I went for a meeting with my neurologist last month to discuss coming off the pill & relying only on anti epileptic drugs (i'll call them AED's) so I could get my body back to having a period & begin trying to conceive later this year. I expected a good month or so before anything would happen, I got a phone call 2 days ago from my GP. She stated that she had made a prescription for me to have the drug Keppra as well as my usual dose of Lamotragine in order to help me come off the pill & start finding something to stop my seizures. I was shocked it happened so quickly but at the same time, excited, yet terrified.
I have prepared myself for the worst. I know it may cause more seizures, I know the side effects (I've read them over & over again) so although I know what I know, its the fact that the side effects can happen so quickly after starting Keppra. So yesterday morning was my final morning of taking the pill. That night, I took my first dose of Keppra. After 2 weeks of taking Keppra at night only along with my other medication, I can then have keppra & lamotragine twice a day. Now, currently I will have 550mg of drugs in me per day. After 2 weeks it will rocket to 800mg per day in total. Yes that terrifies me. But I realise there are changes that needed to be made & yes it will be difficult but this is something I've wanted for a few years, I now feel im ready for this change. I have a lot of support & that helps enormously.
It feels weird knowing im off the pill. I was terrified last night to have sex with OH knowing I would be off the pill today. He told me it only stops working when I stop using it, but I had this thought in my mind. "What if it wears off at night & because im not taking it tomorrow it means I could be pregnant?!" I don't know how it works.
So, because this is about to be a long journey for me, i'd like to share it with you gals. As not only extra support for me & advice for me, but also as awareness if anyone else is going through a similar thing to me. I'll keep you posted as much as I can. Oh whilst im here, I think its best I list the side effects.
Very common:
A common cold.
Sleepiness.
Headaches.
Common:
Anorexia.
Loss of appetite.
Depression.
Hostility.
Aggression.
Anxiety.
Insomnia.
Nervousness.
Irritability.
Convulsion.
Balance disorder.
Dizziness.
Lethargy.
Tremor.
Sensation of rotation.
Cough.
Abdominal pain.
Diarrhoea.
Indigestion.
Vomiting.
Nausea.
Rash.
Tiredness.
Uncommon:
Decreased number of blood platelets
Decreased number of white blood cells.
Weight decrease
Weight increase
Suicide attempt
Suicidal thoughts
Mental disorder
Abnormal behaviour
Hallucination
Anger
Confusion
Panic attack
Emotional instability
Mood swings
Agitation
Loss of memory
Forgetfulness
Abnormal coordination
Tingling
Loss of concentration
Double vision
Blurred vision
Liver function test abnormal
Hair loss
Eczema
Pruritus
Muscle weakness
Muscle pain
Injury.
Soo quite a lot to take in.