son has absence epilepsy

[saidwhat]

Hello,
Im new here.My son has absence epilepsy, started seeing starting spells around age 5.He is now 9 years old, and still suffers from them. He has days with acouple, then he has days when he had acouple back to back. I have been giving him omega3 ,fish oil. They are still happening, he's started having accidents in his pants when he had longer ones.The neurologist recommended zorotin, but after reading other forums I'm a little nervous about giving to him. I just don't want to load my son up on meds.any help, info would be great. He's a athletic boy and wants to play and run around a lot. But i feel bad when i have to tell him to relax and sit down,he thinks im being mean..just don't want him to get hurt and fall down..
Any help our info would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks

 

[masterjen]

Welcome to the forums.
You say you feel bad when you have to stop your son from doing what he likes . . . perhaps if he was medicated you could relax and he could run around and play safely. So there are two sides to your medicate or not medicate issue

 

[saidwhat]

Thanks for the reply. It is a med issue.
Im constantly going back and forth on putting him on medication. I just don't want them to break through and become worse.But i know that not giving him medication or alternatives will Probly make the siezures get worse.

 

[stacey]

side effects of meds

Hi,

I must say that I am very sympathetic, when you watch your child be unable to do what they want it can be awful and make you feel guilty.

My son is 7 and has had most types of seizures at one point or another and it has always been a problem , which is a better option- seizure control but major behaviour issues , or , behavioural control but no seizure control?

its the $99,000 question (and I am no richer ;-) )

I think that you know your child well and I believe that you have to follow what you think is right.Your child will hopefully eventually see that you have restricted his movements for his benefit and not for any bad meaning.

xx chin up

 

[Kgartner]

Maybe because my daughter's first seizures were all tonic-clonics I never had any question about putting her on medication - and I think that was a blessing in disguise! Otherwise I would probably have been going back and forth just like you are.

While the medications do all suck (each in their own individual way - we are now on med #4), I really think you should give it a try. Most people with epilepsy get good control of their seizures with only minimal side effects - those of us who hang out here tend to be the minority who are struggling with finding effective seizure control. And it sounds like it would put your mind at ease to know that he was seizure-free, and allow him to participate in everything he wants to do. Also, at a certain point the absences may begin to effect his school work.

Trying medication does not have to be a forever thing. I would give it a few months, but if the side effects are too much at that point you can go back to what you are doing now. And many children outgrow absence seizures so if you decide to have your son go on meds, you should discuss a plan with his neurologist for eventually trialling him off medication after a certain number of years with no seizures.

Best of luck to you! Navigating these decisions is so very challenging and I hope you find a solution you are comfortable with.