Migraine related seizures

[RobinN]

A relationship between epilepsy and migraine has long been postulated, but the nature of this interaction is still debated. We studied adult patients with epilepsy and investigated the relationship between migraine and epilepsy. Fourteen percent (n = 412) of adult patients with seizures were identified with a diagnosis of migraine. We also found a direct relationship between migraine and epilepsy (a migraine-induced epilepsy) in 1.7% (seven patients) of the patients with seizures. Patients were at increased risk for both conditions if they had migraine with aura and catamenial epilepsy. The seizure began during or shortly after the migraine aura in all of the cases and preceded the headache. Three of four patients who were refractory to management with antiepileptic drugs using either mono or combination therapy improved seizure control with combination antimigraine and antiepileptic drugs.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...t=AbstractPlus

There are a lot of prescription painkillers that relieve migraine headaches. But neurologist David Buchholz of Johns Hopkins University takes his headache patients off the drugs.

"I tell people to use the power they have in their own hands to control their headaches," says Buchholz.

Many headache doctors advise their patients to avoid certain foods and beverages. Caffeine, MSG and chocolate are usually at the top of the list. But Buchholz' list includes many more food products.

****
The diet plan is based largely on Buchholz' own observations with patients. He has refined the list through a process of trial and error spread over two decades with a few thousand patients. His theories haven't been proven by controlled studies.

Some headache specialists think he's made too much of the dietary triggers. But Buchholz is convinced that about half his patients benefit from diet alone.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5364970
http://www.usatoday.com/community/ch...3-buchholz.htm