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About to start meds. Prescribed Depakote. Any other suggestions?
Tue, 07/22/2014 - 17:30My son had his first seizure at 15 in 2010, then 3 years later at 18 in 2013. All tests (EEG, contrasting MRI, etc.) were negative. We chose not to medicate and our doctor concurred. Our son now 20, had one this year in June of 2014, which was 14 months after the last one. The EEG showed some abnormality.
After June's seizure, the doctor prescribed Depakote. We have not started him on it, awaiting answers from the doctor on (1) why Depakote? (2) why 500mg (3) is the generic Divalproex okay. Our next appt is in August where we were planning on getting answers, but our son’s 4th seizure was yesterday, which is accelerating our plans.
Does anyone have opinions on Depakote vs any other medication for adolescent onset epilepsy before we start? All seizures were grand mal.
Thanks,
Bob
I understand your concern. I
Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2014-07-23 - 15:29
I understand your concern. I also know that neurologists have patients that they have on the medication. Those patients can range in age from toddlers to the aged. As I posted the medications was created for dertain seizures. After being approved for those seizures the testing goes on to see which other seizures it works on and the medications it can be coupled with. A tonic-clonic seizure is a grande mal seizure, A absence seizure is a petite mal seizure. I have both of those epilepsies alonf with focal motor epilepsy. I haven't had a tonic clonic seizure since the one which put me in status epilepticus back in 1969-70. I have had them I have had absence seizures and I have focal seizures.I have used depakote. The neurolopgist also knows which seizures the medications was designed for and which seizures it can help control. Just because your son had a tonic clonic does not mean he will not have other types of seizures. I have had a vast range of different types of seizures.Grand mal (tonic-clonic) Petite mal (absence seizures) and focal seizures. Those focal seizures are wierd feelings in my have so they could be considered partial seizures. If those focal seizures generalize (cover the entire brain the seizure I would be in would look like a grand mal. But in that seizure I would be concious. Knowing everything being done around me. Hearing what people were saying. So I have the gamet of typse of seizures. One of the reasons the medication was prescribed at that dosage level was he wanted to see how your child did on it and generally adjustments are made the next month ot 2. If there are side effects still there the dosage may be to high and it will be lowered. If your child still has seizures the dosage may be increased. I an not speaking because I ma not a doctor. I am speaking because I have experiance and know what I have gone thru in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy