What I read was 400 mcg (which I think with my lousy math is 4 GRAMS)of Folic Acid is recommended by doctors since it is destroyed by many anti-epilepsy drugs and is needed for normal neurological function. It sometimes reduces seizure frequency and it often improves mood, intellectual speed, alertness, concentration, self confidence, independence and sociability.

What do you think about the amount Toni?

My Epileptologist checked my folic acid level and noted it was very low and increased to 2 gm a day as if I was pregnant. He told me the medication has definitely efficated my intake. It also can effect patients depressive ways at times too. I thought that was interesting.

One case made the news years ago. The husband woke up and his epileptic wife had died. He called 911 and then they tried to prove that he had murdered his wife.

Like you said, there is no known reason for SUPED. They stopped harassing him.
Ruth

I looked up Sudden Unexpected Death and discovered that it did NOT happen while a seizure was taking place. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1187111-overview

According to this article: “SUDEP has been reported in patients with epilepsy since the late 1800s and may account for 8-17% of deaths in this population.

SUDEP is defined as sudden, unexpected, nontraumatic, nondrowning death in an individual with epilepsy, witnessed or unwitnessed, in which postmortem examination does not reveal an anatomical or toxicological cause for the death.

In an attempt to standardize the definition of this phenomenon, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Burroughs-Wellcome developed criteria for SUDEP in 1993. These criteria are now used in most SUDEP studies and are as follows:

The patient has epilepsy, which is defined as recurrent unprovoked seizures.
The patient died unexpectedly while in a reasonable state of health.
The death occurred suddenly (ie, within minutes).

The death occurred during normal and benign circumstances.

An obvious medical cause of death could not be determined at autopsy.

The death was not the direct result of a seizure or status epilepticus.”

So SUDEP really does seem to sudenly come out from nowhere. Pretty scary!

I notice that you did not answer my comment. Am I on the wrong track here.

I would like to know more about the sudden death and what causes it. Is there a way to avoid it?

Ruth

Is that because of the depression, anxiety and panic attacks?

As you know I have had several episodes of depression. I am in one now. It is starting up again. I hope it does not last long this time. I hate them. Ruth