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Dad has ALZ and had his second seizure this past weekend and the doctor prescribed Keppra to try to prevent the seizures from returning. Prior to this week, dad was on the upswing for the last month or two (comparing it to last spring.) We started him on an anti-depressant recently and he started walking just a bit with a walker (previously in a wheelchair all the time), was joking and smiling and much more upbeat than a month or two ago. The seizure happened almost a week ago and I went in to see him again yesterday. I was shocked to find him incredibly drowsy, not able to walk anymore, and not talking much, certainly not joking. It took two people to get him on the toilet. It was like the life was sucked right out of him. I have asked the nurse to please cut his dosage in half (he has been on it for a week), which they will do. But I'm curious if anyone had this same experience? While I know seizures are scary, I want my dad back! I would much rather take the chance of him getting a seizure then have him like he was yesterday. Am I misguided and being negligent if I take him off completely (assuming the side effects won't go away with a 1/2 dose)? His medications were balanced perfectly and now I feel like they have been messed up. If I were in his shoes, I would much rather be somewhat happy and die of a seizure, than in the condition I saw him in yesterday.

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Do NOT stop medication without speaking to his doctor.

My mom suffered with seizures. She was on medication. Later on she was able to get off of the medication.

The doctor had to temper her off of the drugs. You CANNOT stop drugs cold turkey. It’s dangerous to do.

Your dad may need to get a complete physical and testing done from a neurologist.

Best wishes to you and your dad.
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Seizures are very dangerous and yes can kill a person.
My late husband started having gran mal seizures after he suffered a massive stroke at the age of 48. It took many trials of different seizure medications before his doctor was finally able to keep them under control, for the most part anyway.
In the end he was on very high doses of Depakote, Keppra, and Dilantin, which didn't effect his ability to get around or his personality. And he was on that cocktail of seizure medications until his death at the age of 72.
Seizures take an awful lot out of a person and each one damages the brain just a little bit more, so perhaps it's just the effect of the seizure damaging an already broken brain(from the Alzheimer's)that you're witnessing instead of the medication.
Best wishes to you and your dad.
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It takes time to build up a tolerance to seizure meds, and yes, he'll be a zombie until he does. I know I was put on very low-dose seizures meds when I was only 22, and I fell asleep in a plate of spaghetti!

It does improve with time as the medication builds up in his system. Don't mess with the dose and DO NOT tell a nurse to give him less than what is prescribed. That's extremely dangerous.
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You said it all by saying "I want my dad back!" Unfortunately, you can't have that bc diseases have set in and stripped the fun loving guy away from you for now. Between AD and seizures, he's not the man he once was. I'm shocked a nurse was agreeable to you asking to have his seizure meds cut in half! Only a doctor can and should be prescribing or changing doses for medications, especially with such a serious thing as seizures. Your dad has a choice...he either continues taking the proper meds to help control his seizures or the doctor weans him off and he goes on hospice care, where nature is allowed to take it's course without medical intervention. Meaning dad is allowed to continue having seizures and perhaps asked to move into Skilled Nursing as a result.

If this were my dad, I'd keep him on the anti seizure medication and give it a chance to regulate in his system and see if he gets back to a less zombie like state with time. At least give it a chance, and HIM a chance to live a life without seizures!
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rancks10 Jan 2023
Thank you. It's of course not the answer I want, but I appreciate hearing it.
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I’ve been on Keppra for 20 years and haven’t noticed any side effects. Do not take him off a medication like that for any reason unless ok’ed by a doctor. Seizures can be fatal.
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