Epilepsy Talk
Sleep and Seizures
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Sleepless nights. Exhausted afternoons. Confusion. Memory loss. Trouble with concentration, mood swings and of course, seizures.
Which may increase in frequency or severity. Or may even contribute to intractable seizures. It seems like an endless cycle.
For people with epilepsy, sleep problems are a double-edged sword; epilepsy disturbs sleep and sleep deprivation aggravates epilepsy.
The Nightmare of Nocturnal Seizures
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According to an article in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, if more than 90 percent of your seizures occur while sleeping, you are said to have sleep seizures.
The article also notes that an estimated 7.5 percent to 45 percent of people who have epilepsy have some form of sleep seizures.
Since seizures occur in sleep during the night, it’s often hard to diagnose them, except for unusual movements at night, confusion upon awakening, bed wetting or falling out of bed.
Medical Marijuana — It’s Here to Stay…
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Let’s face it. The time has come.
Even the FDA has opened its eyes with new clinical trials.
Although the AMA chooses to keep their heads in the sand. For now.
It used to be popular to debate the merits and dangers of medical marijuana.
For example, it could lead to addiction. Like cocaine. (Oh please!)
But now, there’s clinically proven scientific proof, with more to come…
“After 4,000 years of humans taking cannabis for epilepsy, we have scientific evidence it works.” — Orrin Devinsky MD, Harvard University, on results from his team’s late-stage clinical trial of cannabidiol to treat Dravet syndrome.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
The Great Debate — Medical Marijuana
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Even though the cannabis plant has a long history of medicinal use, with evidence dating back to 2,737 BCE, it’s still a subject of hot controversy.
It appears to be a standing battle between politics and science.
The legality requires proof of medical marijuana’s effectiveness.
Reports of success are anecdotal.
Yet there are no funds for clinical trials and it remains on a back burner for further NIH funding and research.
(Wow. What a surprise!)
Head Injury and Seizures
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How many of you have had a car accident…an abrupt fall…a physical assault?
If you are one of those people and you have suffered a head injury, the probability of seizure activity increases dramatically…
Seizures may develop immediately after an injury to the brain or may develop in delayed fashion, showing up months or years after the initial trauma.
Generally speaking, the risk of post traumatic seizures is related to the severity of the injury — the greater the injury, the higher the risk of developing seizures.
Even mild to moderate injuries can result in seizures.
Tags: accident, generalized seizures, grand-mal, head injury, medications, post traumatic seizures, risk, seizure activity, tonic-clonic
Dating Disasters and Epilepsy
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When I was a teen I fell down, walked into walls, bumped into virtually everything in my path, and almost drowned in the shower.
So, you can imagine what a disaster dating was.
Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I would never tell my dates that I had epilepsy.
My parents wouldn’t even utter the word, so rather than become a pariah, I kept my mouth shut.
Bad idea…
The Trouble with AEDs…
29 Comments
At the very best, finding the right anti-epilepsy drug is a crap shoot. There’s always the hope that this one will do it.
Or maybe adjunct therapy will work. Or, sigh, the side-effects derail you and you’re on to the next.
Is asking for seizure control too much?
The good news is that many newer AEDs are better tolerated than the older, standard AEDs. Although they, too, come with side-effects.
Newer AEDs often cause less sedation and require less monitoring than older drugs.
Tags: AEDS, anti-epilepsy drugs, benefits, dangers, seizures, side effects, uses
Brain Surgery Alternatives
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“It’s not brain surgery.” And it doesn’t have to be.
There are a host of epilepsy procedures that are minimally invasive.
For example…
Tags: biofeedback, Brain Surgery Alternatives, Cell Transplantation, counseling, Deep Brain Stimulation, gamma knife surgery, Gene Therapy, Homeopathy, Hormone Imbalances, laser surgery, Naturopathy, The Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, trigeminal nerve stimulation
A New Life — From Epilepsy to Brain Surgery
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Leanne Chilton, triumphant author of “Seizure-Free: From Epilepsy to Brain Surgery, I Survived and You Can, Too!” is a proud survivor and has a wealth of wisdom to share.
“We can’t control the future,” she says. “But we can make every attempt to improve the quality of our lives.”
About the author
