Levetiracetam and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Jen...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 23, 2016

Levetiracetam for Seizures "I've been on every seizure medication invented. Keppra or generic Levetiracetam is by far the worst one I've been on. The side effects have ruined my life. I gained over 45 pounds the first year on it. I am now almost 70 pounds heavier than I was before I started taking the medication. I can't work anymore because I have severe depression, anxiety, & insomnia. I tell people off for the craziest things & am super paranoid all the time. Despite that, I take antidepressants, anxiety & sleeping meds. I used to be a terrific nurse, winning awards & receiving all kinds of gratitude. Now I can no longer do anything. I am terrified to leave the house, take a shower, clean, or go anywhere. I have no life, I just exist. Can't wait to get off this!"

• Ban...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 3, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "Worst drug ever in my opinion!!! Here were my side effects- irritability, paranoia, anxiety, nausea, loss of appetite, numbness and tingling in my arms and legs, it would make my aura seizures come more often than they normally would without medication, felt dizzy and lightheaded, which would worsen during an aura seizure. Made me get aura seizures when I was still asleep and it would wake me up! Made me feel suicidal also. I took the medication for about six months and have had more than enough of it. Was tired each day, I could barely get up to do normal things, even to cook. I decided to wean off myself, I decreased dose to half a tablet in the morning, hoping it would stop at the very least my aura seizures in my sleep, but it didn’t help. I then thought after a few months - enough is enough. After taking half a tablet in the morning for a few months, I stopped taking it completely. Never felt better. Wouldn’t go back on it if my life depended on it."

• CBa...
• June 9, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I have been on levetiracetam (Keppra) for almost 6 years now, before that, I was on sodium valproate. In the beginning, it caused me confusion, a slow-mo kind of feeling, mood swings, and a typical pressure inside my head. But after 2-3 months, the effects started to fade away. And about cognitive ability, I didn't find any change, I sailed through a tough competitive exam and achieved my goal. I am more confident right now, and when I get stress or anxiety, I do breathing exercises, and it helps a lot. So it's not bad for everyone, I guess. Stay happy."

• CBa...
• June 9, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I have been on levetiracetam (Keppra) for almost 6 years now, before that, I was on sodium valproate. In the beginning, it caused me confusion, a slow-mo kind of feeling, mood swings, and a typical pressure inside my head. But after 2-3 months, the effects started to fade away. And about cognitive ability, I didn't find any change, I sailed through a tough competitive exam and achieved my goal. I am more confident right now, and when I get stress or anxiety, I do breathing exercises, and it helps a lot. So it's not bad for everyone, I guess. Stay happy."

• Gre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2015

Levetiracetam for Seizures "I'm 55/male and recently experienced a seizure during a visit at an MD clinic. Upon falling from the cart I was on and striking my head, I then had a subsequent episode two weeks later. I was started on Keppra 500 mg twice daily. It has now been almost a week and since starting, my appetite has tanked. I have had profound anxiety attacks, and insomnia along with occasional emotional lability. Also, ataxia when walking. Don't know if I want to continue this, but will speak with my neurologist next week."

• Anonymous
• January 28, 2016

Levetiracetam for Seizures "I wish I could tell you what it is like after my husband stops taking Keppra. For my husband and me, this has been worse than his hit to the head. Major mood swings, can't sleep, can't eat, anxiety, and more. It has been horrible. The thing is everybody is different, but if you are taking Keppra and these are happening to you, speak with your doctor ASAP and try something else. It has been hard!!!!"

• cra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2018

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I've been on Keppra XR 500 mg (taking 4 a day, 2 at night, 2 in the morning). It was great at first, but then I started to get really irritable. Then along came anxiety and depression. In 2016, I had a son (had 1 seizure during pregnancy) and in 2017, I had a daughter (same scenario). I also had postpartum depression from when I had my son, it's worsened over those two years. This will be my 5th year on it, and I'm not satisfied with it at all. I've tried changing my medicine, but they won't because it stopped my seizures (grand mal). I've tried telling them about the depression and anxiety, but all they asked is, 'Why didn't you tell us this before?' But most people deny the fact they have anxiety and depression (like me) to avoid being put on other meds. I've tried anxiety and depression medicine, but nothing worked. All I want is off this medicine to not feel like a zombie anymore."

• Joh...
• December 1, 2018

Levetiracetam 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."

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

Levetiracetam 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."

• Anonymous
• October 17, 2008

Levetiracetam for Seizures "I had my first grand-mal seizure over 1 year ago, have no reason for why I had a seizure, but I was put on Keppra the same night. In the beginning, I was very tired and had a lot of anxiety, so they gave me Lexapro along with it. I feel great, no feeling like I'm going to pass out and no more racing thoughts in my head."

• Not...
• July 29, 2015

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I have been on Keppra for two years and would not recommend it. Keppra greatly reduced the frequency and severity of my seizures, but it did so at a cost. Since starting Keppra, I've consistently experienced depression, anxiety, and compulsive suicidal thoughts. It has significantly impacted my quality of life in terms of mental health."

• Nka...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 11, 2015

Levetiracetam for Seizures "My fiancé (22 yrs old, 130 lbs) has been on Keppra combined with Vimpat for over a year, and he has had very bad mood swings, weight loss, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, depression, and irritability/quick temper. We are trying to find out if there is another medication he can take in combination with these to help combat the side effects, or if someone has found another med that works as well with less severe side effects, seeing this is the only med that has helped his seizures so far (diagnosed at 17). Anyone else with a similar problem, or know what might help?"

• Rya...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 16, 2016

Levetiracetam for Seizures "My brother had a tumor 15 years ago removed after having a seizure. Takes 1000 mg Keppra a day. He has mood swings, diarrhea if he does eat before, and delusional. Still effective. I started having anxiety attacks and seizures at 24 years of age. Neurologist prescribed me Keppra 500 mg daily and 2 mg Xanax a day when needed, usually, I break Xanax into pieces as you can because they have little bars to do so. I don't have any side effects besides feeling sleepy at the end of the day. I don't take Xanax until after work at the end of the day as Xanax does make me sleepy. Keppra deserves a 10 for me. But my brother rates it a 7. Everyone is different. I know this is for Keppra, but Xanax is not for anyone, a lot of people can't handle the drug and can't control themselves. Let the doctor determine."

• Anonymous
• November 16, 2011

Levetiracetam for Seizures "I've been taking this medicine since December 2009, and I haven't had a seizure while taking it. I've doubled my dose according to my doctor's instructions since then and am now taking 3000 mg/day, the max adult dose. I've noticed an increase in anxiety and severe anxiety symptoms since beginning Keppra, but other than that, it's been a great medicine."

• Doo...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 12, 2020

Levetiracetam for Seizures "At the age of 48, my brother was diagnosed with epilepsy seizures. At that time, he almost died because nothing would stop them. After multiple seizures back to back, like 20+, the only thing that would even help control them was name-brand medication (Keppra). They started him out at six 500 mg daily. Many different symptoms with this I've noticed over the years, so I will list a few: mood swings, anxiety, depression, memory loss of dates and time, agitated, lies. Talked to the doctor about the amount of seizures he experienced since the last visit, and at times he gets violent. This medication still doesn't control them like it should, but by taking it, he at least has a chance."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 30, 2019

For Epilepsy "Horrible experience on this drug, yes, it works to stop seizures, but I don’t think that outweighs the cons of having mood swings, anger, depression, anxiety, and really dark thoughts that could put me in prison. And it also makes you lose your friends and family due to these side effects."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 15, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION. I would give it zero stars if I could. I lost 4 years of my life because of Keppra. Did not help my seizures, I almost killed myself 3 different times. I had a personality disorder, extreme anxiety and paranoia, anxiety attacks daily, if not more than once a day. Anger, rage, I was a completely different person. The same thing happened to two other people I know that were on this drug as well. And the withdrawal seizures have been HORRIBLE and have almost gone into status epilepticus twice. But I am so thankful I found LAMICTAL. All of the Keppra symptoms are now gone, and it actually helps me be happy and joyful."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 15, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION. I would give it zero stars if I could. I lost 4 years of my life because of Keppra. Did not help my seizures, I almost killed myself 3 different times. I had a personality disorder, extreme anxiety and paranoia, anxiety attacks daily, if not more than once a day. Anger, rage, I was a completely different person. The same thing happened to two other people I know that were on this drug as well. And the withdrawal seizures have been HORRIBLE and have almost gone into status epilepticus twice. But I am so thankful I found LAMICTAL. All of the Keppra symptoms are now gone, and it actually helps me be happy and joyful."

• MCH...
• May 6, 2016

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I started having seizures after a car accident when I was 18 (now 28). I was told by neurologists that may be the reason for the 'trigger' of my epilepsy. I had 3 t-c seizures before being put on the max dosage of 1500 mg 2x daily of the Keppra. The side effects listed with the drugs usually happen to me, but it wasn't hard to handle. Keppra worked for 2 years for the most part. Then it stopped. I began to have nighttime seizures, then partials, auras, memory loss, anxiety, double vision. You name it, it was happening and it still is. I am now with a seizure specialist taking 3 different seizure medications and an anti-anxiety as needed. 15 pills. Still having t-c, complex-partials, and partials with all the side effects. Can't work now."

• Hai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2019

For Seizures "I was put on it by a neurologist who never actually tested me for epilepsy. I saw another neurologist who ultimately diagnosed me with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), non-epileptic seizures caused by panic attacks. I was put on 500 mg twice a day, which was fine, but after having a miscarriage, my anxiety skyrocketed, and I started having seizures, so they increased the dosage to 750 mg twice a day. That’s when the issues began. Joint and muscle pain to the point I see a PT and orthopedic doctor. Anxiety was so bad. Depression set in. Now I’m going through the withdrawals, which are the worst: headaches, anxiety, muscle aches, nausea... basically the side effects you get from the medicine but in reverse."

• Anonymous
• September 15, 2018

For Epilepsy "Haven't been diagnosed yet, but pretty sure I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). This medicine did work very well for controlling the seizures. I haven't had a seizure while on it; however, the side effects are just about as terrible. I was given 500 mg twice daily, and about two months in, I would get pressure and tension feelings in my head while at school or in a social environment. I assumed this was an aura of a seizure about to happen, although with my particular case, I never had an aura even before a seizure. Ten months later, and I have finally come to realize it was anxiety, which made me feel as if I was going to have another seizure, which only worsened the anxiety. Due to this intense 'seizure' feeling, I would take more doses of the Keppra. This led me to increasing the amount. Due to these symptoms, I have pulled away from leaving my house. Two weeks ago, I switched to 500 mg Keppra XR once a day. I started to suffer from actual panic attacks. If you suffer with anxiety or a quick temper, I wouldn't recommend."

• Jus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2020

For Seizures "I had a seizure on March 27th, 2020. Found out I had a brain tumor. Doctors went in on the 29th, and April 1st couldn't remove it all. The remaining tumor is slow-growing and is benign. I'm prescribed 500 mg of levetiracetam twice a day to stop the seizures. Until today, I didn't realize that drinking alcohol can induce seizures. I am a daily drinker. I have had about 6 clonic seizures. Had one in April 2020, and they upped me to 750 mg twice a day. Yesterday, I had one beer and felt like a seizure was coming on. Have had weird feelings about being outside, a sense of panic, and almost like I'm trying to talk myself into having a seizure. Like I'm barely in control. I would not drink alcohol, or not very much. I believe my body was craving alcohol while sleeping. I never had anger issues, but recently it feels more like anxiety. Be very careful with the amount of this drug that is prescribed. I can definitely feel the difference since this 'slight' increase. My son (at age 12) had to be taken off it. His behavior really changed."

• Kyl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2020

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "I have sadly had a love/dislike relationship with Keppra. Almost right away after starting it after being diagnosed with simple partial seizure epilepsy, almost all symptoms I had been dealing with were gone. Within a week, it was amazing to have a day without constant headaches, feeling dizzy, seeing flashes of lights, etc. Starting Keppra, it was discussed between my doctor and me and my spouse that it has a common side effect of causing what she referred to as 'Keppra Rage.' Fortunately for me, I did not experience that. Unfortunately, it did cause me crippling anxiety to the point I couldn't sleep with a blanket and would commonly feel the urge to run outside because it felt like what I would guess a panic attack would feel like. Without that one side effect, Keppra would be my best friend. I would encourage people to try it if offered, however."

• lab...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 7, 2016

For Epilepsy "Have reduced my seizures from about 15 a year to only 3-4 a year, however, the side effects greatly outweigh the benefits. Currently suffering and have been for about 6 years now... extreme fatigue, mood swings, high up and down rapid changing moods, anger with extreme anger outbursts where never in my life was I an angry person, shaky hands, extreme memory loss like 2-4 month gaps, unable to concentrate, irritability, can't even remember simple names of things like cup or brush, which is very frustrating because I used to be a grant writer and loved to write poetry, can't anymore. Stuffy nose, exaggerated fears, swollen glands, depressed, social anxiety, I rarely leave my home anymore, I don't answer the phone, Dr. doesn't care."

• Nic...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 8, 2021

Levetiracetam for Epilepsy "This 'Med'/Keppra/Brivaracetam has always been Neuro's 1st choice since diagnosed in 2008 for 'Opiate induced Epilepsy' @30 (3000 mg). Not helped 'Absent' or 'Nocturnal Seizures'! Would take any 'Med' to avoid Sleep-Wandering, biting mouth to shreds & various injuries when awakened. Keppra = No thanks. The SIZE of the tabs are scary enough, increased anxiety, zombified 24/7, terrible lethargy, that KEPPRA RAGE & negative feelings as others have described. (Tegretol, Clobazam + Zebinix are helping more, tbh.) The gut feeling with others' experiences on this 'Med' confirms suspicions. Bless all.."