Thanks @MyEpilepsyTeam users... and anyone else I missed responding to earlier. I appreciate your input! Being a normal weight didn't stop my seizures a few yrs ago (before I knew they were seizures), so really can't expect miracles if I lose the weight again. But, I figure that if every healthy change I make adds 10% to the solution, then I'm headed in right direction. Working on healthy eating now, cutting out that one cup of coffee, getting more exercise, more meditation, etc... Doing what I can to be self-supporting thru my own contributions. 🌞 Wishing you all a sunny peaceful day!

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According to the scientific studies on both epilepsy medications and antidepressants, both have side effects that can trigger weight gain (or loss, but usually gain). I experience both the weight symptoms and the high cholesterol. So contrary to what some think, our bodies are made up of interrelated, and interacting parts to create a system, and one part can affect another part.

So yes, I experienced the weight gain, and learned that I have to watch what I eat and try to keep my fat intake down. (That doesn’t mean I am very good at either—I love chocolate too much!)

My opinion? Besides being in better physical condition, you're in better mental condition and they both help.

I usually do walk everywhere and feel that when doing exercise my seizures have gone down quite frequently. I don't hardly get any petit mal seizures anymore, but the last grand mal seizure I had was back in April of this year. The one before this was back in May of 2021. I watch what I eat and stay away from certain foods such as processed foods, pasteurized foods, fried foods, Monosodium Glutamate (mostly in Asian foods), Canola Oil, Lard (mostly in Mexican foods), caffeine, Carbonated Beverages, energy drinks, sports drinks, food coloring, food dye, no alcoholic beverages, aspartame (mostly in chewing gum and breath mints), and the herbs, seasonings, and/or spices of rosemary, sage, and basil. These are all known to cause and trigger seizures.

It depends on what you're on and how you react. You can either have wait gain, wait loss on not much effect either way. For me, I get weight loss. I take Topamax and now Keppra which mainly causes weight loss but it can also go the other way.