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have you tried gluten-free or dairy free diet?

Tue, 04/17/2007 - 22:58
I've been searching all over the place for information on kids and epilepsy...a few references to gluten and dairy have popped up as triggers for seizures. Anyone tried a gluten-free and/or dairy-free diet with their kid and if yes, what did you find? (my daughter is nearly 4) I'm thinking of trying gluten-free, maybe then dairy-free, though I'm not sure I could do both at the same time. I just read someone's post on one of my previous posts about a book on kids and epilepsy...I will have to check it out. Sofar still no obvious 2nd seizure but also no second neurologist yet... Margie

Comments

Re: Re: have you tried gluten-free or dairy free diet?

Submitted by depress gf on Wed, 2007-04-18 - 04:54
Hi Wendy girl, i been to the same website as well. My boyfriend has a relapse after 11yrs of non-med, seizure-free period recently. I was shocked to find out that apples are one of the food that patients with epilepsy must avoid, esp there is the saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doc away'. All along my bf is not a apple-eating person. He will only eat one every now and then because his father nagged him to eat more fruits or when he discovered a pimple. But just before his relapse, he was having apples ALMOST EVERYDAY for 2 weeks. He just had this sudden feel of wanting to be healthier but turns out the other way. I do not have proof that apples are the main trigger(there may be other factors that accumulated and trigger) but i am sure of keeping him away from apples from now on. By the way, if my bf needs to avoid dairy products, other than vitamin pills, what other alternatives are there for calcium?

Dairy triggering Myoclonic Seizures???

Submitted by mj020605 on Sun, 2008-04-20 - 11:10

Our  3 1/2 yr old son was diagnosed 11 months ago w/ myoclonic seizures.  One evening at supper we noticed a sudden jerk motion w/ head going down & arms going up.  Next thing we knew, he was having 4-9 / day.  He's currently on Lamictal, Depakene & Zonisamide.  (And was previously taking Topamax.)  No family history & MRI & CT's were normal.  EEG's showed seizure activity.  In the past 11 months we've made monthly trips to a  Pediatric Neurologist in Wichita, made 1 trip to Denver to the new Children's Hospital & have made several trips to the ER to get the nose & eyebrow's super-glued back together.  He looked like he took daily beatings.......

 However, we may have stumbled onto something.  Dairy products!  We've been keeping a daily log of his seizures & we noticed that the #'s went down when we ran out of milk.  We've completely cut all diary products & the little guy hasn't had a seizure in 25 days!!!  Before this, he never went a single day w/o having one.  We're waiting to have another EEG to confirm this.  We're also seeing an Alergist to see what else in our "environment" may contribute to our situation.  I admit its a tad frustrating that, if this is "it," why didn't the professionals we're seeing think of this?

 Alternate source for milk......Vitamite.  He loves it.

 Hope this sheds some light for any (or all) of you out there in a similar situation.

Our  3 1/2 yr old son was diagnosed 11 months ago w/ myoclonic seizures.  One evening at supper we noticed a sudden jerk motion w/ head going down & arms going up.  Next thing we knew, he was having 4-9 / day.  He's currently on Lamictal, Depakene & Zonisamide.  (And was previously taking Topamax.)  No family history & MRI & CT's were normal.  EEG's showed seizure activity.  In the past 11 months we've made monthly trips to a  Pediatric Neurologist in Wichita, made 1 trip to Denver to the new Children's Hospital & have made several trips to the ER to get the nose & eyebrow's super-glued back together.  He looked like he took daily beatings.......

 However, we may have stumbled onto something.  Dairy products!  We've been keeping a daily log of his seizures & we noticed that the #'s went down when we ran out of milk.  We've completely cut all diary products & the little guy hasn't had a seizure in 25 days!!!  Before this, he never went a single day w/o having one.  We're waiting to have another EEG to confirm this.  We're also seeing an Alergist to see what else in our "environment" may contribute to our situation.  I admit its a tad frustrating that, if this is "it," why didn't the professionals we're seeing think of this?

 Alternate source for milk......Vitamite.  He loves it.

 Hope this sheds some light for any (or all) of you out there in a similar situation.

Re: Dairy triggering Myoclonic Seizures???

Submitted by shu on Sun, 2008-04-20 - 20:17

Well. how interesting!  My son has absence seizures, just diagnosed in Jan.  He did not respond to Zarontin and we are now trying Depakote Sprinkles. He seems to have about 7-9/per day. No epilepsy in the family. Of course we always make our kids drink their milk and they love yogurt and cheese.  How does your neurologist feel about this?  Mine seems to think that any of these food allergy connections aren't true but I do think there is  a connection.  It would be hard for us to cut out all dairy.  Please keep me posted on your dairy free diet.  Are you worried about calcium intake for their growing bodies or does Vitamite have calcium in it?  Does your son have other allergies, you mentioned an Alergist.  My email is gutepc@comcast.net

 

Thanks

Well. how interesting!  My son has absence seizures, just diagnosed in Jan.  He did not respond to Zarontin and we are now trying Depakote Sprinkles. He seems to have about 7-9/per day. No epilepsy in the family. Of course we always make our kids drink their milk and they love yogurt and cheese.  How does your neurologist feel about this?  Mine seems to think that any of these food allergy connections aren't true but I do think there is  a connection.  It would be hard for us to cut out all dairy.  Please keep me posted on your dairy free diet.  Are you worried about calcium intake for their growing bodies or does Vitamite have calcium in it?  Does your son have other allergies, you mentioned an Alergist.  My email is gutepc@comcast.net

 

Thanks

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