Is your liver tolerant to your meds? I ask because I have been on Keppra and Lamictal, both, for the past 4 years. I have been on Lamictal for 5 years. I currently take 500mg of Lamictal (Lamotrigine) per day and 1,000mg Keppra (Levetiracetam) per day. However, over the past few months I have began having headaches nearly every day. Some of them turning to migraines. I then began to ask myself if this could be a side effect from the medication.
A few months ago I had went to my general practitioner for routine blood work. She stated that my ANA test was positive, which meant there was a great chance I could have Lupus. I have been tested for Lupus three times, testing positive twice out of the three. Each time I am referred to a rheumatologist and then told that I do not have Lupus. Scary right? My bigger concern was the other information she told me along with the positive ANA panel. She said that my liver functions were a little low but nothing to be concerned about. I didn't think much of it at the time.
A few weeks ago after contemplating if the headaches were caused by my seizure medication, I then remembered the results of my blood work and wondered if there were any connections between the lower liver functions and my medication. It has been a few weeks now since this has crossed my mind and I have been doing research ever since. Of course, they say the internet is a patients worst enemy. But I'm different, right? I'm not sure. But you can bet that I will be asking more questions at my next appointment. Is it possible that general practitioners forget your illnesses when they are speaking to you? Are we just another cattle in the herd?
The following are a few sources I used during my research.
Keppra (Levetiracetam)
- WebMd
- Livertox
- Drugs.com (which I find amusing that it states seizures could be a possible side effect)
- RxList.com
- DoubleCheckMD.com
Lamictal (Lamotrigine)
Now tell me again why my slightly lowered liver functions are nothing to worry about?
