Lacosamide for Seizures User Reviews (Page 2)

• Van...
• April 9, 2014

"I have been on Vimpat for 2 months for seizures, and at first, it seemed like it was great because my seizures went almost completely away for the first 3 weeks. However, then it seemed like they were coming back, but not as bad, so I just increased it to 100 mg twice a day. It seems to be working pretty well so far. The problem I'm having with it is that my hair is falling out terribly, and I can't remember anything! It's crazy! Just simple stuff that I know just slips my mind. It's very aggravating, but I would rather not have seizures."

• His...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 10, 2013

"My 14-year-old son has been on Vimpat coupled with Keppra, and although it is not recommended for children, it has given me peace of mind. He has been seizure-free for over two years. Side effects appear to be minimal, he does have short-term memory loss, like walking into the kitchen and forgetting why he came in there. He especially forgets chores, but I don't know if it's because of the medicine or because he is just a typical lazy teenager."

• Anonymous
• January 20, 2013

"I am currently on 375 mg Lamotrigine, and until recently, on 300 mg Vimpat. My seizures reduced from one per month to one over a three-month period, but I still had frequent auras. My doctor increased my Vimpat to 400 mg, and I have not had a seizure in over 6 months and have had maybe only one aura. My seizures have started only in my sleep, and it is a relief now to go to bed without fearing that I will have a seizure. The only 'bad' side effect is the difficulty coming up with words. It's very irritating and does affect my job to some degree, but the trade-off is worth it."

• Aun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 15, 2012

"This has helped control my complex partial seizures in combination with Neurontin, which I have been on since 1994. I have been on Vimpat for about 17 months now, and it causes short and long-term memory problems. I can't be on high doses of this. Sometimes I will be in mid-sentence and have to stop talking just trying to get the word(s) off the tip of my tongue. It also causes sleep problems and decreased appetite as well."

• Sei...
• February 18, 2011

"When I started Vimpat, I got vertigo, headaches, and nausea like whoa. My neurologist asked me to try to stick it out, and I am so glad I did. It replaced Topamax (which was messing up my kidneys), and it works. I went a record (for me) 124 days without a seizure with the Vimpat/Keppra combination I am on now. I still get dizzy more easily than I used to, but seizure freedom is absolutely worth the inconvenience."

• Caz...
• April 19, 2013

"I had surgery in Jan 2013 to remove the right temporal lobe. My epilepsy changed altogether, I was just having daily partials but conscious when they happened. However, after surgery, things were really bad in terms of the quantity of seizures I was having. They were every 15 minutes! Anyway, I've now been on Vimpat for about 6 weeks and have noticed a huge improvement. I have gone from 40 partials to around 2-3 per day and so far no complex partials! However, when I increased my last dose to 100 mg twice a day, my heart was racing at 128, so I had to reduce back to 50 mg twice daily. I have noticed I am constantly itching, and my memory is really bad. I'm not sure if this is because of the surgery or the Vimpat. I go back to work soon, so I'm really concerned."

• Anonymous
• August 16, 2010

"Vimpat has been doing a great job at stopping seizures. In fact, I might even get to drive! However, it seems to cause great difficulty in remembering words and expressing oneself. Having previously been a great public speaker, this is frustrating as now I cannot really talk without waving my hands around for a long time or saying 'that one thing' or 'uhhhhh'. Typing is greatly slowed as I can't remember words. Forgetting things when not talking is also a problem. Problems with coordination are also apparent."

• mar...
• July 17, 2011

"Though not indicated in the literature, I found that a few days after starting the Vimpat titration kit, I began to experience extreme soreness in the legs. It may not have been from the medication, but I had not done any physical activity that would have caused such soreness in the muscles in my legs and lower extremities. Though I cannot say for certain that it was a side effect of taking Vimpat, it does seem that the symptoms only emerged a couple of days after beginning the titration kit of Vimpat 50 mg twice a day, leading to Vimpat 100 mg twice a day. I am interested in sharing this to see if anyone else has had similar experiences because this is not a symptom listed in the medicine guide or any other lists of side effects of Vimpat."

• Anonymous
• October 22, 2011

"Vimpat has some effectiveness for my partial seizures, but it is accompanied by other difficulties: 1. It gave me double vision early on. We had to balance my dosages of Vimpat and Lamictal to straighten out the problem. 2. I struggle with memory problems as a result of taking it. Sometimes I need to ponder extra long to even be able to recount what I did or learned just a few days before. And I'm not always successful. 3. Vimpat has intensified my emotions, especially in causing me to weep. I used to go a whole year without shedding a tear. Now I often can't even go a whole day without crying a bit. I don't think it's depression. I usually am moved to tears over something I deem wonderfully moving. Just totally out of character for me."

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 18, 2014

"I had been on Keppra and Vimpat 100 mg twice a day, and it controlled my seizures well for about a year. I then started having seizures. Then the doctors increased the dosage to 175 mg twice a day and Keppra EX 1500 mg at bedtime. I became like a zombie, dizzy, fell twice, and bruised my head. I attributed the symptoms to an overdose of Vimpat at one time. I started cutting the Vimpat pills 175 mg in half and spacing them six hours apart, and now I am active, no dizziness, no falling. So far, I have not had my hair fall out as others have reported. I called the doctors to tell him the above, but he's on vacation. I can't find anything on cutting the pills and spreading the dosage as I have done."

• Rne...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2014

"My seizures changed to partial onset seizures. I can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago, but my seizures have subsided. I'm also weaning off of Keppra, it made me impossible to live with. I also want to sleep a lot."

• Anonymous
• December 29, 2011

"I have been taking Dilantin for almost 20 years. Tried all sorts of anti-seizure drugs. You name it, I have it. Started Vimpat about 4 or 5 months ago along with Dilantin. 200 mg/day. I felt initially that it is better than others. I did have a short seizure (usually don't get frequently). With increased dose along with Dilantin, I am confused, memory loss, dizziness, sort of depressive mood at times. The big thing is the memory loss. I forget what I did at work the other day, things like that. I feel very stressed and have become more sensitive. The major one is memory."

• Rbo...
• September 24, 2017

"I have been using Vimpat since 2011. I found a new doctor in 2011. He ordered Vimpat 100 mg 2x a day, along with Clonazepam 0.05 2x a day. Somehow, this was the perfect combination of both medicines as I have been seizure-free for 5 years! Vimpat works for me! :-)"

• Kri...
• April 10, 2015

"Vimpat has been awesome at controlling my seizures. I was having multiple partial seizures a day and nocturnal grand mal seizures every few months. However, I haven't had a seizure since I started taking Vimpat 6 years ago. I have experienced some of the same side effects others have mentioned: the dizziness/shaking, the sleepiness, the loss of my words/stuttering. I haven't experienced anything substantial with my hair or moods, though, at least nothing that I can attribute to Vimpat alone. So all in all, it has worked well for me, and the benefits outweigh the negative side effects."

• ukg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2012

"I have started Vimpat just over 7 days ago and noticed I feel like losing marbles. I can't think straight, I can't concentrate on anything, can't read anything as I can't concentrate long enough to read it. I get really dizzy, I'm forgetting a lot, even walked out forgetting I hadn't put shoes on. I was only started on 50 mg once a day and within 7 days thinking it's making me a nutter."

• Sil...
• August 31, 2013

"I take Tegretol, and I have been on Vimpat now for over a year. At first, I still had seizures, but they were completely different from the ones I had before. I used to jump and scream, now I become an ironing board, then kick my legs. After a few months, they stopped completely. I had never felt better, it was the first time in 25 years I had been free. But the last couple of months, they have returned, and I have never felt worse. Side effects: extremely emotional [which is at the other end of the scale from Vigabatrin, which made me a nutter], depression, memory loss, stuttering, and significant weight gain. I am much better on them than without, but as far as stopping my seizures, it was short-lived."

• din...
• January 7, 2016

"Vimpat worked great. Only med that has been able to control my seizures. Neurologist had to adjust dosage too much, at each dosing, made me dizzy. I was on 600 mg 2x daily, but had to switch to 600 mg 3x daily. It is very expensive w/o insurance. But I couldn't ask for any other med. This is the ONLY MED that has controlled my seizures. 2 years seizure-free."

• Tec...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 29, 2015

"Vimpat is a cursed drug to me. It's helped with my seizures, but it's not worth it for the side effects. I started it with Lamictal XR 500 mg. I had seizures at Vimpat 100 mg. At 200 mg, I was having extreme vertigo-I couldn't even lay down. It happened a few times, along with other side effects. The doctor balanced it out at Lamictal XR 400 mg and Vimpat 150 mg. I have double vision at least once a week (mild to high), nausea frequently, vomiting a few times a month, and sometimes off balance. A mild vertigo has happened a few times. If I don't eat it with a good amount of food, the side effects are almost guaranteed for me. It stops the seizures, but it's not worth it."

• mdb...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2016

"After adding Vimpat to my Keppra regime, my seizures dropped to nearly nonexistent. I have tried most all other seizure meds, but this one worked for me. I realize everyone is different, this med worked for me with few side effects. I will gladly trade a few side effects versus a seizure."

• Con...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 31, 2015

"Does Vimpat seem to make anyone very, very forgetful? I tend to explode verbally occasionally, in a negative way, and totally depressed. Sound any bit familiar? I'm on other meds, but just seeing if anyone possibly noticed this from Vimpat. One other thing. I was working a lot of overtime both day and night and confused the amount of meds I was taking, although I had them separated. Not good. Had a terrible accident, was told the car rolled over 6 or 7 times. Thank God it didn't involve any other cars or persons. Just drove off the road. PLEASE take your meds as told to do so. Spine operation went well. GOD BLESS YOU, seat belt and airbags!!!"

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2014

"I have been on Vimpat for 2 months now. Like many others, I have been on just about everything! After a week on the Vimpat, I was no longer having partial seizures, but after about a month, reaching my titrated level of 200 mg twice a day. I started noticing weight gain, numbness in my mouth and throat, almost a numb feeling on my skin, and a weird overall feeling, all these side effects ended after about a 1/2 hour. It is great to not have the seizures each day and to only be on one medicine while my doctor keeps reassuring me that they will fade with time. I just hope they do because I have to make sure I do not have anything I need to do after taking my dose. I had to fight like crazy for my insurance to cover the medication at $1954/month."

• sad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2013

"My uncle has had epilepsy since he was 18. He is now 60. He was on Dilantin up until 4 years ago when he was put on Depakote after a 45-minute seizure. Then no more until February. Then he started having seizures once a week. The doctor added Keppra. The seizures kept happening every couple of weeks, so the doctor sent him to a neurologist, which maxed out the doses of both pills. Last month he had 4 lengthy seizures within a 2-hour time period. That's when the doctor added Vimpat. As of today, he has not had a seizure, but the doc wants to up the Vimpat again. Since he has been on it, he has had horrible memory loss."

• Anonymous
• January 8, 2011

"I have been on Vimpat for about 6 months, adjunct to Zonegran. It has not helped to control my hormonal seizures yet, so my doctor keeps having to increase the dose of Vimpat. However, now I can't sleep well but feel really drowsy in the morning, which doesn't help me at work, where I need to be very sharp. The worst is the chronic constipation. I am always bloated and have major abdominal discomfort since taking Vimpat."

• Rac...
• January 16, 2016

"While on this drug, I could not look at something without it moving. I felt a severe pain behind my eyes and no longer was able to sleep. I was put on this medication where they use it for patients with seizures more than any other drug. It was honestly a horrible experience, I would rather have seizures than be on this, to be 100% honest with all of you. Really awful, do not let your doctors push this crap on you, I promise it is not worth it!"

• Jea...
• December 1, 2016

"Sudden onset of seizures (tonic/clonic) at the age of 56. 6 days in the Neuro ICU and no cause determined (but I concede my sleep patterns need improvement). I'm on 100 mg of Vimpat x 2 daily. No seizures since. (Yay!) But 8 weeks later, 3 side effects. Memory issues, e.g., I'll read books for the first time, only to see my own notes in the margin. (So it's not the first read!) That's very distressing. Repeating myself. Also noticed vision changes, as if I need another RX glasses, and (7 out of 10 in pain) headaches for the first time in my life. I'm told to give Vimpat 90+ days to 6 months to adjust. Crossing fingers."