Generic Name: Vimpat for Seizures (lacosamide)
"Vimpat is a horrible drug, very toxic! I had many side effects: headaches, nausea, tiredness, constipation, flatulence, stomach discomfort, shaking of hands, depression, heart palpitations, memory problems, muscle pains (legs and back). I felt terribly tired and could not cope with my daily activities. I had problems with speaking, my memory and my concentration got a lot worse. My sleep was badly affected. I had to quit my job and my social life. Every day was a struggle and I felt as if I had lost control of my own life!!! This drug had a terrible impact on my life and DID NOT eliminate my seizures. I now see that I am not the only one to have experienced those side effects, though my previous doctor denied many of them. I still ask myself why my previous doctor is so fond of this drug???? Partnership with pharma UCB? As he was resistant to change this drug, I have decided to change doctors."
"I have been taking Vimpat for a while now and had a lot of these symptoms listed below. Tiredness, dizziness, headaches, double vision, loss of balance, feeling faint, shaky/trembling, nausea, shortness of breath, pounding heart beat, trouble sleeping, dark urine, irritability, panic attacks, worsen anxiety, memory issues, ringing in the ears, can't find the word when speaking, weight gain, nervous tics, and itching. On top of that my seizure activity seemed to increase, not decrease. I have told my doctor over and over again and she told me to increase the dosage! Then, the doctor tried to push the VNS surgery on me. I thought about it at first, but I have not read the best reviews on that either. I feel like she is shoving Vimpat and VNS surgery down my throat so she can get kickbacks from the pharmaceutical companies."
"This drug is incredible. Absolutely saved my life. But it’s CRAZY expensive. I’m afraid I might have to go off of it because I literally might have to take out a bank loan to be able to keep affording it. Makes me sad because it’s the first (and only) med that’s ever completely controlled my seizures."
"Vimpat has been prescribed for seizures. I had been on Topamax and Lamictal for years. The Vimpat is taking the place of the Topamax. Side effects of Topamax were unbearable - poor word retrieval, tremors, and weight loss. Since the medication change (2 months ago), I am dealing with extreme short-term memory loss and weight gain. I've had no seizures and love the fact that word retrieval is easier (but not fully resolved). I feel vain, but the weight gain is a problem for me. Is anyone dealing with weight gain too? What about short-term memory issues?"
"Vimpat 200 mg, 2x/day. 10 mg clobazam 1x a day. Vimpat is a honeymoon drug, it works great for a few years and then: -ringing in ears (highly manageable) -insomnia -Memory issues! -laziness sets in, everything is a chore! For people using Vimpat in their 50s, you will eventually experience all the above, especially if on the max dosage. Your biggest complaint will be SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS! AND INABILITY TO ARTICULATE YOURSELF PROPERLY. You will be looking at a bunch of documents you were working on just the day before and can't remember what they are for! Names of people and thoughts SHOT! I am severely disappointed with Vimpat, I thought I finally hit the right drug therapy but I guess good things must come to an end. I would appreciate if anyone can suggest something new and shiny for complex partials. By the way, titration is highly unpleasant. You might have self-harm ideations as well! Try to take really early in the am and on the dot at night. A very pricey drug!"
"I read through a lot of the negative reviews below and was really surprised. Vimpat has been the best medication for me. I've been taking it for almost 3 years and it has stopped my seizures and has way fewer side effects than any other anti-epileptic I've taken. The thing with finding the right drug for you is that you have to take into account literally everything in your life. With the most common type of epilepsy, seizures can be triggered by pretty much everything. On another note, titrating up on any anti-epileptic will cause side effects regardless of the drug. It's a matter of your body adjusting to the drug. Every time I titrated up a dose, I experienced side effects for about a month or so. BUT I've been on 400 mg for over a year and have been fine, minus the unavoidable, occasional dizziness and vertigo. And the typical speech and memory problems come from having epilepsy, not necessarily from the drugs. Do your research! And if you have insurance, Vimpat is affordable."
"Was on Keppra for a long time and introduced to Vimpat along with it. The side effects for Keppra almost blinded me and I went off of it and only take Vimpat now. Didn't realize how brutal the headaches were on Keppra until I stopped the Keppra. Vimpat works for me and keeps the seizures away."
"I have been on Vimpat for four years and have been seizure-free since starting it. I do get a little dopey an hour after I take it; however, it's not to the degree that it interferes with work or driving. The side effects lessen the longer I've been on it. I'm in NC, and my insurance does cover all but a $50 copay. This medicine is a lifesaver. I've tried Keppra, Topamax, Lamictal, and Depakote with no success. My doctor does yearly Vimpat blood level labs to make sure I keep at a therapeutic level and also screens vitamin D and B12 levels every six months since they can be affected by Vimpat. Good luck on your journey."
"Horrible drug. I had nausea and threw up several times, taking it with food did not prevent this. I was on both Vimpat and Keppra at the same time (I was being weaned off Keppra then). For the first three weeks, I would take both at the same time. When I would take them both, I would end up with heart palpitations, and I don't even have heart problems! I looked it up online since there was nothing about this in Vimpat's information pamphlet. When I did, it said that heart palpitations are more likely to occur if you take Vimpat with Keppra. There is nothing about this interaction in either drug's information pamphlet. There should be. My neurologist didn't even know there was an interaction. I found out because I typed in 'Vimpat Heart Palpitations' on Google. It was listed on a medical website. If the information I read is online, why isn't it in the information pamphlets for both drugs? I had to take the Vimpat and Keppra separately, five hours apart, to avoid this ugly cross-interaction."
"I have been on Keppra for a year and just started Vimpat 6 wks ago. The Vimpat seems to have controlled my simple partial seizures. However, I have noticed the side effects are troublesome. Some of the side effects are shakes, depression, anxiety, mood swings, dizziness, but the most troublesome is the effect it has on my memory. It feels like I can't find my words or I've forgotten information I should know. I'm 50 years of age and have tried many different types of medication in the past 43 years for seizure control, and Vimpat is working. However, the side effects on memory are affecting my job performance."
"Make sure you are getting a factory-sealed bottle! VIMPAT only has a shelf life of 7 weeks once opened. We were getting VIMPAT dispensed from a larger opened bottle at our pharmacy. This bottle may have been open well outside of the shelf life per VIMPAT guidelines. We changed the prescription over to another pharmacy and started to receive a factory-sealed bottle. I mentioned this because during the time of receiving VIMPAT from the original pharmacy, our 3-year-old myoclonic seizure activity was not controlled. Our doctor couldn't believe the VIMPAT wasn't working and increased the dosage slowly. When we switched over to new ones (sealed bottle), the seizures stopped immediately, and he has been seizure-free for 3 weeks now."
"I have had all kinds of seizures and taken just about every medicine over the last 25 years. Now I take only Vimpat. Seizure free for over 2 years. Yes, I still have memory issues, and meds make me sleepy for about 30 minutes, but I could never stay on my medicines because I work. I currently take meds daily and work about 45-50 hours per week! Vimpat has greatly improved the quality of my life."
"As a spouse of a Vimpat user, I can tell you what I have observed. First of all, it completely stopped the seizures. My wife has returned to work and is driving. She does not have depression or show any physical side effects. However, recently she has had some trouble sleeping and some memory problems. Nothing dangerous, just annoying. She does have hormone rushes, but we are not sure if it is from Vimpat or her age, she is 54. So far, this is the best medicine she has been on. When first diagnosed, she tried others, but they made her very depressed. She is a little short-tempered, but nothing we can't live with."
"My doctor put me on Vimpat, got the first prescription for 20 dollars, went to fill today, $13000 dollars. Really liked it but can't afford it, so now I have to take an affordable med. It cost more than my house payment."
"I have been taking Vimpat 400 mg/day for a year and Keppra 3000 mg/day for five years. Yes, this combination stopped my grand mal seizures completely. That's great. However, the side effects are extreme, and Vimpat will bankrupt you. You have to weigh the benefits and downsides before you jump in. The price of Vimpat is $1,000 per month thanks to UCB, the maker."
"I noticed a difference from the first time I began taking it. I had fewer seizures, and as the dose was increased, and Zonisamide was removed from my system, my seizure control improved. I'm now on one pill of Vimpat, twice a day and seizure-free for two years. Thank you for having the God-given wisdom to use the knowledge you received to make this medicine. It has changed my life."
"I have had nocturnal seizures since the age of 7. I am now 35 years old. I have been on every medication I can think of. I even had a VNS put in that did absolutely nothing for me. I have been on Vimpat for a year now, it's like my little blue magic pill, as soon as I started it, my seizures went away. I'm also on Carbamazepine and phenobarbital, I'm slowly weaning off of the phenobarbital. I have had weight gain, but that is it. Lately, 2 nights of sleep loss, but that could be due to some other changes. I've always had memory problems, like going into a room and forgetting what I was getting, so that doesn't bother me at all. To me, this is a lifesaver. I have been seizure-free for the longest time in my entire life."
"I was just prescribed this drug. Today is my 2nd day taking it. I'm wondering what I can expect to happen while I'm on it. This morning, I took it, and shortly after, I felt like I was in the clouds. Is this normal?"
"Have been on Vimpat for about 4 months now and am now starting to understand the side effects thanks primarily to these reviews. Previously on Dilantin for >10 years for complex-partial seizures. The positive of using this medicine is I have a marked improvement in my gums. The negative side effects are as follows: Poor memory, word recall, and digging. Short-term memory impairment, can't remember what just doing and wanted to do next. Loss of the ability to focus and concentrate, easily distracted. Might not be entirely Vimpat related. Depression, emptiness, out-of-options feeling. Burning feet, MD suggested it could be Vimpat related. Some loss of taste, impaired ejaculation. Hope this helps. Might consider going back to Dilantin. Good first-time medicine."
"Came off Depakote, trying to be able to function with school and normal life. Vimpat is a great drug and stopped my seizures. Way better than Keppra and Depakote. Makes me a little drowsy and tired. Also had weight gain. All in all, a very good drug for seizures."
"Saved my life. I've been on almost every single available seizure medication over 8+ years. Multiple pills at one time, at large doses each... I've already slit my wrist because of my life and horrible medications. This one has finally ended my suffering. I can finally go to sleep at night without the fear of waking up covered in vomit and blood and forgetting who I am."
"I have partial complex seizures, and Vimpat has helped me not to go completely unconscious. I still experience auras, but I no longer have the full-blown seizures where I lose memory. It's strange that I don't have the intense seizures, but I do have more frequent auras. I'm unsure which is worse. It's safer for me not to experience the actual seizure, but having more auras during the day is also frightening. Additionally, it feels like my memory is deteriorating, and I struggle to articulate my thoughts. I often can't recall the word I intend to say, and my hair has become dry and I've experienced significant hair loss. I'm uncertain if Vimpat is worth all these side effects or not!"
"This drug works excellently at controlling seizures. I haven't had a seizure since I titrated to the max dose 10 months ago. However, it had some serious side effects and is unbelievably expensive and will bankrupt you. I'm also on 3,000 mg Keppra. Good luck."
"It really helped my seizures, but did not control them completely. I did not have any dizziness, but after being on it for a year and a half, I have really started to notice some things. My hair is falling out terribly bad. Not just on my head, but eyebrows and legs too. I have terrible itching and rashes on my arms and legs. This whole time, I figured the memory problems were from the unsuccessful surgery, but now I think it is the Vimpat. It worked better than the other 10 medicines I tried before it, but the side effects are now bad enough that I need to change. The memory problems are terrible and not worth it if it does not control the seizures."
"I have been on Vimpat for 2 months for seizures, and at first, it seemed like it was great because my seizures went almost completely away for the first 3 weeks. However, then it seemed like they were coming back, but not as bad, so I just increased it to 100 mg twice a day. It seems to be working pretty well so far. The problem I'm having with it is that my hair is falling out terribly, and I can't remember anything! It's crazy! Just simple stuff that I know just slips my mind. It's very aggravating, but I would rather not have seizures."
Motpoly XR
Motpoly XR
