Ways to treat epilepsy

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I am 28 years old and I've had epilepsy for 14 years now! I am trying to figure out if there are other options besides medication to help with my seizures.

I have partial complex seizures. I blackout unaware of what I'm doing for at least 10 seconds. They come in clusters about every two weeks maybe longer. I also has small auras every now and then. I need other peoples opinions on if smoking marijuana helps with all kinds of seizures. I know it may help for people who have grand mal seizures and maybe other types.

I was just curious on if it works for those kind of seizures, will it help with my type... partial complex seizures?

Comments

Welcome I read your post and

Submitted by just_joe on Fri, 2014-06-13 - 19:24

Welcome I read your post and understand that you have seizures and auras (also seizures). You have had epilesy for 14 years. You did not post the medications you have used or if you have changed your dosages at all. Have you discussed any of these things with your neurologist? There are different kinds of MJ medical is being looked at closely and yes it can help some people. Then tere is the opther MJ which gets laced with other things which makes people get high and if laced it can also be dangerous. SO which MJ are you wanting to know about? This site is also trying to get medical MJ to be used for epilepsy. It also depends in each state since some have already appvoved mecdical MJ for use in their state. Now understand that medications are being created to stop seizures and give people control of their lives. That said CONTROL is different to each neurologist and person. Many people want complete control and many get it. However some neurologists think that a few seizures a month yur epilepsy is controlled. Been there done that, While I have a neurologist that wants the best control for his patients I also know that with some people full and complete control may never happen. But that does not mean the neurologist will not try and get complete control. It is true that medications have been the best way to get that control. I have used many different medications in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy. If I were you I would be talking to my neuro and trying to find out if there are other medications out that can control your seizures better. I would also be asking are there medications that can be copuled together that might give me better control? Most doctors ask questions to find out how you have been doing. Do you answer his questions ans ask him some? I asked few questions when I was a teen. However after going 3+ years without having a seizure of any kind I had one. I started asking questions. Why did I have this seizure after going that long without one. I found out what triggered that seizure. I then asked if my medications would control all of my seizures. His answer was they might but they might not. I then asked if other medication could control them better. I was told that medications work for some people but not for others and since we already know that these medications controlled your seizures good for a long period of time we might adjust the dosage some to get better control. Well That happened and I got better control of my seizures. I was still having some but none like those I had when I was young and in my early 20's. A seizure now and then didn't bother me since I had not had a convulsive seizure since 1970. When I heard that other medications had come out which might work better my next neuro (the old one moved and retired) wrote a prescription for one. It didn't work as well as the older medications so we went back to that group. So ask questions and answer his without your input and questioning he thinks your seizures are controlled and you are doing fine. I have had the same group of neurologists since 1970. Some have gone into other specialities, others retiresd a few moved to another part of the country. My current neuro was starting with this group back in the late 1980's or early 90's. The same group also tests new medications so I have the opportunity to find out about newer medication as they are released for use. I also have been in drug studies for partial seizures. Once released for use the testing does not stop. The drugs are tested to find out the other types of seizures they can control along with the medications those drugs can be coupled with.... come in clusters I hope this helps Joe

Welcome I read your post and understand that you have seizures and auras (also seizures). You have had epilesy for 14 years. You did not post the medications you have used or if you have changed your dosages at all. Have you discussed any of these things with your neurologist? There are different kinds of MJ medical is being looked at closely and yes it can help some people. Then tere is the opther MJ which gets laced with other things which makes people get high and if laced it can also be dangerous. SO which MJ are you wanting to know about? This site is also trying to get medical MJ to be used for epilepsy. It also depends in each state since some have already appvoved mecdical MJ for use in their state. Now understand that medications are being created to stop seizures and give people control of their lives. That said CONTROL is different to each neurologist and person. Many people want complete control and many get it. However some neurologists think that a few seizures a month yur epilepsy is controlled. Been there done that, While I have a neurologist that wants the best control for his patients I also know that with some people full and complete control may never happen. But that does not mean the neurologist will not try and get complete control. It is true that medications have been the best way to get that control. I have used many different medications in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy. If I were you I would be talking to my neuro and trying to find out if there are other medications out that can control your seizures better. I would also be asking are there medications that can be copuled together that might give me better control? Most doctors ask questions to find out how you have been doing. Do you answer his questions ans ask him some? I asked few questions when I was a teen. However after going 3+ years without having a seizure of any kind I had one. I started asking questions. Why did I have this seizure after going that long without one. I found out what triggered that seizure. I then asked if my medications would control all of my seizures. His answer was they might but they might not. I then asked if other medication could control them better. I was told that medications work for some people but not for others and since we already know that these medications controlled your seizures good for a long period of time we might adjust the dosage some to get better control. Well That happened and I got better control of my seizures. I was still having some but none like those I had when I was young and in my early 20's. A seizure now and then didn't bother me since I had not had a convulsive seizure since 1970. When I heard that other medications had come out which might work better my next neuro (the old one moved and retired) wrote a prescription for one. It didn't work as well as the older medications so we went back to that group. So ask questions and answer his without your input and questioning he thinks your seizures are controlled and you are doing fine. I have had the same group of neurologists since 1970. Some have gone into other specialities, others retiresd a few moved to another part of the country. My current neuro was starting with this group back in the late 1980's or early 90's. The same group also tests new medications so I have the opportunity to find out about newer medication as they are released for use. I also have been in drug studies for partial seizures. Once released for use the testing does not stop. The drugs are tested to find out the other types of seizures they can control along with the medications those drugs can be coupled with.... come in clusters  I hope this helps Joe

Welcome I read your post and understand that you have seizures and auras (also seizures). You have had epilesy for 14 years. You did not post the medications you have used or if you have changed your dosages at all. Have you discussed any of these things with your neurologist? There are different kinds of MJ medical is being looked at closely and yes it can help some people. Then tere is the opther MJ which gets laced with other things which makes people get high and if laced it can also be dangerous. SO which MJ are you wanting to know about? This site is also trying to get medical MJ to be used for epilepsy. It also depends in each state since some have already appvoved mecdical MJ for use in their state. Now understand that medications are being created to stop seizures and give people control of their lives. That said CONTROL is different to each neurologist and person. Many people want complete control and many get it. However some neurologists think that a few seizures a month yur epilepsy is controlled. Been there done that, While I have a neurologist that wants the best control for his patients I also know that with some people full and complete control may never happen. But that does not mean the neurologist will not try and get complete control. It is true that medications have been the best way to get that control. I have used many different medications in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy. If I were you I would be talking to my neuro and trying to find out if there are other medications out that can control your seizures better. I would also be asking are there medications that can be copuled together that might give me better control? Most doctors ask questions to find out how you have been doing. Do you answer his questions ans ask him some? I asked few questions when I was a teen. However after going 3+ years without having a seizure of any kind I had one. I started asking questions. Why did I have this seizure after going that long without one. I found out what triggered that seizure. I then asked if my medications would control all of my seizures. His answer was they might but they might not. I then asked if other medication could control them better. I was told that medications work for some people but not for others and since we already know that these medications controlled your seizures good for a long period of time we might adjust the dosage some to get better control. Well That happened and I got better control of my seizures. I was still having some but none like those I had when I was young and in my early 20's. A seizure now and then didn't bother me since I had not had a convulsive seizure since 1970. When I heard that other medications had come out which might work better my next neuro (the old one moved and retired) wrote a prescription for one. It didn't work as well as the older medications so we went back to that group. So ask questions and answer his without your input and questioning he thinks your seizures are controlled and you are doing fine. I have had the same group of neurologists since 1970. Some have gone into other specialities, others retiresd a few moved to another part of the country. My current neuro was starting with this group back in the late 1980's or early 90's. The same group also tests new medications so I have the opportunity to find out about newer medication as they are released for use. I also have been in drug studies for partial seizures. Once released for use the testing does not stop. The drugs are tested to find out the other types of seizures they can control along with the medications those drugs can be coupled with.... come in clusters I hope this helps Joe

Christine Just because it is

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2014-06-15 - 11:19

Christine Just because it is not legal in your state does not mean your doctor can't respond to your questions. Understand that this site is pushing for more infor and action regarding medical MJ. What MJ does is calm down the central nervious system and in doing that it can calm down the electrical impulses. By doing that it can help keep the electrical impulses from going off wrong. Now I am no doctor but I do know this. My step father had cancer bad and visited family in California. The teens got him some MJ which cut the pain down and he was able to visit and talk to everybody without the pain. So yea MJ can and has been used as treatment for many years. It started many years ago before the people started lacing it with other drugs. Before people started putting other things in it that looked like MJ. If yo uknow spices in your kitchen you can even get teh smell of MJ by putting oragano in a hot grill ot flat top stove. I loved it when I spilt some on the stove in the kitchen I worked in and I saw all kinds of people comming in wanting to know if someone was smoking a joint.