Absence Seizure Treatment

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HI Our 15 y/o son was recently diagnosed with Absence seizures. I am worried about starting him on medication due to risk of personality change/depression, etc. Is anyone doing any kind of alternative or other treatment besides anti seizure meds? Thanks

Comments

typical absence is usually

Submitted by Amy Jo on Fri, 2017-04-14 - 22:14

typical absence is usually discovered earlier, the meds usually work well for a few years and then one can stop the meds without seizures reoccurring. some people that don't respond well to the drug options will try ketogenic diet (often with meds). ketogenic diets are not always an easy choice, one usually starts them in hospital. there are not so many complaints about drugs treating absence - don't know if that's because the treatment time is often a short time or because the drugs have only minor impacts. frankly the comments are more about whether the drug works or not (usually the drugs for absence work but epilepsies can vary).if your son has a different kind of absence (my child has atypical absence) then there are some different drug options to consider.without treatment our child would be having continuous seizure activity. often kids with absence have a lot per day (can be hundreds). so know that epilepsy meds are the best way to avoid adverse impacts to schooling.

Is there an alternative

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2017-04-15 - 10:30

Is there an alternative treatment for a broken are? Or would you think about the cast the doctors used on him because he will get a side effect due to the itch he MIGHT get. Or if he has a vision problem will you decide not to get the glasses because he might have an issue for a few days because it will cause issues as he gets used to them. Or better yet get laughed at and called 4 eyes.I had been having absence seizures for over a year and the only nobody paid attention to them because we didn't know they were seizures until I had a grand mal seizure. They increased in number and became stronger and more rapid. The diagnosis was made a years later...Those notes saying I was day dreaming in class Mom had to sign were seizures. Try thinking about treatment and not look at your device and research in a library with books rather then getting it at a fingers touch. You are young and want your son to be taken care of. My mother did too. But back then there were no putters or devices and you listened to the doctors and if a medication was prescribed you tool it. YES there are side effects to medications. But that means any medication he uses. Have you checked the medications you by over the counter?? They have side effects too and some of those side effects are the ones you don't want him to have.. Mood swings and depression. I have been taking medications for my epilepsy for 50+ years. If I had a side effect they went away in the first days or weeks because my body got used to the medication while the therapeutic levels were building. Those therapeutic levels take about 3-4 weeks to build. Have you ever taken a dose of medication late or even missed one??? If you have or he does those therapeutic level are there to stop a break through from happening if he does either of those things. Absence seizures can be a second long or a few seconds and even minutes. Which means he could have been having seizures you knew nothing about. Seizure medications are the first treatments doctors will do.I hope he gets seizure free.Joe

Is there an alternative treatment for a broken are? Or would you think about the cast the doctors used on him because he will get a side effect due to the itch he MIGHT get. Or if he has a vision problem will you decide not to get the glasses because he might have an issue for a few days because it will cause issues as he gets used to them. Or better yet get laughed at and called 4 eyes.I had been having absence seizures for over a year and the only nobody paid attention to them because we didn't know they were seizures until I had a grand mal seizure. They increased in number and became stronger and more rapid. The diagnosis was made a years later...Those notes saying I was day dreaming in class Mom had to sign were seizures. Try thinking about treatment and not look at your device and research in a library with books rather then getting it at a fingers touch. You are young and want your son to be taken care of. My mother did too. But back then there were no putters or devices and you listened to the doctors and if a medication was prescribed you tool it. YES there are side effects to medications. But that means any medication he uses. Have you checked the medications you by over the counter?? They have side effects too and some of those side effects are the ones you don't want him to have.. Mood swings and depression. I have been taking  medications for my epilepsy for 50+ years. If I had a side effect they went away in the first days or weeks because my body got used to the medication while the therapeutic levels were building. Those therapeutic levels take about 3-4 weeks to build. Have you ever taken a dose of medication late or even missed one??? If you have or he does those therapeutic level are there to stop a break through from happening if he does either of those things. Absence seizures can be a second long or a few seconds and even minutes. Which means he could have been having seizures you knew nothing about. Seizure medications are the first treatments doctors will do.I hope he gets seizure free.Joe

Is there an alternative treatment for a broken are? Or would you think about the cast the doctors used on him because he will get a side effect due to the itch he MIGHT get. Or if he has a vision problem will you decide not to get the glasses because he might have an issue for a few days because it will cause issues as he gets used to them. Or better yet get laughed at and called 4 eyes.I had been having absence seizures for over a year and the only nobody paid attention to them because we didn't know they were seizures until I had a grand mal seizure. They increased in number and became stronger and more rapid. The diagnosis was made a years later...Those notes saying I was day dreaming in class Mom had to sign were seizures. Try thinking about treatment and not look at your device and research in a library with books rather then getting it at a fingers touch. You are young and want your son to be taken care of. My mother did too. But back then there were no putters or devices and you listened to the doctors and if a medication was prescribed you tool it. YES there are side effects to medications. But that means any medication he uses. Have you checked the medications you by over the counter?? They have side effects too and some of those side effects are the ones you don't want him to have.. Mood swings and depression. I have been taking medications for my epilepsy for 50+ years. If I had a side effect they went away in the first days or weeks because my body got used to the medication while the therapeutic levels were building. Those therapeutic levels take about 3-4 weeks to build. Have you ever taken a dose of medication late or even missed one??? If you have or he does those therapeutic level are there to stop a break through from happening if he does either of those things. Absence seizures can be a second long or a few seconds and even minutes. Which means he could have been having seizures you knew nothing about. Seizure medications are the first treatments doctors will do.I hope he gets seizure free.Joe

I understand your concern,

Submitted by mereloaded on Thu, 2017-04-20 - 14:09

I understand your concern, but please know that side effects only happen to a very slim percentage. Look at an aspirin, Motrin, bottle. They all list terrible side effects because they have to list them. Adds are no exception.No, epileosy doesn't have home remedies. Epilepsy has no cure. Epilepsy is a serious chronic condition. Only symptom management is available through pharmaceuticals. Very few are eligible for surgery or brain implants, and even then, they still have to take aeds.