If I want Info on any of my meds or I am being changed to a different medication , I always go to WWW.drugs.com . It tells me what kind of pill or capsule it is and Name of other brands or generics , that are related to it . It will also show me the different colors , shapes and The different milligram amounts . I can also find out the list of side effects.

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member I agree that is the site to visit for the most updated information on all medications.

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A MyEpile...

@RobertPost That small text is very important. There should also be text on the side of your bottle of medicine that indicates to not take without eating food first or similar instructions. It is very important that you read this "small text" for exactly the reason that you mentioned (doctors do not always mention some of this).

Of course, it is all dependent upon you as an individual with regards to which of the side effects you get from the medications and whether they disappear over days, weeks or months on the medication. Most anticonvulsants (and some other medications) have the side effect of hampering memory recall and the effect is cumulative (depending upon how many of these medications that you are on) and, like everything else, stress increases this particular side effect even more.

The pharmacist and doctor (as long as you have made sure that they have a record of all of the medications, supplements, vitamins, etc, that you are taking) can easily find out if a medication should not be taking with one of the medications that you are already on.

Do you have a question about a specific medication? If so, which one or more do you want to know about?

I am sure that there is at least one person (usually much more) who has had every medicine available for those with Epilepsy and Depression (not to mention insomnia and quite a few others that tend come along in the package with Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder).

One issue, I was thinking about was not only possible side effects of a medication, but also any information or recommendations of how to take the meddications.
What I'm finding out, what differences and effects can go along with the medications depending on how you take them. Some are recommended that you take them along with food. A recommendation, which may be only included in the 'small text', but something I've found out, is never mentioned by physicians or pharmacists.

What I mean by 'small text'. All medications have a sheet inside the box, filled with writing. Mostly, when people see all that text, ....??

Well I am guilty of reading the packet every time, but it may be out of compulsion. Like I HAVE to read it or I will feel wrong taking it. I also use Drug.com. Best site for checking how more than one med interacts, and you cant get that in that packet.

Personally i think knowing the side effects is more like being prepared for every day life. We do need to know if one causes hair loss so we can buy a good shampoo before it starts. Or if one causes weight gain or loss so we can keep an eye on it. And it is very important to know what the worst ones are because we potentially will be living on that med for life. We can't live a good life on a med that causes things like rashes, suicidal tendencies, or blackouts. So we need those packets, our pharmacist consultations, doctor instructions, and a good outside source to compare them all to get the best quality of life we can.