Anybody else have Epilepsy?

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Varamyr38
Varamyr38 Posts: 258 Member
edited May 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering if anybody else on here has Epilepsy? I've been diagnosed with it since I was 17. That was 19 years ago...YIKES! Does it affect your weight loss at all? Plenty of meds out there definitely make it harder to lose weight. I've went from 297 to 247 but been stuck in the 240s for months now. At least I'm pretty good at maintaining :)

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  • hendrikdo
    hendrikdo Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi KptCirk,
    I've got epilepsy an am 26. It's pretty much under control now. I'm doing my best to GAIN weight (185cm and 70kg, target 75kg) but that wasn't the fault of the meds; never could keep fat. Good genes they said:/ I do tend to see patterns with seizures: overeating (that full belly feeling) seems to come together with seizures, *if* I still get one.

    How about you, any links between food and seizures?
  • pearl2015a
    pearl2015a Posts: 7 Member
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    I have epilepsy but no, weight gain not a factor for me
  • starling01
    starling01 Posts: 81 Member
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    I'm 63 and have been dealing with epilepsy since I was 18 (car + windshield + head). I've experienced different side effects with different meds but none of them directly related to weight. I went off meds for years because I thought the seizures were gone for good. When the seizures returned they did not look or feel the same so I didn't recognize them. My doctors diagnosed them as anxiety attacks (and anxiety was definitely mixed in there), and during that awful year I was terribly depressed and gained a lot of weight. Getting a proper diagnosis and starting lamictal made me feel better, and feeling better made me start to lose weight. If I remember correctly, I had problems with bloating with Dilantin but I was allergic to it so didn't stay on it very long.

    Before I was initially diagnosed and treated back in my early 20's, I had problems maintaining a normal weight (very very thin - the seizures made me feel both full and nauseated). Now they appear to have the opposite effect.
  • jax12477
    jax12477 Posts: 5 Member
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    I have epilepsy and had problems with gaining weight from Depakote. I've since changed to Lamictal and haven't had a problem (I've been diagnosed with epilepsy for 15 years, and have been on Lamictal for 8). I also suffer from migraines and I'm on Topamax to prevent them. This causes weight loss, which helped me lose some weight. Topamax can also be used to control seizures at higher doses, but the side effects weren't worth it. Apparently its nickname is "dopamax" which pretty much described how it made me feel.
  • Furbuster
    Furbuster Posts: 254 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I've had seizures since birth - I came off the meds last month as my epilepsy has now been diagnosed as PNES. OMG what a difference. It's like a big wet blanket has been lifted off my body.

    When I was on the meds I was fuggy and tired all the time. Now I am off them I really cannot believe how much more energy I have. For me, it wasn't the appetite or anything like that, I was just constantly exhausted and this made me not want to exercise or do much. Everything was an effort, it isn't now.

    So yeah, the drugs did make a big difference in weight.

    I had Dopamax too.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    No...but I have had seizures and other brain issues and I have been on anti-seizure drugs for limited periods of time after brain surgery. They are HORRIBLE.

    The wet blanket analogy is right on.

    Yes, epilepsy drugs certain can have an effect on weight.
  • helenkessey
    helenkessey Posts: 4 Member
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    I have epilepsy too. On epilm I gained about 2 stone quickly then changed after 3 years to lamactal and I lost the weight with diet and exercise but empilim made it impossible for me to lose weight.
  • Petrolhead75
    Petrolhead75 Posts: 45 Member
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    Hi, I'm epileptic, having said that it has been 24 years since my last seizure (I'm 40). I've always struggled with being overweight, I think medication may not have helped, but I know I have used this as an excuse in the past.
  • mikewarrenuk
    mikewarrenuk Posts: 28 Member
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    I'm epileptic and 44 years. I think I struggle with losing weight due to meds but I think my age also is a problem.
    Mike
  • burkeashley87
    burkeashley87 Posts: 11 Member
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    I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1998 and have 3 different typea of seizures and on many high dosage meds. I'm hoping to find help and motivation to lose weight cause as some of you know extensive exercise causes shortness of breath which can trigger a seizure for me. Im new to mfp so is this a group?
  • Varamyr38
    Varamyr38 Posts: 258 Member
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    Didn't know anybody responded to my post. Thank you all! Feel free to add me as your friend.

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