Treatments And Medications For Epileptic Seizures

Persons experiencing epileptic seizures may take drugs that help control seizures. While the types of epileptic seizures greatly vary, epilepsy medications can prevent seizures in nearly 70% of patients. These drugs, however, aren’t capable of curing epilepsy.

To be able to find the best and effective treatment, it is important to know first the exact type of epilepsy the patient is experiencing. Other factors that also affect the type of medication that will be prescribed to every patient are the side effects the patient can endure, other diseases patients may have, and the method of medication that’s acceptable to the patient.

Among the common drugs that are recently used to treat epileptic seizures are:

• Zarontin
This drug is prescribed to patients with absence seizures. Among its unpleasant effects are nausea, vomiting, and weight loss due to loss of appetite.

• Carbatrol or Tegretol
This drug is given to persons with mixed seizures like partial, generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Adverse effects of such medications are changes in vision, nausea, fatigue, and rashes.

• Gabitril
It is taken along with other drugs for epilepsy to treat partial and some types of generalized seizures. Persons taking such drug complain about experiencing weakness, anxiety, dizziness, confusion, and tiredness

• Felbatol
Like Gabitril, it is also designed to treat partial and several forms of generalized seizures. Included in its reported side effects are depression, loss of appetite, weight loss, headache, and insomnia. There are rare cases wherein this drug affects the liver or the bone marrow.

• Lamictal
This drug is for partial and some types of generalized seizures. It has few side effects and patients taking this drug hardly ever experience inability to sleep, rash, or dizziness.

• Keppra
This is prescribed with other epileptic seizure drugs to treat or control partial seizures. Reported side effects of such medication include weakness, changes in behavior, and tiredness.

• Lyrica
This drug for partial seizures causes sleepiness, peripheral edema, dizziness, blurred vision, as well as difficulty to concentrate or pay attention.

• Dilatin
While this drug is made to control generalized tonic-clonic seizures and partial seizures, it can also be given intravenously to immediately control active seizures. Its side effects include increased hair, fatigue, acne, dizziness, rash, and slurred speech. In the long run, this drug can also cause thinning of bones.

• Neurontin
Also used with other epilepsy drugs for treatment of partial and some sort of generalized seizures. While patients may complain about feeling tired and dizzy, this drug has very few lasting side effects.

• Valium and similar tranquilizers
These are very effective yet short-term treatment for all types of seizures. They are usually used in hospitals to immediately stop a seizure. However, after few weeks of use, the patient’s body becomes tolerant to such medication so the dose given to the patient needs to be increased. This drug can cause hyperactivity and drooling in children. Other side effects that will be experienced are nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, and unsteady walking.

It may take time to find out the best drug and dosage for the type of epileptic seizures you’re experiencing. You will be closely examined and monitored during the adjustment period and regular blood tests will be done to find out tour body’s response to the given medication.