I can't believe I'm here, but I am (Absence Seizures)

Hi Susan This is such a scary time for you and I can only imagine how the side effects are making it worse. My son had his first seizure (tonic) on Easter Sunday and then subsequently had two absence seizures in the month following. To be honest I am not sure how long he has been having the absence seizures but from what I have read, he has shown symptoms of them for awhile that we had put off as daydreaming. His EEG showed normal activity during while awake but as soon as he went to sleep it went crazy. He was diagnosed with generalized epilepsy. His neurologist wanted to start medication before we had the final test results but we refused until we knew for sure. Once we found out, he was put on Depakote. It seems to be working well. As far as we know, he hasn't had another seizure (tonic or absence)and the side effects have been mild. We do have to have blood tests regularly to check his liver function (I have been really worried about that aspect) but otherwise the only other noticable effect is some mild fatigue in the beginning that has now seemed to wear off. On the plus side, he does sleep better at night and the fidgeting and cluttering that the doctor says is a part of the epilipsy seems to be controled. Good luck to you.. Keep your chin up it will get better. Take Care Marla

Hi Susan, This is my first post here. My son, too, was recently diagnosed with childhood absence epilepsy. He's been having seizures for about six months, give or take as I don't remember when I first noticed them. About two months ago he had one and proceeded to walk straight into a parking lot without paying any attention (he is 5). This scared me and I started my research. After spending the last 6 weeks or so getting him diagnosed and in to see a ped neurologist we are filling his first prescription today. He was prescribed ethosuximide, not sure of the brand name. Our doctor said this was the customary first course for children with CAE. I'm just curious if your daughter has had other seizures or just the absence? My son has only ever shown signs of absence. I thought about not medicating him but read somewhere that by getting him on meds to control the seizures right away that his chances of outgrowing them altogether increased. Of course he hasn't started taking anything just yet so we'll see what the side effects are like. The doc said fatigue and possible dizziness/nausea. Please let us know what you decide and if you find any helpful information. My son is starting kindergarten in three weeks. Needless to say I'm VERY nervous about all of this right now. ~Elisa