| |
Treatment |
| 
|
| |
Drug Therapy |
MEDICATION FOR EPILEPSY
The standard treatment for epilepsy is the regular use of one or
more chemical substances called anti-epileptic or anti-convulsant
drugs. The ideal situation is when a person takes as little medication
as possible while maintaining seizure control.
DRUG OPTIONS
Over the past decade there have been a number of developments, with
new more specific drugs becoming available. This is not to say that
the older drugs have become obsolete. In fact, the newer preparations
may not be at all suitable for some people. Each drug has two names,
the generic, or chemical name (for example carbamazepine) and the
trade name (for example Tegretol), given by the manufacturer. It
is helpful for a person to know the generic names of his/her drugs,
especially when travelling abroad.
|
|
|
TEAM WORK
Co-operation between you and your doctor is essential in establishing
optimum control of your epilepsy. The more accurately you, or a
family member, can describe your seizures and the effects of the
medication, the more precise the doctor's prescription can be. It
is important that drugs are taken exactly as prescribed. Compliance
is a major factor in the overall results that can be achieved. Your
pharmacist is also able to assist with information and advice about
your medication.
|
| |
SIDE-EFFECTS |
Like all drugs, anti-convulsants may have some
side-effects. The appearance of these depends on each person’s
individual response to the drug as well as how much of it he or
she is taking. With only a few exceptions, side-effects associated
with anti-convulsants drugs are mild and usually occur at the beginning
of therapy, usually disappearing as the person becomes used to the
drug.
If side-effects do occur, they should be reported.
Depending on the type of drug involved, the most frequent side-effects
are drowsiness, irritability, nausea, rash, thickening of facial
features, increase in body hair, physical clumsiness, overgrowth
of gum tissue, and hyperactivity in children. Some drugs may produce
emotional changes; occasionally a drug will actually increase rather
than decrease the number of seizures a person experiences. However,
many people are able to take the medication for years without experiencing
any of these effects. |
| |
What Are the Surpical Treatments
for Epilepsy? |
| Standard Surgical Procedures.
If drug therapy fails to control seizures, particularly partial,
over a two- or three-year period, surgery may be appropriate. Children
and young adults are the preferred candidates, because older people
have more difficulty with rehabilitation.
Tests for Surgical Decision Making. Advances in imaging and monitoring,
new surgical techniques, and a better understanding of the brain
and epilepsy in infants as well as in older individuals have made
surgery a more viable option than in previous decades. The general
approach is first to locate the brain tissue that triggers the epileptic
event using long-term EEG monitoring, usually with added information
from imaging techniques, such as MRI or PET scans.
If such tests detect a specific area in the brain as the location
for the seizure, then surgery is possible. The physician then tries
to determine if the offending nerve cells perform vital functions
usually with the use of advanced MRI techniques. The surgeon's goal
is to remove just enough damaged tissue and no more in order to
prevent seizures and limit brain injury. If the diagnostic tests
indicate that more than one site is involved or they have conflicting
results, then more invasive monitoring of the brain is required. |
 |
|
