Drugs can work very well for many people with epilepsy, allowing them to lead full and normal life. Others less easy to find drugs, either because of side effects or simply because it does not work. While many do take medications to be effective, the fact remains that up to 20-30 percent of people with epilepsy do not respond well to drug therapy. If the drugs do not prove effective, your doctor may try a higher dose or a different drug, or a combination of two drugs.
Very rarely anti-epileptic drugs may result in more frequent seizures. If this happens your doctor can verify the diagnosis. Doctors usually start patients with epilepsy to the lowest dose anti-epileptics, and then build up in order to minimize side effects. As you need depends on several factors, such as building and its metabolism, which influence how the body handles the drugs and their epilepsy is easy to treat. Too high a dose can result in poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning vary from drug to drug. If someone gets too phenytoin, which often become very unstable and may have more frequent crises. Carbamazepine toxicity generally begins with the double vision and drowsi tion. Another reason why drugs can sometimes seem to increase concern is whether a drug suitable for a type of seizure aggravates other seizure types. Carbamazepine, for example, is effective against tonic-clonic seizures, but not against absence seizures.
There have also been some confusion about the brand versus generic drugs. Almost all drugs have two names. The first is the generic name, the scientific name given to a medicine which is recognized internationally. These are brand name drugs with a name created by a pharmaceutical company that manufactured them. The real drug is the same, but problems can arise if you change from one to another - for example, if you go Tegretol (brand) to carbamazepine (generic). This is because sometimes there are small differences in the way it was manufactured the medicine. It is best that you stick to the type of epilepsy that were initially prescribed tablets, either brand or generic. Sometimes the change may precipitate seizures or side effects. A once in a while someone may improve seizure control or side effects diminish.
Change of drug treatment Before the treatment is changed several issues need to be considered: 1 Is this epilepsy? The rate of misdiagnosis is estimated between 10 and 25 per cent. 2 If it is epilepsy, which is the type of seizure disorder or syndrome? Many people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (tonic-clonic seizures and myoclonus first thing in the morning) go undiagnosed, as the main relevant issues were not asked about early morning myoclonus or tonic-clonic seizures. This particular syn Drome responds very well to sodium valproate, but pine can carbamaze seizures worse. 3 Are you in an appropriate anti-epileptic drugs? All anti-epileptic drugs seem equally effective (or ineffective!) In partial seizures, but in primary generalized epilepsy and syntomatic respond better to sodium valproate with lamotrigine as second line therapy. 4 is the drug being given at a dose appropriate? It's amazing how many people are in more than one drug, all drugs are in inadequate doses. Results of a clinical audit carried out in London, suggested that the seizures could be halved in about a third of the people, reducing the number of drugs alone and down to the drug in appropriate doses. Interestingly 10 per cent were seizure-free as a result of this simple maneuver. 5 Are you taking any medication? If this is a problem that is worth trying to simplify therapy for a given drug, a maximum of twice a day. The dose of the medium is very easy to forget and gabapentin, but they all have half-lives long enough to be given to any one or two times a day.
If all the above evidence reassess unsuccessful then adding a second anti-epileptic needs of, or possibly surgery as an alternative means of therapy.
Very rarely anti-epileptic drugs may result in more frequent seizures. If this happens your doctor can verify the diagnosis. Doctors usually start patients with epilepsy to the lowest dose anti-epileptics, and then build up in order to minimize side effects. As you need depends on several factors, such as building and its metabolism, which influence how the body handles the drugs and their epilepsy is easy to treat. Too high a dose can result in poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning vary from drug to drug. If someone gets too phenytoin, which often become very unstable and may have more frequent crises. Carbamazepine toxicity generally begins with the double vision and drowsi tion. Another reason why drugs can sometimes seem to increase concern is whether a drug suitable for a type of seizure aggravates other seizure types. Carbamazepine, for example, is effective against tonic-clonic seizures, but not against absence seizures.
There have also been some confusion about the brand versus generic drugs. Almost all drugs have two names. The first is the generic name, the scientific name given to a medicine which is recognized internationally. These are brand name drugs with a name created by a pharmaceutical company that manufactured them. The real drug is the same, but problems can arise if you change from one to another - for example, if you go Tegretol (brand) to carbamazepine (generic). This is because sometimes there are small differences in the way it was manufactured the medicine. It is best that you stick to the type of epilepsy that were initially prescribed tablets, either brand or generic. Sometimes the change may precipitate seizures or side effects. A once in a while someone may improve seizure control or side effects diminish.
Change of drug treatment Before the treatment is changed several issues need to be considered: 1 Is this epilepsy? The rate of misdiagnosis is estimated between 10 and 25 per cent. 2 If it is epilepsy, which is the type of seizure disorder or syndrome? Many people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (tonic-clonic seizures and myoclonus first thing in the morning) go undiagnosed, as the main relevant issues were not asked about early morning myoclonus or tonic-clonic seizures. This particular syn Drome responds very well to sodium valproate, but pine can carbamaze seizures worse. 3 Are you in an appropriate anti-epileptic drugs? All anti-epileptic drugs seem equally effective (or ineffective!) In partial seizures, but in primary generalized epilepsy and syntomatic respond better to sodium valproate with lamotrigine as second line therapy. 4 is the drug being given at a dose appropriate? It's amazing how many people are in more than one drug, all drugs are in inadequate doses. Results of a clinical audit carried out in London, suggested that the seizures could be halved in about a third of the people, reducing the number of drugs alone and down to the drug in appropriate doses. Interestingly 10 per cent were seizure-free as a result of this simple maneuver. 5 Are you taking any medication? If this is a problem that is worth trying to simplify therapy for a given drug, a maximum of twice a day. The dose of the medium is very easy to forget and gabapentin, but they all have half-lives long enough to be given to any one or two times a day.
If all the above evidence reassess unsuccessful then adding a second anti-epileptic needs of, or possibly surgery as an alternative means of therapy.
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