Epilepsy

Organized by Anita Pitock,
Esquire a nurse attorney at
Anapol Schwartz.
EPilEPSy: A Neurological
Contact Greg Spizer, Esquire Condition Affecting the
Nervous System
Email:
gspizer@anapolschwartz.com
apitock@anapolschwartz.com

Toll Free: (866) 735-2792 Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. Here is a quick who, what,
where, when, why, and how about epilepsy.
Read more information online at:
www.anapolschwartz.com

© 2011 All Rights Reserved.
Contents
MEdiCAl diSClAiMER: This PdF Who has epilepsy? What is epilepsy? What causes epilepsy? 2
is not designed to and does not provide
medical advice, professional diagnosis, What are the different types of seizures? 3
opinion, treatment or services or other- Where can i learn more about epilepsy? (Resources) 4
wise engage in the practice of medicine,
to you or to any other individual. Please When should there be concern about anti-seizure medication? 5
use this information to help in your
How is epilepsy treated? 7
conversation with your physician. This is
general information and always seek the
advice of your physician or other quali-
fied health provider with any questions
you may have regarding a medical condi-
tion. Never disregard or delay seeking ATTORNEy diSClAiMER: This PdF is dedicated to providing general public information regarding legal
professional medical advice or treatment rights. None of the information on this PdF is intended to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer
because of content found in the PdF, or attorney client relationship. Please contact a lawyer for information regarding your particular case. This PdF is
website, or newsletter. not intended to solicit clients outside the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Arizona.

Who has epilepsy? What is epilepsy?
• Epilepsy can develop at any age; epilepsy
What Causes epilepsy?
and seizures affect almost 3 million What are the different types
Americans. of seizures?
• About 30 percent of the 200,000 new
cases every year begin in children Epilepsy is a neurological condition affecting the nervous system. Epi-
particularly around adolescence. lepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. The first seizure is usually fol-
• Ten percent of the American population lowed by a thorough medical evaluation so the doctor can determine
will experience a seizure in their lifetime. whether to recommend treatment with seizure-preventing drugs, or
to wait and see whether it occurs again.
• incidence is highest under the age of 2
and over 65.
Epilepsy is not diagnosed until at least two seizures that were not
• Three percent will develop epilepsy by
caused by alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar.
age 75.
• Trend shows decreased incidence in Probability is a key factor in determining treatment.
children; increased incidence in the
elderly.
• incidence is greater in African American
What Causes epilepsy?
and socially disadvantaged populations.
in about seven out of 10, no cause can be found. Causes may
• in 70 percent of new cases, no cause is include:
apparent.
• By 20 years of age, one percent of the • head injuries or lack of oxygen may affect the brain’s
population will have developed epilepsy. electrical system
• By 75 years of age, three percent of the • brain tumors
population can be expected to have been • genetic conditions
diagnosed with epilepsy, and ten percent • lead poisoning
will have experienced some type of
• problems in development of the brain before birth
seizure.
• infections like meningitis or encephalitis
(Source: Epilepsy Foundation)

EPilEPSy: A NEuROlOGiCAl CONdiTiON AFFECTiNG THE
NERVOuS SySTEM
Copyright © 2004–2011 All rights reserved. Anapol Schwartz.
Read more information online at www.anapolschwartz.com. 2

What are the different types of seizures?
There are 40 different types of seizures. Here are some of the more common:

ABSENCE SEizuRES—goes blank, repetitive blinking, un- SiMPlE PARTiAl SEizuRES—experienced differently from
aware it happened, resembles daydreaming, lasts 10 to 20 person to person depending on where it begins in the brain;
seconds the person remains alert and can remember what happens.
For motor seizures—jerking, stiffening of muscles, lack of
ATyPiCAl ABSENCE SEizuRES—staring spells, may be coordination; for sensory seizures—ringing, clicking, numb-
cognitively impaired, maybe be related to lennox-Gastaut ness, and floating in space; autonomic seizures—changes in
Syndrome, lasts 30 to 50 seconds heart rate, sweating; and psychic seizures—déjà vu, garbled
speech, fear, and depression; lasts 1 to 2 minutes.
ATONiC SEizuRES—muscles suddenly lose strength or drop
seizures, eyelids droop, head nods, person drops things and COMPlEx PARTiAl SEizuRES—starts with a simple partial
falls to the ground; remains conscious throughout, lasts up to seizure or aura; which includes an odd feeling in the stom-
15 seconds ach; loses awareness and stares blankly; move mouth, pick
at the air or clothing, or perform other purposeless actions;
TONiC SEizuRES—muscles suddenly stiffen, tonic seizures has memory lapses before and after; lasts 30 seconds to 2
often occur during sleep and usually involve all or most of the minutes
brain, affecting both sides of the body. if standing when the
tonic seizure begins, they will fall; remains conscious, lasts 10 SECONdARily GENERAlizEd SEizuRES—may start with a
seconds tingling or aura; these seizures become generalized spreading
to both sides of the brain after the initial or primary event,
TONiC-ClONiC SEizuRES—frequently called grand mal sei- a partial seizure, has already begun. The seizure starts with
zure, all the muscles stiffen, shriek, loses consciousness and a burst of electrical activity in a limited area and spreads
falls to the floor; tongue or cheek bitten, may turn blue; arms throughout the brain; sometimes hard to detect
and legs begin to jerk rapidly then slows and stops; bladder
or bowel control may be gone as body relaxes; consciousness Seizures are frequently described by their cause, the ease or
slowly returns and the person may be confused, tired, de- difficulty of treatment, plus other characteristics. your doctor
pressed, or agitated; lasts from 1 to 3 minutes. if lasts longer, will be able to provide a better understanding of the type of
seek emergency medical help. seizure affecting you or a loved one.

MyOClONiC SEizuRES—brief, shock-like muscle jerking or
twitching on both sides of the body at the same time, lasts 1
or 2 seconds; may be triggered by flashing lights

NERVOuS SySTEM

Where Can i learn more about epilepsy? (resourCes)

Nationwide Pennsylvania
Epilepsy.com
Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern PA
Keep a diary, participate in a forum, find out about clinical
trials, and learn how to maximize seizure preparedness
Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central PA
techniques.

Epilepsy Foundation
Find facts and an affiliate chapter near you. New Jersey

CuRE Epilepsy Foundation New Jersey
CuRE puts a face on epilepsy and shows 10 ways how you can
make a difference.

Purple day—March 26
Global awareness day for epilepsy celebrated around the world.
Share your story. Find an event. Get involved!

Epilepsy and Pregnant Women

Epilepsy Birth Control Registry
Women with epilepsy have unique concerns
when selecting a birth control method. your
participation is voluntary.

Epilepsy pregnancy registries
develop guidelines for the selection of safe and
effective birth control methods

NERVOuS SySTEM

When should there be ConCern about anti-seizure mediCation?
side effects and birth defects and topamax

Side effects Birth defects
like any medication, anti seizure medications Back in 2001, the New England Journal of Medicine found that preg-
have a litany of side effects based on each medi- nant women taking anti seizure drugs could cause birth defects. The
cation. Some of the side effects associated with study focused on 316 babies whose mothers had taken anti seizure
27 medications: drugs while pregnant and 98 whose mothers had taken the same
drugs but stopped before pregnancy occurred. Babies born to 508
dizziness, drowsiness, upset stomach, nausea, women without epilepsy were used as a control group.
fatigue, insomnia, behavior problems, inability
to focus, itching, blurry vision, abnormal The deformities monitored were of the face and fingers as well as
blood count, loss of appetite, twitching, hair head circumference which is a good indication of brain development.
loss, weight gain, irritability, numbness, poor
coordination, skin rash, kidney stones, liver 21% of babies whose mothers took one anti-seizure drug during preg-
toxicity, tremors, frequent urination, abnormal nancy suffered birth defects. in the group of mothers who took at
MRis, limb swelling, fever, headache, least two anti-seizure drugs during pregnancy, 28% of their babies
confusion, and more. suffered defects. 8.5% of babies born to women in the control group
had defects.

None of the 98 babies whose mothers had stopped the drugs before
pregnancy had any major birth defects.

Topamax
Topamax has been available in the u.S. since 1996. On
March 4, 2011, the Food & drug Administration announced
that pregnant women taking Topamax or its generic version
topiramate had double the risk of cleft palate and cleft lip birth
defects than while taking other anti seizure medications.

Topamax is also prescribed to prevent migraine headaches.

if your baby has suffered a cleft palate or cleft lip and you took To-
pamax during your first trimester, you may be able to participate in a
Topamax birth defect lawsuit.

NERVOuS SySTEM

Why do seizures oCCur more frequently?
Sometimes seizures just happen but usually there are reasons for seizures. Some of those reasons are known as triggers. if you
can identify these triggers, you can hopefully avoid more seizures. Keeping a seizure diary is a good way to start.

TRiGGER: don’t skip or forget to take your seizure TRiGGER: Too much stress can cause hyperventilation. Worry or fright
medication. don’t abruptly stop taking it either. increases the risk of seizures as does stress induced hormonal changes.
Missing one dose is more likely to cause seizures if Generalized stress may cause you to forget to take your medications.
you’re scheduled to only take your medicine once
a day. if you miss a dose, you’ve missed a full day TRiGGER: Hormonal changes associated with a menstrual cycle in-
of medication. if you take it two to four times a crease seizure frequency. High doses of estrogen can worsen seizures
day, the risk from missing one dose is less. But while high doses of progesterone acts like an anti seizure drug.
if you miss several doses in a row you will most
likely trigger a seizure TRiGGER: Very low levels of sugar in the blood can cause seizures
especially for people with diabetes who take too much insulin.
TRiGGER: lack of sleep. The sleep-wake cycle is
associated with prominent changes in brain elec- TRiGGER: Binge drinking and alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures.
trical activity and hormonal activity, so seizures Three or more drinks can increase the risk of seizures. your tolerance
and the sleep-wake cycle are often related. for alcohol will be lowered by seizure medication. Being drunk or in-
toxicated may cause you to forget to take your medication.

TRiGGER: Cocaine and seizures are a big no-no causing seizures with-
in seconds, minutes, or hours after use.

TRiGGER: When abused, amphetamines and other stimulants may
cause lack of sleep, confusion, and psychiatric disorders all leading
to seizures.

TRiGGER: Marijuana is a double edged sword. Some studies say it has
anti-seizure properties while other studies say it has seizure inducing
effects. Also while under the influence of marijuana, you may forget
to take your medication.

TRiGGER: Oddly enough, heroin related narcotics do not directly af-
fect seizures. However, while under the influence you will forget to
take your medication.

TRiGGER: Regular usage of nicotine and caffeine do not affect sei-
zures. However, for people who smoke cigarettes, dropping a ciga-
rette during a seizure can start a fire.
NERVOuS SySTEM

hoW is epilepsy treated? drugs, diet, surgery, Vns

drugs diet
different drugs control different kinds of seizures. A special high fat, low carbohydrate has had some success controlling
Most epilepsy medicines are taken by mouth as seizures in children with epilepsy. The ketogenic diet must be doctor
tablets, capsules, sprinkles, or syrup. approved and monitored by a dietician for strict measurements of pro-
tein, fluid, and calories. it is similar to the Atkins diet.
The following are commonly prescribed to prevent
seizures: This diet is prescribed if seizure medication is working. While on the
Carbamazepine (brand names, Tegretol, Te- diet, the child can take less medication. And like medication, a child
gretolxR, Carbatrol); clonazepam (Klonopin); would never just stop the diet cold turkey. He or she must gradually
ethosuximide (zarontin); phenobarbital; phe- get off the diet.
nytoin (dilantin); primidone (Mysoline); valp-
roic acid (depakene); divalproex sodium (de- Ask your healthcare provider if the ketogenic diet is right for your
pakote); and more. situation.

Newer drugs which are also prescribed for epi- SuRGERy
lepsy include felbamate (Felbatol); gabapentin
if medication doesn’t help control seizures, then surgery could be an
(Neurontin); lamotrigine (lamictal); levetiracetam
option. The benefits must be weighed against the risks and as with
(Keppra), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal); tiagabine
any surgery, there is no guarantee that surgery will be successful in
(Gabitril); topiramate (Topamax) and zonisamide
controlling seizures.
(zonagran). More new drugs are in development.
VNS—VNS stands for vagus nerve stimulation. it’s a medical device
A steroid drug, ACTH, may be given by injection
which is implanted under the skin on the chest wall which sends elec-
to treat children with a type of epilepsy called in-
trical energy to the brain by way of the vagus nerve.
fantile spasms, or for severe seizures that can’t be
controlled with other drugs. it is usually given by
a doctor who has had special training in using this
medicine for epilepsy.

A rectal gel form of diazepam (diastat) maybe
prescribed for parent or caregiver to use in stop-
ping cluster seizures or prolonged seizures. Some
doctors may prescribe pills of diazepam (Valium),
lorazepam (Ativan), or clonazepam (Klonopin) for
the same purpose.

NERVOuS SySTEM

Epilepsy

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to Epilepsy

More from Anapol Weiss

Recently uploaded

Epilepsy