Once a patient receives the diagnosis of epilepsy, it is time to begin considering treatment options. Since curing the disease is not possible, the treatment focuses on controlling seizures. This is typically done in one of three ways: drug therapies, lifestyle changes, and surgery.
Many drugs are available for the treatment of epilepsy, several of which have just recently been released, such as Perampanel which is the first of a new class of drugs. It appears to cause an excitatory response in the brain, and offers relief for drug addiction as well as epilepsy patients (Simon). There are many other relatively new drugs, and medical researchers are constantly developing more. All anti-epileptic drugs act as anticonvulsants. There are several anti-epileptic drugs like phenytoin, carbamazepine, and divalproex, which are considered the front-line drugs—the ones doctors try first; if patients do not respond well to them, doctors will move on to other drugs (Simon).
If used consistently, over time, these medications can reduce or even prevent the patient from any more seizures. Doctors are careful to monitor their patients, especially when they begin taking the anti-epileptic drugs, just in case patients do not respond well to them. Patients should be sure to take their medication as directed and pay close attention to see if they may need to change to a different kind if it causes them to act abnormally. All anti-epileptic drugs can show side effects in some patients, including drowsiness and lethargy, suicidal thoughts, depression, liver damages, birth defects (when taken during pregnancy), and changes in behavior; however, these side effects often disappear after the patient uses them for a few weeks (Simon). Children wh...
... middle of paper ...
...e exercise is beneficial, not only in promoting well-being, but also in dealing with some of the side effects of medication (Simon). Researchers believe that a diet low in carbohydrates can help to prevent seizures; so many patients are placed on what is called a ketogenic diet, one low in protein and carbohydrates (Simon).
As far as prognosis goes, many people with epilepsy can stop taking their medications after several years with no seizures, and certain types of childhood epilepsy either completely disappear, or go away with age. However, for many people, epilepsy is a lifelong condition that they must learn to manage.
Works Cited
Health Guide. 20 Feb. 2013. The New York Times. 20 Nov. 2013 .
Simon, Harvey, M.D. Epilepsy. 7 Mar. 2013. University of Maryland Medical Center.
20 Nov. 2013 .
... quick fix” and “after awhile you get bored of eating the same foods over and over again and most importantly you’re preventing your body from getting the nutrients that it needs” (Fox News). Preventing your body from getting these essential nutrients have been linked to a series of issues such as: fatigue, dizziness, constipation, and also depression. As for long term issues, a diet lacking in essential nutrients have proved to be linked to binge eating in the future (Fox News). Another discouraging downfall to the diet is exercise, if the patient is someone who likes to exercise vigorously; such as running or even jogging, the diet is not for them. Since the diet is so low in calories, it does not supply enough energy to the patient for a vigorous workout. However, Dr. Siegal does recommend slight exercise for thirty minutes a day such as brisk walking (Overview).
The Ketogenic Diet, or Keto Diet, is an increasingly popular way of eating designed to help the body use its own fat stores for fuel. In contrast to the Standard American Diet, nicknamed SAD for a reason, the Keto Diet deliberately decreases the number of carbohydrates consumed to a mere five percent of daily caloric intake. An easy benchmark is to eat less than 30 grams of carbohydrates on a daily basis.
Guttmacher, L. B. (1994). Concise Guide to Psychopharmacology and Electroconvulsive Therapy. Washington: American Psychiatric Press Inc.
...ve physical deformities, decreased birth weight and respiratory difficulties. The drugs can also carry adverse behavioral effects, including high pitched crying, abnormal sleep patterns and decreased attention. Studies have determined that some infants can rectify these behavioral inconsistencies, but that the change is dependent upon a responsive caregiver in a nurturing environment.
Psychiatrists observed that after spontaneous epileptic seizure the psychiatric conditions of patients improved. Previously, in the sixteenth-century, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician and alchemist gave camphor by mouth to produce convulsions and to cure lunacy. Originally, the induced convulsions treated severe catatonic stupors and schizophrenia. Today we know the convulsions are secondary to grand mal seizures in the brain, and that the seizure is the primary therapeutic agent of electroconvuslive therapy (ECT). Metrazol and Cardiazol later replaced Camphor because of its rapid onset. The extremely unpleasant sensations led investigators to seek alternative methods and electroconvulsive therapy was born. Electrical stimulation first tested epileptic seizures on dogs and pigs, and its first treatment helped a delusional, hallucinating homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1938. After chronic administration of ECT, the patient fully recovered.
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
Studies have shown that 9 out of 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime. Every person is different not every case is the same. There is no known cure for this disability. There are studies that are going on today that are trying to find out more about Epilepsy.
This paper is going to discuss the condition Epilepsy. Epilepsy is defined as a disorder of the brain characterized by the recurrence of unprovoked seizures (Shorvon, 2009). Epilepsy starts in your brain, the brain is like a computer, it is made up of a mass of cells, called neurons, which connect to each other in very complicated ways (Routh, 2004). Electrical messages are constantly being passed from one neuron to another down nerves to the muscles in the body (Mair, 2004). If a person has epilepsy, these cells sometimes send a sudden, unexpected burst of electrical impulses, which causes a seizure (Routh, 2004). When the seizure finishes the brain behaves normally again. For some people with epilepsy these seizures happen every day. For others they may happen only once or twice a year (Routh, 2004). There are over 40 different types of seizure and each person is slightly different, but there are a few common types (Routh, 2004). Generalized seizures which affect the whole brain and partial seizures which affect a small part of the brain (Miller, 2013). The most common types of ge...
Many people with epilepsy usually have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. The cause of epilepsy varies by age of the person, but the majority of the time the cause is unknown. Common causes of seizures by age in Elizabeth Otte’s case would be congenital conditions (Down’s syndrome; Angelman's syndrome; tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis), genetics, head trauma, and progressive brain disease which is rare (Schechter & Shafer, Ltd., 2013, p.1). The diagnosis of epilepsy is based on medical history of the patients including family history of seizures. They ask several of questions to figure of what type of seizures the patients could possibly be suffering from. Doctors then preform test such as EEG, take blood, and study images of your brain. Epilepsy is treated by a neurologist specialist that may or may not subscribe medication depending on the severity and frequency of the seizures. Also treatment can be a change in the patients’ diet or
Later, the doctors told me I had epilepsy, specifically the type known as grand mal. Immediately, the doctors put me on some medications to prevent the seizures. They also gave my parents a bunch of packets of information about epilepsy. When I got older, some of those packets informed me that 20-25 million people have suffered from an epileptic seizure. Many people grow out of childhood epilepsy or they take medicine to control it. However, there is still a risk of having a seizure even if you take medication. Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of the chance of a seizure at any time.
Epilepsy is a very common neurological disorder. Some reports estimate that five in one-thousand people suffer from this problem. Throughout history, people with epilepsy have been shunned or considered inferior. Even today, ignorance leads many people to treat the epileptic as "abnormal" or "retarded". Although the etiology of epilepsy is still not fully understood, it is quite treatable due to advances in modern medicine.
Not everyone who has a seizure has epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Unprovoked means that there is no immediate cause for the seizure, such as a fever, an infection of the brain, or head trauma. Nearly 10 percent of people will have a seizure during their lifetime; most of these are provoked seizures during an acute illness or condition. These people may never have epilepsy. There are two types of seizures people can have. One is partial seizure or focal they begin in one part of the brain. They cause varied symptoms auras which is a funny feeling in your stomach, staring, chewing, lip smacking, shaking, or stiffness in parts of the body. Generalized seizures are when the entire brain is effected. This causes loss consciousness. One type is grand mal is when the body stiffens and jerks. Another type is petit mal, which is momentary loss of consciousness without abnormal body movement. Some factors of this are infections of the brain this includes meningitis, encephalitis, and brain abscess. Strokes are also a risk of epilepsy. Also alcohol can cause seizures for heavy drinkers when they stop drinking abruptly (withdrawal seizures) and also have a good chance of epilepsy. Epilepsy can also cause brain tumors usually they are slow growing and don't affect them for years. Some other factors that cause epilepsy is age the risk of seizures is higher in young children. Also gender epilepsy is higher in males than in females. The most common treatment for epilepsy is the daily use of anticonvulsant or antiepilectic drugs to prevent seizures. These medications act on brain signals to limit hyperexcitability. While medications do not cure epilepsy, they allow many people to live normal, active lives. Other treatments are vagus nerve stimulation this treatment involves electronic stimulation of the brain using an implanted device like a pacemaker. Another is epilepsy surgery this is when a part of the brain that is causing the seizures is removed so that it prevents it from spreading to anther part of the brain.
Seizures occur because of sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. This cause is a temporary and disturbed in the messaging system between brain cells. Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or n acquired brain injury, such as trauma or stroke. There are four different kinds of seizures that can occur. Simple partial seizure, which is when the patient is conscious during the seizure in most cases, and the patient, is aware of his/her surrounding even when the seizure is in progress. Complex partial seizure is when the patient is conscious is impaired. The patient will generally not remember the seizure and if he/she does the recollection of it will be vague. Generalized seizure is when both halves of the brain have epileptic activity and the patient conscious is loss. Secondary generalized seizure is when epileptic activity starts as a partial seizure but then spread to both halves of the brain. The main symptom of epilepsy is repeated seizures. But, there are other symptoms such as short spells or black out or confused memory, panic or become fearful, repetitive movement that seem inappropriate, short period the person is unresponsive to instructions or questions etc.… There is no cure for epilepsy but overtime you can help it get better or find ways to adjust to it. You can also take medication, gob through surgery etc.… Epilepsy was a main point in the book because the main character Lia Lee was diagnosed with it. Her culture believed that it was a blessing rather than a disorder. Because of her culture it was impossible for Lia to be treated the way she supposed to be treated. Her parents did take her to get treatment and medication but they also utilized traditional healing methods. The family believed that little medicine and treatment was okay but not too much or that would stop the spiritual healing. In our presentation we talked
Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures which are unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause (Hopkins & Shorvon, 1995). It is also known as a seizure disorder. A wide range of links and risk factors are associated with the condition, but most of the time the cause is unknown. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting approximately two and half million people in the US and about 50 million worldwide. Though seizures can occur at any age, epilepsy is most commonly seen in children and the elderly. Most respond well to treatment and can control their seizures, but for some it is a chronic illness. A clinical diagnosis is the first step to finding a potential cure for the disorder.
Many women’s and men’s health magazines and products advertise the greatness and effectiveness of low carb diets, when in fact this diet can be dangerous to your health. It is required that the average women intakes 130 grams of carbohydrates each day, and the average male intakes 150 grams of carbs. This diet limits the intake to less than 30 grams per day. (Thrifty Living, 2014) When very little carbohydrates are consumed, the body responds by burning muscle tissue for the glycogen, or stored glucose it contains. The body also reduces the amount of blood sugar and insulin. When the glycogen stores start to run out, the body has nothing left to use as an energy source, thus resorting to burning fat. Though this is what people aim for, it is a very inefficient and unhealthy way to do so; and it complicates the production of blood sugar. The body has no source of glycogen, and therefore creates blood sugar via body fat. This process creates ketones, and puts the body in a state of ketosis. (Reader’s Digest, 2014) Essentially, ketosis is when fat is being used as the body’s main energy source, but has many side effects to it. Bad breath, fatigue, a metallic taste in the mouth, ...