Briviact and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Tjs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2017

For Seizures "Took my first 25 mg Briviact pill yesterday morning. Felt fine. Took another 25 mg last night, without problems. So glad to find a good med, finally! Took it again this morning, and I felt ok. Then about 2.5 hours before time to take it again, it was a completely different story. I was nervous, irritable, agitated, want to scream my head off, tense, feeling like the incredible Hulk is going to explode out of my body, want to cry, don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't look at me, don't breathe my direction, eyes darting back and forth, and serious drug withdrawal kind of feeling!!! NO!!! I WILL NOT BE TAKING MY NEXT DOSE!!!"

• Tjs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2017

For Seizures "Took my first 25 mg Briviact pill yesterday morning. Felt fine. Took another 25 mg last night, without problems. So glad to find a good med, finally! Took it again this morning, and I felt ok. Then about 2.5 hours before time to take it again, it was a completely different story. I was nervous, irritable, agitated, want to scream my head off, tense, feeling like the incredible Hulk is going to explode out of my body, want to cry, don't talk to me, don't touch me, don't look at me, don't breathe my direction, eyes darting back and forth, and serious drug withdrawal kind of feeling!!! NO!!! I WILL NOT BE TAKING MY NEXT DOSE!!!"

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 9, 2024

For Epilepsy "I am a caregiver to my husband who has tried Keppra (didn't work) and had a lot of seizures. He has Partial Complex Temporal Lobe epilepsy for 9 years, he was an ex-boxer. Then he was on Oxtellar ER - wow, that one put him in the hospital with grand mals due to depleted sodium levels. Two years ago, he was put on Briviact 100mg x 2 daily, which works great, and Vimpat 200mg x 2 daily. He is on Medicare extra help to pay for them as they are quite expensive. Now he finally has them under control. The addition of Briviact did the trick. Yes, he is depressed, angry, has insomnia, and is scared of his own shadow with anxiety, but no seizures and I do not have to worry about him falling!"