Living with epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder often caused by stroke or brain tumors. Symptoms usually consist of fainting, dizziness, muscle spasms, and twitching.
Living with epilepsy may present challenges beyond what other people experience. While there is no cure for epilepsy, with the right therapy, and by knowing what to do in the event of a seizure, most people with epilepsy go on to lead full, healthy lives.
Drugs used to prevent epileptic seizures work completely for about half of patients. For another 30% of epilepsy patients, these drugs provide greatly reduced frequency of seizures. For the remaining patients that do not respond to medicine, surgery may be helpful. For children, a ketogenic diet may be recommended if antiepileptic medications are ineffective.
Though a normal life is possible with epilepsy, some people with this condition do face a higher risk of early death. This may be more likely depending on the cause of seizure, such as when tumors or stroke causes epileptic seizures, which raises the risk of early death. It may also be due to falls or injuries sustained during seizures. Another risk of early death in people with epilepsy is only faced in people whose seizures last for five minutes or longer. This condition, status epilepticus, is sometimes the result of a sudden stop in antiseizure medicine.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder often caused by stroke or brain tumors. Symptoms usually consist of fainting, dizziness, muscle spasms, and twitching.
Epilepsy, sometimes called a seizure disorder, occurs when your brain goes through abnormal activity that triggers a seizure. Seizures are the main indicator of epilepsy, with each episode lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
In the United States, epilepsy is one of the most common disorders affecting the brain, and it can affect all ages and genders equally. In fact, about 5.1 million Americans have a history of epilepsy, and 3.4 million have active epilepsy, in which they experience repeat seizure episodes.
Epilepsy affects people in different ways, and it may result in unintentional movement on one side of the body, both sides, or no movement at all. There are many types of epilepsy and seizures, so it's important to know the signs and symptoms, and the best ways to handle this disorder.
Signs and symptoms of epilepsy
Since epilepsy isn't just one disease, it can have a variety of symptoms. You may experience seizure warning signs such as:
Symptoms of a seizure may include:
- Uncontrollable twitching and jerking
- Muscle spasms
- Loss of consciousness
- Staring spells
- Temporary confusion
- Unusual sensations
- Changes in mood
In general, doctors group symptoms into two broad categories based on body movement: focal and generalized.
Symptoms of focal seizures
Focal seizures, also called partial seizures, affect one part of the brain. You might experience twitching, weak muscles, rigid muscles, or body spasms. You may start doing repetitive movements like lip smacking, clapping, or rubbing hands together. Along with these symptoms, you may have goosebumps or a racing heart, or may experience changes in mood or thinking.
Symptoms of generalized seizures
Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain at the same time. Your body movements are similar to those of focal seizures, but you may also experience spasms in your entire body. For non-motor symptoms, you may have staring spells or twitches in the eyelids or elsewhere.
Causes of epilepsy
In about half of all cases, the cause of epilepsy is unknown. In the cases where the cause is known, it is often the result of an injury, genetic factor, neurological condition, or infection.
Strokes
Conditions like stroke and heart attacks can deprive your brain of oxygen and trigger a seizure.
Brain tumors
Brain conditions like neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis complex, as well as other vascular conditions and both benign and malignant brain tumors can cause seizures.
Genetic disorders
Some types of genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome, Dravet syndrome, Unverricht-Lundborg disease, and Lafora disease, can cause epileptic episodes. These conditions either begin at birth or during childhood, with seizures as an early symptom.
Neurological diseases
Neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, cerebral palsy, and autism spectrum disorder can lead to epilepsy. In children, about 20% of all developmental neurological conditions can result in epileptic seizures.
Brain injuries
Traumatic brain injuries and other head trauma are another known cause of epilepsy. Seizures can occur shortly after head injuries, but sometimes they don't develop for several months or years.
Prenatal injuries
Babies can develop epilepsy if they experienced damage to the brain before birth. Some types of damage include getting poor nutrition, being deprived of oxygen, and getting an infection from the mother.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases like HIV, meningitis, and viral encephalitis can cause epileptic seizures. You might also develop epilepsy from infections that affect your brain. These can include bacterial infections, parasitic infections like malaria and neurocysticercosis, and viral infections like influenza, Zika, and dengue.

SLIDESHOW
What Is Epilepsy? Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments See SlideshowWhen to see the doctor for epilepsy
Experiencing a seizure can be frightening, so it's important to check in with your doctor. Call an ambulance or seek immediate medical help if you have a seizure and one or more of the following symptoms or conditions:
Diagnosing epilepsy
Your doctor will take note of your symptoms, along with any symptoms a friend or family member witnessed. They'll also order tests such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), a magnetoencephalogram (MEG), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or a computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan.
Your doctor will order blood tests to check for infections or metabolic and genetic disorders that might be causing the seizures. They may order or conduct behavioral or neurological tests, as well.
Treatments for epilepsy
Treatment for epilepsy and its seizures depends on the type and frequency of the condition. In most cases, doctors prefer treating with anti-seizure medication, with one medication prescribed at a time.
In addition, your doctor may recommend dietary changes depending on how you respond to the medication. Diets like the ketogenic diet, which is high-fat and low-carbohydrate, have shown good promise in reducing the number of seizures. Other diets, like Atkins and low-glycemic, may help too.
Surgery may be another outcome if your seizures don't respond well to medication or dietary changes and have caused significant complications for your health
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Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Epilepsy Can Follow Traumatic Brain Injury."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Frequently Asked Questions About Epilepsy."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Epilepsy Fast Facts."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Seizure First Aid."
Epilepsy Foundation: "Warning Signs of Seizures."
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry: "Genetics of epilepsy."
Merck Manual: "Seizure Disorders."
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: "The Epilepsies and Seizures: Hope Through Research."
The Oncologist: "Seizure Prognosis in Brain Tumors: New Insights and Evidence-Based Management."
Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania: "Living with Epilepsy."
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Do Seizures Come in Clusters?
Yes, seizures can come in clusters. The term seizure clusters is used when three or more seizures that occur within 24 hours (or within six hours as defined in some studies).Seizures Quiz
Do you know the difference between seizures and epilepsy? What are the types of seizures? Take the Epilepsy & Seizures Quiz to test your knowledge and learn about this complex disorder of the brain.Epilepsy Slideshow
Learn about epilepsy symptoms and treatment for this seizure condition. Discover the definition of epilepsy, how epilepsy is diagnosed, epilepsy medications, and how epilepsy dogs help people with seizures.gabapentin
Gabapentin is a drug prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, nerve damage from shingles and postherptic neuralgia. Off label uses of gabapentin include treatment for substance abuse withdrawal, hiccups, RLS (restless legs syndrome), headaches, diabetic neuropathy, hot flashes, and fibromyalgia, hyperhydrosis. Gabapentin is not an opioid narcotic, but it does have signs and symptoms associated with drug misuse, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms of opioids like sweating, anxiety, muscle pain, insomnia, and goosebumps (philoerections).How Do You Stop Multiple Seizures?
Seizures are a medical emergency. Whether the seizure is a first-time onset or a recurring episode, it is advisable to dial 911 and call for help. A group of drugs called benzodiazepines is usually administered to stop multiple seizures.How Successful Is Surgery for Epilepsy?
Epilepsy surgery is a neurosurgical procedure to prevent or reduce the occurrence of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy surgery involves removal or surgical alteration of the part of the brain from which epileptic seizures originate. Success depends on the condition, procedure and severity of the epileptic condition; epilepsy covers many different seizure disorders.Is CADASIL a Terminal Illness?
Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a genetic disorder that affects the small arteries in the brain, leading to stroke-like episodes, cognitive decline, and other symptoms. It can be life-threatening in some cases, but symptoms, severity, and progression of the disease varies. The exact mortality rate for people with CADASIL is not known, but a person with CADASIL on average lives for 61 years.lamotrigine, Lamictal, Lamictal CD, Lamictal ODT, Lamictal XR
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) is a drug used in combination with other anti-seizure drugs for the treatment of partial seizures, tonic-clonic seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It is also prescribed for individuals over the age of 18 for the prevention of mood episodes in individuals with bipolar disorder. Side effects, drug interactions, warnings and precautions, and pregnancy safety information should be reviewed prior to taking this medication.magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate is a salt of magnesium, a naturally occurring mineral, used to prevent and treat convulsions (seizures) from preeclampsia and eclampsia (toxemia) in pregnant women. Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders, magnesium deficiency, and acute kidney inflammation (nephritis) in children. Side effects include flushing, increased sweating, low blood pressure (hypotension), depressed/poor reflexes, flaccid paralysis, low core body temperature (hypothermia), circulatory collapse, depressed cardiac function, central nervous system (CNS) depression, respiratory paralysis, excess fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), extreme drowsiness, and others.oxcarbazepine
Oxcarbazepine is an anticonvulsant used in the treatment of partial (focal) onset seizures in both adults and pediatric epileptic patients. Oxcarbazepine may also be used to treat bipolar disorder and nerve pain (neuralgia) and nerve damage (neuropathy) that result from certain neurological diseases. Common side effects of oxcarbazepine include drowsiness (somnolence), dizziness, impaired coordination/balance/speech (ataxia), abnormal gait, tremor, fatigue, headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion (dyspepsia), gastritis, loss of appetite (anorexia), dry mouth, rectal hemorrhage, toothache, low sodium levels in blood (hyponatremia), thirst, double vision (diplopia), abnormal vision, repetitive uncontrolled eye movements (nystagmus), abnormal thinking, and others. Consult your doctor if pregnant or breastfeeding.phenobarbital
Phenobarbital is an anticonvulsant medication used to treat generalized and partial seizures and to induce sedation and anesthesia. Common side effects of phenobarbital include central nervous system depression, drowsiness, dizziness, vertigo, balance, coordination and speech impairment (ataxia), slurred speech (dysarthria), repetitive involuntary eye movements (nystagmus), abnormal skin sensations (paresthesia), irritability, restlessness, agitation, confusion, insomnia, and others. Phenobarbital has a potential for addiction.Surgical Options for Epilepsy
Epilepsy is mostly treatable with medication, but this method is not effective for about 30% of patients. In some cases, brain surgery may be an option. Epilepsy surgery is an operation on the brain to control seizures and improve the person's quality of life.Vimpat
Lacosamide is a prescription medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures in people 4 years of age and older. This epilepsy drug may cause suicidal thoughts and is also potentially addictive. Vimpat is a federally controlled substance (CV) because it can be abused or lead to drug dependence. The most common side effects of Vimpat in adults include double vision, headache, dizziness, and nausea. Serious side effects of Vimpat include a serious allergic reaction.What Are the Risks of Epilepsy Surgery?
Epilepsy surgery comes with the risk of tissue and nerve damage, meningitis infection, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, among others specific to each procedure. Epilepsy surgery is a neurosurgical procedure to prevent or reduce the occurrence of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy surgery involves removal or surgical alteration of the part of the brain which is the focal point for onset of seizures.What Are the Side Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs?
Antiepileptic drugs (AED) are medications given to control epileptic seizures and convulsions. Antiepileptic drugs do not cure epilepsy, but may reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of seizures. Most people must continue taking antiepileptic drugs for their entire lives. Side effects vary depending on the seizure medication. The first-generation antiepileptic drugs can have severe side effects and are known to cause liver damage. Some antiepileptic drugs may also interact with others.What Is a Cluster Seizure?
Cluster seizures are episodes of increased seizure activity in which two or more seizures occur in 24 hours. Multiple seizures occur one after the other typically with a recovery period between each seizure and are different from a person’s usual seizure pattern.zonisamide
Zonisamide is an anticonvulsant medication used as adjunctive therapy for partial onset seizures in people with epilepsy older than 16 years of age. Common side effects of zonisamide include drowsiness (somnolence), dizziness, headache, agitation, irritability, nausea, loss of appetite (anorexia), abdominal pain, diarrhea, indigestion (dyspepsia), constipation, vomiting, taste disorder (dysgeusia), dry mouth (xerostomia), weight loss, and others. Zonisamide causes fetal harm. Consult your doctor if pregnant, you may become pregnant, or are breastfeeding.