Lacosamide and Memory Loss: What Users Say (Page 2)

• jes...
• January 13, 2014

Lacosamide for Seizures "I have had grand mal seizures since the age of 15. Around 32, I started having partial seizures only I didn't know that's what they were till I read a pamphlet in my doctor's office. They put me on Vimpat, which at first did not help with the dizziness I was already feeling from the partial seizures, but after about a year now, the dizziness has definitely slowed and I only have partial seizures when I'm overly overwhelmed or stressed. It doesn't help with my grand mal seizures, which I have at least 1-2 every month. I have noticed weight gain and memory loss, which I had before the medication, and hair loss and tingling in my limbs, but if I drink more water, it helps with the tingling. As for the hair loss, I take biotin, and that has helped."

• Del...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 13, 2017

Lacosamide for Seizures "I have grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizures, which are the full-body go-crazy type. They started 2 years ago with no warning or cause. I'm now 28 years old, and the neurologist at Mayo and scans/images see nothing wrong. I started with Keppra, but that didn't do a thing. I used to have 1-3 seizures every 30 days. I started on 100mg, then 200mg twice daily since May 2017, and seizures have at least lessened to at most once a month. I went 3 months before a seizure (new record!), which is great. Also, it lessened the strength of my seizures and the postictal phase. I do experience heavy memory loss, difficulty remembering new things, random headaches, difficulty with speech and finding the right words, and rarely random dizziness, but that goes away quickly. Overall, I can work, and I'm still me."

• Jen...
• September 13, 2017

Lacosamide for Seizures "Got switched to this after being on Aptiom (which made me crazy). I'm having fewer seizures, but it's like my brain is shrinking. My memory has gotten worse, which is saying something. I can't think of the simplest words sometimes, like I'm losing part of my vocabulary. I haven't had any emotional issues. I feel back to myself in that respect, but like every other medicine, it will work for a while, then I will slowly start having more frequent seizures. This is lasting longer than my others, but it feels like it's not just keeping my neurons from over-firing. It feels like my brain is shutting down slowly. I don't know what to do about it."

• Anonymous
• February 10, 2012

Lacosamide for Seizures "I am on Carbatrol and Keppra and added 400 mg of Vimpat about 1 year ago. I do not believe that my complex partial seizures improved over this time period. As side effects go, it's not a bad medicine at all, but I do not like the fact that I can't remember simple words in the English language, and putting together sentences is a little more tricky."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2018

Lacosamide for Seizures "POSITIVES: I have my normal energy and personality. NEGATIVES: $750.00 for a 30-day supply with insurance! I have a little blurred vision, ringing in my ears, and short-term memory loss. (Can't remember things from the day and week and can't find words to talk well, especially in groups of people). I am 59 years old and started having multiple auras at age 56, which led to 2 grand mal seizures. Keppra made me extremely tired and anxious. Dilantin made me extremely tired, off balance, and 'high' feeling. Vimpat has worked the best with 2-150 mg pills per day."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2020

Lacosamide for Seizures "I had a small cavernoma removed from my frontal lobe, and I had 2 seizures before the surgery. I have epileptic form from the site of the surgery, so I am at a higher risk of having seizures, so they are treating the epileptic form. I started with Keppra, and that was a nightmare, Lamictal did not work either. I've been taking Vimpat for 4 months, 50 mg twice a day. This is the worst medication ever. I have been feeling miserable for the last 4 months. The side effects I experienced are panic attacks, anxiety, tremors, cognitive problems, balance issues, dizziness, speech problems, problems coordinating my muscles to swallow, a very strange sensation in my throat and tongue, flushing, memory problems, and nausea. I am changing to Klonopin, we'll see how it goes. This is so frustrating."

• Blo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 25, 2018

Lacosamide for Seizures "Vimpat has also saved me. I have tried nearly all the anti-seizure medications. Most of them had side effects ranging from dry mouth to memory loss, where I have not been able to remember friends' names or common words. The main problem was that I had to increase to such high levels that they were unsafe, or my body seemed to develop a tolerance. I have been on Vimpat for nearly a year now with very few of my symptoms, which is amazing because without medication I would have problems every 1-2 minutes. The side effects are virtually negligible. My tongue and lips are a little numb when I take the tablets, and I get headaches when the medication is altered. The major problem is the cost!"

• lau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 30, 2014

Lacosamide for Seizures "I started on Lyrica for my simple partial/partial complex seizures 5 years ago (by a previous neuro), and even though Lyrica was far from my current neuro's first choice, he decided to keep me on it. He immediately added Vimpat. For the next 8 months, I had continued frequent spontaneous seizures, and he persisted, saying we just had to find the right dosage of both. He'd change the dosage by 50 mg increases, different times of day, etc. 8 months of terrible short-term memory, lethargy, and a rainbow of different types of seizures, and as a last-ditch effort, he lowered my morning dosage by 50 mg, and I went from a zombie to me again! 5 years and I had issues only when stressed or sensory overload. But now they are sneaking back again..."

• For...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2023

For Seizures "I have nocturnal seizures, occurring only 1-2 times a year consistently. Since 2017, the only prescription medications I have taken are single anticonvulsants at a time. However, I am hypersensitive to medications, experiencing every common and rare side effect listed, except death. I did not have any health problems before taking medication, except for the occasional seizure. I have been taking Lacosamide (50 mg twice a day) since the spring of 2022, and I am tolerating it better than Keppra (which caused anger issues and more seizures) or Lamotrigine (which caused memory loss, hair loss, tremors, and other side effects). However, that is not saying much. On Lacosamide, I feel completely exhausted and lethargic 24 hours a day, which is the hardest part. I also experience dizziness, blurred vision, bad memory, difficulty focusing, hair loss, heart palpitations, and loss of interest/pleasure. Despite these side effects, I have not had any seizures for the first time in nine years. Is this as good as it gets? Honestly, I have not felt like myself since I started taking prescription medications."

• For...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2023

For Seizures "I have nocturnal seizures, occurring only 1-2 times a year consistently. Since 2017, the only prescription medications I have taken are single anticonvulsants at a time. However, I am hypersensitive to medications, experiencing every common and rare side effect listed, except death. I did not have any health problems before taking medication, except for the occasional seizure. I have been taking Lacosamide (50 mg twice a day) since the spring of 2022, and I am tolerating it better than Keppra (which caused anger issues and more seizures) or Lamotrigine (which caused memory loss, hair loss, tremors, and other side effects). However, that is not saying much. On Lacosamide, I feel completely exhausted and lethargic 24 hours a day, which is the hardest part. I also experience dizziness, blurred vision, bad memory, difficulty focusing, hair loss, heart palpitations, and loss of interest/pleasure. Despite these side effects, I have not had any seizures for the first time in nine years. Is this as good as it gets? Honestly, I have not felt like myself since I started taking prescription medications."

• Jam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 6, 2019

Lacosamide for Epilepsy "I take 100 mg bd for approx 7 months. Seizures (night time) are not controlled (every 2 weeks), although it may happen if the dose gets increased. Side effects are okay, however, I now have an occurring pain in the heart, and this starts a confusion/risk on whether the dose should be raised. Another side effect is short-term memory loss, although not enough to be concerned at present. My choice now seems to be raising the dose or changing to another medication with Brivaracetam in mind."

• Joh...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 15, 2020

Lacosamide for Epilepsy "Only medicine I’m taking right now for epilepsy. My dose is 400 mg/day. Had to quit Depakote and Keppra due to bad side effects. I have to try to space dosage around the time I get seizures, which is about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Makes you a little disoriented around the time you take medicine, including some short-term memory loss. Very expensive without insurance, around $1,500.00 a bottle. If you have insurance, the manufacturer will pay part of your copay. I get about $100.00 per 3-month dose."

• Spl...
• September 10, 2022

Lacosamide for Seizures "Good pill. I like Vimpat better than Keppra! But at the beginning, you will experience anxiety and brain fog. When I say it slows your brain down, it slows it down for a couple of weeks. And the short-term memory loss you’ll have for a couple of weeks is horrible. Once you get past all of that, you’ll feel good! I’m on the 150 mg. You gotta push to get past the anxiety it gives you! It gave me such bad anxiety I ended up having a seizure! Lol."

• Lon...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 17, 2024

For Seizures "I have been using Lacosamide for many years now. After trying at least a dozen different meds and combinations of them, my doctor put me on Lacosamide. He warned me that the side effects could be unpleasant at first but might decrease over time. He also told me that getting the drug reliably and affordably could be a problem, but he would be my advocate if it worked so I weaned off the one I was on totally before starting Lacosamide. Although there were unpleasant side effects, particularly at first, it was the first time in many years that my seizures started to finally get under control so it was worth it. No more seizures but some side effects that I've gotten used to; dizziness and short-term memory loss are the most irritating. Those are worth putting up with as long as I have no big seizures and Lacosamide has stopped those to the extent that I panic if I have any trouble getting it, since it doesn't take long for me to start having seizures again not long after I miss some."

• Mal...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 14, 2018

For Seizures "I've been on over 30 AEDs since I was 12 years old. I also had a left temporal lobectomy in 1999. I still have seizures, but not as many and not as violent. I believe lacosamide has helped. I'm up to 800 mg/day, and I certainly have side effects of bad balance, dizziness, short-term memory problems, and shakiness, but I'd rather have those problems than have my seizures. Lacosamide didn't do as well by itself as it is doing now with Aptiom at 300 mg/day. With the addition of Aptiom, I couldn't even walk, and I still had simple partial seizures weekly. Now I'm down to less than three seizures monthly. Side effects are still a problem, but I'd still rather have those than seizures."

• Anonymous
• July 1, 2011

Lacosamide for Seizures "On a minimum dose, had significant memory problems and depression (lost 16 pounds)."

• Sil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 28, 2022

Lacosamide for Seizures "Vimpat stopped my SP seizures. Definite memory issues as a side effect."