Keppra for children?

Gwendelyn - posted on 05/03/2013

Hi! My son had his first seizure 3 years, they first started him out on depakote sprinkles. About 2 months ago they started him on keppra, after several bad seizures. I've noticed a change in his behavior, he seems to lack interest in things he once enjoyed, and also seems to be more hyper. However, the biggest change I've seen and the most significant is he's started having accidents. Meaning bowl movements!!!! Which he's NEVER done before! He is 7!!! Has anyone else experienced this with their child? ?

Tanya - posted on 04/12/2013

My son was 7 months when he git his first seizure that lasted about 45 minutes they said it was a febrile seizure ,he was not giiven medication because his cat scan ,eeg and mri came out fine .after that every time he had a seizure every time was a little but sick after the 5 febrile seizure,he was getting them with no fever so his neurologist finallly put him on keppra twice a day. He last seizure was in september 2012 ,he has gotten sick and he has been ok no seizures. I did not notice any mood swings, no delay he is on spot with his physical development,he is very intelligent. He has never been drowsy after the medication he is full of energy ,of course right now he is at a stage where he wants to do things himself and wants to be right but he is doing very well with the medication were hoping to soon get him off.nothing bad to say about this medication.

Melissa - posted on 04/09/2013

My daughter has been on Keppra for about two months now. She does complain a lot about being thirsty (way more than prior to starting the Keppra) and when she gets like that she almost frantic in wanting/needing something to drink. She is only 3 so she does not verbalize specifics other than being really thirsty and needing water right away. I have noticed over the last 3 weeks an increase in stomach discomfort. She is complaining during the day that her stomach hurts and is even waking up at night with the same complaint. It almost seems spasm-like in nature as it seems to go away rather quickly. When she first started taking it she was on the generic form and she was extremely aggressive. We switched her to the name brand and the aggression has gone away but now she is extremely hyper and hard to manage.

Amber - posted on 12/17/2012

Hello my son is 5yrs old was born with brain damage to the left side and has cerebal palsey of the right side of his body... He had his first seizure december 12,2012 they started him on KEPRRA and its only been 4 days now but he is def more tired and dizzy especially after he takes it... im hopin he dont have any more seizures but i can see the attitude changing already... im giving it a few more weeks to see more changes... Goodluck to all you moms

Roxanne - posted on 09/08/2012

Hello. Our daughter has been officially taking Keppra since March of this year. When she was 3, she had a febrile seizure. After many tests, the neuro docs cleared her and stated she was fine and the seizures that had taken place were febrile. She had gone 2 years seizure free. Then, it was time to get her 5 year old vaccines. Her pediatrician stated that there was a small chance that these vaccines would induce a seizure but he thought that would not happen. So, she was given the live flu vaccine, DTAP, MMR, and Varicella. That night, she kept saying how she was not feeling well. The next morning, she had an absence seizure. We took her to the neurologist and her doctor stated to watch her and see if it were to happen again. Well, Feb. 29th of this year, she was feeling under the weather with a fever and had a febrile seizure...again, appearing absence seizure like. So, we met with the neurologist March this year and has placed her on Keppra BID, with the goal of keeping her on it for 2 years...hopefully, no more seizures to occur. We really hope and pray she outgrows this.

Well, knock on wood and thank God, she has not had an episode. However, she keeps complaining of a dry throat. We hydrate her often, but she still continues to complain of it. Sometimes, you can tell she has difficulty word finding and is tired. I am discovering that those may be side effects from Keppra. Have anyone of you experienced a symptom of dry mouth/throat? Upon conversing with her physicians, they can't seem to find that listed as a side effect from Keppra, but continue to encourage hydration, which we do. Thank you for your time. And, I hope all of you are well.

Sabrina - posted on 04/02/2011

My 6 year old son was put on Keppra in late February and over the last 4 weeks we have noticed he has been very agressive and irritable. Some days he is extremeley lethargic and does not go to school but his teacher and speech therapist have noticed he is a lot more attentive at school and is progressing. He has had 2 grand mal seizures the first lasting more than an hour and ever since has had 1 to as many as 15 absent seizures in one day prior to the medication but since being on keppra has not had any seizures. My biggest concern is the side effects like depression and suicidal thoughts??

Kristin - posted on 03/30/2011

My daughter started having seizures as an infant due to a Grade 4 IVH (brain bleed). She was put on phenobarb and the Trileptal and now is on Keppra (7cc BID). She still has seizures however, they only tend to happen when she is worn down. I have started to notice that she is having mood swings and her teacher has told me a aggression at school. She is aggressive at home to her sister but at first I didn't think much of it after all they're sibilings. I have not tried giving her the vitamin B6 but after reading all the posts that have said it helps i will start and hope it helps.

Sharon - posted on 03/30/2011

My son was on Keppra for children for a little over 2 years, from 11 months to a little older than 3 - I loved it!! There are other drugs, such as phenobarbitol, that I would NEVER have given him - they literally cause drooling and severe delays. It took many adjustments of his medication for him to find the right dose - upping the medication a little more each time - BUT he finally got the right dose.

He always tested with in normal range for dexterity and response to the neurological tests. Once we weened him off the medication, his neurologist said he far surpassed his age group - so it may cause a slight drowsiness - or cloudyness, but nothing noticible in my experience.



I did have one issue with the walgreens in Revere, MA. They filled a refill and on the bottle it said to take "4tsp 3x daily" - i knew it should have been "4ml 3x daily" so I called the doctor to make sure they hadn't changed the dosage, and sure enough - it would have killed him or left him in a horrible state of organ failure and a life in a wheelchair had I given it to him, so always check your labels and double check - pharmacists are only human, and errors happen quite often!!

Good luck!!

Brandi - posted on 03/24/2011

My son took Keppra for 6-8 months and we had to get him off of it. He had terrible mood swings. He is 7 now and takes tegretol xr and seems to be working well.

Jennifer - posted on 04/21/2009

My daughter started Keppra XR in Feb.(formerly on Topamax) She is alot older and she has had problems with her period, moodier, and developed menstral migraines since starting Keppra. Other than that she seems quite normal. She has been seizure free for 20 months and we are hopeful that she has grown out of it. I was told by the neurologist that many kids grow out of seizures. We are scheduled to start weening her off the meds in July.

Cleonice - posted on 04/21/2009

Hi, my name is cleo, a have a dauther she is 18 yr old, she on keppra for about 3 yrs everything is working just fine.

Jennifer - posted on 04/20/2009

My daughter was diagnosed with Simple Partial Seziures in February 2009. She was initially put on Tegretol but had an allergic reaction to it. She was then put on Keppra. It was an ordeal to get it. Here in Canada it's not recommended for people under the age of 18 and there was no formula to turn it into liquid form since it only comes in tablets here. After the pharmacist was able to get the formula to liquify she started it. We haven't noticed any behaviours yet. She has been on it for almost 2 months. I'll have to keep the vitamin B6 in mind. The only thing we are finding with the Keppra is that we have to keep upping her dosage. She started out at 100mg per 2mL twice a day then up to 150mg per 3mL twice a day, 200mg per 4mL twice a day and now we are on 250mg per 5mL twice a day and still having the odd seziure. The seziures are not as bad so I think we are getting close to the proper dosage, that is until she has a growth spurt again.

Jacquelyn - posted on 04/20/2009

My daughter was just taken off of Keppra because it made her severely hyperactive!!! Going from 545am until 930pm when I got her to passout. She was defiant, rebelious, and had no self control. I had to worry about her hurting herself just because she couldn't figure out how to act. As far as dev. delays, our peds nuero...chief of peds nuero at our hospital, told us that it was least likely to cause any delays and that is why she took that first

Stefanie - posted on 04/15/2009

My 7 yr old daughter has been on Keppra for over a yr now and it's working great! She's had no side effects and no seizures.

Megan - posted on 04/15/2009

my daughter started Keppra when she was 3 and it made her really tired all the time and violent. i demanded they switch it 6 weeks later.

Gemma - posted on 04/14/2009

hiya kayleigh, i have jus beein digiones with epileipsy and i have been put on the drug keppra, so far the only thing i have found off it is that it made evrything around me appear in slow motion and wasnt very nice but sfter abou 3 wks i have got used to this it also makes me quite sleepy and i have had a few mood swings off it but all in all compared to some of the side effects from some of the other drugs keppra has been fine. hope ur lil gal will b ok x x x

Jennifer - posted on 04/14/2009

My 12 yr old daughter has been on keppra since she has been about 7 yrs old. Yesterday the dr is taking her off it to replace it with another drug, it worked great till last year. She suffered no side affects from it at all.

Beth - posted on 04/13/2009

My daughter has been on Keppra since she was 4 (2004).  She is 8 now and the only side affect that we have seen has been mood swings.  My doctor increased her vitamin b6 and it does seem to help a little bit.  She does have a "break through" seizure every now and again but they are not harming her and we have opted to deal with a seizure every 3-6 months rather than have some of the side affects that come with the other more potent meds.  I hope this information helps and if you need more, please feel free to contact me at tmeak@cebridge.net  Hang in there!  Elizabeth Kohler

Heidi - posted on 04/13/2009

My son has been on it for about a year. The only side effect he really has is irritability (i.e. tantrums galore!). He seems to be developing right on track. He was on phenobarbital before that and his doctor warned that it could cause delays. No problems with Keppra though.

Sharon - posted on 04/13/2009

My daughter was on Keppra for about 3 years. She began taking it when she was about 2 and until she was 5. Initially, the medication was wonderful and thought this was the answer until she began demonstrating severe emotional swings accompanied by aggressive behavior. She became very unmanageable and began weaning her off. Once she stopped the medication her behavior improved dramatically.

With that said, you must consider that each person is individual with various responses. What works for my child doesn't necessarily work for another. My daughter is on Lamictal and works wonderfully for her but if you continue reading another parent says it doesn't work for her child. So, I caution you to just be vigilant and see what works for you child.

Like any other medication, you have to observe for 2 things......1. see if it works and 2. assess for any of the adverse affects and immediately notify the neurologist if symptoms worsen.

Good luck!!!!!!

Erin - posted on 04/09/2009

my daughter is 3 1/2 and has been taking keppra for about 1 1/2 yrs now - it's hard to tell if there are side effects for her, as she's taking it with trileptal and zonegran and her epilepsy is the result of a stroke. she has some cognitive/speech delays and we're not entirely sure whether they are secondary to her stroke, or med related. we're not experiencing any of the agression (beyond what is pretty normal for her age) that others have reported, but since there are adjunct meds it's a little hard to know. we were told by our neurologist that trileptal and keppra are both what they consider 'gold standard' seizure meds... our neuro did a study on keppra, and it may be available online - i'll take a look and see if i can post it for you - best of luck!!!

Megan - posted on 04/08/2009

Hi!

My 5 year old daughter started Keppra (for Absence Seizures) one month ago and she is doing great! Knock on wood, she has had no side effects and has done exceptionally well with this medication. She has had no episodes since starting on it. The pedi-neurologist who started her on the med is also a neurological pharmacologist and explained how well this med is and has helped so many children.  I am amazed! Just a back ground on me, I am against any medication...period. I have a fear of all side effects of any med...but in my daughter case, I had no choice but to administor the Keppra and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Best Wishes...

Megan Rodriguez 

Amanda - posted on 04/08/2009

oh but i forgot about the developmental delays, he is very advanced for his age and is a 15 month old at about a 20-22month old right now. so i don't think the mes hurt in that way. i wish you all the best of luck!

Amanda - posted on 04/08/2009

i have a son he is almost 15 months old now, he started keppra when he was 5-6months old, a week after starting he crawled and 2 week later sat on the floor for the first time ever and played by himself. (where as before he was always getting ready to go into a seizure so he wanted to be held, he was scared) it changed him in to a "normal" baby, but then he got really fussy and couldn't even function. they lowered his dosage, and now you can tell he is dizzy for about 1-2 hrs after taking it. i am taking him in june to get a 2nd opinion, i want to try something else. just be safe ALL medicine ha side effects, you just have to fin done that is right for you. it work awesome at first now its almost not worth it. he doent have his full blown ones any more but now he still has staring spells.

Vanessa - posted on 04/08/2009

MY SON WAS ON KEPPRS FOR THREE YEARS. HE HAS ADHD NOW. AND AS HE GOT OLDER HE GOT MEANER AND MEANER. I WOULD RECOMMEND DEPAKOTE SPRINKLES! ITS BEEN A GOOD DRUG FOR MY SON. HAVENT SEEN FULL BLOWN SEIZURE IN OVER TWO YEARS! GOOD LUCK!

Megan - posted on 04/08/2009

My daughter started taking Keppra this past December and she seems to be doing a lot better all in all still has a few seizures everyonce in a while but I like it a lot better then the Finabarb it was making me 1 year old mean and really Violent but so far I haven't seen any side effects I am hoping it doesn't have any devlopment delays.

Sherilyn - posted on 04/07/2009

Hi kayleigh I am a 25 year old woman who takes Keppra and it has been a miricle for me! I am also on Dilantin and Topamax. But I have also had seizures all my life and been on tons of different meds and this is one of the miricle drugs (I can't wait to get my license hopfully in 1 year after another year of being seizure free)!!!

Just pray and I hope it works for you too!!! :)

Carolyn - posted on 04/07/2009

Quoting Laurie:

My daughter, who also has Autism, experienced some really difficult behavioural side effects. It gave her good seizure control, however, but we are weaning her off it, because the aggression and obsessiveness were too tough to take.

Is keppra the only drug she's on, or is there an adjunt therapy as well? Have you tried any other anti-seizures, or is this the only one? I'm convinced that some of our problems we're having now is due to her meds, but we don't go for a medication review for a good 6 weeks or so. However, today is the one-year anniversery since her last seizure!!!! :)

Tonda - posted on 04/07/2009

My son has been on Keppra since he was 18 months old (now 3yrs) he has had no side effects. It does not completly stop his siezures so he took Trileptal for a few months but it upset his stomach so he is now on lamictal and once he gets up to his full dosage of it (takes 12 wks) he will be weened off the Keppra

Carolyn - posted on 04/07/2009

Quoting Dawn:

We also had to supplement vitamin B-6. We could only find it in the pill form and she won't take them so we use the B complex instead.  She wouldn't be overly aggressive, just mean.  We gave it to her twice a day, same as the Keppra.  Hoping to find solutions soon, hope you do, too!

We also gave B6 (also known as peridoxine) when we were on ACTH for IS treatments. We could only find it in pill form also, but if you take the pills to a good compounding pharmacy, they can make a liquid suspension for you. However, most insurance companies won't cover the cost as it's considered a "nutritional supplement" (never mind that it's adminstration was prescribed and part of an international protocol for the treatment of IS), but we found it was well worth the small cost. Just to warn you, the supplements are bitter and the only flavour we found that would cover it was mint, mint and more mint!!!

Dawn - posted on 04/07/2009

Quoting Micheel:

My 5 year old son is on keppra and on low doses he was fine once they started to up the dosage he became aggressive so vitamin B-6 was added as this would be the off-set on the aggressivenss

My daughter(4) has been on several different medications since first being diagnosed in May of 2008.  She's been on Keppra for 4 months now.  At first we were amazed with the results we were seeing, however, the seizures have started returning.  We will probably see an increase in the dosage by our next neurologist visit.  We also had to supplement vitamin B-6. We could only find it in the pill form and she won't take them so we use the B complex instead.  She wouldn't be overly aggressive, just mean.  We gave it to her twice a day, same as the Keppra.  Hoping to find solutions soon, hope you do, too!

Laurie - posted on 04/06/2009

My daughter, who also has Autism, experienced some really difficult behavioural side effects. It gave her good seizure control, however, but we are weaning her off it, because the aggression and obsessiveness were too tough to take.

Carolyn - posted on 04/06/2009

Quoting Kamesha:

Hi Kayleigh! My name is Kamesha, my son Trysten has a rare seizure disorder called infantile spasms that causes him to have 50 seizures a day. We actually did try keppra from about 4 months of age until he was about 1 years old. His nuerologist really believes in Keppra however, it did not help us. Even though Trysten was on Keppra for such a long period of time he never had any side effects he is delayed but its a reslult of the seizures not the Keppra. I think the keppra is worth a try it has worked for many kids that his neuroligist recommended it to. We just weren' t that lucky. I wish you the best in your decision and I hope everything works out

Our daughter Abigail also has IS (she's almost 3 now), we tried keppra paired with topomax after her 2nd round of ACTH, but only for 6 weeks as there was no difference in number of seizures and we moved quickly to VPA (valproic acid), a risky maneveour that paid off for us. She was 20 months or so at the time. We didn't notice any side effects either due to the keppra, although we had massive ones from the topomax. She was also delayed prior to starting keppra, she's since being diagnosed with Autism as well. We're now doing VPA paired with nitrazapam, that seems to be doing the trick, we're seizure-free for 1 year this week!!! :D

Amanda - posted on 04/04/2009

My daughter was only on Keppra for about 2 months at 4 & 5 mos old. I seem to remember that she seemed more sleepy. We specifically asked her pediatric neurologist about develpmental delays and he was very confident that it would have no effects that way, but that continued seizures at that age would eventually. However, we had minimal success with the Keppra and switched to a Trileptal/Topamax comb. that worked for 5 mos.

Rebecca - posted on 04/04/2009

My daughter has been on Keppra now for over 2 years and while we had to keep adjusting the dosage we have finally found the right one and the seizures are very minimal now.  I have not found any negative side effects other than her appetite has increased.  Since she was a 24wker she is extremely tiny so she has some catching up to do!  When she was first diagnosed with epileptic seizures she started off on Depakote but we had very negative results with this and the side effects were too dangerous.  But with Keppra she is alot more happier and calmer than she was before.  I can't help you with your questions about development delays because my daughter has Cerebral Palsy also.  Good luck

Rebecca - posted on 04/04/2009

My daughter has been on Keppra now for over 2 years and while we had to keep adjusting the dosage we have finally found the right one and the seizures are very minimal now.  I have not found any negative side effects other than her appetite has increased.  Since she was a 24wker she is extremely tiny so she has some catching up to do!  When she was first diagnosed with epileptic seizures she started off on Depakote but we had very negative results with this and the side effects were too dangerous.  But with Keppra she is alot more happier and calmer than she was before.  I can't help you with your questions about development delays because my daughter has Cerebral Palsy also.  Good luck

Kristine - posted on 04/04/2009

seizures due to immunizations..... do you have any more info on this? My son is twelve and just developed seizures due to immunizations or a flu shot in combo with imm. also had been on an antibiotic prior to immunizations and flu sho..t we are totally new to all this need any infop possible thank you.......Kristi

Lisa - posted on 04/04/2009

My daughter was diagnosis with seizures at the age of three mths and they called them febril. So when the fever occurred we knew that a seizure was going to happen. Motrin was the remedy.. As yrs go on at the age of 7... she experiance a seizure w/o having a fever. but it happened once.No med's were recommeded..but, At the age 10yrs old, it reoccurred this time but,back to back within several hours apart ..The doctor decieded to start her on med's. "Keppra" was introduced and truely, her seizures are maintained. So far.. "thank god"!! As a parent i get very concern. she does normal activities like normal children.. >>However,NOW!!since the summer is comming... I have doubts to let her go back to sleep away camp..since this last episode..

Dianna - posted on 04/04/2009

Good morning! My daughter had her first Grand Mal Seizure September 2007 at 10 years old. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy then was prescribed Keppra. She won't swallow pills so she takes the liquid form. She hasn't experienced any side effects. She only has seizures while she is sleeping so we don't know how many she is truly experiencing. The ones we have noticed have been very mild with just a little bit of shaking for less than a minute. The doctor seems to be pleased with this, however, I am somewhat nervous since her seizures only occur at night.......They say this is rare. My daughter is doing well in school and physical activity so we are praying for the best.

Ellen - posted on 04/04/2009

Hi my 13 year old son has had seizures since he was 2 we have tried tegretol,lamictal,epilim and clobazam most of these were taken all at the same time he is now on keppra and has been for 8 months although he was very tired and emotional every time the dosage was increased there has been no other side effects..Anything is worth a try and i hope it works 4 you,it has slowed johnathons seizures however does not stop them

Lisa - posted on 04/04/2009

Hi Kayleigh

My Son Ryan-Keegan he is 5 years old and suffers from a seizure disorder caused from a rare genetic disorder called Acrocallosal Syndrome he has gelastic siezures which are laughing seizures he has been on Keppra for 11 months but he is on a combination of the keppra and topamax since than it hasent stopped the seizures but it has helped he can go a couple of days sometimes even a week without one where as before he was having them everyday faithfully no specific amount could be 1 could have been 6. Hang in there

Lisa

Shelly - posted on 04/03/2009

we have had GREAT success with Keppra. My daughter has taken it since she was 2 years old. She is developmentally progressing fine and functions well in the regular classroom. We also do not need to worry about what over the counter medications to give her when she is sick. We have not found one yet that mixed badly with the Keppra

Yvonne - posted on 04/03/2009

My son was diagnosed with seizures at 8 weeks old.  Since taking the Keppra he has not had a single seizure.  I have however noticed that he is very aggresive.  He bites, hits and growls.  I have mentioned this to my peadiatric neuologist who says I am wrong!?!  The side effects clearly state aggression and mood swings.  He is only 11 months old but I am very worried that he aggressiveness may get worse. 

Rachael - posted on 04/03/2009

my daughter has been on Keppra for 5months now. To begin with she was very emotional. One minute in floods of tears the next absolute rage. She did have moments of sleepiness or hyperactivity. Now she is settled on it it is brilliant. She hasn't had a seizure since being on it and is now doing very well at school. She does ballet and jazz and is able to carry on with a normal life fit free. I hope she remains fit free and i wish you every luck on Keppra.

Tracy - posted on 03/08/2009

My daughter is on Keppra for about three months now.  Shes good on it, but when she first started it she was soooo drained.  I couldnt even get her to sit up so that i could do her hair! Once her body adjust shes ok.  It happens every time they change her dosage too.  Shes either suuper sleepy or suuuper hyper. Nothing bad though.

Tracy - posted on 03/08/2009

My daughter is on Keppra for about three months now.  Shes good on it, but when she first started it she was soooo drained.  I couldnt even get her to sit up so that i could do her hair! Once her body adjust shes ok.  It happens every time they change her dosage too.  Shes either suuper sleepy or suuuper hyper. Nothing bad though.

Siobhan - posted on 03/05/2009

hi yeah i am a new mom and i have been taking keppra for about 7 years now i have no side affects but this keppra is a new drug so they cant actually say if there are any side affects or not cause they dnt have enough data on this drug such as yet to say. i hope that helps u loads.

Jane - posted on 03/05/2009

My daughter is now 20 years old she has epilepsy and has been on Keppra for 2 years and is in college she hasnt had a seizure since being on the highest dose ,She works full time at a restaurant and college full time.She takes vitamin b6 to control her moods that helps because Keppra causes her to have mood swings and this vitamin helps Keppra also gave her a five thousand dollar scholarship and its absorbed by the kidneys and not through the liver so its the only medication that does that and she has a bleeding disorder and cant use other meds that the liver absorbs thts her in the picture with me

Amber - posted on 03/04/2009

My son was on it for a few months and he's 10 now (was 9) and the only side effect that i saw was that he was aggressive and mean.  We couldn't handle the temperment changes and had to take him off of it.

Kayla - posted on 03/04/2009

My son started having seizures when he was 3 days old. He started on Phenobarb for 6 months then started having grand mal seizures when he was 8 months. They put him on Keppra. I hated it. It did not stop any of his seizure, infact he had 6 seizures in one day while admitted to Boston Childrens Hospital. I hated the stuff. He was then put on Trileptal and has gone a year and a half seizure free up until three weeks ago. Keppra did not work for my son. I hope you have better luck with it. I opt for Trileptal but that is because it has worked so well for my son.

Sharon - posted on 03/30/2011

My son was on Keppra for children for a little over 2 years, from 11 months to a little older than 3 - I loved it!! There are other drugs, such as phenobarbitol, that I would NEVER have given him - they literally cause drooling and severe delays. It took many adjustments of his medication for him to find the right dose - upping the medication a little more each time - BUT he finally got the right dose.

He always tested with in normal range for dexterity and response to the neurological tests. Once we weened him off the medication, his neurologist said he far surpassed his age group - so it may cause a slight drowsiness - or cloudyness, but nothing noticible in my experience.



I did have one issue with the walgreens in Revere, MA. They filled a refill and on the bottle it said to take "4tsp 3x daily" - i knew it should have been "4ml 3x daily" so I called the doctor to make sure they hadn't changed the dosage, and sure enough - it would have killed him or left him in a horrible state of organ failure and a life in a wheelchair had I given it to him, so always check your labels and double check - pharmacists are only human, and errors happen quite often!!

Good luck!!