NetWellness Epilepsy

Vimpat symptoms

David Ficker MD — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:02:00 EST

Question: I AM CURRENTLY ON LAMICTAL AND TRILEPTAL. MY DOCTOR STARTED ME ON VIMPAT. MY NEUROLOGIST WANTS TO EVENTUALLY REPLACE THE TRILEPTAL WITH VIMPAT, SO THAT I WILL BE ON LAMICTAL AND VIMPAT. I HAVE STARTED TO INCREASE THE VIMPAT AND DECREASE THE TRILEPTAL. LATELY THOUGH I HAVE NOTICED A TINGLING SENSATIO . . .

Answer: The symptoms you describe are not typical side effects from Vimpat. Please be sure to contact your physician to discuss these new symptoms.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Dilantin and WBC

David Ficker MD — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:11:00 EST

Question: I understand that a side effect of dilantin can be a lowered WBC. My WBC count has been at 3-3.5 on 2 seperate checks in the last 6 months. I have no other side effects--feel good. At what WBC level is it appropriate to discontinue Dilantin (I am on 300 at bedtime and my level is consistently 13-16) . . .

Answer: Dilantin (and other seizure medications) can cause the white blood cell count to be lower than normal. Most of the time this does not cause problems (the count is only mildly low) but in rare instances (less than 1 in 250,000 cases) the reduction can be significant and severe. If someone has low whi . . .

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Epilepsy 2 year old boy

David Ficker MD — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:11:00 EST

Question: I have two year old that started with febral seizures and now is epilepsy. They have put him on 100mg Carbatrol 3 times a day. My question is that everytime they raise his medicine he gets red blistery bumps on the back of his neck and they spread all over his back. Could this be a reaction to the m . . .

Answer: Rash is a common side effect of many seizure medications including Carbatrol. Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a rapidly progressive rash that can lead to death if not treated quickly.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

The drug epipim chrono

David Ficker MD — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:11:00 EST

Question: my granddaughter suffers with epilepsy and takes 200mg of epilim chrono as she is a teenager she is now loosing some of her hair in time will her hair grow back or will she lose it all or is there something we can use on the market she can use to prevent hair loss thank you

Answer: Hair loss is a very common side effect from Epilim (valproate). You should be sure to discuss these issues with your treating physician.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Mood swings after a seizure is this normal?

David Ficker MD — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:10:00 EST

Question: My husband had a seizure the other day and he has been very moody since is this normal? They found scare tissue on his brain from a head injury as a baby is the cause of his seizure they perscribed Dilantin 300mg a day.His seizure lasted for a few minutes and he went very dark blue. Please help I do . . .

Answer: Many chronic diseases may be associated with depression. Epilepsy in particular may be associated with depression. Certain areas of the brain (like the temporal lobe) may be the site of seizure onset and may not function properly. The temporal lobe is also involved in mood and dysfunction of this pa . . .

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

MRI as part of diagnostic work-up

David Ficker MD — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST

Question: I am a pediatric nurse who works in a sedation department in a hospital. We do many MRIs with anesthesia for first seizures with no other symptoms of brain anomale. I`m wondering if this a good expendature of our health care dollars when most of the scans are basically normal? Does anyone track the . . .

Answer: MRI is superior to CT scanning in looking for abnormalities that cause epilepsy and is part of the standard work up for epilepsy and seizures.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Side effects

David Ficker MD — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:10:00 EST

Question: my son has been diagnosed with epilepsy since he was 3yrs old. His EEG showed that front left portal of his brain had abnormal wave and carbamazepine had been used to treat his breakthrough seizure. Unfortunately, this anti-epiletic drug didn`t work on him since he had tried for 4 yrs to control his . . .

Answer: Epilim (sodium valproate) may cause interactions with carbamazepine. Epilim may cause carbamazepine levels to increase which may result in side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness. Carbamazepine may lower Epilim levels and may make the drug less effective. You doctor should be monitoring bloo . . .

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Vacant episodes

David Ficker MD — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:09:00 EST

Question: i have episodes that i go vacant i am ware of people around me but cannot respond they can last from seconds to five mins what is this illness

Answer: Please visit the website below to learn more about the different types of seizures. Please discuss your symptoms with your health care provider so that an appropriate evaluation can be performed.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Overdose

David Ficker MD — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:09:00 EST

Question: my daughter has been taking zenoxa, primox, arkamin for almost three years, is it safe to continue or should i let her stop, we`re staying at suburban place difficult to meet the doc regularly.

Answer: The decision about stopping medications should only be made after careful discussion with your physician about the risks and benefits of proceeding.

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy

Breakthrough Seizure: Switch to Keppra XR

David Ficker MD — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:09:00 EST

Question: Hi,

My brother has idiopathic epilepsy which has been well controlled by Keppra. He used to take 1000mg of Keppra twice daily. For two years he had no seizures.

Last week, he switched to Keppra XR from the regular Keppra on the recommendation of his neurologist. However on the very sam . . .

Answer: Please note that I cannot recommend specific treatments in this type of forum. I do agree that it is unlikely that the switch to Keppra XR is the reason for the seizure.

There are many possible reasons for breakthrough seizures including sleep deprivation, drug or alcohol abuse or missed medica . . .

Ask an Expert: David Ficker MD, Epilepsy