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.
2 yr old with seizure disorder... advice?
Mon, 08/23/2004 - 09:30Our 2 year old son was just diagnosed with absence seizures. He would stop playing (clue #1) and stare off into space for 3-15 seconds. Then he would resume playing. In one month's time this went from 1 every week to 1 every 10 minutes. The EEG confirmed our observations.
The doctor prescribed Depakote and we got it in the "sprinkle" form. Have you heard of this? You open this capsule and sprinkle it on applesauce, pudding, etc. Well, that sounds easy. However, our son will not let us give it to him! He wants to do it himself and then it ends up on his shirt, the floor, or wherever! We want to make sure he gets the right dose and thought this would be better than liquid. Any advice?
He has only been on the meds for 4 days but I want them to work immedicately! I see no change in his symptoms and would like to know how long it will be before we see some improvement.
This is all brand new for us. There is no history of seizures in our family. In fact, we have 3 other healthy children! I am so impatient and would give anything to take this condition away from my little guy.
Comments
RE: RE: 2 yr old with seizure disorder... advice?
Submitted by kbteachem on Sat, 2004-08-21 - 21:17
Thank you for your kind words and support. My little guy seems to have the same number of seizures but they seem to be decreasing in duration. I am hopeful that things will be improving. The doctor increased his meds to 3x per day and we also changed to the liquid. Let me tell you, at least the liquid meds will have an opportunity to work because it is actually going into his system! Those stupid sprinkles that we tried to sneak into every food did nothing but guarantee that our dog will NEVER have a seizure! He just sat by our son until he handed him the "loaded" food item! But now that we are giving him the liquid, our son is finding out that I am bigger than he is! So I usually win this battle!
Your post really made me smile! Thanks!
Thank you for your kind words and support. My little guy seems to have the same number of seizures but they seem to be decreasing in duration. I am hopeful that things will be improving. The doctor increased his meds to 3x per day and we also changed to the liquid. Let me tell you, at least the liquid meds will have an opportunity to work because it is actually going into his system! Those stupid sprinkles that we tried to sneak into every food did nothing but guarantee that our dog will NEVER have a seizure! He just sat by our son until he handed him the "loaded" food item! But now that we are giving him the liquid, our son is finding out that I am bigger than he is! So I usually win this battle!
Your post really made me smile! Thanks!
RE: 2 yr old with seizure disorder... advice?
Submitted by grabenhofers6 on Tue, 2004-08-17 - 08:55
Hi, it does get better. My 22 month old has been having absence seizures since birth and it took a grand mal seizure at 14 months for anyone to believe me. My little girl is on liquid trileptal twice a day and has now been seizure free for 2 months. But it took several blood tests and a few months to find the right level of medication for her body. We did however notice a huge difference about 2-4 weeks after starting. She has now caught up and surpassed her brother and sister (they are triplets) in everything but speach but that is coming along slowly.
There is hope and you will notice a change as soon as his body adjusts to the medication and it is at the right dose for him.
Hi, it does get better. My 22 month old has been having absence seizures since birth and it took a grand mal seizure at 14 months for anyone to believe me. My little girl is on liquid trileptal twice a day and has now been seizure free for 2 months. But it took several blood tests and a few months to find the right level of medication for her body. We did however notice a huge difference about 2-4 weeks after starting. She has now caught up and surpassed her brother and sister (they are triplets) in everything but speach but that is coming along slowly.
There is hope and you will notice a change as soon as his body adjusts to the medication and it is at the right dose for him.
RE: 2 yr old with seizure disorder... advice?
Submitted by tibet2 on Mon, 2004-08-16 - 00:53
hi, welcome to the club nobody wants to join... i'm sorry to hear your little one has epilepsy. it sounds like you did a great job noticing it and getting him treated. he sure sounds like one of mine in terms of eating... very independent! this is a good thing... however.... bad for the sprinkles... maybe he might do better with the liquid if there were a "treat" of some sort that was associated with the liquid.... my kids don't have epilepsy, but they had a lot of ear infections and it was difficult to get an independent eater to let me give an antibiotic... they were all very good about decorating themselves, the highchair and the floor with their food... two is all about independence, as well you know... so that is going to be working against you for a little while.did you see the article on this site about getting a little one to take a medication? http://www.epilepsy.com/web/print.php?page_name=family_infants_medicinesome people notice a drop in seizure activity the first day.... other people don't notice a change for a week or so... is your doctor gradually increasing the amount of depakote your son is taking? some people don't respond to a med until they reach "therapeutic" dose... but often a doc will want to titrate up to that therapeutic amount... titration helps avoid side effects.... you might want to talk to my friend luanne. her son has been on medication since birth, due to a heart defect... so she has more experience with meds than she ever wanted to have.... her son is a little livewire and very independent! you can post to her here... http://www.debraboard.org/cgi-bin/temp.plthere's a new mom (from viet nam) on this board who has a little girl about your son's age... she has a post titled something like "?? and heartbroken" ... talking to other moms is one of the best thing to do... i hope you notice a change soon... it is hard making sure you get all the medicine in a toddler.. i remember one fine time with the oldest and suddenly i was wearing the antibiotic... good thing pink is my color '-)