Eslicarbazepine for Epilepsy User Reviews

• Fee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2021

Eslicarbazepine "At first, I thought this medication was working, but slowly but surely, I realized I was having really extremely bad panic attacks out of nowhere. Then, for the first time ever, I had humongous seizures that were exactly like grand mal seizures, but I was awake, and I couldn't control my seizure. I had at least 20 back to back that I've never had before. I have extreme trembles where I feel them inside my body. It's absolutely insane. My panic attacks are continuous, and now I panic that I'm going to have a panic attack. I'm trying to stop this medicine, but it's like I'm having some type of withdrawal... maybe. I pray that this goes away. This will be my 3rd day off of it, and I cannot stop trembling."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2020

Eslicarbazepine "I have been on Dilantin for nearly 15 years. Currently, I have been seizure-free for 10. My neurologist put me on Aptiom as he planned to take me off medication altogether. It was fine until I had to double the dosage. The headaches are extreme. There is some random numbness in my extremities. I also have random tremors. The side effects have been scarier than the seizures. I came off of it for weeks and still have the side effects. I think this med is great in a small dosage, but that’s it."

• apt...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 5, 2023

Eslicarbazepine "Before, I was struggling against about four types of seizures. Now, I'm only having occasional issues with one. Not only has it narrowed the type of seizures I'm having, it's also spread them out more. Before, I was having severe ones every 3-5 days, then it became 5-7 days, then moderate ones every 7-10 days, then mild ones every 10-14 days. Now, I'm having mild ones every 14-16 days. An excellent medicine once you get it tuned."

• Win...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 29, 2019

Eslicarbazepine "This has been the most effective medicine of all the seizure medications I have tried, which has been a lot. I agree that the medicine is extremely expensive, which is a major downside to using it. Still, if it helps, then it helps."

• Jos...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2021

Eslicarbazepine "It's been amazing for me. I was having very frequent focal seizures for about four years. I self-diagnosed the seizures as anxiety (thanks to Dr. Google) and never visited a doctor for help. Then, I had a tonic-clonic seizure and ended up hospitalized. After a bunch of tests, my neurophysiologist diagnosed my epilepsy and put me on 400 mg of Aptiom per day. I haven't had a single seizure (focal or tonic-clonic) since -- it's been about 4 months. Best of all, I have zero side effects. Thus far, it's been a miracle drug for me."

• epi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 29, 2023

Eslicarbazepine "A welcome change from previous medicines, which literally made me paranoid and scared of my own reflection. No medicine is perfect, very few are great, and most are just okay. This is one of the few medicines that deserves to be classified as “great.” Once a day? Yes, please. Few side effects? Yes, and thank you. Took me from frequent grand mal seizures to weekly absence episodes."

• Dar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2019

Eslicarbazepine "Well, my son's Aptiom dose was upped to 400 mg, and now the side effects have started - a real dry cough and a bit of trouble breathing. I hope in the next couple of days this improves, otherwise, he will have to come off of it. He is supposed to increase it to 600 mg in a couple of days, which I will be leery to do in case the breathing gets worse. As in my other review, I mentioned my son has 22q11 (deletion of a small piece of chromosome 22), which unfortunately makes him very sensitive to medications. I really hope this one works, although the cost is super expensive."

• Dar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 10, 2019

Eslicarbazepine "The seizure control is great. One big problem with this drug is that it can cause hypothyroidism. My son was hypothyroid before going on this medication, and now it has dropped his levels drastically even when he is on thyroid medication. If this doesn't improve with more thyroid medication, he will have to stop the Aptiom. I hope this doesn't happen because it's the only one he can take."

• Unh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 25, 2021

Eslicarbazepine "My experience with Aptiom has not been good. For one thing, it does not control my seizures. I would say maybe worse. I am on 400 mg a day. I know this is a low dose, but if I take more, it makes me angry and nuts. An hour after I take it, I change personality. I go way back into my memory and, of course, not the good memories. It is really hard to function when this happens. My anxiety is also worse on this. I was told that a person who suffers from mental illness like anxiety and depression and others should be leery of taking Aptiom. I don't know if this is true, but for what it does to me, I wonder. Hopefully, my doctor can find another anticonvulsant that works. I am running out of ones to try. My next step after all my options are up is to go to natural remedies."

• Bec...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 27, 2023

Eslicarbazepine "I have been on Aptiom for over two years for temporal and frontal lobe seizures. I was taking 800 mg once daily, but I have changed to 600 mg twice daily. I also take lamotrigine 100 mg twice daily. I have fewer seizures, but I do have migraines at least once a month, and I do experience stomach tremors. Twice I had to go to the ER because of the tremors being so severe, but still, less than I would have had to go for the seizures."

• Gre...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 7, 2021

Eslicarbazepine "I was started on this because nothing else would work, and yes, there are side effects I have to deal with. I was always weak in the stomach, but now when my stomach trembles, I projectile vomit. So being dizzy and having my stomach trembling scare me. The migraines come about two times a month, and they are debilitating, to say the least. I'm not sure which is worse: the seizures or the side effects. I take 400 mg twice a day to keep my levels steady, but I've begun to feel uneasy in my emotions as well. I cry a lot or get angry for no reason. Not sure if I'll continue on this. Also, I had to fight my insurance to pay for it, or it would cost me $2,000.00 a month. Who can afford that? Now I pay $200 for a three-month supply."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2022

"On eslicarbazepine 400 mg since one week. The side effects (dizziness) are not too bad. It is much better than Keppra or Vimpat. Let's see how it goes when my dose increases to 600 mg. My seizures have reduced, and I feel better. I have been on Tegretol for 20 years, but it finally affected my liver, so I had to change."

• Joe...
• July 3, 2019

Eslicarbazepine "Side effects experienced: rash. Waking up in the middle of the night. Low NaCl. Very expensive. Tegretol less side effects, same drug, less expensive!"

• Ale...
• November 14, 2018

Eslicarbazepine "Seizure control okay so far. Mild skin rash from 1200 mg once a day. Will ask doctor about either reducing dosage or taking 600 mg twice a day."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 26, 2024

Eslicarbazepine "I started Aptiom at a low dose... but at a higher dosage with Dilantin helped a lot. Only problem is the cost... So now I am looking for another med."