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Seizure Control: What Can You Take for Epilepsy?

Summary & Participants

Deciding on treatment for the seizure disorder epilepsy involves balancing several factors, including the kinds of seizures being treated and antiseizure medication side effects. Doctors agree that being on one drug at the lowest possible dose, monotherapy, is the best plan for minimizing drug interactions and reducing medication side effects.

Medically Reviewed On: July 09, 2008

Webcast Transcript

WILLIAM ROSENFELD, MD: What happens with epilepsy is that there's some abnormal brain discharges. We all have millions of normally functioning brain cells. What happens is: Think of it as telephone wires. If one or two wires are at fault, the telephone doesn't work. Well, that's the same thing that happens with epilepsy.

ANNOUNCER: Epilepsy is a neurologic condition that makes people susceptible to seizures. A seizure causes a brief change in sensation, awareness or behavior.

WILLIAM ROSENFELD, MD: In adults probably 75 to 85 percent of seizures start focal or partial in onset. With those seizures, sometimes the patient may just get a funny feeling in an arm or a leg, or an urge to go the bathroom or may have some visual or auditory hallucinations and that, by the way is called a partial simple seizure.

With alteration or loss of consciousness, that's what we call a partial complex seizure. What that can simply be is as simple as staring straight ahead. Many times the patient will have some lip-smacking or automatic movements or picking at their clothing. Many people are familiar with the grand mal or generalized tonic-clonic seizure, where someone may fall to the ground and have generalized stiffening and jerking of the body.

ANNOUNCER: It turns out that a substantial number of Americans have some form of epilepsy.

It's a very common disorder. It occurs, on a conservative estimate, at least 1 percent of the population, maybe as high as three out of every 100 people could be defined as having epilepsy.

ANNOUNCER: For many years there have been medications to control seizures, but there are some drawbacks to these drugs.

BLANCA VAZQUEZ, MD: Those medicines have side effects for being more tired. Some of them can produce osteoporosis or weakening of the bones. Some of them produce imbalance of hormones and may have long-term side effects of not learning or having more difficulty with cognition.

ANNOUNCER: Now, there is a new group of medications that also controls the symptoms of epilepsy. They may be easier for a patient to tolerate than the older drugs.

WILLIAM ROSENFELD, MD: The newer drugs have less potential side effects than the older drugs. The newer drugs will often have less problems in terms of cognitive side effects.

The biggest asset is that if they're equally effective, you clearly would rather be on the drug that gives you at least the same or better efficacy and less problems.

ANNOUNCER: Eliminating seizures is, of course, the most important goal, but there are other considerations in deciding on therapy

WILLIAM ROSENFELD, MD: The second part is that patients would like to be on monotherapy if at all possible, meaning by that one-drug therapy. And the reason is, if you can take one drug, there is less potential for side effects to the patient.

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