Difficulty getting answers

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Colts mom

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Good morning, I rarely have time to stop by, but I know that this is one place where I can go for great support and connect with others who deal with epilepsy.
My son has been going through so much for so long and I don't know where one issue ends and the other starts. Along with epilepsy he has been diagnosed with oppositional defiance disorder. He refuses to participate in his education and when he gets stuck on an idea, there isn't anyone or anything that can redirect it. He is 12 and has "intractable epilepsy" he is on Depakote, lamictal, keppra & clonazapam. (synthroid for hypothyroidism that is fairly new) the frustrating thing is that he attempts to manipulate the doctors on top of truly having a serious illness. So we have the majority of his grand malls under control for now, but he can barely function.
When he was younger he was extremely well balanced and had no problems athletically. But now he has ataxia, struggles to form sentences, shakes and has extreme difficulty writing. The occupational therapist stars that he is opposite of most children with ataxia in that he is more unstable when he's stationary & gains more balance with motion.
Is anyone familiar with major behavioral issues associated with epilepsy? Or with something else that could be causing his physical disabilities? He's had several clear MRI's.
 
Hi Colts mom,

I'm sorry you're having to cope with multiple health issues with your son. It can be hard to pinpoint the cause of behavioral problems, though I would suspect that his meds (particularly Keppra) may be playing a role there as well as with his balance problems.

If tinkering with his meds isn't an option right now, you might look into neurofeedback for the behavioral and cognitive issues. It can also help with reducing or controlling seizures, but it's probably easiest to tackle one thing at a time to see what works.
 
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