Seizures
So, have you had a seizure? I have. It’s most scary, at least in my experience, for your spouse and your loved ones. Especially those who actually witness you having a seizure. It took me a little bit of time to consider how they would feel. Not because I didn’t care what they felt but because my world was flipped upside down.
There are lots of things that happen when you have a seizure. One of the things that happens is you lose your independence. Everyone is scared to leave you alone for fear that you will have another seizure. You cannot drive for 6 months (at least in the state I live in). You have to decide whether you want to take medication. You also have to decide which medication to take and what type of treatment you will do. You will probably undergo a lot of different tests to see why you had a seizure. There are many different causes and your treatment depends on what the doctors can find out about why you had one.
You might be thinking… Well I will just listen to what my doctor tells me and do what he/she says. But in this day and age… I research everything! All medications have side effects. This medication is something that you may be taking for a very long time. You should be determined to find out as much as possible about your condition and your options when it comes to treatment. You need to think about your quality of life as well as your health.
First, you are going to want to figure out why you had the seizure. Do you have an obvious reason such as brain damage, infection, stroke, or head injury? Sometimes it can be genetics or even drug interactions. You will need to discuss this with your doctor in detail.
Second, what type of treatment are you going to do?
- Medication (AED’s)
- Ketogenic Diet
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation
- Epilepsy Surgery
- Deep Brain Stimulation
- Cannabis Oil
Some common AED’s and some of their side effects. I am sure there are more anticonvulsants but these are just the ones I am more familiar with. Please do your own research if your drug is not listed.
Medications
- Keppra – More common side effects: Aggressive or angry, anxiety, change in personality, chills, cough or hoarseness, crying, depersonalization, diarrhea, dry mouth, euphoria, fever, general feeling of discomfort or illness, headache, hyperventilation, irregular heartbeats, irritability, joint pain, loss of appetite, lower back or side pain, mental depression, muscle aches and pains, nausea, painful or difficult urination, paranoia, quick to react or overreact emotionally, rapidly changing moods, restlessness, shaking, shivering, shortness of breath, sleepiness or unusual drowsiness, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, sweating, trouble sleeping, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting.
Less common side effects: Bloody nose, burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, “pins and needles”, or tingling feelings, clumsiness or unsteadiness, discouragement, dizziness or lightheadedness, double vision, earache, feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings, feeling sad or empty, increase in body movements, loss of bladder control, loss of memory, mood or mental changes, outburst of anger, pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones, problems with memory, redness or swelling in the ear, seizures, sensation of spinning, shakiness and unsteady walk, shakiness in the legs, arms, hands, or feet, tightness of the chest, tiredness, trembling or shaking of the hands or feet, trouble concentrating, unsteadiness, trembling, or other problems with muscle control or coordination.
I have taken Keppra. The side effects bolded are the side effects I have experienced while taking it.
- Dilantin – congenital anomalies. Other side effects include: hepatic necrosis, ataxia, confusion, constipation, depression, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, hypertrichosis, mental status changes, myasthenia, nervousness, numbness, tremor, tremor of hands, vertigo, excitement, irritability, mood changes, and restlessness.
- Vimpat – blurred vision, diplopia, dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, nystagmus disorder, tremor, vomiting, and ataxia. Other side effects include: abnormal gait, asthenia, memory impairment, and vertigo
- Lamictil – Common side effects of Lamictal include: ataxia, skin rash, headache, insomnia, and nausea. Other side effects include: infection, dyspepsia, abnormal gait, constipation, and drowsiness.
- Depakote – Common side effects of Depakote include: abdominal pain, asthenia, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and anorexia. Other side effects include: abnormality in thinking, alopecia, ataxia, nystagmus disorder, tremor, weight loss, fever, and skin rash. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects.
This is not a complete list of side effects. Please click on the medication name and it will take you to Drugs.com for a more complete list.
Ketogenic Diet
This is recommended mostly for children but could possibly work in adults as well. I believe its definitely worth a try. Hey, if you can get rid of your seizures with diet I am all for that.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation therapy is a treatment for epilepsy that involves a stimulator (or ‘pulse generator’) which is connected, inside the body, to the left vagus nerve in the neck. The stimulator sends regular, mild electrical stimulations through this nerve to help calm down the irregular electrical brain activity that leads to seizures.
Epilepsy Surgery
Epilepsy surgery is the name for the different types of brain surgery (also called neurosurgery) that some people with epilepsy have, to stop or reduce their seizures.
Deep Brain Stimulation
Deep brain stimulation therapy is a surgical treatment which aims to reduce seizures not controlled with medication, and where surgery to treat the cause of seizures is not possible. It involves implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain.
Cannabis Oil (My Favorite Option)
The American Epilepsy Society published the results of what has proved to be one of the most important and conclusive cannabis research studies ever done. The study tested the effects of CBD on 216 subjects with treatment-resistant epilepsy, and determined that the non-psychoactive cannabinoid caused a significant reduction in seizure frequency in over 60% of patients.
This is just a starting point. A collection of data that I think might be helpful for some who has experienced their first seizure. Please make sure you do your research and talk to your doctors about the best choice for you. Let me know this is helpful for you or what other information you might like!
Sources
https://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/treatment
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707667/
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