I thought it was weird that my neuro ordered EEGs without me lowering my medications at all.
If they do this, then you might have a break-through seizure that could be caused by the reduced medications- which would mean an inacurate EEG reading. They want to see the characteristc spike-and-waves, any abnormality in brain function or at least the waveforms that would suggest it, as well as scaring or other damage.
I had an AEEG/Ambulatory EEG that I wore (and went to school with!) for three days. Even though my meds kept a seizure away, the spike-and-waves still showed. This suggests that my episode are Epileptic and not caused by anything else such as a cardiac conditions, or vitamine defencency or other conditions.
It did not show a seizure in progress and I have never had a seizure while having an EEG.
The last time I had an EEG, they kept asking me how I felt during the ligh phase of the test. I told them that I was feeling okay, but really I wasn't. I did feel like I might of had a smaller seizure- but no one told me that I did.
I have to ask my neuro about the results next time I go. I am curious if they found the driving responce that showed up several times on EEG.
Driving responce, I think means that I have a higher chance of having a seizure due to photo-stimulations or flashes or patterns. I have always had troubles with this, but don't know if they consider this problem to be "photosensitive epilepsy" or not.
During a video EEG, they will reduce your meds- but since you are there for more than just a few days, the medications will be out of your system and a seizure can show up- and they then know that its not from the meds being reduced, its the natural state of your brain behaving in a specific way sort of like it was before you had no medications.
They sometimes just reduce one medication if you are taking two or three. I think that by lowering one med, your seizure threshold is higher than normal, meaning you have a higher chance of having a seizure- but most likely not caused by medication changes.
Since I have never had to have an VEEG, I might not know much about it. But my roommate has and have told me about it somewhat.
I told her recently, that I felt that by them reducing the medication, they are causing the seizure to start up. But I think it just raises the seizure threshold and causes the brain to act like it would without enough meds or like it was in the beginning of treatment.
If you are still having seizures despite medications at the dose they are now, they will increase it- by lowering it, they will see how things are at the lowered dose without stopping everything all at once- causing a breakthrough seizure to happen.
Anyway, sorry for such a long responce here. Hope all it well.
Take care, Crystal