Epilepsy Talk
What’s on your medical chart?
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When asked if they’d like to see their doctor’s notes, patients in two new studies overwhelmingly said yes. But doctors aren’t nearly as enthusiastic.
The idea of opening up doctor’s notes has been around for decades. Advocates figure that patient oversight will reduce medical errors and help patients be more engaged. Patients have a legal right to see their records. But actually getting those notes — especially those that doctors take during a visit can be painfully slow (and expensive!)
Tags: avoid mistakes, concerns, full disclosure, legal rights, medical chart
Epilepsy Nightmares – WHY?
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Fear. Screaming. Visions. Bright lights flashing. Hallucinations. Tongue biting. Pain. Paralysis. Pins and needles. Bed wetting.
Do any of these sound familiar?
One person described it as: “During the nightmares, I often get up and run out of the room screaming while still asleep, as if something is chasing me.”
It’s agony. And there’s little to explain it or stop it in its tracks…
Tags: anti-seizure medication, Epilepsy, fear, nightmares, REM, seizure monitor, sleep deprivation, TLE
MS or Epilepsy?
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Recently a woman wrote to me telling about the awful diagnostic disaster that she had been through.
In her words: “It took 3 years, 3 primary doctors, and 7 neurologists to diagnose me.
I told everyone that ‘it feels like my brain is shaking in my head.’
If they had listened to me the first time and had done a simple EEG, it would’ve saved us and the insurance company a lot of money!
I was misdiagnosed with MS after 4 MRIs. We had 3 trips to the ER. A lot of blood work. And on and on…”
Tags: autoimmune, epilepsy MS, misdiagnosis, neuroimaging, research sparse
Diagnostic tests that save millions…
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A diagnosis for cervical cancer with vinegar?
A test for liver damage which requires a single drop of blood and 15 minutes?
A team approach for AIDS treatment…?
Tags: cost, diagnostic tests, pennies a day, saving millions
Doctors Distracted by Electronic Devices
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Do you know what happens during surgery? Cut…open…correct…sew. Maybe some background music. Hip if the doctor likes that. Or classical.
Well, not exactly. You might be surprised. Or horrified to learn the truth…
Tags: critical, distracted doctoring, electronic devices, errors, iPatients
Anti-seizure medication conflicts…
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Common wisdom is that it’s best to take one anti-seizure medication. But for many of us, monotherapy just doesn’t work. However adjunct therapy has its dangers. And both treatments carry their own interactive risks – even with things as innocent as aspirin.
For example, some seizure medicines can lower or raise the levels of other types of medicines in your blood. Some combinations cause the levels of both medications to fall. Some cause one level to fall and one level to rise. And some cause unpredictable side- effects…
So I hunkered down to discover the unhappy marriages between anti-seizure meds. I’m sure there are many more, but it’s a start. And more than I knew before embarking on this research. Here’s what I discovered…
Tags: drug interaction, Epilepsy, risks, side effects, unpredictable
Epilepsy Studies: True or False?
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There’s a “Golden Rule” which says: “He who has the most gold makes the rules.”
And who might that be? And what are the methods used? Some are simply amazing. (Or at least I thought so.) But they all follow the “Golden Rule.”
Tags: epilepsy studies, favorable outcomes, fixed results, health risks, offshore testing
Hello Generics, Goodbye Big-Name Drugs
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Fed up with generic drugs? Well there are dozens more coming as big-name brands lose their patents…
Feds Fine Abbott Over Marketing Of Depakote
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As it prepares to split into two sectors, Abbott is setting aside “$1.5 billion of litigation reserves” related to ongoing settlement discussions related to Depakote…
Increased Birth Defect Risks in Two FDA-Approved Epilepsy Medications
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Two epilepsy drugs – Lamictal and Keppra – which are currently listed in category C may be dangerous to a fetus and should be listed in category D, according to new data. The difference between the categories is that D shows evidence of risk, but the benefits outweigh the risks…
Tags: Birth Defects, dangers, Epilepsy, Keppra, Lamictal, pregnancy
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