Briviact and Irritability: What Users Say

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2021

For Epilepsy "BRIVIACT is a strong, quick-onset medication. Within a half-hour after my first dose, I could feel its effects, which were nothing like other AEDs I have tried that make me just a little tired. I’m an easy-going person, so imagine my surprise when, shortly after starting BRIVIACT, I became irritable and overly talkative about situations that normally wouldn’t faze me. A few days into therapy, people expressed concern about how I was being affected. An uncomfortable conversation led me to consult my doctor about mood changes, a new need for naps, and a blister that was forming on the inside of my mouth. Upon receiving more medical advice, I ceased taking BRIVIACT immediately. Withdrawing from BRIVIACT was a long, miserable process. At times, I found myself unusually emotional and on the verge of tears. Besides, I had a headache, tinnitus, achy legs, and my feet felt like they were on fire. Feeling out of sorts, I slept a lot and tried to recover from an alarming experience."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2021

For Seizures "I wish my Dr told me this was a controlled substance. I feel horrible on it, and I feel even worse than horrible trying to get off. Tinnitus, depression, anger, irritability, panic attacks, sadness, and now in withdrawal add severe insomnia. I can't wait to get off and rest my brain. Keppra worked. This drug is nothing like it for me. And so much harder to get off than any other anti-epileptic medication I have taken."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 6, 2020

For Epilepsy "This medicine, Briviact, has messed up my life. I am super irritated, angry, and in depression all the time, crying for no reason, and not to mention the skin itching problems that have started and liver problems. I have turned into a negative person, a monster with this medication. I never knew what depression was in my life until I started Briviact. I switched to it only because I wasn't getting my periods with sodium divalproex, my seizures were always in control with divalproex. I never had depression and was always in a good mood. But this medicine has ruined my life since 2018. I have kept on it because I am in a changing career phase and can't switch to new medicine, but as soon as I am settled with my new job, I am stopping this medication. How did it get approved even with the side effects of 'irritability' and depression on the bottle? Most medicines say that but don't necessarily cause it. I regret why I switched."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."