acupuncture?

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

dfwtexas

dfwtexas

New
Messages
980
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I am really struggling right now. I am having problems with pain management doctor (long story!) and now am trying to find some alternatatives and have been looking at acupuncture. I have found a lot of information about acupuncture and E. I am thinking of just tossing out ALL meds and going the acupuncture route. Has anyone else tried this?
 
I have gone for acupuncture & intend to go back when I can afford it.

I would highly suggest that you try to control your seizures with acupuncture/acupressure or whatever other alternative medicine first ,then reduce your medications slowly. Otherwise you are leaving yourself open & likely to have larger seizures.
 
How expensive was it? I am trying to get some cost information right now, if it is too expensive, I won't have the option to keep on pills and go to treatment. I this point, I really don't care if I have a seizure or not.
 
In British Columbia, Canada it was between $60 & $75 but $22 of that was covered by medical.

I haven't been able to check what it would cost now that I'm no longer in that province & it's not covered anywhere else in Canada by the govt.

I would suggest you phone around first and ask:

1) If they are a registered practitioner

2)where they graduated

3)How long ago did they graduate & how long have they been practicing

4)How much they charge, if there is any sort of coverage that financially helps & if they can make exceptions for people on minimal or fixed incomes that need treatments.
 
When I did accupuncture about 10 years ago, it was $60/visit, and insurance didn't pay. This was in Mass.
 
dfw,

I did accupuncture for about 12 years for fibromyalgia. It worked for that. The fibro is now gone. The sessions were about $60 apiece and my insurance didn't pay for it. At first I went once a week, then after about 3 months I went every two weeks, then after a few months once a month, down to once a season (4x a year) for maintenance. Some people feel a difference right away, but sometimes it takes years to see a huge difference, so you'd need to be patient. I've quit going for those seasonal adjustments but am thinking about starting it up again.

I'm going off my drugs right now and I don't recommend it. I'd do the accupuncture first, then if you think the accupuncture is helping taper off the meds just a little and see how your seizures go.
 
My hubby is doing acupuncture for neuropathy due to diabetes. He is also taking herbs that the TCM practitioner recommends. The day after starting the herbs he finally got some decent sleep (went from 2 hours per night due to pain to about 6 hours per night). He started the acupuncture a week later.

I started my son with the same person after about two weeks. My son is on depakote. The neuro wanted to keep increasing the meds. At first, the meds would stop the absence seizures, then they would come back (and seemed to have longer and more frequent seizures), then she would want to increase the dose. I stopped him at 4 125mg capsules daily z(she wants him on 6) and started looking for other options.

His seizures have significantly decreased (went to about 6 per day with depakote to about 4 or less per week or two). Now I want to try to wean him off depakote since his amount of seizures increased after starting depakote...not sure what to do about this yet. He is not getting acupuncture at this point...I think because the TCM guy is a little worried about trying this on a child with autism. I will keep pushing him to try ACUPRESSURE instead.

I looked up licensed acupuncturists for my state. I also wanted someone that could recommend herbs so I went with an oriental medicine doctor (that happens to teach at an oriental medicine college in the area).

I say give it a try if you can pay for it out of pocket.:twocents:
 
you were the first one to tell me about parietal lobe E. I remember you telling me that your doctor told you that staying on your meds were soooo important, because if two areas of the brain have a seizure at the same time it could be fatal......and ? was that common with parietal lobe E??

just concerned for you......I too am over these meds. I have had an allergic reaction to two of them and think I am having a reaction to the third 'Keppra' now.

It is no fun is it?
 
I am just so burned out with dealing with doctors, insurance companies, pharmacies....I am just wanting a break with dealing with them! There has to be another answer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom