Can Keppra cause Neuropathy
 

I am wondering if taking Keppra can cause neuropathy in my feet? I have had epilepsy since I was 16. I had a motorcycle wreck and have been taking different meds for years. I have complex partial seizures. It is like I am daydreaming when I have one. I am out for 30 seconds or so, just staring. Anyway, Nothing seemed to "cure" the seizures. Fast forward to 2010. I started to take Keppra with Topamax and that stopped the seizures! But... a year later I started to notice a slight difference in my walk. I was helping my son on his addition on the roof and I couldn't walk the ridge like I normally could unless I grabbed something for balance. It got worse. My feet were "dropping" at the toes and I literally had to pick my feet up or they would drag my toes. This happened over the course of 5 years I would say. I went to the doc and they ran tests at Washington University in ST. Louis, MO but could not find anything. I finally had to get braces for my feet which help but my balance is shot. I still work but it is frustrating. My nero says it is not the Keppra. I was taking Topamax before. I am 62 now and have never weighed over 155 lbs. I don't have the pins and needles that some folks have with neuopathy. I am taking B12 for that. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks,
Gene

Gene, my thinking is that almost any med could bring on neuropathy. I think I read that you don't have pins/needles...I developed neuropathy from hip replacement in 2010, but the pins/needles settled in both thigh and feet. Could you have some arthritis issues as well?

Hi Gene

Welcome to NeuroTalk :). The Search option (https://www.neurotalk.org/search.php) may assist you to to find helpful topics here.

This link to Keppra may help you,

Keppra Uses, Dosage & Side Effects - Drugs.com

Best wishes.

Thanks kiki,
I posted a question to the neuro board a few years ago about the keppra but never got an answer one way or the other. From the side effects it looks like it can cause balance issues but it doesn't say anything about causing neuropathy. I guess I will deal with it the best I can. I just hate it because I am so active and can't sit still. Thanks all!
Gene

The funny thing is--
 

--in my research over the years, I have not seen Keppra mentioned as having side effects that feel like neuropathy--that is, burning, parastheses, and the like--but I have seen that mentioned with Topamax, and not only in anecdotal reports:

Side Effects of Topamax (Topiramate), Warnings, Uses

Topamax - Weight Loss, Migraine Treatment, & Other Uses


As anticonvulsants go, Topamax is one of the weirder ones; it's side effect profile differs from man of the other drugs in that class, including being associated with weight loss rather than weight gain as most of the others are.

It may behoove you to have a good long consultation with your epileptologist as regards possible other drug combinations that can be tried.

How about working on that "can't".... being still is good for the body and soul too. I rarely put the word "can't" in my life. Listen to the body...

If you look at the Drugs.com link about Keppra in kiwi's post, you'll find "problems with walking or movement" listed as among the side effects you should report to your doctor.

"Numbness of the feet, hands, and around the mouth" is also listed as a common side effect that needs to be reported to the doctor. Problems with balance are also mentioned.

Although the neuro has said that the Keppra couldn't be causing this problem, it's possible that it could be causing it anyway.

Would it be possible to ask your doctor if it would be OK to try cutting out the Keppra for a while just so you can see if your foot symptoms get better without it?

I'm assuming that a doctor has checked any drugs you're taking to make sure that some drug isn't interacting badly with another.

Sometimes you have to tinker with drugs and their dosages until you figure out what is causing what, but every drug you take in can cause problems. Particularly if you're also taking other drugs.

Hi Gene,


Sorry to hear about your balancing problems.
By chance, do you know the name of your particular seizures?


Best wishes,


Diamond Tiger<3

I meant to add this to my post. Seizure medication is complicated. I'm wondering if your medication isn't working as well as it once had in the past.

I had seizures as a kid and was put on all kinds of different medications. In which, none never seem to be effective enough to keep them at bay and under control without needing to be rushed to the hospital from having a bad seizure multiple times. I had to have surgery for it when I was just 11 years old. I have been seizure free since and haven't taken any medications at all for seizures.

Best wishes,

Diamond Tiger<3

I have complex partial seizures. They have been completely controlled for almost 11 years now. I didn't drive for 20 years because of the seizures. I had stage 3 colon cancer more than 5 years ago and the doc was saying that was the cause of the neuropathy. But, the only problem with that is that I had tests for the neuropathy the year before my cancer! I found paperwork confirming this while digging through my desk drawer the other day. So, that is why I am inclined to think it is the Topamax. After reading what others have posted about it's side affects about balance it adds up to me.
Thanks,
Gene