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Life Span of Anti-Seizure Pills

Wed, 10/18/2006 - 11:02
Having been dealing with my epilepsy for over 30 years, I can't help speak as a "lab technician." That is, I can see that the real success of pills within our body has a lot to do with how long that body of ours has been swallowing and processing those drugs. Just as neurologists tell us that we must give a drug that is new to us time to adjust to all those organs of ours, I speak confidently when I say that after only a decent amount of time (usually marked in years, not days or hours), even the best drugs can "wear off." And if you're like me, you'll often hesitate to tell your doctor, fearing that he/she will merely increase the dosage or offer you advice such as, "Oh, that's just something you'll have to learn to live with." As you've probably found out, many anti-seizure drugs have as a side effect anxiety or depression, and far too many of us tend to keep quiet about these feelings. Often we'll assume that we'll be considered just plain crazy. But if you'll read the containers these pills come in, or the required print-out a pharmacist is supposed to give us, you'll see that anxiety and/or depression can occur just because that "fabulous" anti-seizure pill is cutting down our number of seizures. While fabulous at making our seizures easier, they can make our opinion of ourself worse. In my own case, I noticed that the two drugs I take for holding back my seizures did affect my mood. I mentioned this to my doctor recently, and rather than just "up" the number of anti-anxiety pills I take, she's prescribing something brand new. Yet when I look at the matter, I realize I waited just too long to express my views. Are you like that sometimes?

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