Getting Used to Taking my Medication

Last night I picked up my medication at the Kaiser Permanente on Cadillac Avenue in West L.A. I asked the pharmacist a few questions about the vitamins and supplements I know take to learn whether they’ll react with my medication. Here is what he said:

•  Multivitamin – Yes, I can still take
•  BranchedChain Amino Acids (BCAA’s - to prevent muscle breakdown) – Yes 
• Green Tea – No

I was like, “NO green tea???” The pharmacist says that the caffeine in the green tea can be harmful when I take Keppra, so I better avoid it. I asked, “So I can’t take it period?” 

“Well, you can take it,” he said, “but take it 4 or 5 hours after you’ve taken Keppra, to be safe.”

 I should drink green tea 4 or 5 hours after?  That means I won’t be able to drink my tea prior to my workout to get my pump. If I drink green/black tea after 12pm, I have a hard time sleeping in the night… 

I was so bummed driving home…What am I going to do? I’ll just have to work out WITHOUT any stimulants. I’ve already cut out coffee and now green tea—my only source of caffeine…So I just pulled over and calmed down to think about this. There must be something I can do.

I took my first pill at 7:15pm. By 7:45pm I was already feeling dizzy and drowsy. I tried not to focus on it much, but I couldn’t help it. Bret came home at 8pm and I had his dinner ready (I had my dinner earlier) and we talked about my day and plans for the future and I felt I was floating or something.

Later that night I connected to Facebook to get in touch with my friends—it’s like my only source of entertainment and social time, haha! I still noticed how my vision was a little distorted while I was on the computer. Everything began to move and my eyes got droopy and then I got so sleepy.

The medication really wore me out and I went to bed at 11pm and it felt SO GOOD to lie down and just let my mind and body relax as I fell as sleep. 

 So what I've decided to do it to continue my same routine...

• wake up
• drink 2 cups of warm water with lemon
• (30 minutes later) eat breakfast
• (20 minutes later) drink 2 cups of yerba mate and green tea
• (30 minutes later) go work out

...and take my medication after my workout and when I'm ready to start working. I'll take the second dosage in the evening and hopefully that helps me fall asleep faster.

I'll just have to get used to the medication and just learn to live with it.  There is always a way to make things work, one needs to have a good attitude and seek solutions. I only hope the side-effects don't haunt me or mess me up, though. I will be okay, taking this crazy medication should not be such a big deal, I just have to take it and live with it, it'll only be temporary. 

In health,

Bea