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Altitude Change and Medication Effectiveness?

Sun, 01/02/2005 - 17:12
Hi - I've been diagnosed with epilepsy for about 15yrs (am now 43yrs). Until Christmas last yr I was seizure free for 7 yrs. We went on holiday for 2 weeks down to the coast and then returned to altitude in Johannesburg (6 000ft?) and 2 days later I had a seizure - my mediction was increased by 50% and was then found to be in the therapeutic range. Then 2 days ago it happened again after coming back from holiday at the same place. My meditation is Convulex (3x300mg/day) i.e. valproic acid. My pharmacist thinks there may be a link with haemoglobin level changes with altitude and medication effectiveness - any ideas?

Comments

RE: Altitude Change and Medication Effectiveness?

Submitted by tibet2 on Sun, 2004-04-18 - 00:13
hi, yes - i have also read and heard that high altitude can cause seizure problems. but plenty of web sites claim there is no problem. this has happened to you twice, so i would think it is related. but if this is the only time you have a seizure, what do you think about increasing or changing meds? it seems a little extreme when you have so few seizures and they have only occured after change in altitude. i wonder what your blood levels looked like before you left and after you returned home. that might be an interesting experiment. it would be interesting to know if your levels were decreased - and if so - how long it would take for them to return to normal. maybe part of the problem is that the altitude change was too sudden. i don't know if you drove or flew, but either way would be much faster than walking. 6,000 ft is just not that high and that's your "home altitude" and you were only gone two weeks. it seems like it is a problem for you. it just surprising in some ways because you are very accustomed to the higher altitude. but that's the way altitude is - very individual. i do fine at high altitude because i walk in and i've been lucky. 20,000 ft has not been a problem for me, BUT today i drove from sea level to 1,200 ft and my ears are still bothering me. altitude related problems are very unpredictable, even within the same person. fitness doesn't guarantee immunity from altitude issues. there's a bit about epilepsy and altitude here. it doesn't explain the mechanisms of altitude induced seizures. you'll need to scroll toward the bottom. http://www.himalayanrescue.com/AltitudeIllness.htm

RE: Altitude Change and Medication Effectiveness?

Submitted by RobJW on Sun, 2004-04-18 - 01:29
Thanks for the reply "Tibet2"!Well - maybe that's that theory out the window - I had another VERY mild seizure this morning.... after having increasing medication by about 25% over the last 2 days - this morning was 4 days since coming up from sea level..... Obviously a visit to the neurologist is needed!

RE: Altitude Change and Medication Effectiveness?

Submitted by tibet2 on Sun, 2004-04-18 - 11:25
rob, sorry about the second seizure. i don't know that the altitude theory is out the window. four days is not that long to be back. i would think that it would take "awhile" for your system to get back to "normal' - though what "awhile" might mean is not clear to me. i read some of the climbing literature and altitude issues are very flukey. it's a little trite - but the three cures for altitude problems are "descent, descent, descent." so maybe you need to go back on holiday ;-) maybe the real problem is johannsburg stress ;-) raising meds by 25% after just having raised them 50% last year is a big increase. maybe you have "refracted" to your med (your med has lost its effectiveness - that sometimes happens after "awhile") it's also possible the mild seizure was caused by the increase in meds. anti-convulsants can cause seizures. changes in dosage can cause seizures.you're right - a visit to the neuro is needed. what kind of seizures do you have?

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