What treatment is effective for patients with seizures?
Your neurologist should address these questions with you before developing a treatment plan:
- How is your sleep quality?
- Do you have chronic anxiety, depression, or excessive stress?
- Do you take other medications that may affect your epilepsy medication or directly increase the risk you will have a seizure?
- Does your use of alcohol, caffeine, or herbal remedies affect your seizure control? ...
- Acupuncture
- Aerobic exercise
What is the first line treatment for seizures?
Treatments for Focal Seizures
- Focal seizures begin in one hemisphere (side) of the brain.
- Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the first line of treatment for focal seizures.
- Second-line treatments for focal seizures include surgery, devices, and dietary therapy.
What are the medications used to treat seizures?
Epilepsy and Seizure Medications List
- Types of seizures. Focal onset seizures begin in one area of the brain. ...
- Narrow-spectrum AEDs. Narrow-spectrum AEDs are primarily used to treat focal seizures. ...
- Broad-spectrum AEDs. ...
- Expert recommendations. ...
- Talk with your doctor. ...
How do you cure seizures?
- Calming brain protein is low in autism, leading to epilepsy
- No brakes on overactive brain because of mutation
- 30-50% of children with autism also have epilepsy
Can it be cured seizures?
They can last from a few seconds to several minutes and may cause confusion or loss of consciousness. Afterward, you may have no memory of a seizure happening. There's currently no cure for epilepsy, but it can be managed with medications and other strategies.
What medication is given for seizures?
Many medications are used in the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, including:Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, others)Phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)Valproic acid (Depakene)Oxcarbazepine (Oxtellar, Trileptal)Lamotrigine (Lamictal)Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin)Topiramate (Topamax)Phenobarbital.More items...•
What causes a seizure?
Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. This includes a high fever, high or low blood sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. But when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause, this is diagnosed as epilepsy.
How do you stop a seizure quickly?
First AidKeep other people out of the way.Clear hard or sharp objects away from the person.Don't try to hold them down or stop the movements.Place them on their side, to help keep their airway clear.Look at your watch at the start of the seizure, to time its length.Don't put anything in their mouth.
Epilepsy Treatment: Why Choose Johns Hopkins
The large number of patients we treat gives us unparalleled expertise in assessing and treating the full spectrum of epilepsy and seizure disorders.
Epilepsy Assessment and Diagnosis
There are several different types of epilepsy, characterized by seizures, with symptoms causing changes in awareness, muscle tone, emotions, behavior and sensory experience. Proper treatment starts with a careful assessment of the person’s seizures, which may include:
Epilepsy Treatment: What to Expect
There is more than one way to treat seizures or epilepsy. Based on your diagnosis, your doctor will discuss which therapies are likely to be most effective. These include:
Treating Epilepsy with a Laser Focus
Epileptologist Joon Kang and neurosurgeon William Anderson are using laser interstitial thermal therapy, or LiTT, to treat epilepsy.
What is the procedure for seizures?
When medications fail to provide adequate control over seizures, surgery may be an option. With epilepsy surgery, a surgeon removes the area of your brain that's causing seizures. Doctors usually perform surgery when tests show that: Your seizures originate in a small, well-defined area of your brain.
How to get rid of seizures in epilepsy?
Medication. Most people with epilepsy can become seizure-free by taking one anti-seizure medication, which is also called anti-epileptic medication. Others may be able to decrease the frequency and intensity of their seizures by taking a combination of medications.
What is EEG brain activity?
EEG brain activity. An EEG records the electrical activity of your brain via electrodes affixed to your scalp. EEG results show changes in brain activity that may be useful in diagnosing brain conditions, especially epilepsy and other seizure disorders. CT scanner.
How does a stimulator work?
Wires from the stimulator are connected to the vagus nerve in your neck. The battery-powered device sends bursts of electrical energy through the vagus nerve and to your brain. It's not clear how this inhibits seizures, but the device can usually reduce seizures by 20 to 40 percent.
What tests are done to determine if you have epilepsy?
A neurological exam. Your doctor may test your behavior, motor abilities, mental function and other areas to diagnose your condition and determine the type of epilepsy you may have. Blood tests. Your doctor may take a blood sample to check for signs of infections, genetic conditions or other conditions that may be associated with seizures.
How to diagnose epilepsy?
To diagnose your condition, your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history. Your doctor may order several tests to diagnose epilepsy and determine the cause of seizures. Your evaluation may include: A neurological exam. Your doctor may test your behavior, motor abilities, mental function and other areas to diagnose your condition ...
What is the best way to diagnose seizures?
Computerized tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan uses X-rays to obtain cross-sectional images of your brain. CT scans can reveal abnormalities in your brain that might be causing your seizures, such as tumors, bleeding and cysts. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
What is the procedure to remove a part of the brain that causes seizures?
There are two main kinds: Resective surgery. The surgeon will remove the part of your brain that causes the seizures. This surgery is most often done when the part of the brain causing the seizures is very small, has very good boundaries, and doesn’t control things like your speech, movement, sight, or hearing.
What is the medication called that changes the way the brain works?
Epilepsy medications, sometimes called anti-seizure or anticonvulsant medications, change the way your brain cells work and send messages to each other. The kind of medication your doctor suggests depends on a few things: The type of seizures you have. How likely it is you’ll have more seizures. Your age. Your sex.
How to get off medication?
How to Get Off Your Medication. Ketogenic Diet. Nerve Stimulation. Surgery. After you’re diagnosed with epilepsy, you have several ways to get treatment. Medication, a special diet, an implant that works on your nerves or brain, and surgery could all help you feel better.
Can a teenager have seizures?
Some types of seizures only happen in children and younger teenagers. If you’re an older teenager or young adult, your doctor might think it’s safe for you to stop your medication. This diet is high in fats and low in carbohydrates. Your doctor may suggest it, depending on the type of seizures you have.
Do you need a blood test for epilepsy?
While you’re taking it, the doctor will want you to get blood tests to see how your body handles the treatment. How often you need them depends on your type of epilepsy medication, other drugs you take, and any health conditions you might have.
Can you take more than one medication for epilepsy?
Drugs that work for one person might not work for another. You might have to try more than one. Most people who take medication for epilepsy find a good fit on the first or second try. You might have to start with a low dose and slowly add more. It depends which medication you take.
What are the two types of seizures?
Typically, seizures belong in one of two basic categories: primary generalized seizures and partial seizures. The difference between these types is in how they begin.
What percentage of epilepsy patients have intractable seizures?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 20 percent of epilepsy patients have intractable seizures — seizures that do not respond to treatment. The reasons why epilepsy begins are different for people of different ages.
What is epilepsy disorder?
Check out the new videos at the bottom of the page. Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by repeated seizures. A seizure is usually defined as a sudden alteration of behavior due to a temporary change in the electrical functioning of the brain.
How does epilepsy affect the brain?
In epilepsy the brain's electrical rhythms have a tendency to become imbalanced, resulting in recurrent seizures.
What is the diagnosis of epilepsy?
A doctor makes his or her epilepsy diagnosis based on symptoms, physical signs and the results of such tests as an electroencephalogram (EEG), computed tomography (CT or CAT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is essential that the type of epilepsy and the type of seizures both are diagnosed properly.
How many people have epilepsy?
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy affects three million people in the U.S. and 50 million worldwide. Epileptic seizures may be tied to a brain injury or genetics, but for 70 percent of epilepsy patients, the cause is unknown.
What causes epilepsy in children?
Children may be born with a defect in the structure of their brain or they may suffer a head injury or infection that causes their epilepsy. Severe head injury is the most common known cause in young adults. For middle-age individuals, strokes, tumors and injuries are more frequent catalysts.
What are the different types of seizures?
Different types of generalized seizures include: Absence seizures. Absence seizures, previously known as petit mal seizures, often occur in children and are characterized by staring into space or by subtle body movements, such as eye blinking or lip smacking.
How long does a seizure last?
Most seizures last from 30 seconds to two minutes. A seizure that lasts longer than five minutes is a medical emergency. Seizures are more common than you might think. Seizures can happen after a stroke, a closed head injury, an infection such as meningitis or another illness.
How many hours apart can you have two seizures?
It can cause changes in your behavior, movements or feelings, and in levels of consciousness. Having two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart that aren't brought on by an identifiable cause is generally considered to be epilepsy. There are many types of seizures, which range in symptoms and severity. Seizure types vary by where in the brain ...
What is the classification of seizures?
Cognitive or emotional symptoms, such as fear, anxiety or deja vu. Doctors generally classify seizures as either focal or generalized, based on how and where abnormal brain activity begins. Seizures may also be classified as unknown onset, if how the seizure began isn't known.
What is a temporary confusion spell?
Temporary confusion. A staring spell. Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs. Loss of consciousness or awareness. Cognitive or emotional symptoms, such as fear, anxiety or deja vu. Doctors generally classify seizures as either focal or generalized, based on how and where abnormal brain activity begins.
What is a focal seizure?
Focal seizures. Focal seizures result from abnormal electrical activity in one area of your brain. Focal seizures can occur with or without loss of consciousness: Focal seizures with impaired awareness. These seizures involve a change or loss of consciousness or awareness that feels like being in a dream.
What happens if you fall during a seizure?
If you fall during a seizure, you can injure your head or break a bone. Drowning. If you have a seizure while swimming or bathing, you're at risk of accidental drowning. Car accidents. A seizure that causes loss of either awareness or control can be dangerous if you're driving a car or operating other equipment.
What to do if you have a seizure?
Knowing what NOT to do is important for keeping a person safe during or after a seizure. Never do any of the following things. Do not hold the person down or try to stop his or her movements. Do not put anything in the person’s mouth.
How to stop a seizure from hurting?
This can prevent injury. Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head. Remove eyeglasses. Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe. Time the seizure.
What happens if you have a seizure in water?
The person has another seizure soon after the first one. The person is hurt during the seizure. The seizure happens in water. The person has a health condition like diabetes, heart disease, or is pregnant.
How many people have a seizure in their lifetime?
Learn what you can do to keep that person safe until the seizure stops by itself. About 1 out of 10 people may have a seizure during his or her lifetime.
How long does it take for a seizure to end?
Most seizures end in a few minutes. These are general steps to help someone who is having any type seizure: Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake. After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place.
What is the name of the seizure that causes a person to cry out?
First aid for generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures. When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also called a grand mal seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk, and become unaware of what’s going on around them.
Do you call 911 for a seizure?
Seizures do not usually require emergency medical attention. Only call 911 if one or more of these are true: The person has never had a seizure before. The person has difficulty breathing or waking after the seizure. The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes. The person has another seizure soon after the first one.
Diagnosis
Treatment
Self help information for family, friends and colleagues
- Loosen tight clothing
- Protect the person from injury
- If they have fallen, place something soft under their head
- Stay with them until they recover fully
Do not:
- Try to restrain the person
- Put anything between their teeth
- Move them, unless they are in danger
- Give them food to eat or drink
Person who have had seizure
- Avoid triggers
- Avoid unprotected heights and unsupervised areas of water
- Seizure lasts less than 5 minutes
- None of the below mentioned incidents occur during the episode
See a doctor immediately if you notice:
- Seizure lasts longer than five minutes
- Breathing or consciousness doesn't return after the seizure stops
- A second seizure follows immediately
- The seizure happened in water
- High fever
- Heat exhaustion
- Person is pregnant
- Person has diabetes
- Person is injured during the seizure
Clinical Trials
Coping and Support
Preparing For Your Appointment
- Not everyone who has one seizure will have another one, and because a seizure can be an isolated incident, your doctor may not decide to start treatment until you've had more than one. The optimal goal in seizure treatment is to find the best possible therapy to stop seizures, with the fewest side effects.
Diagnosis
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Treatment
- If you're living with a seizure disorder, you may feel anxious or stressed about what your future holds. Stress can affect your mental health, so it's important to talk with your health care professional about your feelings and seek ways you can find help.
Clinical Trials
- In some cases, seizures need immediate medical attention, and there's not always time to prepare for an appointment. In other cases, your first appointment to evaluate a seizure may be with your family doctor. Or you may be referred to a specialist, such as a doctor trained in brain and nervous system conditions (neurologist) or a neurologist trained in epilepsy (epileptologist). To prepare f…
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
Coping and Support
- Doctors generally begin by treating epilepsy with medication. If medications don't treat the condition, doctors may propose surgery or another type of treatment.
Preparing For Your Appointment
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.