Supplements for Epilepsy

[daisy.girl]

With so much talk on the forum lately about stopping anti-seizures medications....I have begun to search natural and supplements that are beneficial in the treatment Epilepsy.

I have had an allergic reaction to 2 anti-seizure meds....and think I am having a reaction to my third 'Keppra XR' too.

Here are a few sites I have found....please comment and if anyone has additional sites on this info on this topic, please post them.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1370968/can_fish_oil_supplements_treat_epilepsy.html

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/57.cfm

 

[Nakamova]

I think that it's important to take a look at the role nutrition can play in seizure health. Sometimes an imbalance means there's an underlying metabolic disorder (like coeliac disease) that should be tackled as well. It can be tricky to use supplements to correct nutritional imbalances, since they aren't all regulated in terms of the active ingredient. If possible, it's better to get the nutrients from food.

As with AEDs, information is your friend. Make sure you are well-informed about how a given supplement or vitamin works with other vitamins or nutrients, as well as what any side effects might be. For instance, Vitamin E is often recommended for seizure control, but it's a good idea to "taper on" to Vitamin E -- starting right away at your target dose can raise your blood pressure. If you take a high dose of Vitamin C over a long period of time, the body can lose its own natural ability to absorb Vitamin C from food. The B vitamins work best if taken together, although certain ones (like B6 and B12) should be higher proportionally to the others. Folic acid is often recommended for people taking AEDs, but in slightly higher doses it can also cause seizures. Etc...

I take supplements myself, so I'm all for them. But what works for one person might not work for another. At one point I tried taking a Vinpocetine supplement to see if would help with my seizures. (Vinpocetine, derived from periwinkle flowers, has shown promise in Russian epilepsy studies). But the Vinpocetine messed with my digestion and didn't seem to help otherwise.

One other (small) consideration: Fish oil is often recommended, because it's a good source of Omega-3s. I recommend that you go with Flax Oil instead, because the major fish oil manufacturer has depleted the stocks of the menhaden fish they use as a source.

 

[Andrew]

my story regarding B vitamins:

I had my first seizure at two weeks old. I spent the first six months of my life in and out of hospital. Doctors were mystified by my illness. None of the ‘normal’ antiepileptic drugs that were administered had any positive effects. At this time I was having many ‘different types’ of seizures a day some of which went status. Countless tests were being done including, EEGs, lumber punctures… etc. A top pediatrician from the main city hospital told my mother that he was going to a meeting. He said he would talk about me in the hope that someone there would be able to help us. At this meeting there was a professor who was doing research into childhood epilepsy. He suggested a trial of Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6). Pyridoxine Hydrochloride was administered (I was five months old). Within two to three days my mother noticed a big difference in me. I’d stopped having severe seizures. Because of the positive effects that Pyridoxine had on my seizures doctors slowly weaned me off all the antiepileptic drugs (this was back in 1970-71). I’ve been taking Pyridoxine Hydrochloride on a daily bases ever since.

I was still experiencing my aura when taking vitamin B6 only, so when I was 19 years old, with my doctor's consent, I added a multi B complex tablet to my daily medication. This stopped my aura.

I have only used B vitamins to control my extremely rare, Atypical form of Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) Dependent Epilepsy.

Without B vitamins (mainly vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCL)) I would probably be mentally impared or worse due to severe seizure activity.

In my lifetime I have had two unsuccessful trials of AEDs.

B vitamins - for me - are the equivalent of your AED(s).

Here is some info. on vitamin B6 dependent seizures

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/pyrido ... t-epilepsy

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/pyrido ... t-epilepsy

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/pyridoxine.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/sgospe/py ... index.html

**DO NOT ALTER ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S CONSENT**

A high dose of vitamin B6 may cause Peripheral Neuropathy.

Some vitamins may interfere with certain Antiepileptic Drugs

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/women/folicacid

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/about/positionstatements/folicacid.html

Regards

Andy