Side Effects of Keppra

Keppra-Rage...Fact or Fiction

Aug 2, 2008
Brandy Widner

While Keppra is highly effective at preventing seizures, it may cause a side effect in some individuals that is commonly called Keppra-rage.

There are several anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) available today; the drug Keppra, generically known as Levetiracetam, is one of the newer drugs on the market. Choosing an AED is completely up to the individual and his doctor. Many people choose Keppra over some of the older drugs because of the safety factor associated with it.

Certain AEDs, such as Dilantin or Phenobarbital, can build up in the individual's system, and cause toxicity or liver damage. This is not true with Keppra; Keppra is completely processed and excreted through the kidneys. For this reason there is no need for the monthly, or bi-monthly lab work to check levels. However, it is thought that this very safety feature of the drug is what can cause the all-feared “Keppra-rage”.

The theory behind this is that the individual’s body dumps all residue of the drug from his system, and this in turn can cause the individual to develop a vitamin B6 deficiency. Vitamin B6 has a direct effect on serotonin levels, which has an effect on a person’s mood. Taking a B6 supplement can be helpful if you experience Keppra-rage, however, you should always talk to your doctor before starting any type of supplement in conjunction with your prescription therapy.

While the evidence is clear that Keppra can and does in many cases cause a disturbance in the emotional state of some individuals, it is merely a side effect of the drug, meaning it does not occur in everyone. All side effects should be discussed with your doctor; this is because the severity of the disturbances can differ from one person to the next. While one individual may become agitated at the smallest thing, another may have thoughts of suicide, and this MUST be reported right away!

All drugs, whether they are intended for seizures or stomach aches, have side effects. In a perfect world, there would be one drug that worked for everyone, but then again, in a perfect world we would not need these drugs… would we?

Keppra truly is a safe drug that has proven effective for many people; for this very reason many people continue to use the drug… side effects or not. With drugs as powerful as AEDs you must weigh the options and possible side effects…is the safety of the drug worth the occasional outburst?

Unfortunately, the only way to tell if a drug is going to cause a reaction is to take the drug and give it a chance. If the side effects prove to be tolerable, and the drug is working in all other areas, by all means continue therapy. However, if you feel irritable, moody and find it difficult to function through out the day, you should speak to your doctor about a medication change. There are far too many drugs designed to treat epilepsy to stick with one that does not mix well with your body. It may take some time, but you will find the right drug to control your epilepsy.

Comments

Aug 23, 2008 2:42 PM

Guest :

My son had been taking Keppra for two years, with-in the first month his seizures stopped. Recently he has been playing a Nintendo DS quite a bit and all of a sudden he is hearing songs in his head that last about 3 to 6 seconds. (this is how he explained it)The Keppra is a great drug for him, but I am wondering if it is the video games that are starting all of his seizures. He was diagnosed with partial complex seizures and I need to know if there is any other mother that has a child with this simmilar situation.
In need of help or support
mtmamusement@bellsouth.net
Madeline McCormick

Aug 23, 2008 5:54 PM

Guest :

Dear Mom:

Although doctors are not sure what triggers my seizures, I have been told to stay away from strobe lights, huge theme parks and video games. I am much older and do not play video games, but strobe lights at concerts due throw me off and I usually close my eyes and look down when they do come on. I have heard that video games due cause seizures due to photosensitivity. Here is a website to check out: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1718 or even just Google video games and seizures.
I think the best test is to actually test it on your son and try to engage him in sports instead of playing video games. I am also a Keppra patient for about 5 years. I have noticed that it still makes me a bit lethargic and that my attentive levels increase, and my mood is much better when I accidentally miss a dosage. Not sure if your child has mood swings, but an increase in B6 may help. I have been having hair loss issues due to Keppra so I have increased all of my B vitamins. Not sure if this helps, but wish you the best of luck with your son.

Oct 15, 2008 7:31 AM

Guest :

Keppra works wonders for my seizures.
I started to become angry a lot last year. But at the same time a lot of bad things were happening. So there was no way to blame just on the keppra. I went to a therapist and psych. They diagnosed me with mood disorder and ptsd. So how am I supposed to know if its the med? Probably never. And last time I went off the keppra, I have a seizure on the shower.
So after to psych hospital stays (I was suicidal and hearing voices) I decided whatever is causing it (keppra or problems from my past) I am not quitting the keppra. I don't want to die having a seizure like I almost did.
So to cover my mental status, I take a few psych drugs. That's that. You have to outweigh the risks and benefits..."Which is worse" scenario.

Oct 24, 2008 12:06 PM

Guest :

I have been living with epilepsy all my life and have been on just about every anticonvulsive medication on the market without complete control of my seizures. I was also evaluated for epilepsy surgery but was not a candidate.I was put on Keppra,alone over a year ago with a profound,although temporary decrease of my daily seizures. After nearly 3 months my seizure activity gradually increased again and then worsened, becoming more generalized. I was taken off of Keppra and placed back on the anticonvulsive I was taking prior. 4 months ago I asked my physician if I could be placed on Keppra again but with another medication to try to control my seizures. I was placed on Keppra 1000mg 2x daily and dilantin 200mg 2x daily with, again, a significant decrease of my seizures. So far so good! I still have roughly 2-4 seizures daily compaired to 8-10 daily and without generalization.I am a critical care nurse now and I can confidently state that Keppra has made a world of difference in my treatment.

Oct 28, 2008 3:40 AM

Guest :

hi,

i've been on lamitcal for 6yrs and been totally fine. then i started to suffer brain tremors and this has been happening since jan this yr. i'm slowly decreasing my lamitcal and tried topamax and that was horrific. i'm now on 1500mg of keppra however i feel like i'm getting worse. the brain tremors won't stop and i'm suffering severe mood swings. is anyone out there suffering brain tremors. i'm awake but my brain is shaking. my neuro is trying all sorts of meds to control it and nothing is working. any ideas?

Feb 23, 2010 4:42 PM

Guest :

Thank you for this article. My husband and I have a daughter who has had 5 febrile seizures between the ages of 7 months and 22 months. We are trying to find any and all information that we can find on this medicine and doing as much research as we can before filling the prescription.

Melissa Prather

Apr 3, 2010 3:06 AM

Guest :

Dear Madeline-
I have complex partial epilepsy too. I hear music in my head that increases in sound when im lying in bed so maybe it is because of that thanks for asking this question :)

Apr 5, 2010 10:13 AM

Guest :

I have been on Keppra for about a month and a half now. We do not know what is causing my seizures. I was on 100mg Dilantin 4 times a day. I had a severe allergic reaction to the medication and they put me on Keppra. I have noticed and my ticks don't happen as much and my seizures aren't as violent as they used to be. I still have atleast 2-4 seizures a day but they aren't horrific ones. I still get beat up from them, but I'm not quite so black and blue.

Apr 14, 2010 12:00 AM

Guest :

My 20 yr old daughter has been on Keppra (500 mg in the a.m. & 1000 mg in the p.m.) for over a year. (She was on Tegretol for 2 yrs but continued to have seizure glitches.) She continues to experience Keppra Rage & weight loss but no seizure glitches whatsoever. She has recently begun to feel "weird" (not epileptic) -- and we've wondered if her dosage was too high. So she made the decision a few days ago to reduce her dosage to 250 mg in the a.m. & 750 mg in the p.m. The first day (she actually forgot to take her meds that morning), she said she felt wonderful and could think more clearly -- felt "normal" again. Today, a week later, she said she's feeling weird and not able to concentrate and even loses focus & blanks out for a second, which is making her nervous. Has anyone experienced this when your dosage was too high? We're trying to figure out if she's taking too much and is reacting to that. Or does she need to return to her original dose? Her neurology appt is next month. Her Dr. always overreacts to every symptom & question we have and continually wants to run more tests & switch meds. We're tired of it. Just curious if anyone has ever had these same symptoms while decreasing dose.

May 10, 2010 3:17 AM

Guest :

My son has been taking Keppra since January 2010, only side effects the Dr. told us would be 1 out 10 may experience a little temper. That can be controlled if we snap them out of it most times they arent aware that they've had a temper problem. Just recently my son has had a fever and bodyaches, days later his mood has changes, following that he started hallucinating thinking someone was going to kill him, paranoid, lack of sleep. This caused him to get arrested because it was to late to inform the Doctor how could we have known it that short period of time that i was his meds? Now we have pay a lawyer, to help him because in the whole mind set that he was in someone was harmed. I know my son and that's not how he was before taking Keppra. Keppra controlled the seizures but it took my Son chain of thought.

May 11, 2010 9:08 AM

Guest :

My Dad is on the generic form of Keppra and his developed anger as a result.
Thanks for the article. We are going to try a vitamin B supplement per his Dr.
Regards,
Heather Grace

May 26, 2010 2:48 PM

Guest :

I took Keppra last night and will take it again tonight. I have been Epileptic for the last 8 years. It just happened on day no explanation no time to prepare, i had to accept it. My thoughts on the article is that it is is absolutely right! I have been looking for this article for months as i have felt this exact way since switching from Topomax to Keppra a little over a year ago. I greatly appreciate the article it is the deciding factor in my decision to treat my Epilepsy NATURALLY. Thanks again article man for your super article!

May 30, 2010 7:08 PM

Guest :

My ten-year-old had his first seizure at 32,000 feet en route to the Galapagos. Turned around a 747 and landed at Miami which was closed due to tornado warnings. Keppra has been great. No more seizures - but the rage and anger are not a myth. It's only every couple weeks, but a tradtionally mellow kid will become enraged at the smallest issue. It's generally ridiculous - but, it's real to him. Other than being tired on accasion, it's been a great product for our son.

Jun 24, 2010 7:23 AM

Guest :

My son was on Keppra for 4 months, taking small amounts and then gradually increasing it, but he was still on a low dosage for his height and weight. His seizures are severe, full body, seizures but are infrequent, so we never knew if the Keppra really stopped the seizures, but the side effects were dramatic. He would come home from school and sleep 4-5 hours and then go to bed, not to mention falling asleep in classes (he is 17). He also had the rages, he was unbearable to live with. Then he told me he was "having thoughts he shouldn't have." Suicidal thoughts. So the doctor weaned him off of the Keppra (you can't just stop taking it) and by the time he hit the half dosage, he was a new person. Back to being his old self. Now on Lamictal, which has not had caused any side effects, and he feels good. Still not sure it it preventing the seizures, but time will tell. He told me he'd rather have seizures than feel the way he did on Keppra.

Jul 19, 2010 4:16 PM

Guest :

WOW! I never thought hearing my alarm clock after i shut it off could be from the keppra!
its really not bad though, its quiet and i know its not there but it will do it for a few seconds. its like getting off an elevator but you feel like your still going down. same with the gameboy music i would play for hours on end and i turn it off its quiet but still there for a few. Im 20 and have been taking keppra since i was 16 and never had a seizure when i took it. Its a great drug i think, but sometimes i do feel extremely moody and depressed and get annoyed very easily. I never knew about B6 so i should start taking it and see if theres a difference.
-im glad i came across this blog lol.

Aug 17, 2010 9:22 PM

Guest :

Keppra Rage is real. My husband was switched from dilantin to keppra about 6 months ago. Dilantin was weekening his bones. Within 2 weeks he started to change from the happy, optomistic, loving husband and father I've known for 16 years to a grumpy, agitated, jelous, mean, abusive and confused monster. He had trouble consentraiting, problem solving and sorting. He had a hard time remembering things. When he would rage he wouldn't remember the incedent. After 3 months he became more violent. He would throw things at me but not hit me and reassure me he never would. The 4th month he beat the crap out of me. It was like he was not him, he didnt even look like him. He would be calm then rage and hit or throw me. He would look at his hands like he didn't know what the red stuff was on them. I finally got away and was taken to the hospital. He rememberd nothing. I told him from the start to talk to his Dr. He would tell him he was just fine. He spent 2 days in jail, I contacted his dr and he was then switched to lamotrigine. Within 1 week he was almost back to normal mentally, but now facing courts and jail and counseling for the whole family and horrible memories, well I do anyway. Everything set him off, music, video games, a crying child. He had a temporal menengioma in 2005 removed and the medication is just profilactic not theaputic. Good luck to all of you on keppra.

16 Comments

Side Effects of Keppra

Keppra-Rage...Fact or Fiction

Popular topics

Comments

Popular topics