Medication Issues | Epilepsy Talk

ADHD is the current term for the neurological condition formerly known as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Hyperactivity, Hyperkinesis, Organic Brain Syndrome, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, and Minimal Brain Damage.

About 5% of children in the general population have ADHD. However, about 30-40% of children with epilepsy may have ADHD or attention problems. Also, ADHD is seen more often in boys than in girls (some medical professionals claim this ratio to be as high 4 to 1).

Epilepsy And Complementary Medicine…

June 11, 2020
9 Comments

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is just what it sounds like. Something to complement the AED regimen you’re already on. And perhaps take an extra step (with your doctor’s go-ahead) to alleviate seizures.

There are lots of alternatives, so I’ll touch on the most popular ones here. (Somehow, I don’t think you’re going to be turning to stones or amulets for relief!)

Epilepsy and Brain Surgery — The Basics

May 27, 2020
20 Comments

Since there so many different types of brain surgeries — and questions — I decided to learn about them and share my findings with you.

Surgery is most commonly done when tests show that your seizures originate in a small, well-defined area of your brain that doesn’t interfere with vital functions like speech, language or hearing.

In these types of surgeries, your doctor removes the area of the brain that’s causing the seizures.

If your seizures originate in a part of your brain that can’t be removed, your doctor may recommend a different sort of surgery in which surgeons make a series of cuts in your brain.

These cuts are designed to prevent seizures from spreading to other parts of the brain.

Although many people continue to need some medication to help prevent seizures after successful surgery, you may be able to take fewer drugs and reduce your dosages.

The type of surgery used depends on the type of seizures and the area of the brain where the seizures start. The surgical options include:

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues, Research
Tags: brain surgery, Corpus Callosotomy, Epilepsy, fewer drugs, Hemispherectomy and Hemispherotomy, improvement, Lesionectomy, Multiple Subpial Transection, seizure-free, success, Temporal Lobectomy, unfounded fears

Keppra — What People Are Saying

May 21, 2020
35 Comments

To say the word “Keppra,” is to invite instant controversy. For some people it works, for some it doesn’t and for others, it’s a living nightmare.

Yet two different studies found that clinically significant behavioral consequences of Keppra were eight percent, no higher, and maybe even lower, than those reported for other new antiepileptic drugs.

John Gates, M.D., lead investigator of the adult study, neurologist at Minnesota Epilepsy Group and clinical professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota said: “The efficacy of Keppra in treating seizures, coupled with our findings of its low side-effect profile, makes it an option that should be considered, especially for those who have struggled with other treatments.”

Interestingly, both studies evaluated patients with epilepsy who were proven to be drug resistant to other medications.

When Keppra was approved as an add-on medicine for partial seizures, including partial seizures with secondary generalization, at the time, it was suggested that Keppra might have a universally positive effect on all seizure types.

That’s all fine and good for researchers who aren’t struggling with epilepsy every day. But here’s a random sampling of what real people – like you and me – have to say…

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues
Tags: behavioral consequences, controversy, drug-resistant, Epilepsy, Keppra, real people's stories, the bad, the good, the ugly

Epilepsy Drug Side-Effects…

April 22, 2020
74 Comments

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.

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues
Tags: antiepilepsy drug side effects, Ativan, Banzel, Carbatrol, depakote, Diamox, Diastat Acudial, Dilantin, Felbatol, Frisium, Gabitril, Hp Acthar Gel, Keppra, Klonopin, Lamictal, Lyrica, Mysoline, Neurontin, Onfi, Peganone, Perampanel, Phenobarbital, Phenytek, Rufinamide, Sabril, Tegretol, Topamax, Tranxene, Trileptal, Viibryd, Vimpat, Zarontin, Zonegran

Coronavirus (COVID-19) — How To Get Instant Care

March 30, 2020
27 Comments

You wake up and you’re feeling crummy. You have a fever. You may be coughing. But because of the Coronavirus, your physician isn’t available. You panic. In most states, you cannot even be tested for COVID-19.

It takes between 2 and 14 days for a newly infected person to start showing symptoms.

After symptoms begin to show, it can take more than a week for them to be eligible for testing (many people are not eligible at all).

And then, thanks to backlogs in testing availability, it can take days for them to learn they tested positive.

Maybe you should go to Urgent Care. But they’re so overloaded, they might turn you away.

Emergency rooms won’t accept you unless you’re have a very high temperature and having trouble breathing.

That’s when they will take you and put you on a ventilator. But what happens in between? Panic or medical care from an unexpected source?