Started Keppra approx 3 weeks ago as an add-on to Tegretol.  Yep it does
have side effects but like everything else it suits some people better
than others.  So far I've had the usual drowsiness, dizziness, loss of
co-ordination etc. but these have pretty much settled down.  One thing I
have found is a cycle of being OK, then depressed, then OK again -
almost as if I was having withdrawal symptoms between doses.  Odd as it
may sound, I'm hoping that this may be relieved by increasing the dose (
apparently Keppra has a relatively short half-life compared to other
AED's).  Starting that today.  So far, once the drowsiness has gone, I
feel more alert than I have on some other meds.  
As the saying goes, suck it and see.  Good luck.

Hey Jen glad you're vertical today,
I was on Keppra for a while in addition to Tegretol. The CRS kicked in
so I will ask me sweetheart
why I was taken off it. I'll be getting back to you. And welcome!

T

         I usually just lurk but HAD to reply to this one. I just got off
Keppra Sunday after being on it (along with Tegretol) for 5 weeks. It was
REALLY messing me up. Saturday I was so bad off I went to the ER & DEMANDED
they check my Tegretol & Keppra levels even tho I would not get the results
back for a couple days (small rural hospital).
          I just KNEW something was off.... instead I was sent to the VA
Hospital in Nashville TN. because this lady Dr. thought (correctly I
believe) that I was having a toxic reaction going on.
           They immediately told me to STOP the Keppra & put me on
Lamotrigen instead. I feel MUCH MUCH better & am slowly building up the
level until hopefully I can be put BACK on monotherapy (that's a whole
DIFFERENT story within itself how I wound up on 2 meds in the first place.
Suffice it to say I have never need 2 meds before & once everything is
FINALLY straightened out hopefully I'll be on Lamotrigen alone.)
             So the Tegretol & the Keppra = bad news for me.
            Another thing I want to say is that ALL of us who have seizure
disorders should call upon out hospitals to make blood level checks
MANDATORY anytime we go to the ER or hospital feeling strange without a
clear reason WHY we are ill.
             Diabetics who go to hospital feeling ill usually get mandatory
blood-sugar levels checked. Heart patients who complain of chest pains get
AUTOMATIC EKG's. Us seizure-disorder patients need AUTOMATIC blood level
testing. I had been to ER earlier last week & was SENT HOME. Dr. said "We
can't do anything unless you actually HAVE A SEIZURE". I was STUNNED. So I
guess a pregnant woman with stomach pains needs to just stay at home unless
she is SURE she is in LABOR???? Amazing.
               Anyway.... there's my 2 cents worth. TTYL.

~~H.

g'day jen,
every drug has side-effects and everyone will have different reactions to a
drug so keppra may be a wonder drug for you or it may be a fizzer, your best
bet is give it a try and see if it works for you. bear this in mind, some of
the side-effects you experience from a drug will pretty much disappear after
several weeks as your body adjusts to it, so don't just give it up after a
few days.
pablo

Bloody expensive -- $200 / month's supply in the States.

Anything work as well, but cheaper?

The main side effect I had with Keppra was fluid retention.
I don't have to pay for my drugs but I did have to pay for larger clothing!
It also led to my dveloping carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). That's when
pressure on the nerve on the wrist has much worse effects than finger
tingling (which is apparently quite common at menopause).
I used to wake up in the night with such pain in my hand that I'd put it
staraight into the mug of water beside my bed.

I'd realised that the Keppra had caused the fluid retention but had got as
far as having on operation planned on my wrist before I happened to come
off Keppra, the CTS subsided, I cancelled the operation and then, by
chance, heard on the radio that fluid retention causes CTS.

I don't think fluid retention has yet been listed as a side-effect of
Keppra, so don't assume your neurologist will know, just keep it in mind.

Chris L.