Thank you!!!

My neurologist has recommended I get the VNS as I have tried multiple medications and still have breakthrough seizures. I do not have them very often and they are mild. I'll stare, make noise, etc.

What are the main side effects if any?

SamanthaOncea, like Sean2, I also continued with my meds. I believe that most people who get a VNS continue with their established treatment, although they are altered accordingly.

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member
I continued to take all my medications when I got the VNS. Same with the RNS.

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A MyEpile...

Absolutely one of the best things I did!
Think of it like a pacemaker for your brain. The VNS is a device that sends an electric pulse... at regulated intervals... to help regulate the energy in your brain. The pulses itself can be regulated to lower or higher frequencies (like a dose of medication).
Overtime... your VNS gets better the longer it's in you. It gets "used to" your flow of seizures.
Mine now stops some of my seizures, or if anything makes them smaller than they would have been. The most positive thing about the VNS is my recovery time. Maybe 90% of the time now, I can walk away from a seizure with just a headache or feeling tired where I used to be passed out for days! Now sometimes I wake up more awake and with more energy than before I had the seizure!
The battery for it only lasts 4-5years. Make sure you get it replaced.
Hope this helps.