Epilepsy

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Brain structures

Limbic system

Treatment of epilepsy

Central nervous system

Epilepsy

Alternative Names:

Seizure disorder
Treatment:

For treatment of seizures, please see Seizures - first aid.

If an underlying cause for recurrent seizures (such as infection) has been identified, the cause should be treated, and this may stop the occurrence of further seizures. This may include surgical repair of tumors or brain lesions, or other treatments.

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Oral anti-convulsants may reduce the number of future seizures. Response is individual, and the medication used and dosage may have to be adjusted repeatedly. The type of medicine used depends on the seizure type, as some seizure types respond well to one medication and may respond poorly (or even be made worse) by others.

The need for follow-up depends on the seizure type and medications used. Some medications need to be monitored for side effects and blood levels.

For some patients, the use of several medications may still be inadequate. This is called refractory epilepsy. Some such people may benefit from brain surgery to remove the abnormal brain cells that are causing the seizures. For others, a vagal nerve stimulator is implanted in the chest, which can help reduce the number of seizures.

Patients should wear medical alert jewelry so that prompt medical treatment can be obtained if a seizure occurs.
Support Groups:

The stress caused by having seizures (or being a caretaker of someone with seizures) can often be helped by joining a support group. In these groups, members share common experiences and problems. See epilepsy - support group.

Expectations (prognosis):

Epilepsy may be a chronic, lifelong condition. In some cases, the need for medications may be reduced or eliminated over time. Certain types of childhood epilepsy resolve or improve with age. A seizure-free period of 4 years may indicate that reduction or elimination of medications is possible.

Death or permanent brain damage from seizures is rare, but can occur if the seizure is prolonged or 2 or more seizures occur close together (status epilepticus). Death or brain damage are most often caused by prolonged lack of breathing and resultant death of brain tissue from lack of oxygen. There are some cases of sudden, unexplained death in patients with epilepsy.

Serious injury can occur if a seizure occurs during driving or when operating dangerous equipment, so these activities may be restricted for people with poorly controlled seizure disorders.