Epilepsy and Celiac Disease

Re: Epilepsy and Celiac Disease

Submitted by DiDubai on Tue, 2008-11-18 - 04:56

My daughter has just turned 4 and has been diagnosed with epilepcy.  She was a formula baby and it never agreed with her.  I was hoping it would just go away.  but now its worse than ever. (post nasal drip, tummy issues, milk cravings, lives for chocolate etc...) I am having her tested (bloods) this afternoon for celiac disease and if its a yes. I know that it had something to do with her having epilepcy.  Ps.. Lancet has published a medical journal linking epilepcy and celiac disease.

Regards

Re: Epilepsy and Celiac Disease

Submitted by confuzzed on Tue, 2008-11-18 - 06:41

There's some excellent info at www.celiac.com, including a forum where you can get lots of information from others with Celiac and gluten intolerance (yes, they're two different things), as well as other food issues.  It's a great place for asking all kinds of questions, finding sources for gluten-free foods, and recipes.  There's even  sections for teens and for parents of kids with Celiac.

One of the best features of the site is that it has listings of foods where gluten is "hidden".  This is invaluable for avoiding getting glutened.  There are also restaurant guides.

Good luck and, hopefully, your new diet will help cut down or eliminate your seizures.

Re: Epilepsy and Celiac Disease

Submitted by Amy Miller on Mon, 2011-04-25 - 19:56

My daughter had her first seizure 3 days before her 17th bday. She was diagnosed with JME and put on Keppra. She has been on a variety of meds and combinations. Is currently on Lyrica and Zonegran. Most weeks she would still have from 2 to 10 episodes a week. Barely made it through high school, but is doing very well her freshman year in college. In addition to the onset of seizures, she started testing positively for rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. She went on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet and for the first time is more normal than she has been for a very long time. We have not been able to find a doctor who agrees that diet could have contributed to her problems all along. (She showed many signs and symptoms of celiac disease since 18 months of age.) Her follow up blood tests for the rheumatologists came back normal after the diet change. We really like her current epileptologist who helped her identify the difference between her seizures, episodes, and migraines. However, she is unwilling to consider why she started having seizures and why typical anti-seizure meds haven't always helped. Her diet change has been the first lifestyle change that has really shown any improvement in her health. The only times she has difficulties now, 2 years after the onset, is when she either accidentally or purposely eats something containing gluten. I really believe that there is a connection. Any idea how we get medical support and understanding?