Sean complains of stomach aches all the time now. He never used to before he had seizures and went on Keppra. What he describes sounds like heartburn--pain in his chest and back sometimes, plus nausea. Should I take him into the doctor AGAIN? Is this from his meds? Is it just part of the territory of having seizures? It just seems so UNFAIR that my little guy feels so bad so much of the time, when he never used to. Thanks for listening.
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Side effects
It could be the Keppra -- I'd believe it if somebody told me that Keppra made you grow two heads. I HATE that drug--not that any of them are great, but I really don't like Keppra. It turned Aidan into a zombie. I know it takes a while for his body to get used to AEDS, but that was awful.
Have you talked to your doctor about trying different meds?
Stomach aches
Michaela's Depakene made her feel like she was going to throw up all the time for the first month she was on it. Because she's not very verbal, it took me a while to figure out that's what was going on -- she just refused to eat.
Stomachaches
It helps a little bit to know that some other kids are having trouble with stomachaches, too, but I still don't know if it's from the Keppra or not. I've read so much about the ketogenic diet --here and in the news lately--and I really want to give it a try. Do most medical centers use the KD?
Over medicating is very common
I recall when Adam was in grade one and two he was so sick from the medications that he was sicked to his stomach most of the time. He vomited continously. He was so wacked out on the drugs that they brought a couch into the classroom so he could sleep when he needed to.
The doctors said it was acceptable and par for the course.
Then it dawned on me. If Adam was having such an extreme reaction to the drugs that his body was throwing them up. I needed to pay more attention. I know if I was feeding him food that was making him sick and throwing up I would stop. The body is very smart.
It was also about this same time that the school asked us to have Adam evaluated by the psychologist so they could assess his IQ and check his level so they could get funding for a teachers aide.
The appointment was booked and we arrived. The psychologist called us in to the room and noticed that Adam couldn't even walk a straight line and he wasn't sure he could even test him. They asked us to set-up another session with his doctor and have his medication levels checked.
At his next doctor's appointment we explained the situation and what the psychologist had said. We expected the doctor to decrease his dosage. He did not....he INCREASED it!
The was the straw that broke the camel's back for us. I realized that if I did not take control of the situation and manage the situation Adam would probably die.
It was also around this same time that I had started to take notice that everytime I took Adam back to Children's Hospital that I had to explain all over again who Adam was and why he was there. He had a chart that was about ten inches thick, but the doctor's were so busy it was becoming very obvious that he was just a number.
I don't believe stomach aches are acceptable even if the doctors believe they "are an acceptable side effect".
Arlene Martell (Mom of Adam above)
Publisher, EpilepsyMoms.com
What a wake up call
WOW! I know something isn't right, but it wasn't until I read your post that I understood that Sean is probably overmedicated. I'm making an appointment with his doctor today.
Somewhere else I read that seizures might be less harmful than medications. Given what I've seen--his stomachaches and his outbursts of anger--I think that might be true. It scares the bejeebers out of me to think about taking him OFF medications and watching him have seizures, but maybe that's better than what he's going through now.
I'm guessing that you went on the ketogenic diet before stopping meds. Yes?