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Interview EP24

Interview EP24

Age at Interview: 28
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 19
Background: Project manager; married, no children.

Brief outline:Diagnosed with epilepsy in 1993. Has tried various different drug treatments, and has been seizure free for a year. Current medication: vigabatrin (Sabril), lamotrigine (Lamictal) and levetiracetam (Keppra).

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Explains that she would like to come off a drug because of its effects on her vision.
Print When I left Australia the last time I saw my neurologist I was very, very remiss in going back for my appointment, but the last time I saw him he was saying that he'd like to try and take me off the vigabatrin because 25% of people actually lose their sight in their peripheral vision and that was, you know. I was put on that five or so years ago and they didn't know that then, and they know that now. And yeah I had, just going back to the doctor experiences, the registrar reacted in the same way as the GP when I said 'I'm taking vigabatrin.' She said 'Oh that is not a good drug.' I have to go home and take this you know, I have to go home and keep on taking something which is making specialists and doctors go 'Oh'. So you know that reinforced the fact that I wanted to not take that drug any more. But again you know when I think about it. Are you taking it now? Yeah I'm in the stage at the moment that I'm in is, I'm reducing that cautiously. I've increased the lamotrigine and I'm reducing the Sabril cautiously at the moment. But they're also, where we got to with my current drugs is they, the specialist wanted to reduce the Sabril and get me off that completely, increase the lamotrigine to make sure that I was OK.

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