Seizures

Crkddy

DW with late stage early on-set had a seizure at home last Friday. Called 911 and EMTs transported her to local hospital, where she had another seizure in the ER. She was admitted and stayed in the hospital for 5 days. The first two days she did not wake up. They did a number of diagnostic tests but didn't determine a specific cause. They did find that she had a severe UTI. I've got her back home now and she is functioning about the same (if not better) as she was before the seizures. The doctors put her on Keppra in effort to prevent further seizures.

As anyone else experienced this with their loved ones?

M1

I have no personal experience but i know others have posted about this before. Seizures are a relatively rare complication of dementia but not unheard of. I hope she does well on the Keppra, i think it's a drug that is pretty well tolerated. Do keep us posted please.

Quilting brings calm

Keppra worked well for our son who had epilepsy - but please make sure she takes it on schedule. Sudden stopping of it can result in a seizure. It can also cause anger issues. So watch for that.

Jeanne C.

My husband had a seizure a few weeks ago and hospice started him on keppra. So far no additional seizures. All the best to you. I know how scary it must have been.

Crkddy

Thanks for your responses. She seems to be tolerating the Keppra ok thus far. I had not heard before that seizures can be a complication of dementia. It was totally unexpected and terrifying. It is comforting to know that others have similar experiences. Seems that whenever we get settled into a care routine, something changes to upset the apple cart. I recently told my sister this journey is series of constant adjustments. In the middle of year seven now and I'm starting to get burned out. I pray for patience and strength to continue.

Chloe mom

Hi

I am on the other side of this with my DH having un-controlled seizures over the last 30 years. According to Depart of Veteran’s Affairs, the seizures can cause dementia. I have noticed changes in his seizure activity since he has moved into what I figure is Stage 4. Dementia and seizures all play a role in the functioning of the brain. Hopefully you won’t have as much problem with the seizures being on the Keppra. They can be scary until you get used to them. Hugs

MN Chickadee

My mother had a seizure in later stage Alzheimer's, and had no history of them before that. It was quite a surprise. They put her on Keppra. Not sure if it was the introduction of Keppra or a result of the seizure itself, but she was super sleepy and out of it for a few weeks but then normalized. She also had a UTI at the time, it was discovered in the ER. The hypothesis was the infection was enough to tip the scales in the brain chemistry, or some such thing. The stress from an infection can cause all kinds of unexpected issues when the brain is already so compromised. Or maybe it was a coincidence, who knows.

FYI Keppra is one med that cannot be crushed, so we had to discontinue it later when she could no longer swallow pills, but by then she was on hospice and didn't have long, so we weren't as concerned about seizure prevention.

jfkoc

UTIs can be very serious…glad you caught it.

Vitruvius

My DW had a series of small seizures, including "silent" seizures that eventually led to her placement in a MCF. She was placed on Keppra, but unlike the other responses here, she did not tolerate it well and it led to a very noticeable change in personality with very negative thoughts and an increase in difficult behavior. Her neurologist took her off Keppra after a short while. These seizures probably hastened her decline, but decline was inevitable and at least she was much happier and more pleasant. So the point being to become aware of all potential side effects and keep a close eye out for them. Then you and your medical team can decide what to do about them.