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Several months before my wife's affair she was given an additional anti seizure med called Keppra. This drug comes with a whole host of nasty side effects that include increased aggression, hostility, irritability, mood swings, personality changes, and a few others.

Now, we both acknowledge that she's responsible for her decisions, but keppra is infamous for changing people. I've joined a few epilepsy groups on Facebook and the overwhelming consensus is to avoid keppra. So many people have lost friends, family, and yes, even marriages while on it. There's even a term for it, "keppra rage."

She's ultimately responsible for the choices she made, but it can't be ignored that when she had her affair it wasn't too long after she finished titration to the dosage she's at now. It did change her. We started arguing over everything and she became a different person. She's been on it for well over a year now, and seems to have adjusted to it. Which is something it's also known for. Some people do adjust. She's back to her old lovable self and I'd daresay even happy now.

She had another seizure a couple of months ago (25-30 second absence seizure, not a full blown grand mal), and her Dr wants to increase her dosage, but she's terrified of the side effects. We've done a deep dive on it, and it is known to really screw some people up. I know we're all hesitant to place any blame on external sources here, but from my reading it very well could have been a pretty big factor with her decision making and personality changes. She was not the same for several months. Obviously we don't want her to have another seizure, but damnit, we're back to a pretty good place again now and really don't want to rock the boat on these still choppy seas.

She hasn't increased her dose yet, and I think we're going to explore some alternatives. I'm being told that briviact is a good one to switch to, or even just taking vitamin b6 with keppra helps a lot. We're going to have a discussion with her neurologist about it. The thing is, it does have a really good track record for controlling seizures.

I'm not looking for, nor do I expect any medical advice here, but just wanted to vent a little bit. The more I read, the more I think she would have never done this if it weren't for keppra. It really did number on her. We were together for almost 28 years when she had her affair, and there was never even a hint of a possibility she'd ever do something like this. It absolutely changed her.

Pogre, I'm not a doctor and I have a minor background in neuroscience, but yes, hormones, drugs, and brain damage can all cause drastic changes in human behavior. Does it explain why she cheated? Hard to say for sure, of course. I totally get why you and she would be nervous about upping her dosage.

Remember that doctors are not omniscient, especially so in neuroscience/neurology. They are doing their best to help patients with the knowledge and understanding that they have, but it is okay for patients to push back. It's okay (and often necessary, as in my own case) to advocate for ourselves and the circumstances of our lives and our bodies. Your wife has the right to refuse treatment, to ask for alternatives, and to get second or third opinions. US health insurance can be a nightmare, but patients still have some rights.

That said, I'm sorry that you and she are having to make these kinds of choices. I hope her neurologist (or another neurologist) will be able to offer some alternative paths that are less stressful and still effective.

I’m sorry you are facing this terrible situation. I hope you find a solution that works for you. Without terrible side effects.

[This message edited by The1stWife at 9:48 PM, Saturday, January 31st]

She is on medication so it is always wise to be under strict medical monitoring for every change.

As you both understand the risks and side effect, the best and most sensible thing to do is to consult another specialist to ask for a second opinion, explaining the historical situation and your fears that it might have played a role in the issues.

With a better scope another doctor could recommend a different course of actions or validate the risk benefits of increasing the dosage.
I am not updated on the matter (not my area of expertise anyway) so this is the best suggestion I can give you

Due to a medical condition (not epilepsy) - my son has been on seizure medicine for almost 20 years. At first he was on Dilantin - but his neurologist says it can cause tremors after long term use - so she switched him to Keppra. The change in him was instantaneous and horrible. He became agitated, angry, extremely argumentative. His daughter was three at the time and he became verbally abusive to her and other family members. He knew how he was acting was wrong - but said he had a hard time controlling his emotions. We talked to his neurologist and she immediately switched him to another medication (don't know if I am allowed to name the medication).
The change in his was amazing. He is now back to his even tempered, sweet disposition. He has apologized to family members for his "shitty" behavior - but we all assured him we knew it was the medication and not him.

I can tell you that the "keppra rage" is real - I saw it in my son and have read other people's story of how keppra affected them.

I hope your wife is able to find the best dosage and medication for her. Good luck and best wishes.

Due to a medical condition (not epilepsy) - my son has been on seizure medicine for almost 20 years. At first he was on Dilantin - but his neurologist says it can cause tremors after long term use - so she switched him to Keppra. The change in him was instantaneous and horrible. He became agitated, angry, extremely argumentative. His daughter was three at the time and he became verbally abusive to her and other family members. He knew how he was acting was wrong - but said he had a hard time controlling his emotions. We talked to his neurologist and she immediately switched him to another medication (don't know if I am allowed to name the medication).
The change in his was amazing. He is now back to his even tempered, sweet disposition. He has apologized to family members for his "shitty" behavior - but we all assured him we knew it was the medication and not him.

I can tell you that the "keppra rage" is real - I saw it in my son and have read other people's story of how keppra affected them.

I hope your wife is able to find the best dosage and medication for her. Good luck and best wishes.

Oh, man. You do know what I'm talking about!

She's past the rage stage and mellowed right back out. I think her body has gotten used to it so she's right back to her old sweetheart self again now. The shift in her personality was dramatic, and so was the shift back as her body adjusted to the slowly increasing doses over time once it became steady and consistent. She also takes dilantin. He added keppra on top of it.

I think this is part of the reason R is going as well and as soon as it has for us, because she really wasn't herself and I knew that it was messing with her head. She feels absolutely horrible about the way she acted and some of the things she's done. Her grief and remorse are very sincere. It's palpable. While I'm still incredibly hurt, I've already forgiven a lot because I know that really wasn't her. She was being influenced by a powerful drug she didn't ask for with a reputation for turning people into monsters. I, too have read a a lot of accounts of what it can do to people.

I think we're going to hold fast to her current dosage, and if she has another seizure we're going to insist on switching to something else. She wants nothing to do with another increase, I have my wife back, amd don't want to go down that road again. There are quite a few different meds that can be tried.

I really appreciate you sharing your experience. Thank you for that.

Our son's neurologist admitted that finding effective medication is a "crapshoot" (her word !). So glad your wife is tolerating her current dosage well.

I made a Facebook post about it in one of the epilepsy groups (not mentioning the infidelity part) and someone replied with this:

"I was on Keppra for awhile.... I lost all my friends and most my family from the rage. I almost lost myself. It took some time for us to understand what was happening and what was causing this. Thankfully, I'm over that. On to other meds now. Of course I've been diagnosed as Refractory/Intractable.

I average between 4-6 tonic seizures a month and I am sure I have no idea how many absent seizures. Get yourself a specialized EPILEPTOLOGIST vs a neurologist. Find a different medication. There are plenty of other medications."

I'm receiving dozens of similar replies. Someone posted a "The Waterboy" meme that reads "Keppra is the devil!"

That poor guy, having 4 - 6 tonic seizures a month... my wife's are pretty well under control at this point. She has 3 or 4 very mild absence seizures a year. Juuuust enough that she's not safe to drive. Boy, that combined with her keppra rage sure led to a lot of arguments. She HATED being told she wasn't safe to drive anymore, but damnit. She could end up dead and possibly take some people with her. I REFUSED to give in on that. That was a source of great distress and many arguments. Of course her AP used that to make me look like I was just an asshole because he's a fucking idiot and drives with the same condition.

The whole thing was such a frigging mess. I'm so glad she's leveled out now. Every time they increased her dose it was like another wave of misery not only for her, but everyone around her.

The background. My friend is married to the kindest man I’ve ever met. His children say he is, his wife says he is. They have been married many years with grown children. She did not tell me why she was put on a short term medicine because it was not a seizure. That was not the point of the conversation. What the point of the conversation was this gentle, sweet woman was put on some medication and immediately started plotting her husband‘s murder. She would have nothing to do with him and would go into a room by herself to figure out how to kill him and get away with it. When she finally came off the medicine, she was appalled at where that violent, vicious thinking came from because she never has it otherwise. I don’t know what the medication was.
I can tell you when my doctor switched my estrogen pill from one to the other. I went into a black hole of despair immediately. I called him and he told me to flush those things away immediately and put me back on my original dosage. Please please please go to some doctor that works with you and your wife on a daily basis because you do not want that same reaction again.