Better quality of life even if you suffer from epilepsy

• June 7, 2023

Epilepsy is a controllable disease that, some people, manage to remit depending on multiple factors. In Mexico, there are medications traditional antiepileptic drugs and new ones that have a specific dose and that only the doctor can establish according to each case, taking into account the age of the patient, the type of epileptic seizure, its interactions, undesirable side effects and personal experience. These medicines act by favoring neurotransmission inhibitory and blocking the excitatory. Regarding the time that drugs should be taken, it depends on the condition of each patient: in some people it will be enough to do it for 2 or 3 years, in others the periods will be longer or lifelong, considering the type of epilepsy.

Complications of prolonged administration of antiepileptic drugs

Each of the medications available to treat epilepsy have potential undesirable effects , among the most frequent are the dizziness , the blurry vision , the drowsiness and the pain of stomach. With certain periodicity, the doctor will request blood studies to quantify the level of medicines in blood and verify that the liver and kidney function correctly.

Other treatment options

According to the specialists of the International League against Epilepsy, when adequate control of seizures is not achieved with at least two antiepileptic drugs, at appropriate doses and for a minimum period of two years, it is a drug-resistant epilepsy. The possibilities of treatment for these patients are mainly three:

• Epilepsy surgery : its purpose is to remove the area of ​​the brain that produces the seizures, without this entailing sequelae for the patient and thus improve their quality of life
• Placement of a vagal stimulator : consists of a device very similar to a cardiac pacemaker, which stimulates the vagus nerve (a nerve located in the neck) to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures
• Carry out a ketogenic diet : it is a special diet rich in fats that causes a certain metabolic situation of the body called continuous ketosis, which helps to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Diagnosis of epilepsy

A doctor internist or a neurologist they can make the diagnosis based on the clinical history and relying on the physical examination and some complementary studies, such as blood and urine tests, electroencephalogram and imaging studies, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. From the information that the patient and his family members can provide to the doctor, the type of epilepsy as well as the most appropriate treatment.

Video Medicine: New Technique to Pinpoint Seizure Location and Improve Surgical Outcomes - Mayo Clinic (June 2023).