Does that confirm it?

[kara_leigh]

I saw a neurologist about a month ago b/c he thought I had Complex Partial Seizures. Both the EEG and the MRI were normal/negative, but he still thought I was having them. He put me on 400mg Tegretol every day (200mg 2x day) and I haven't had a single seizure since then. I saw him again today and he said to continue at the same dose unless I have another seizure. So, my question is, does the fact that I haven't had a seizure in over a month since I started my meds confirm the fact that they ARE seizures?? I usually have clusters of them sometime in the beginning of each month, but I didn't have any so far this month at all. It's kind of nice b/c I hate having them. I'm kind of glad that they stopped on a low med dose b/c I didn't want to have to increase my dose.

[Nakamova]

In the absence of evidence from the tests, clinical evidence is what the docs have to go on -- so yes, I'd say that the fact that the Tegretol stopped the symptoms is a pretty strong indication that they are seizures. I'm glad the low dose worked for you. That's great!

[skillefer]

Hi Kara! Welcome to CWE.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made once someone has had two seizures. The fact that the meds are working for you is a good sign. Now..you said that you have seizures about once a month....try keeping track of your cycle. some women find that they will have seizures near their time of the month. If that's the case, you might want to talk to your doc and see if they can find a way to control the hormone shift. One of the members (Robinn) has noticed a great improvement in seizure control for her daughter when they started using a hormone cream. Because hormone shifts can increase the chance of seizures, women should definitely consult their neurologist and talk to them about any possible future pregnancies and make sure that they have an OB/GYN that has dealt with pregnant women who have epilepsy. Also, if you might ever want children, you need to make sure that the neurologist knows...it may effect the med they put you on. Some anti-epileptic drug's are safer then others.

[Cint]

I agree with Nakamova. It's only been over a month since your last seizure and you're now on medication and no seizures does indicate that the Tegretol is so far controlling seizures. Heck, I'm on a high dose of Keppra along with Topamax and have the VNS and have gone 6 months without a seizure and then--BAM!

[kara_leigh]

Hi Kara! Welcome to CWE.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made once someone has had two seizures. The fact that the meds are working for you is a good sign. Now..you said that you have seizures about once a month....try keeping track of your cycle. some women find that they will have seizures near their time of the month. If that's the case, you might want to talk to your doc and see if they can find a way to control the hormone shift. One of the members (Robinn) has noticed a great improvement in seizure control for her daughter when they started using a hormone cream. Because hormone shifts can increase the chance of seizures, women should definitely consult their neurologist and talk to them about any possible future pregnancies and make sure that they have an OB/GYN that has dealt with pregnant women who have epilepsy. Also, if you might ever want children, you need to make sure that the neurologist knows...it may effect the med they put you on. Some anti-epileptic drug's are safer then others.

I have them more than once a month, but they tend to cluster at the beginning of each month. I do sometimes have them randomly in the middle of the month also. My cycle isn't at all regular (anywhere from 25-45 days), so I don't think it has anything to do with that. I keep track of my cycle and it doesn't seem to correlate. I've been having "spells" for about a year pretty regularly, and have had about 40 of them since I started keeping track of them since the beginning of December of 09. That's just in a 4 month span, not counting the many I had in the 5-6 month period before that. If you want you can go into my signature and find my first post explaining my seizures in more detail.

[dfwtexas]

So much to learn about E...this is a great forum for information. Sounds like the meds are working...I have been struggling for a couple of years to get under control.
Welcome to our group...Jenn

[Endless]

I'm so happy your first medication is working for you! This is GREAT! Most of us had to go through several before we found one that both worked and had side effects we could tolerate.

Lots of doctors make a diagnosis based on history. I've read that 40% of people with partial seizures have a negative eeg.

A test that gives greater accuracy is a 5-day video eeg in the hospital. A test that is even more accurate (7-15% false positive or negative depending on what study you read) is a PET scan, but they are extremely expensive. My opinion is that if someone is a candidate for surgery these are important tests, but if not a candidate for surgery and if the results wouldn't change treatment, it's a huge waste of time and money.