Keppra and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2011

For Seizures "I have currently started taking Keppra for the last week and a half. I have experienced numbness and tingling throughout my whole body, along with what feels like electrical impulse shocks. I'm tired all the time, trouble sleeping. I can only hope that these side effects will cease because the side effects are making me feel really bad, just the same way as I did with Dilantin I was taking."

• Van...
• March 10, 2012

For Epilepsy "I am on a very small dose for epilepsy, 250 mg twice a day. It has made me quite tired, but apart from that, there's been no problems. I only have a couple of seizures a year, so hopefully this low dose will keep me seizure-free."

• Rob...
• July 27, 2010

For Epilepsy "Started off using Keppra with Tegretol and at the regular 500 mg dose per day. Later upped to 1000 mg per day. Once they removed my Tegretol dose, I began to have violent seizures. Now I have Tegretol back, and my dosage of Keppra was doubled again. Now at 2000 mg per day. I'm now depressed, tired, nauseated, and don't really want to eat at all. I'll have to talk to my doctor about changing my medication."

• Gma...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2021

For Seizures "I was put on Keppra to supplement lamotrigine due to the pregnancy causing my lamotrigine to metabolize too fast. I immediately noticed an increase in exhaustion, which was crippling on top of the pregnancy exhaustion. I could sleep 14 plus hours a day if I had the opportunity. My husband commented on the change in my personality and how my mood changed for the worse. Keppra wasn’t added until I was 29 weeks, so the personality change was not pregnancy hormones. I reached a point where I started asking myself why I even thought getting pregnant was a good idea. What soon-to-be mother wants to think that! I experienced dry mouth and a general feeling of malaise. If it wasn’t for the fear of another seizure while pregnant, I would NOT take this medication. I can’t wait until I give birth to get off of this miserable drug!"

• xar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2020

For Epilepsy "I was always a very happy person with a lot of energy, but since I started Keppra, I became violent, with uncontrollable rage, depressed, tired, dizzy, and I attacked my cat for almost doing nothing. I don't recognize myself. I just want to lie down all the day and stay in bed."

• Jew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2017

For Epilepsy "Keppra was fine for me at first (500 mg twice a day) for 2 months. I suffer from complex partial seizures and experienced a grand mal recently. Then I experienced extreme tiredness, confusion, headaches, greatly increased my depression, could barely go from my bedroom to the living room (never mind managing leaving my house). I had to go back to my neurologist to get switched off such a horrible drug for me. Aptiom (once a day!) so far is a better choice for me."

• Ehh...
• September 1, 2010

For Seizures "I have been taking 1500 mg a day of Keppra for 7 years. I have had two perfectly healthy babies. I did not breastfeed. I didn't want to take the chance. I was just happy they were born normal and healthy. At first, it made me very, very tired, but after a couple of months, that subsided. I did start to gain weight after taking it, but I thought that was from the pregnancies or a thyroid issue. I had no idea so many people gained weight with it and had irritability problems. Those are some things I have lived with for the last 7 years that could be a result of this. It does, however, control my seizures. I have grand mal seizures and had a few over the years because I could not afford to buy the Keppra."

• San...
• August 9, 2009

For Seizures "I was placed on Keppra in January 2009 by an emergency room physician after a reported seizure, which had no professional diagnosis. A neurologist whom I saw post-emergency kept me on the medication as I reported no side effects. I had what I now believe to be a fainting spell related to an atrial fibrillation condition of my heart and a strenuous run, without a 'cool-down.' I am pushing to get off this drug, as I experience dizziness, light-headedness, sleepiness and somnolence, fatigue, and exhaustion most of the time. I am a 2008 heart valve transplant recipient and on diuretics and blood thinners, both required to avoid congestive heart failure and embolisms (artificial valve)."

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2009

For Epilepsy "I started on Keppra before I got pregnant. I was on a large dose of Epilim, and it would not be safe for me to be pregnant on such a large dose, therefore, my neurologist reduced my Epilim dose to 500 mg twice a day and introduced Keppra 500 mg twice a day. Thankfully, my son was born healthy. Next week, I am planning to start to come off Epilim gradually due to constant tiredness, irritability, and agitation that is made worse from being on two medications. I'll just be on Keppra, hope it works as I have been seizure-free for 2 1/2 years. I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and I have had epilepsy for 14 years but have only been controlled for 2 1/2 years. Lamictal was a waste of time."

• Day...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 9, 2021

For Seizures "I took these as a kid. My parents instantly had me stop taking them because I would always feel angry and tired while taking them, and my doctor would always increase my dosage every time I saw him. As an adult now who always feels tired no matter how much sleep I get and feels very unmotivated to do things still, I can’t help but wonder if taking these as a kid has affected me mentally. I was always shy but a very hyper kid who liked learning new things, and after taking these, I just remember turning into a quiet kid who didn’t do much, and that’s stuck with me for years. I'm currently trying to fight this, but I wonder if there’s anyone else out there who’s taken this medication and feels this way years after they’ve stopped?"

• Che...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 16, 2020

For Epilepsy "I was diagnosed with GEFs (a type of epilepsy, Genetic Epilepsy with Febrile Seizures) a few months after I was born. My seizures occur very rarely (one in 5 years' time). However, until the age of 10, my seizures were at the times I had a fever. However, I have never taken any medicine. At the age of 15, I had 2 seizures in one month's period, and in both cases, I had my menstrual cycle. After that, the neurologist prescribed me Keppra of 500 mg twice a day. Apart from tiredness, I had no problem until the age of 19. I began to have diarrhea even 7 times a day, and I had some sort of medical analysis. The last option was the medicine: my neurologist only after several times understood this and changed the medicine. Now I take Matecer (750 mg a day) and have had no problems until now."

• wri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 31, 2022

For Seizures "I was just diagnosed with epilepsy 6 months ago and was immediately put on Keppra. I was so incredibly tired for the first 4 days or so and slept pretty much nonstop that weekend. Since then, I’ve felt completely normal with zero side effects whatsoever. I haven’t had any seizures since starting Keppra. I was having up to 14 per day before. If I’m home relaxing, I do tend to nap much more while on Keppra, but it doesn’t make me tired at work or when I shouldn’t be. I am so happy with this medication and so thankful that it exists."

• Sti...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2022

For Seizures "I wouldn't give this drug to a dog. It made me totally non-functional. No appetite, no motivation, no energy, could not stay awake - I struggled to get anything done - constructive or otherwise - etc. etc."

• Mr ...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 15, 2017

For Epilepsy "I was diagnosed with grand mal epilepsy in 2004, have tried a lot of different medications over this period, and Keppra has always been a constant during this time, with interaction with others. Starting on 250 mg bd & after a decade, I'm now taking 1000 mg bd with 100 mg bd of lamotrigine. The main concern is that I'm always tired, mentally and physically, having to rest quite a lot & lack of appetite, although I have a feeling that this is due to the combination. I recently had a petit mal seizure, and the neurologist advised that it was due to missing one dose of lamotrigine, although Keppra by itself is a generally peaceful medication. I have been recently diagnosed with hemochromatosis, iron overload, although they've advised it's genetic."

• JRC...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 22, 2022

For Seizures "I started having seizures when I was 35. I’m now 72. I took Depakote for 35 years and was mostly successful in avoiding seizures, although I did have periodic breakthrough events without warning. About two years ago, I noticed I was getting frequent mouth infections. At this point, the neurologist weaned me off of Depakote over a six-week period and at the same time gradually increased the Keppra to 1500 mg per day. For the first three weeks on Keppra, I was tired and irritable, but that soon subsided. I took a precautionary EEG as well. So far, no seizures and no mouth infections."

• Kit...
• August 26, 2013

For Seizures "Been on Keppra for 1 month. No seizures but very tired, depressed, and angry. 500mg morning, 500mg evening."

• Slo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 29, 2012

For Seizures "Horrible side effects immediately. Could not finish a sentence, felt drunk and tired."

• JMG...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 25, 2022

For Epilepsy "This drug is awful. I have so much anger, and they got me on a high dose, but it’s not working. I also get tired easier."