Epilepsy Talk
Good news, there’s a new AED in town!
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On November 19, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved cenobamate (XCOPRI®) for the treatment of focal epilepsy in adults. This medication will be available in the pharmacy by the spring or summer of 2020.
Tags: focal epilepsy, lower seizure frequency, new drug, XCOPRI
Blood Tests May Help Diagnose Epilepsy
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A recent study shows that a simple blood test can determine whether or not someone has had an epileptic seizure.
Doctors at Stanford University, California, reveal that the level of the hormone prolactin may be indicative of the type of seizure and can be measured by this blood test.
The blood test which must be used within 10 to 20 minutes after a seizure, can identify generalized tonic-clonic seizures and complex partial seizures in both adults and older children, because the level of prolactin in the blood goes up.
Sodium and Seizures
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You may think that sodium is a “bad guy” to be avoided or reduced at all cost, because too much is linked to high blood pressure.
But sodium is actually an essential electrolyte, and a deficiency can trigger seizures.
Seizures from low sodium levels are most likely to occur from a serious disease, acute infection or because you tried to run a marathon on a hot day.
One-time or isolated seizures from these causes don’t warrant a diagnosis of epilepsy.
However, epilepsy is sometimes misdiagnosed and you may have an underlying health condition that’s causing an electrolyte problem.
Tags: balance, blood panel, coma, death, high sodium, low sodium, monitoring, seizures, sodium
If You’re Thinking Of Getting Pregnant…
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Years ago, women who had epilepsy were often discouraged from getting pregnant. Today, that’s no longer the case.
Thanks to early and regular prenatal care, more than 90 percent of pregnant women who have epilepsy deliver healthy babies, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.
Tags: AEDS, breastfeeding, Epilepsy, Folic Acid, Neurologist, obstetrician, pre-natal care, pregnancy, safety, seizures, single medication, Tips, Vitamin K
Prescription Switching. Do You Know What You’re REALLY Getting?
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How many times have you had a prescription switched without your knowledge or permission?
Not just switched to a generic version of the prescribed drug, but to a different drug altogether.
Yet the practice of swapping out medications is perfectly legal in most states.
It’s called “therapeutic substitution” and it happens when a patient is switched from to a cheaper medication in the same class of drugs.
12 THINGS YOUR DOCTORS WON’T TELL YOU…
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Modern medicine can do miraculous things — but every test and treatment has a downside.
And your doctor may not disclose the dangers without prompting, a new survey finds.
Researchers surveyed 2,700 patients who’d recently decided whether or not to have surgery, take a medication, or undergo cancer screening.
Most reported their physician spent far more time talking up the benefits of each choice than explaining the risks.
Tags: alternatives, benefit, choose wisely, cost, disclose dangers, insurance, misuse, overuse, quotas, referrals, risks, side effects, underuse, unnecessary tests
7 Myths About Medication — and the Facts Behind Them
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Misconceptions about medicine are as common as pills on a pharmacy shelf.
We could all use a healthy dose of the truth.
Cleveland Clinic drug information pharmacist Katie Stabi, PharmD, BCPS, debunks seven of the most common myths about medications below:
Tags: best results, Epilepsy, facts and fiction, medication, most effective
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
Anti-Epilepsy Medication Side-Effects
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They’re necessary but not necessarily nice.
And every med has its own side-effects.
Just as different people experience different difficulties.
But here‘s the low-down on the possible side-effects.
I hope you don’t have to suffer any of them. (Or as few as possible.)
Tags: AEDS, different, Epilepsy, medication, possible, side effects
Epilepsy and Melatonin – Yes? No? Or Maybe So?
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Most of us are familiar with melatonin and it’s purpose: To help you sleep. Or at least to help you get to sleep.
In fact, melatonin is one of the most commonly used supplements in the United States. (Lots of sleepless people out there!)
Scientifically speaking, melatonin is a hormone synthesized from serotonin, the “feel good” hormone.
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