Partial seizures and drop attacks

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N

notime

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Hello,

I am sorry to ask a lot of these questions, but I was reading from this pdf book: All_About_Partial_Seizures.pdf, google it if you want to read (for some reason I was unable to post the full link) about seizures which my neurologist assumes I have from history and I haven't done any MRI or EEG tests yet.


I was prescribed Keppra XR (not taking it yet, waiting until I get an MRI and EEG test done. I am also afraid of the side effects) is that does it also treat drop attacks? Must I take another medication or consider an alternative like surgery? I am asking this because I am afraid and scared of the alternative from what I have read. This book said that they might have to consider surgery to disconnect part of the brain, if it spreads to both parts. I refuse to have any kind of surgery, I'd rather live with it and risk injuring myself or worse. I am really scared, please help me.

Thank you.
 
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Hi notime, welcome to CWE!

First of all, I know how scary it can be when you are first diagnosed with epilepsy. Lots of questions, lots of unknowns and anxiety. You've come to the right place -- CWE members can provide a lot of information and support. Hang in there!

Keppra can be used to treat drop attacks in addition to other kinds of seizures. Yes, it can potentially have side effects (as can all of the anti-seizure meds), but it could also be the perfect med for you. It's important when you try a medication to keep an open mind. Give the med a decent amount of time to gauge how well it controls your seizures and pay close attention to evaluate any side effects. If it's not a good fit for you, there are many other meds (and other treatment approaches) to try.

As for surgery -- Slow down! You're getting way ahead of yourself. Surgery is a very serious treatment option. It isn't considered until every other treatment has been tried first. It's way too soon for you to be worrying about that in any way shape or form! (For the folks who do choose surgery, it can be a very successful procedure that brings real relief -- several CWE members can attest to that.).

One of the best things you can do is keep a seizure/symptom diary, where you note when your symptoms occur alongside other aspects of your life. The diary can potentially allow you to identify factors that may play a role in your seizures. The #1 trigger is fatigue, but triggers can also be related to diet and metabolism (food sensitivities, nutritional imbalances, low blood sugar, dehydration), hormonal fluctuations (estrogen, thyroid), general health (infection/illness/apnea), environmental stressors (fluorescent/flashing lighting), and emotional stress. If you can isolate and avoid any triggers that can play a significan trole in achieving seizure control.

There are more good tips here:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/
and information about alternative treatments here:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/index.php?p=alternative-treatments

Best,
Nakamova


p.s. As a security measure, CWE members can't post links until they reached a certain threshold number of posts. This protects against trolls and spammers :)
 
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