Seriously.. what type of doc do you see for side effects?

[Dignan]

I've seen two different neurologists and talked to anothers office on the phone and they offer absolutely nothing with regard to understanding side effects from AEDS.

Unless it has to do directly with the brain and seizures they are no help. Who do you see if you feel like other areas of your body, or other body systems are being affected by the drugs, but the neurologist just shrugs? I've tried to go to other specialists too, and they are often at a loss because they don't know much about seizure drugs, so they tell you to talk to a neuro!!

Has anyone had any luck finding any type of practitioner that has provided them some good help or advice for these types of problems? My neuro just says change back to my old drug, but I fear that my old drug may have contributed to my issues and don't want to make things worse by going back.

Unfortunately, none of the docs I've talked to seem to know one way or the other. I'm willing to talk to anyone.. even something more unusual like a naturopath or some other type of doc. I'm just tired of wasting my time and money on experts who know less than I do..

Some may feel they've heard this from me before, and I apologize if I am beating a dead horse, but I feel stuck and if anyone out there has had similar issues and came up with a good person to talk to or a solution that worked for them, I would be very grateful to hear about it.

Thanks.

 

[masterjen]

A person who is often an excellent resource is your pharmacist. They typically know more about medications, which includes side effects and interactions, than most doctors.

 

[Nakamova]

Unfortunately, much (most?) of medicine is an inexact science, and the anti-seizure meds are sledgehammers. So even someone with a deep knowledge of every anti-seizure drug won't be able to provide definitive predictions and guarantees. At some point you weigh up the potential risks and rewards and make a decision to either give the old med another try, or to hang tight. Or, you can take a crack at alternative treatments (diet, neurofeedback) and see if they can help you reduce your meds or go off of them altogether.