To Many Simple Partials - Possible Damage To Body?

[Stinkpot]

I have catamenial epilepsy. I have simple partials, complex partials, and generalized grandmal convulsion. However, ever since taking depakote(for almost 3 years now), my convulsions and complex partials have been fully under control, except for one convulsion I had in feb this year. I still have simple partials.

My simple partials are most active a few days before my period and during. I also have them in the morning after waking up, these morning- based sessions usually occure during the week when I go to work, I usually don't have any morning sessions on the weekends. I guess it's because I get to sleep as much as I want to on weekends. I will have morning-based simples atleast 2 - 3 mornings a week(may be more during my period). These sessions last about 15-30 minutes.

Do you think I'm having too many simple partials? Do you think they could cause damage to my brain? I don't feel different, and I recover from simple partial sessions with out any after effects. I have noticed since working my new job(about a year and a half now) Ive forgot a few things at work(like missed meetings and forgetting to clock in), but most of the time it's being distracted with work or not paying attention, esp. when rushed rather than fogetting and not remembering . I've also been taking my pills a little later than usuall. Whilst this has happend many times before, I just notice it's more frequent now. Sometimes I don't remember taking my pills. My mom said it's probably cause it's something I do everyday for the past 11 years. Or is it something worse?

I was watching this video about a rare condition called rassmussen's syndrome, and it said that it involves frequent simple partial seizure that cause brain damage. That being said - made me a little worried. Am I at risk of having brain damage? If so, does anyone know of a good med for simple partials? They are a pest in general anyways!

Thanks for any info!

 

[Nakamova]

Tough to say what the long-term consequences of untreated simple partials may be. If they are escalating that's a good reason to get them under control. And if they are affecting your quality of life, that's another reason. Lots of different meds treat simple partials -- Lamictal, Depakote, Trileptal, Tegretol, Keppra -- so it may be worth asking your neurologist about options.

You might want to have a neuropsych evaluation done. The evaluation is a bunch of tests that measure a wide variety of memory and cognitive skills. It acts as a snapshot that you can measure any future changes against. So if you were to take the tests now and then again in a year's time you could get a sense of which of your cognitive skills might be changing and if so, how quickly.