Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Should I take medication?
Mon, 05/23/2005 - 11:13Hi, I am a 22 year old girl living in Queensland Australia, I have been having seizures since I was about 16 years old, all of them Grand Mal with total black out and memory loss afterwards, confusion, well you know the drill.
Anyway, I only generally have one every eight months , which is pretty mild and that is why I am wondering if I should take medication, or not.I had another seizure a week ago, my first in ages, and my doctor told me I should be on Tegretol. But I dont know, Ihave read about the side effects and it really scares me, and I think that maybe if I just eat really well, and look after myself I should be fine......
I dont know, can anyone give me any advice? I dont know what I want to hear, but are all those side effects true? does it really stop the seizures totally? please help
RE: RE: Should I take medication?
Submitted by katika on Tue, 2005-05-24 - 13:07
While I am glad your friend who has gran mal seizures was successfully treated with Depakote, these medicines are serious in nature and it is a good idea to do lots of research! For example, Depakote is listed as "unsafe" during pregnancy and has a list of serious possible side effects. My child who had different types of seizures at various stages of her life has both benefitted from some medications and at times medications for epilepsy made her situation worse. It is not as simple as popping in a pill. . . Of course if you have the seizures furhter apart you may have to wait sometime to see if they are controlling or reducing the seizures, which again is a complicated matter. May I suggest to you a site that will give you a lot of useful, pharmaceutical information on seizure medications: visit: www.emedicine.com/NEURO/Topic74.htm by Anthony M. Murro, MD. I hope you find the site useful. I think it could prepare you in asking more informative questions from the medical community and exploring all your options be it medicine or otherwise.
While I am glad your friend who has gran mal seizures was successfully treated with Depakote, these medicines are serious in nature and it is a good idea to do lots of research! For example, Depakote is listed as "unsafe" during pregnancy and has a list of serious possible side effects. My child who had different types of seizures at various stages of her life has both benefitted from some medications and at times medications for epilepsy made her situation worse. It is not as simple as popping in a pill. . . Of course if you have the seizures furhter apart you may have to wait sometime to see if they are controlling or reducing the seizures, which again is a complicated matter. May I suggest to you a site that will give you a lot of useful, pharmaceutical information on seizure medications: visit: www.emedicine.com/NEURO/Topic74.htm by Anthony M. Murro, MD. I hope you find the site useful. I think it could prepare you in asking more informative questions from the medical community and exploring all your options be it medicine or otherwise.