13 month old has just been prescribed trileptol for complex partial seizures

Sandy - posted on 08/24/2011

My 12 year old son has been on Trileptal since he was about 18 months old. It's still his base med. I keep trying to add a second med to control his seizures better but there are so many side effects. I ended up trying Lecithin 1200 capsules once a day. This is over the counter and is for brain and nerve function. Surprisingly it stopped his seizures for 7 3/4 months and has gotten rid of the most severe seizures. It's worth trying anything because you never know what will be a miracle drug or vitamin/mineral. Good luck. Sandy Lora

Kristin - posted on 08/24/2011

i dont like the fact doctors giving young children trileptol depokote keppra and tomomax are not good for young children my research with meds lamictal is a mild medicine when i was younger i was on femabarbtal and meberal did good on them they are also mild femabarbtal dont think is on the market any more havent heard of that any more lamictal doesnt have as many side effects pretty safe and they dont need high dose of it either

Katherine - posted on 08/24/2011

Our son is older (14) and on Trileptal. He began w/partial complex at the age of 11 that were diagnosed as migraines. His first tonic clonic occurred just over a year ago. He always initiates with a partial complex that sometimes progresses and sometimes does not.

From a natural perspective, Google "Magnesium and seizures". More than 1 friend has recommended magnesium and I picked up Magnesium oil at OmicaOrganics.com. I rub just a small amount on the back of our son's neck each morning.

It has allowed us to keep the Trileptal at a very low dose - much lower than was originally prescribed.

With that said, last night he started w/a pretty severe partial complex that gave all indications of moving into a full seizure quickly. I grabbed the Magnesium Oil and rubbed it on the back of his neck - literally within seconds he felt 100% better!

I hope this helps!

Mia - posted on 08/23/2011

So we were put on keppra and Christian developed the Keppra rage...it was awful!! They needed to sedate him for a CT Scan and later an MRI..he was also put back on for another 24 hour EEG. it was determined that the pentobarbital (used to sedate but also an anti-seizure med) stopped his seizures so he was prescribed phentobarbital which is a cousin of the pento but doesnt sedate..also an anti-seizure. He has been seizure free for a few days and no side effects other than a little sleepy but each day is getting better and better. Good luck!!!

Misty - posted on 08/22/2011

I know its so scary to try new meds. The best advice I can give is every child responds differently. You have to try them and if you dont like it, try something else until you find the one that you are comfortable with. We have done Klonopin, Vicadin, Tompamax, we are on Keppra now and may be trying Trileptol next. We did the Topamax from about 9 months until she was almost 3. I did not realize how much it delayed her until we took her off of it. She just blossomed. She started talking finally. The Keppra isnt really helping anymore and I can really tell a difference in her behavior on this one. Good Luck!!

Mia - posted on 08/18/2011

Hi Amber! I sent you a message. My son is also 13 months old and was just diagnosed with complex partial seizures yesterday. He is on trileptol now. He looks drunk and acts crabby and he just fell asleep in his exersaucer. Needless to say, I do not like this med. How is your son and how has he handled the med?

Jillian - posted on 06/03/2011

My daughter had only the absence seizures when she was that young. She was not medicated and in result the doctors said her brain began to "Learn to seizure". Her seizures that went untreated worsened and now she seizures every day multiple times. She has generalized seizures now as well. I wish I decided to put her on meds sooner even though I hate medications. My son is 20 months and also seizures, our neurologist has recommended trying to wait till he turns two (risks go down significantly after 2 years old) to put him on meds. However if he has anymore seizures the recommendation is to go on medication regardless of age. Seizures are serious and definitely can cause damage if not controlled.

Krystal - posted on 06/02/2011

From what our neuro talked with us about, Keppra has less severe (or maybe smaller changes of). Keppra was the first medicine our daughter started on at 3 months old and didn't experience any side effects at all. I've heard that younger babies can tolerate the liquid Keppra pretty well and that was true for us. My daughter is now 14 months old and on Trileptal for a few weeks and she hasn't had loose stool. What natural remedies are you trying? I like to consider myself an earthy mama and I'm pretty hesitant to try any new medicines but we have to move past that and at least give them a try I suppose...

Amber - posted on 05/31/2011

Thanks everyone for your replies. We have started the trileptol along with some natural treatments also. It has been a little over a week and the only side effect I am noticing is very loose stool. Has anyone else experienced this? His neurologist has discussed that if it doesn't clear up soon he is going to want to try keppra which I have heard so many awful things about. Many of you have suggested I try researching or talking to his neurologist. I am a research hound I think that is why I was so apprehensive in the first place! The more I read and ask questions the more scarier the medicines sound! Especially since I am a natural kind of Mom. We are very selective about the different types of things we put in our bodies and use in our home environment. That is why I was wanting to hear some first hand accounts with Trileptol in younger children. It is not that I don't trust doctors, but as moms we are the ones that are with our kids every day and we see what the doctor may not in a brief appointment.

Krystal - posted on 05/29/2011

My daughter had just turned 1 year old when we started her on Trileptal. She is not 14 months. We have not seen any side effects that we were warned about. She's not drowsy, angry or lazy. Every child is different and will react to each medicine differently. I think Trileptal is worth trying. Something we experienced is that Trileptal controlled her daily seizures for a couple of weeks and then her seizure activity picked up to about 1-2 a day after that. We are still working on the dose between her Trileptal and Clobazam. Good luck! You can also go to pharmacy websites like CVS or Walgreens and go to the prescription drug section to read up on uses and side effects for Trileptal.

Virginia - posted on 05/25/2011

My daughter has been on Trileptal since she was 2 1/2, she's now 10. To date she has had no severe side effects. She has always been on a very low dose, actually under the recommended dose as she can't tolerate the normal amount. She's not slower or even sluggish on this one. You are not helping your child any by not giving the seizure meds. It is so much more harmful to let their poor brain seize. Each seizure damages more cells. If your baby is in need of anti-convulsives, it's the lesser of two evils and as a whole, Trileptal seems to be one of the better ones. My little one was on Dilantin and Pheno- Barbital as an infant and they both had horrible side effects, (talk about sluggish) then later on we tried Keppra, try to stay away from that one as well if you can (horrible mood swings, anger and serious confusion). Those staring spells are not as mild as you think. Just because he's not convulsing doesn't mean there isn't damage going on. That's what my baby gets, focal seizures, and they morph into different types as the years go on. Good luck!

Kathy - posted on 05/25/2011

Hi Amber:

My daughter started her antiseizure meds at 3.5 months old. She has been on meds since then. One of them is Trileptal and it has actually been very good for her. You will realize that every med will work in every child different. I just remember always reading all the side effects and just look for them. Also, I made sure that I knew what organs could be affected and have the blood test once in a while to make sure the levels were appropriate. Depending on what your son has, he might not have to be on the meds for too long. One thing I do know, no seizures are much better than seizures... and as hard as it was to give her the meds, I am happy I did. She shows much more progress when she is seizure free. We have been in a trial and error with all the meds, but have found (so far) the right mix for her. Hope this helps.

Kathy :o)

Cynthia - posted on 05/25/2011

My son was put on trileptol for seizures at 13 months. It made his small seizures worse. He eventually started having stronger seizures. That was when I decided to switch hospitals and doctors. My son had a study done and was given meds that were appropriate for his age and his types of seizures. I was told trileptol was not recommended for children so young. My son will be 5 in 2 months and has been seizure free for about 3 years after being put on proper medication. Do not leave his seizures untreated but do get a second opinion. Wish you and your Child all the best.

LISA - posted on 05/25/2011

Hello my name is Lisa my son who is know almost 12yrs was dx with complex partial seizures at the age of 6month old and Martel was on every seizures medication that was out there. The only one that worked for him was the trileptol. Trileptol has slow has seizures down alot compare to how they where before. My son is also ADHD so they had to find the correct medication that would work to together and yes it did take a while but I Thank God the doctors found the right medication for Martel. One of the side effect is dry mouth and thrist all the time. I hope i was able to help you out. Good luck

Debora - posted on 05/25/2011

Hi Amber,
I had to start giving my son medications for seizures when he was just five months old. It isn't easy, and all the warnings that accompany every AED can be overwhelming and scarey, but the effect of uncontrolled seizures can be devastating to the developing mind. So there is some trade off but in 14 years I've seen the positives of seizure control and any negative side effects my son experienced were quickly addressed by his neurologists - change of dosage, change of medication, change of timing of dose and so on. I hope your son gets relief from seizures but don't every hesitate to ask questions of your doctors or of other people living with seizure disorders.

Jen - posted on 05/25/2011

I agree with the post below. The meds seems scary but they are there for a reason and serve a purpose. You do not want to get to a point where the seizures are continuous or out of control, they can cause severe and long term damage. Talk to the pediatric neurologist if you have concerns and if they won't listen to your concerns maybe get a 2nd opinion.

Jessica - posted on 05/22/2011

It may seem like the side effects are worse than the seizures, but untreated siezures are harmful. If side effects do occur the doseage of meds can be adjusted, or a different drug can be tried. If you are really nervous try talking to the Dr and try to work out another solution.