Breakthrough Seizures

Re: Breakthrough Seizures

Submitted by Ghebre on Sat, 2010-12-18 - 01:18

As it is, seizures are very hard to control as much as they are very hard to predict.

But, I think you are taking too many chances & risking a lot, by simply missing/failing to take your medicine on time.

Every time you miss a dose, you are CERTAINLY putting yourself at risk of another seizure. And every time you are having a seizure, your head is taking a bitting & you are damaging your brain, making your seizures far more worst than the last one.

I learned the hard way,,, In Epilepsy, Protection is far more better than cure.

Therefore, before making your seizures far more complicated by having more seizures for missing medication doses, you need to device a system to CONSTANTLY REMINDING you, to take your medicine & stop or minimize your seizures, before your seizure get out of hand.

Wishng you ALL the best.

Just Another Epileptic,

www.myspace.com/MySeizures

Re: Breakthrough Seizures

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2010-12-20 - 09:11

Thanks for sharing your experiences. This happens with many people. Missed medicines are the most frequent causes of breakthrough seizures and just because one occurs after missing meds, doesn't mean the seizures will remain uncontrolled. The steps people have recommended to avoid missing meds are important. You can also set up electronic reminders of times to take meds. Start a seizure diary on this site - My Epilepsy Diary - and set up reminders to get text/SMS or email reminders of times to take meds. It's immediate feedback and is a great way to make medication taking easier. In regards to the results of tests - a routine EEG is only a snapshot of the EEG activity at the time the test is done. It doesn't show what the electrical activity is like at all times. Thus many times the EEG may be normal when a person is not having seizures, but show seizure activity at other times. The routine EEGs are used to capture changes, but not to record seizures. If this is needed, a more extensive EEG test called EEG telemetry would be done. If a routine EEG however, is showing seizure activity or something suspicious for seizures, then that may be all the doctor needs at that time to get a person back on track with medicines. If seizures can get controlled with meds again - great news! If by chance seizures continue, then more extensive testing may be considered. I hope this info is helpful. Write down a list of questions to take to your doctor and ask how this info pertains to you. Good luck, hope things work out well! Epi_help Resource Specialist

Re: Breakthrough Seizures

Submitted by tbaldwin on Mon, 2010-12-20 - 14:14

When I was changed to take Vimpat&Keppra XR after being on Vimpat&Lyrica,it made a much better change to frequency of seizures.It was 8-12wk between them.Became,3 mo. a couple of times now its been 6mo&1wk since being aware of one. I think the first time after starting Keppra XR&Vimpat I had a seizure that was probably due to both at the same time.It was the first time I forgot to take my sleep time dose.I always set a time to take it which is about my sleep time.Don't just wait till you go to bed,the next afternoon.I noticed the next morning that I didn't take it at 10pm the night before.My last seizure was three mo&five days,so;I became more stressed after seeing that I missed a dose and I'm ahead of the point I've never been to. The next time was 3mo&2days later I probably had it in my mind that it was seizure time after being three months.I was bicycling(not very used to doing it)and I saw something I hadn't seen in twenty years and thought I had to see that again.Next thing I knew of was being in a ER and my face was being stitched from eye to lips(just over temporal area).I knew nothing of crashing.Apparently I lost consciousness just after thinking that I had to see that again,my bicycle just went straight as the road turned. That was 6mo&1wk ago w/o having any seizures that I know of,I just had a 72hr. ambulatory EEG.I don't know of any seizures during it,maybe there some or record,I'll find out.