Epilepsy Talk
Calcium – Friend or Foe?
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After talking to a famous epileptologist, I learned that calcium is really a two-edged sword. Which surprised (and scared) me.
I’ve always read that calcium was imperative if you were taking anti-epilepsy drugs — especially Dilantin. Even if your doc “forgot” to tell you!
Xcopri provides long-term seizure control in patients with focal epilepsy
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Long-term use of Xcopri was safe and reduced seizures by more than 90% in adults with uncontrolled focal seizures, according to results of an open-label extension study published in Neurology.
Tags: breakthrough, long-term seizure control, XCOPRI
MSG: Dangerous or Deadly?
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MSG can be responsible for long term neurological damage.
It’s been linked to diabetes, stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, stomach disorders, fatigue, depression, headaches and migraines, grand mal seizures, irregular or rapid heartbeat, nausea and vomiting, numbness in the fingertips, autism, ADHD, asthma-like symptoms, fibromyalgia type pain, disorientation and confusion, and degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
New data backs use of medical cannabis for epilepsy, pain and anxiety…
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Two recent studies offer positive news about medical cannabis, suggesting that marijuana products improve physical and cognitive symptoms, boost quality of life, and rarely produce signs of problematic use.
Brand-Name Epilepsy Drug Prices Jumped 277% Over 11-Year Period
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“Compared with 2008, costs for brand-name anti seizure meds (ASMs), rose from approximately $2,800 to $10,700 per year in 2018, while costs for generic brand ASMs dropped $800 to $460. As a result, many generic ASMs cost about 10 times less than their brand-name counterparts…”
Suicide and epilepsy…
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We are in a mental health crisis in this community. And not enough is being done to avert it.
According to a peer-reviewed journal article from Epilepsy and Behavior, statistics concluded that people with epilepsy are 22 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.
If you knew someone who had just been diagnosed with epilepsy, what would you advise?
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I’d advise them to advocate for themselves.
Truth is stranger than fiction
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I call epilepsy a “stealth disease”, because it’s difficult to imagine how so few people know about a “silent” condition that affects so many.
For example, few people know:
Tags: 50 million worldwide, epilepsy statistics, mortality rate, research underfunded
New hope for drug resistant epilepsy
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Drug-resistant epilepsy with uncontrolled severe seizures — despite state-of-the-art medical treatment — continues to be a major problem for up to 30% of patients with epilepsy.
Although drug resistance may fluctuate in the course of treatment, for most patients, drug resistance seems to be continuous.
Unfortunately, traditional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) don’t seem to prevent or reverse drug resistance in most patients.
However, some new add-on AED therapies have shown as much as 50% in seizure reduction.
Tags: brain, chemical, connections, drug, electrical, faulty, lesions, resistance, structural, wiring
Time out from Wednesday 5/18 – Sunday 5/22
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Be well and please, take care of one another.
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