tried approximately 10 different types of epilepsy medication that either have changed my personality or given me serious side effects."

• Ras...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 14, 2021

For Epilepsy "Briviact seems to prevent my seizures but makes me sort of feel so negative about life. It's more or less a new version of Keppra regardless of what the hype is from big pharma. Essentially, it seems to influence the same srv2 protein, and they do not understand how it prevents seizures nor changes your mood, so brace for condescending conversations with your doctors, who likely won't understand why you don't want to take a medicine that might be helping your epilepsy. I left my last MD because she wanted me to stay on Keppra. Now I'm with this new doctor who apparently put me on a nearly identical med and gives me grief for not wanting to be on a medicine that makes me feel apathetic about living."

• Ane...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2023

For Epilepsy "Did the job. Milder side effects than Levetiracetam. The dosage was first 100 mg/day, then by stopping, it was suggested to reduce in 6 weeks to 0 mg. Almost got all the side effects mentioned. Physical: tiredness, pulse faster, heart pain before rain or by lightning (never happened in life before), higher blood pressure, veins start to be more and more coming out to the skin surface and seem purple, red, blue, hurt, also in eyes getting more and bigger red lines, water in legs, tinnitus at least 4 times, sensitivity to light and huge open pupils, eczema patches red and rough on skin, red urine often. Not enough water to have proper menstruation and sexual need and no liquid. Mental: anxiety, anger, short temper (destroying things), deep long sadness most days, panic, avoiding people for months, feeling burdened if I have to talk, unmotivation to do anything, irritability, few times felt like suicidal. Finished taking it in 3 weeks."

• non...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2019

For Seizures "My daughter was on Briviact for a short time. It was a nightmare. She moaned and groaned all night long. After that, she was too frightened to sleep. She was exhausted and shaky on her feet. The drug was given as an alternative to Keppra. She is now off of both drugs but still suffers occasional episodes of moaning at night."

• Suc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2020

For Epilepsy "I've been taking this med since March of 2019, and I get really irritated easily and itchy skin, feeling aggressive sometimes, but I guess it's working. I take 3 different types of meds for my seizures, though. Thank you."

• Dru...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 24, 2021

For Epilepsy "I am a 45-year-old man that, for some strange reason, came down with epilepsy about ten years ago. I have mainly temporal lobe epilepsy but have had a few generalized seizures. I am a band teacher that was doing way too much and told everyone yes for everything, so I think that it was stress and lack of sleep that made this start. I have been on many different meds but started Briviact along with Trileptal a few years back. My doctor told me that I was intractable and began to do some testing to see if I was a candidate for surgery. I was very scared and did not want that portion of my brain messed with. I told him let's try some other meds, and this is when Briviact came in. After not driving a vehicle for two years, the combination of Briviact and Trileptal worked. We are not even talking surgery anymore. I will say that I do experience anxiety, sleepiness, double vision (occasionally), irritability (this is a big one), numbness, and an uneasy feeling."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 17, 2023

For Epilepsy "I was on Keppra for 5 years, 2017 to 2022. Switched to Briviact in 2022 and have now been on it for 1 year. I had all side effects while on both medications, but Briviact has been the worst. I had my first anxiety attack/panic attack, and all side effects have increased significantly since being on Briviact. I have been seizure-free for the past 3 years, and I just want to come off of the medication, but my neuro won't let me. My neuro is keeping me on the medication and is asking for me to seek psychiatric help for the side effects I'm experiencing."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2021

For Epilepsy "Briviact is my 13th med. Keppra caused more side effects. Briviact is finally working. I'm going past 25 weeks without a T/C. I had laser ablation on my frontal temporal lobe, and it didn't work. I do feel more lethargic, and I'm hoping my skin problems aren't coming back, but I'm taking 100 mg 2x a day, so maybe I can take less. But I'm scared to change anything. I do believe in gut health. I've had mono at age 1, and my naturopathic was the only one to test my thyroid, hormones, and cortisol levels correctly. She told me that I have active EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) and its cousin virus called HHV-6, which actually causes seizures because it attacks the nervous system. So with her treatment, I've been able to calm down the virus, and I've been able to get off both of my high blood pressure meds. I almost had to get on a 3rd HBP when I was on (brand name) Keppra XR at 1500 mg a day. I had low sodium levels as well. I need more time to know how this will affect my health over time, and I could follow a keto, but no."