Epilepsy Talk

Prison Abuse | January 25, 2010

This is a story of a staggering atrocity that a woman seeking help, wrote to me here.

Here is her story:

“My 24 year old son began having grand mal seizures about nine years ago. Until 5 and a half years ago they were very far apart, and his doctor’s recommended not to medicate him, explaining that the seizures may disappear completely as he ages as mysteriously as they began.

Then something horrible happened. He was charged with a crime he did not commit (which although his attorney compiled evidence clearing him, he was frightened into taking a plea bargain for 10 years in prison the night before he was to enter the not guilty plea).

The problem with his epilepsy was that on the actual night of his arrest, the officers interrogating him (who did not like his answers because they did not fit their theory of the crime) forced him to stand up for 12 hours straight without food or water in hopes of ‘cracking’ him.

The result of this was that he fell into a grand mal seizure in which he did not breathe for 10 minutes, and received a concussion. Instead of getting medical help, he was tossed in a cell and left to recover on his own.

This was to change the severity and frequency of his seizures permanently. It is also probably related to the prosecutor’s ability to manipulate him into a plea bargain months later which would never have stood if the case had been heard by a judge or jury.

My son has already served over half of his sentence, and has been brought back to life dozens of times by prison EMTs. He has been on lethal doses of Tegretol, Dilantin, and now Dilantin and Lamictal (300 mg & 400 mg per day each, respectively). I never know if my phone conversations with him will be my last.

My question is this, when the current dosage levels of these drugs quit working, and they will, is there any other medication being tested now that would be worth the risks, and have they found any effective substances for epileptics that do not cause Steven’s-Johnson Syndrome?

Right now my son’s seizures come in 3’s, and always deprive him of oxygen and often cause injuries that in themselves are life threatening. Can you give me info on where I can find out about cutting-edge research on S-J syndrome and medications, including human studies being conducted? Is there anything known that might help keep him from getting Steven’s-Johnson?”

I gave her several links, a list of anti epilepsy drugs (AEDS) with their possible side-effects: http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/medica…treat-seizures

I also included a site that helps give information for prisoners who suffer from epilepsy:
http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/sites/epi…_prisoners.pdf

And another website with a table of epilepsy drugs, brand names, average dose, treatment and possible side effects: http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/Ab…gsusedinadults

I also urged her to call her local State Representative and Congressman. If anybody can help her or think of any other  recourse, please reply.

Many, many thanks.

Phylis Feiner Johnson

Another article of interest:

Medical Ethics Have Been Violated at Detention Sites, a New Report Says

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/health/medical-ethics-violated-at-detention-sites-group-says.html?nl=health&adxnnl=1&emc=edit_hh_20131105&adxnnlx=1383753505-G08kc6nuV/tLdXR75oiPUA

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