meds or sleep?

[jonsmom1212]

So my son was recently diagnosed a couple months ago. I have epilepsy and have had it for most of my life. So I do know a little bit of what to expect and things that happen if you miss a dose. But my issue is he is only 4 and if he falls asleep early and doesn't take his meds, do I let him sleep through the night? Or do I wake him? I know how much he needs his sleep, things are alot worse when he is tired. And right now the meds he is on aren't even working at thus point. Thanks for any advice

 

[epileric]

My personal advice would be to wake him to take his meds.

Most anticonvulsants have a sedative effect anyway. I've found that having to wake up for a few seconds to take pills & go back to sleep is so much less intrusive than having a stronger seizure the next day & being totally unproductive.

You also want to prevent as many seizures as possible because the more someone has the more the neurons remember where they misfired & are more likely to do it again.

 

[jonsmom1212]

Thanks for your advice I will be waking him up.

 

[epileric]

You're very welcome.

 

[Belinda5000]

You definitely wake him for his meds.

I've been taking meds since I was 2 years old.

 

[chmmr]

Another vote for waking him. We have done this with my almost 4 year old daughter when her meds got missed for some reason. Way better to give them than skip them

 

[valeriedl]

I'd defiantly wake him up. Taking your meds is more important than sleeping a whole night strait through.

I have an alarm clock set in the bedroom to go off at med time. I usually fall back asleep after I take them. I have alarms set on my cell phone so if I may be asleep it will wake me up to take them.