All About Seizure Disorders

One of the most important things to take into consideration is the principle of long-term treatment. Different patients need different drugs. Whatever drugs are used, the doses and kinds should be strictly following the doctors’ advice. Otherwise, it will become dangerous to take the drugs because the same drugs can sometimes cause or cure seizure disorders depending on the doses.

Some drugs, such as phenytoin and valproate, can reach the appropriate range very rapidly. Others, such as lamotrigine and topiramate, must begin with a relavely low dose and increase gradually over several weeks before finally reaching to the standard therapeutic dose. As tolerance of the drug varies from individual to individual, the dose of the same drug is not actually the same in different people. If seizures continue, the daily dose has to go up by small increments because too much drugs-taken means more side effects will be created. People’s constitutions differ so some patients may develop toxicity during their drug taking treatment. Reducing the dose is always needed whenever toxicity happens and another drug should be added to operate with the previous drug to fight seizure disorders. Usually, patients who need two drugs treatment must be under close observation. Two-drugs-taken treatment is all in all, much more complicated than single-drug-taken treatment, which can neglect the interaction of the drugs. If two drugs interact too strongly, it can result in metabolic derangement, making the initial, ineffective drug tapered and withdrawn. Therefore, multiple drugs treatment is seldom used to treat due to its high incidence of side effects, poor adherence, and drug interactions.

It is inappropriate to stop taking drugs once seizures are controlled because of the risk of relapse. And patients should continue taking drugs for at least 2 years until they finally become seizure-free. In general, childhood seizure and more than one drug treatment can increase the likelihood for a relapse. In that case, patients need to go to the doctors for further treatment.

When it comes to drugs, no one can deny the fact that adverse drug effects can have negative impact on patients’ health. The most common side effects is an allergic scarlatiniform or morbilliform rash. And neither of them is totally safe during pregnancy. There are some points that patients should keep in mind in order to reduce the adverse drug effects in the lowest rate. For example, patients taking valproate should have regular liver function tests while patients taking carbamazepine should have CBC monitored regularly for the first year of therapy.

With regard to surgery treatment dealing with the stubborn seizures, extensive testing and monitoring are in great need. And anticonvulsants-taken is needed by some patients depending on their constitutions. Some people need to take this drug to be seizures-free while some people can automatically become seizures-free without taking anticonvulsant. And patients should make it clear which problems they should extremely pay much attention to by asking their doctors. Vagus nerve stimulation, an adjunct to drug therapy, can lead to deepening of the voice, cough, and hoarseness.

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