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Levetiracetam

Posted , 3 users are following.

keith40446
keith40446

Hi can anyone help?

I had a seizure 3yrs ago following a very stressful relationship break up & lost my licence for 6mths, i had an MRI scan & CT scan which showed up no abnormalities but still lost my licence ...... I have just had another seizure last month following a bout of flu where my temp was 39.2 & as they couldnt bring my temp down they admitted me to hospital where they monitored me for a few hours before letting me go & to book in with my GP the next day which i did & she referred me on the NHS to see a neurologist which was going to take over a month so i went private & had an EEG which has come back clear also..... My private neurologist now wants me to go on Levetiracetam which i'm reluctant to do as all my tests have come back clear so surely i dont have a condition to treat? & they are telling me i will have to surrender my licence to the DVLA for a condition i dont have!!!! please can anyone advise me on this matter as i am really lost as to what to do for the best! shall i just except the situation & take the tablets? Do i really have to lose my licence for a condition i dont even have? Is there any organisations there that can help me with this matter? 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • harriet67221
    harriet67221 keith40446

    Posted

    Have u tried the NSE , National Society for Epilepsy in Chalfont , St Peters  Buckinghamshire, they have a helpline but due to cutbacks only manned about three days a week. There is also the epilepsy foundation . I would be hesitant to take the new epilepsy drug based on so little evidence and would wait until you have further tests. Normally a video telemetry monitoring would be done under these circumstances. If you had a definite seizure I think you will find that your license will be revoked. If you are caught driving you could be prosecuted for dangerous driving etc.

     

  • harriet67221
    harriet67221 keith40446

    Posted

    Hi again Keith Sorry I meant to say that I would be reluctant to take the aed but I intended to ask you if you are taking any anti epileptic medication? I think you have a responsibility to advise the DVLA .You have already told your dr plus the hospital and I think they have a duty to inform the DVLA but cannot be sure of that tbh. In any event you do not want to put yourself at risk if driving or anyone else .What did the private neurologist say about driving because he should have advised you not to drive and also that you have a legal responsibility to inform the DVLA , even if it was only an aura! Sorry- sigh!.
  • john2414
    john2414 keith40446

    Posted

    Hi - you sound in a very similar situation that I found myself in. After a car accident I was OK for a few weeks then at a meeting I just collapsed. I came through minutes after and wanted to go home - luckily a ambulance had been called and were insistent that I go to hospital. After that I do not remember anything when I woke up - my name where I was etc but within a few hours it all started to come back to me. The hospital did the usual EEG/ECG/MRI nothing and eventually a consultant came and in simple terms say we don't know what's wrong or has caused this but we need to try everything - so he performed a Lumber Puncture on me to rule out meningitis etc - all clear - so I was then seen my a SNR Consultant who said to me - 2 options we can call it epilepsy and discharge you today with medication or keep you in and do further tests. I took option 1. So I was put on Lamictal (400mg) & Levetiracetam (Kepra) 1500mg daily. This was 2 years ago and I have never experienced another 'episode' (hate that term) but as you probably know once you are in it, it is difficult to come off it. So really in essence I have been classified as epileptic - but I feel a bit angry at that as the neurological medics did not really know what to do to explain what had happened. It is my understanding that to have to have had 2 or more 'episodes/seizures' and then to be deemed as being epileptic is a bit harsh. As I had only the one and they did not really know what had happened it was called epilepsy. With regards to the DVLA sadly there is no easy way to get round them. You need to be seizure free for 6 months and get a letter or so from your gp verifying that. One snag is the fact that if you change you medication/try to come off it/have another episode you have to contact the DVLA and you lose your licence for another 6 months. Sorry I cannot be of any other suggestions/help - to be in this situation is crap but if you did take the hard route and not inform the DVLA and were then driving and you had a seizure behind the wheel _you know what the possibilities are of that. Sorry I can't really help anymore but that is the reality of the situation you are in. Maybe what has happened to you was a one off and the 2nd was stress related but medics tend to take the easy route and call it epilepsy and stick you on pills. So in essence there is little you can do. You can try private, get a 2nd/3rd option but at the end of the day you are stuck. Even if you go for further investigation you would still need to inform the DVLA and surrender you licence for 6 months. It is s no win situation. Even if there were an organisation, which I am not sure of, they may probably say the same thing. All roads lead to getting your medication stable/looking after yourself yada yada and staying episode free for the 6 months. Get letter from GP to send to the DVLA and get back behind the wheel.

    Funny thing - I'm actually a medic/doctor myself but I am OBGYN not Neurological.

    John

    • harriet67221
      harriet67221 john2414

      Posted

      Hi I trained as a nurse and have mesial temporal sclerosis. You say you are a medic obs/hgynae. If u had an accident and were concussed how can the snr reg just stick  you on an aed like that? It sounds wrong to me. Have u had any video telemetry done at all etc, etc. One sz does not necessarily indicate epilepsy. 

       

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