Comments on: Epilepsy Drug Suicide Warnings Added by FDA

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:10:56 +0000

My son, Ben, had a seizure on Jan 28, 2008. We took him to the Mayo clinic which is supposed to have one of the best neurology depts in the world. He was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy caused by concussions. They put him on Keppra. He was not depressed – actually extremely happy because he and his fiancee were moving in together, his PHD work was going very well. He committed suicide on March 12, 2008. These drugs are horrible.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:40:35 +0000

My husband has been taking Depakote (5 of the 500mg) a day for epilepsy for 21 years and now he is acting like a person that has bipolar it has gotten to the point when he takes his med. it makes him sick to his stomach and sometimes he throws them back up whole 3 to 4 hours later it is like his body don’t digest it .we have two kids at home one is 4 and the other one is 2 i don’t need this around them .so we are trying to do everything possible to change his meds.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:46:31 +0000

daughter has had grand mal and petit mal seizures since 10-she is now 37-The past years have been horrible with physcians not listening when I told them that the meds were making her depressed etc. Went from one drug to another, phynabar, tregtrol, dilantin, topamax, gabitril.
Experienced two drug ” OVER DOSES” on tregretrol–or toxic levels of meds- as the physician worded it…and then the physician INCREASED the dosage — go figure?!- Finially had to switch phy to get someone to listen to us that this med was not ” helping her”-Then was given Gabitril- which SEEMED to be okay– has controlled seizures for the most part. as much as we have been able to tell– But have had two episodes which we ended up at the hospital, both were foo fooed by physicians. Last one was two years ago, and neurologist said that it must have been that she was having anxiety attacks and actually wasn’t having any seizures. Wished they had been able to see her before we were able to get her to the hospital– really scary!!
This episode now looking at some of these posting was classical for the side effects for gabitril. I didn’t realize that some of the other issues she had were drug related, sleep issues, anger issues, comprehension- She was diagnosised years ago with developmental issues, so many of these – sleeping, comprehension, memory, etc- I passed off as her handicap, didn’t realize it could be connected to meds. NOW all of a sudden with no warning, I have found that when we asked for our med refill for this month, that this drug is NO LONGER AVAILABLE- but the drs and pharmasists all say DON”T suddenly quit taking the med– SO WHAT ARE WE TO DO?? I can’t get enough meds to make a transistion, new neurologists had to get into in time, doesn’t sound like other drugs are available and if they are sound extremely scary as well– WHAT HORRIBLE SITUATION to be placed in. GOOD LUCK to all the rest of you who might be in our same situation.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:42:23 +0000

I was on neurontin for years for Neuropathy in feet and legs. Doctor insisted it was diabetic, and cardiology insisted it was cardio related.
I was on 600 mg 3x daily and still had horrid pain, could not function, drive my car, or even think. I would sleep all day, was mean and wanted
to die. I would say if I was not a coward or knew I would not get into
heaven if I did it, I would end my own miserable life. I started taking
suppliments that helped a lot but could not afford to buy them on
SSI and medicaid did and doesnot pay for it.
Well, a catscan that my doctor said would only reveal a bit of ostioarthritis, after 12yrs of pain without anything, we find I have severe
spinal stenosis, therefore finally sent to pain management, now the meds for this is detremental to my Coumadin for artificial valves. Imagine that! Doctor is not happy.

Pain management put me on 50mg of Lyrica to see if I could go to sleep
without feeling this way and wanting to die. Well, it worked and now, Medicaid does not pay for my lyrica, and insisted that I be on 2 meds
they suggest for at least 60 days, one being neurontin (the generic), so
now I am on generic neurontin and generic Elavil (amitrptyline).

In conclusion, our government is now making us take meds that hurt us
before, because we have been off it for more than 12 months.

I have enlarged liver (lupus), fibromyalgia, no more diabetis (suppliments) and am being forced to take poison before they will pay
for my other med………although I find it is bad, it did work, this does not.

Just a bit of info and I could give more, but seems no one is interested.
These Law offices have told me each time that I am not eligible.
Sorry folks but that is some of my story.

By: Lizzie

Lizzie — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:30:47 +0000

In March of 2008, my neurologist put me on Topamax for migraines. The original dose was 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night, increased by 25 mg increments until I was taking 50 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night. During the initial introduction of Topamax, I had severe stomach pain that caused me to miss work for 2 days.

After my body got “used” to the Topamax, my personality completely changed. I was short-tempered and spoke without thinking — like the filter in my brain was gone. I lost my words while I was talking and couldn’t recover. If I didn’t write everything down, I would forget what people told me minutes before. I work in a fast-paced law office and couldn’t function up to par. I was paranoid and couldn’t sleep at night. As a result, my employer grew impatient with me and I was demoted.

I never knew Topamax could cause these problems until I talked to the neurologist in September of 2009. When I mentioned one of the issues, he said “The Topamax has become toxic”. He lowered my dosage to 100 mg a day, but it didn’t help, and I was still getting the terrible, daily migraines. I weaned myself off this poison and have been recovering my short-term memory, etc quite nicely.

Topamax made me nuts for over a year, and no one bothered to advise me of the side effects.

By: Missy

Missy — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:29:25 +0000

I have been on Lamictal for almost a year for severe migraines. I am taking 50 mg in the mornings and 100 mg in the evenings. For the last four months I have had severe mood swings. I can wake up one day and be very emotional. Crying at anything and nothing at all or be very witchy for no reason. My husband could just say hi to me and I could cry so hard I would start to gasp for breath. Or I could rip his head off. I have had no suicide thoughts. My neurologist says the mood swings are related to my periods. I have tracked them since the day they have started and they can be at any time of the month. Sometimes I only have one day like this or two weeks of this. I have seen my gyn dr about this but he agrees with me. It isn’t related to my periods or PMS. What should I do? I don’t want these mood swings to turn into suicide thoughts. Should I seek another opinion from a different neurologist?

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:38:41 +0000

I have been on Lyrica for almost Two years. I was put on it for fibromyalgia. I can’t really say if it helps or not, because I’m always in so much pain. But I have tried to stop takeing it, because I have sinsations in my chest that are very uncomfortable and feel the lyrica is the cause. I have brought this to my Doctors attention, and they always run some kind of test , but never come up with anything. I don’t know what to do . I don’t know how to get off of it without going through withdrawl symptoms.

By: Camelle

Camelle — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:30:57 +0000

my 15 year old daughter was put on Topamax by her pediatrician for aggresive behaviors. Within a very short time she started having hallucinations. She didnt know what was real and what was not. They were all in sexual or death form. She would cry and was afraid the devil was putting these thoughts in her head. We had to put her in the mental health unit for 11 days. When she came home she was still on the Topamax so I took her off myself. Over the past month her hallucinations are going away, altho we arent quite there yet, and I dont know if this drug has caused permanent damage to her brain. Before she was a fearless child. Now she is afraid of everything. WE are thinking about bringing a lawsuit against the drug manufactures for putting out drugs that are so harmful to people. Its time the government starts working for the people and not for the money. My daughter is currently on Zoloft and is doing much better on that. Now if we could just get rid of all the delusions the Topamax caused.

By: Izzy

Izzy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:13:33 +0000

I committed suicide on Sept. 11 of 2007 after taking a regimen of Trileptal for seizures. I was technically dead for a little over a minute. I had been on this medication at 300mg day with good response until my then neurologist insisted on increasing my dosage to TWICE was it was only because he was “following manufacturer’s guidelines.” Mind you, during the year that I was taking the medication this “physician” never once sent me to get a liver enzyme test done, which should be the norm as all of the anti-convulsants do liver damage. Note that Oxcarbazapine’s origin was NOT for seizures, but for bi-polar disorder, until providers of the prescription realized IT WAS MAKING DEPRESSION IN THOSE PATIENTS WORSE. Why then, would the FDA allow this same company to push this “medication” for another, unitended usage? Am now medication free, as the Trileptal increased both the frequency AND intensity of my seizures…and I FIRED my neurologist. We need to keep our physicians aware of the fact that THEY WORK FOR US IN A SERVICE ORIENTED INDUSTRY. Please, do not play with your health. If your physician is not willing to listen FIND ANTOTHER DOCTOR.

By: Page

Page — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:18:32 +0000

I take lamictal daily and have noticed a tremendous drop in my ability to function. I have, on many occassions since starting on Lamictial considerer suicide, but will not go through with this thought.