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Keppra User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

Keppra has an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 from a total of 307 reviews on Drugs.com. 43% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 34% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Keppra

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • Car...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 3, 2018

For Seizures "Would not recommend for elderly. Mom was sent home from the hospital with this med. She became very moody and talking suicidal (never in her 90+ life). She went downhill - no longer walking, couldn’t hold herself up, and dark urine. Happened over the weekend I stopped the med and she began coming back up to her normal self and is now better."

1 / 10
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  • JJ4...
  • June 29, 2015

For Epilepsy "I was on 1500 mg of Keppra (generic) for partial seizures that progressed into a grand mal seizure. Immediately upon starting the meds, I noticed that things were different. I felt disconnected from myself, trouble with attention, word finding, coordination, mood, working, and long-term memory. However, I was seizure-free, and I needed to drive, so I pushed through, not enjoying my life as much and making terrible social decisions. Finally, after 4 years, my neurologist is helping me wean off so that I can start a family without worry. I am down to 250 mg a day, and WHOA, my whole life is changing. I feel centered, even, connected. I am so sad about how I was living my life on Keppra. Don't ruin your life."

5 / 10
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51 Report
  • Reb...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • March 4, 2016

For Seizures "My 11-year-old son was given Keppra due to a dual concussion that led to seizures in 4/2010. He hated the way it made him feel. His neurologist put him on extended-release Keppra, which caused him to lose 30 pounds within a 3-month span. He was rushed to the hospital due to high sugar - 564 dl. In ICU, he was given Keppra at night, during his sleep, his heart rate would slow down to 50 and set off the heart monitors all night. The cardiologist said there was nothing wrong with his heart after running numerous tests. The medication compromised his system, caused Type 1 diabetes, and triggered irregular heartbeats. I weaned him off Keppra against the doctor's wishes in 10/2010. He has had no seizures since, but still has Type I, he is 17 yrs."

1 / 10
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Frequently asked questions

  • Kep...
  • August 15, 2017

For Seizures "When I take my dose, it makes me more sleepy than usual. It's not every day, but some days I can be sleepy after 7-9 hours when I have slept enough (approx. 7-8 hours). That's the only side effect I have had up to now. So I am okay with it, I guess. Annoying with two tablets, 500 mg each day, but oh well, better than seizures. That's even worse. Those who have had them can feel with me. :)"

8 / 10
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  • Joh...
  • December 1, 2018

For Seizures "I've had 2 seizures, both morning after heavy drinking. Neurologist says I have a predisposition to seizures triggered by alcohol withdrawal. I was given Keppra in the ER, and then twice daily 500mg prescription to take home. Effects were generally fine, a little spacey the first few days, but then pretty much back to normal. Neurologist suggested I move to a 1000mg dose once a day of extended-release pills. On their recommendation, I took my typical 500mg standard release in the morning, and then 1000mg (2 500mg pills) extended-release dose tonight. Dear god, the side effects. My whole body became jittery, I was having panic attacks, and my eyes were fluttering so much I thought I'd have another seizure at any moment. I didn't, and after 6 terrifying hours I'm mostly back to normal. I will no longer take both pills at once as directed, and will instead spread the doses as I had been with the standard release. I'm going to continue to push my neurologist to wean me off these drugs."

6 / 10
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  • Sus...
  • June 23, 2016

For Seizures "All depends on the individual. I actually found that Keppra made my seizures worse. I started taking Keppra and was fine for 2 years with no side effects, no seizures, nothing. Then, one day I had a massive grand mal seizure. The doctors keep upping my dose. Now I am on the maximum dose but still having seizures. Before I took Keppra, I had only a few fits in my life, now I have them about once every couple of weeks."

5 / 10
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  • Bla...
  • October 15, 2015

For Epilepsy "When I first started Keppra, I noticed instability with my emotions, especially anger. After a complete rage out, I decided to do some research and discovered that taking a vitamin B6 supplement helps to reduce or eliminate this effect. The results were instantaneous with me. If you take Keppra, I strongly recommend getting the B6 supplement. I take 1 in the morning with breakfast."

7 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 27, 2017

For Seizures "This medication had a negative effect on my daughter. It changed her mood to a negative mood. It made her depressed, and she felt very agitated. It was a very scary experience and would not recommend it to anyone."

1 / 10
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  • Deb...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 3, 2019

For Seizures "My mom began post-stroke seizures and a 1000 mg Nokia was administered in the ER. I explained she was very sensitive to meds. She was admitted and given two more doses of 500 and 750. She was so lethargic, dizzy, and nauseous I asked if we could switch. They dropped the Keppra cold turkey and she seized 96 straight times every eight minutes. We are back on it to properly wean her, but with each dose she seizes like clockwork and has been in cardiac arrest 4x. We are between a rock and a hard place with this med, but I would advise anyone to choose this med knowing side effects can be severe. She is on comfort care now."

1 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • July 17, 2020

For Epilepsy "I have been on Keppra for 5 years. Along with Lamictal, at first, I didn't realize any side effects of Keppra, but once I got taken off Lamictal, the side effects appeared. I didn't feel like myself. I became very depressed, irritable, and anxiety was through the roof. I would get intrusive thoughts and found out from my new neurologist that it's all from the medication Keppra."

2 / 10
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  • Fat...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 6, 2014

For Seizures "I am from Bahrain. My daughter is 4 years old, she got grand mal seizures, and doctors prescribed her Keppra syrup (oral). Since 18 days, no seizure, but we feel side effects like mood changes, and one time minor rashes appeared on her face, but it went away after 3 days. So far, we are happy with Keppra, and I hope and pray that it will treat her epilepsy."

9 / 10
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  • arc...
  • March 20, 2011

For Seizures "I have been on many anti-epileptic medicines over the course of 30 years: Dilantin, Mysoline, Klonopin, Depakote, Topamax, Lamictal, etc. While Keppra did a good job of controlling the myoclonic jerks, which I often experience, it was way too sedating when combined with Topamax. It wasn't uncommon for me to sleep twelve hours a day. The real problem with Keppra was the mood swings, depression, anger, and suicidal thoughts. It's no secret that a link exists between epilepsy/seizure disorders and some (all) of these issues; however, in my case, these feelings and emotions definitely intensified while taking Keppra."

5 / 10
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  • Kay...
  • August 31, 2016

For Seizures "So on the 30th of July 2016, I turned 28 my birthday. I didn't go crazy and party, I spent the day with my kiddies and mum. That night, I poured a glass of wine, had a sip, but wasn't feeling up to it, so I didn't. The next day, on the 31st, I woke up with a real sore head, it felt like I had the worst hangover ever, even though I hadn't actually drunk. I felt awful but decided to go into town anyway with mum, kids, and my bestie for a little lunch and shopping. I was then shopping and had 4 grand mal seizures. I woke up in the hospital with a massive black eye and broken nose with not a clue what was going on, my mum and partner crying, telling me I had just a scan and they found a tumor. So they put me on Keppra. It's bad, I have loads of side effects. I feel like I'm going crazy."

1 / 10
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  • Bec...
  • June 28, 2017

For Seizures "I think the definition of hell was the 4 weeks I was on this medication. Every single day, I was constantly in a state of panic. If you've had temporal lobe seizures, you may know what I'm referring to; the brief state of panic that occurs when a seizure is coming about. I was in that state of panic ALL day. I was in high school at the time and had to stay home nearly every single day. The neurologist tried adding an antidepressant, a Xanax, and nothing would calm it down. When my hair began falling out at an alarming rate, that was the final straw for me. I had to DEMAND to be switched to something else. I take lamotrigine now, and it has completely turned around. My hair finally stopped falling out about 2 months after I quit the Keppra."

1 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 15, 2015

For Seizures "Made me more aggressive, lost nearly 50% of my friends on Facebook while on this. Caused me to lose contact with several family members after they saw my anger from being on this. Product should be off the market!"

1 / 10
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  • JME...
  • November 1, 2015

For Seizures "I am 16, I have had Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy for almost 2 years now and have been on Keppra ever since. I experienced some weight loss, extreme depression, hallucinations, and memory loss. I've only had one other grand mal seizure while on this, and I do not jerk anymore. Though it works, I wish I felt alive and awake during normal daily tasks. If you can seek other medications for physiological and behavioral reasons, I suggest it."

6 / 10
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  • New...
  • February 21, 2015

For Seizures "I'm over 65, male, in my youth, I suffered several head injuries, some of these were diagnosed as concussions. I was involved in a motor accident in 2000 with a severe head injury. Soon thereafter, I started to have auras followed by migraines. In 2010, I started having myoclonic jerks that would awaken me 3 to 4 times at night. In 2013, the jerks became so severe that I visited a neurosurgeon. After scans, etc., I was diagnosed with partial epilepsy. In March 2014, I had a seizure in my sleep. Taken to the hospital and put on Keppra by the neurosurgeon. I take 750 mg at night and 500 in the morning. Auras and migraines have decreased, but my mood swings have been getting worse, changed personality, overreaction, I feel like I'm bipolar, it's affecting my marriage."

10 / 10
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42 Report
  • api...
  • July 2, 2011

For Seizures "I've been on 500 mg 2x/day for 5 years. Keppra controlled the seizures immediately the day I started it, but I did experience extreme drowsiness and can sleep for days. People always told me I looked tired and knew I was always sleepy. I also got very moody and am easily irritated to the point where no one wants to be around me. I didn't think that it could be linked to the medication until now. It's a terrible feeling, but it does control the seizures."

7 / 10
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  • EKR...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 28, 2013

For Epilepsy "I started taking Keppra 500 MG twice a day 2 weeks ago after being hospitalized for a tonic-clonic seizure lasting about a half hour. Since I started taking the 500 MG, I used to fall asleep for more than 8 hours at a time. I've gotten a few headaches, but nothing as serious as the ones I used to get before. My reaction/talking/thinking time was definitely slowed down, but it's improved a lot. The first week I used to sleep the whole night through, now it's reversed where I can't stay asleep all night. I noticed my mood has changed and mostly for the worse (angry all the time). Really frustrating to adjust to but hoping for the best. Seizure-free so far!"

6 / 10
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  • Mar...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 28, 2013

For Epilepsy "After EEG showed seizure activity, the neurologist started me on 500 mg/day Keppra. At the 4-hour mark, I felt very spaced out. Couldn't think, hazy, slurring speech, lethargic, etc. Neuro suggested I start taking it at night so that I could 'sleep through' the odd feeling. Now, I wake up at the 4-hour mark... on the dot, every single night. I still feel spaced out and find it hard to get comfortable and fall back asleep. It takes me about an hour to fall back asleep. Sleep disturbances cause me to feel tired during the day."

3 / 10
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  • Den...
  • May 17, 2008

For Seizures "I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. I was taking lamotrigine for 4 years and it wasn't having much of an effect. I asked if there was anything else, I was given Keppra. I felt an almost instant change. I had no more funny feelings in my head, no twitching in the mornings. I felt much safer, and that led to me being much happier. I can stay out later. I've had no seizures since taking this, and I recommend it."

9 / 10
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  • New...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 1, 2013

For Seizures "I was given one dose of Keppra as a precaution because I had a 'spell' that I'm not sure was a seizure or just a bad anxiety attack. It made me feel dreadful: dizzy, depressed, weepy, spaced out. It's been nearly 36 hours since I took it, and I'm still feeling not quite right. Horrible stuff. I had an EEG, and it was normal. I wish the doctor had waited with the med until the results of the EEG, CAT scan, and MRI."

3 / 10
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  • Sam...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • June 29, 2020

For Epilepsy "My 16 yr old daughter has been on this medicine for a little over a year now, and since starting it, has not had another grand mal seizure. The side effects that she got when first starting have decreased significantly or are gone completely. Prior to starting this medicine, she had 2 grand mal seizures and was subsequently diagnosed via EEG with epilepsy. Since she has been seizure-free since starting this medicine, I can only say that it does what it is intended to do: cease seizures. So I give it a definite thumbs up!"

8 / 10
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  • unp...
  • May 24, 2014

For Seizures "I've been on Keppra for two years now, 500 mg morning & 500 mg evening. No side effects at all and no seizures since I started on it. Initially, I had some tingling in my lips, but that ended after a week or so, nothing since. Like the 'animal alerts' I keep on my vehicles, you can't tell if it works except for the absence of anything bad happening, which in my case nothing has with either Keppra or the animal alerts, so they both must work since before them I had one seizure and also hit a deer, a moose, and some rodents who darted out in front of me, but no longer do. I checked for interactions of all medications and would advise anyone with a bad reaction to any med to do so as well."

9 / 10
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  • Jim...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • May 22, 2023

For Seizures "I'm actually stunned because this is my first time reading so many negative reviews for a medicine that has given me so much back. After years battling through seizures, personality disorders, and addiction. I've been seizure-free on Keppra for 17 months, and that's what it does and that's why I count on it to keep doing. I could suffer side effects, but I could also be where no one wants to be."

10 / 10
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