Epilepsy

There are many different ways to try to control seizures, including medication, brain surgery, Vagus nerve stimulation. Sometimes, seizures can be controlled; sometimes they cannot. Sometimes, seizures stop by themselves. For more information, go to www.epilepsyfoundation.org.

On a personal note, I have been epileptic since 1975. During this time I had a grande - mal fit approximately every 3 months. I was an occasional drinker of alcohol and in the eighties stopped my alcohol intake completely. Although I am still on medication for epilepsy, my last fit was in 1995. I have always taken my medication as I know an epileptic fit will most certainly happen if I do not. However, my epilepsy is now completely controlled.

Same reason we have seizures.

The brain just you know :(

You would be diagnosed with epilepsy if you are having recurring seizures. Every case of epilepsy is different as there are different forms and different levels of severity of epilepsy. So what happens to each person will depend on their case. They would likely put on some form of medication and may be sent for further tests and further appointments with their doctor will be made.

i'm not sure what the question here means (it's awkwardly phrased) but assuming that you mean "Can the saliva of someone who has epilepsy give other people epilepsy", the answer is NO. We're not dealing with anything contagious here. It's not like AIDs or the common cold; you cannot catch it. Think about someone with diabetes spitting on you. Would that cause diabetes? Nope. You can't catch epilepsy, nor can you be "infected" with epilepsy. Epilepsy is often times a genetic thing, and if you have had a seizure or think you may have epilepsy, consult a doctor. Also you shouldn't let people spit on you.

Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures. Seizures come in many flavors, including myoclonic, tonic-clonic, and absence, just to name a few. An individual's epileptic seizures may be dominated by one or more types. Pharmacologic agents used to treat epilepsy target the seizure types experienced by patients.

Some drugs used in the treatment of epilepsy include carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenytoin, and ethosuximide. All are considered anti-epileptic drugs. These agents work by pressing on the brain's brakes to inhibit the overactivity that leads to seizures. In addition you can do less stressful activities to calm down your brain and you heart rate.

Epilepsy is not a specific disease as such. It is basically a catch-all term to cover the tendency to have recurring seizures. There are many kinds of seizures, many levels of severity of seizures and many causes of seizures, so it is simpler to use one broad term to cover it all. So once someone has recurring seizures, they are said to have Epilepsy. After that, different forms of Epilepsy can be defined depending on the factors listed above.

It is possible, but extremely rare. If someone was doing an otherwise dangerous activity or was in a dangerous situation and then had a seizure, they could die, but it would not be the epilepsy that would have killed them. So as examples, climbing a high ladder, sky diving, swimming, driving etc. If someone was doing one of those and had a seizure, they could be killed, like if they fell off the ladder. This is why some of these activities are not advisable for people with epilepsy. It would take a very serious seizure for the seizure itself to kill a person, but most people who have epilepsy have seizures that are not in any way life threatening.

I know two people that have died during a seizure. One went into cardiac arrest and the other was in a state of status epilepticus, was ventilated and was given propofol. The seizure went on for so long, that he died as a result.

I remember my mom used to make me feel better about worries of my own epilepsy by telling me some of the most influential (not to mention--intelligent) people were epileptics. Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar...and so on.

While I can't find any info to prove it, my 10 year old is not growing! She was in the 75th percentile as a baby. Now, all her friends are growing, while she isn't. We're really getting worried about this, enough to where we're going to talk to the doctor about taking her off of it. I would *love* to find out if anyone else is having these problems. SOMEONE, PLEASE RESPOND!

That is a question that is impossible to answer. There are doctors all over the world that deal with Epilepsy. Also, because of the nature of epilepsy and the various forms it can take, it is very hard to compare doctors. This would be true of many conditions.

There is no simple answer to that. Epilepsy comes in many forms, and seizures can be of different types. Some seizures would be very minor and not cause any problems. People who get severe seizures could be different. A woman who has epilepsy and is considering having a baby should talk to a doctor. There is also the factor of medication. Most people with epilepsy are taking medication. So for any given individual, this question can really only be answered by their doctor.

Yes Hamsters can and if you think yours has then get it to a vet as they can have seizures.

For most people with epilepsy their memory and ability to concentrate is not affected. Epilepsy only directly affects a person when they are having a seizure. For the majority of the time their epilepsy has no affect on them. If someone has a more severe case of epilepsy or are also suffering from another condition that affects the brain, then they would be likely to have more problems.

It depends on which type you have. There are 2 types, focal and generalized. The first thing a neurologist will try is medication. If that does not control the seizures then there are other alternatives. With focal seizures, there is a device called VNS (vagus nerve stimulator). In order for this to be an option, the seizures must be proceeded by an aura (warning). There is also surgery. To be a candidate for epilepsy surgery, the trigger point of the seizure must be in safely removable location. Away from memory, motor skills, vision, etc. Surgery is performed to decrease or eliminate seizures. If it only decreases the seizures, medication is now likely to have a positive effect . The sooner it is done, the better the outcome will be. Generalized seizures (grand mal) unfortunately cannot be completely eliminated with surgery, but they can be decreased. Because these seizures come from more than one area of the brain, it is impossible to eliminate them. Incisions can be made at the trigger points to help decrease seizure activity and prevent spreading.

Contact your doctor about this. Your doctor will know more about your case and why you are on Lamictal, what dosage etc. Only your doctor can advise you on your question.

i have found that epilepsy in kids can be related to fat allergy. sulfur deficiency can lead to fat allergy. lack of nutrients absorption causes some changes in brain and chemical communication therefore epilepsy seizure shows up again.

we need to increase food intakes with mineral sulfur ingredients such as BEET , onion, cranberries , eggs

No, an anticonvulsant is administered to prevent seizures, not a sedative. Sedatives are used to depress the central nervous system to produce calm and diminished responsiveness without producing sleep.

Adrenaline; AKA: Epinephrine AKA: Norepinephrine all stimulate Alpha 1, Beta 1, and Beta 2 receptors in the body. Stimulating Beta 1 receptors causes less blood flow to non-vital parts of the body thereby giving more blood to important areas such as skeletal muscles, lungs, and brain. Stimulating Beta 1 receptors causes increased heart contraction and the strength of each contraction; this increased blood circulation keeping the blood well oxygenated by the lungs and provides this oxygen to the lungs. Stimulating Beta 2 receptors also causes the airways to enlarge allowing greater airflow to the lungs to further oxygenate the blood. Stimulating Beta 2 receptors also causes arteries to expand to muscles increasing blood to them and causes eyes to dilate to help you see better.

When you bring all this together coupled with the brain just works better on Adrenaline, it just works faster, your responce time is reduced. Muscles have plenty of oxygen and glucose to burn. Your body is ready to preform at its maximum.

The most common diagnostic test is the EEG or electro encephalogram.

No. A person who is having a seizure might not have control of his mouth, throat or swallowing functions and might swallow it. There is also the danger of them biting on the object and doing damage to themselves, like breaking teeth or swallowing a broken part of the item. Despite the common misconception, a person cannot swallow their tongue. The tongue can roll back a bit, but this is a natural occurrence and poses no threat to breathing. So putting something into their mouth is not going to achieve anything.

There are several mechanisms in which epilepsies can be inherited. So-called simple Mendelian inheritance occurs with benign familial neonatal convulsions and autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.

As a seizure can happen at any time, someone who is driving at the time is obviously a potential risk. Different countries have different laws relating to driving and epilepsy. Someone who has any history of epilepsy is often barred for life from driving something like a bus and there is no way they could ever get a pilot license. For a car, it is often a case that they have to be clear of seizures for a period of time, like a year or two, before they will be allowed to get a driving license. A truck being a larger vehicle, poses a larger potential risk on a road, so the law would be stricter, but that depends on where someone is. It differs from one place to another. You would need to check with the laws where you are.

They are pretty good ^^

Epilepsy is not a directly lethal disease :-)

The chance of dying by Epilepsy is smaller than the chance of getting hit by a coke-bottle falling from a plane ^^

You'd have to lose control of your body and fall and damage yourself in a hidiously bad way, or having a seizure while driving a car etc...

It's not likely to die from an epileptic seizure ^^