My daughter was diagnosed a year ago with seizure disorder and she has been on keppra since.  I have for the most part, purchased most foods organic whenever possible.  She has many many allergies, and I have recently had an allergy test for her that confirmed this.  I never suspected the eggs or potatoes, but when I removed them from her diet, the results where great. She has recently been acting more aggressive and less interactive with other kids and is throwing tantrums more and more often.  I tried the fish oils, but she's allergic to seafood.  I tried the flax and hemp oils and the same.  I'm not sure what kind of a test I can give her, I'm thinking she has a digestive problem, maybe she's not getting the nutrition she needs and its giving her seizures.  Maybe she's lacking an enzyme.  She had very bad colic when she was a baby, and I was breastfeeding her since she was born but didn't know I was eating foods she's allergic to.  Could this have messed up her stomach?  Does anyone have any suggestions on other omega-3 sources? 

My daughter was diagnosed a year ago with seizure disorder and she has been on keppra since.  I have for the most part, purchased most foods organic whenever possible.  She has many many allergies, and I have recently had an allergy test for her that confirmed this.  I never suspected the eggs or potatoes, but when I removed them from her diet, the results where great.  This greatly reduced her seizures.  I tried giving her vitamins, the "allergen-free" kind but she is still allergic to some ingredient in the vitamins, though I can't tell exactly what.  She has recently been acting more aggressive and less interactive with other kids and is throwing tantrums more and more often.  I tried the fish oils, but she's allergic to seafood.  I tried the flax and hemp oils and the same.  I'm not sure what kind of a test I can give her, I'm thinking she has a digestive problem, maybe she's not getting the nutrition she needs and its giving her seizures.  Maybe she's lacking an enzyme.  She had very bad colic when she was a baby, and I was breastfeeding her since she was born but didn't know I was eating foods she's allergic to.  Could this have messed up her stomach?  Does anyone have any suggestions on other omega-3 sources? 

Hi, I used to take fish oil for high cholesterol, but I stopped taking them a few months ago, after my cholesterol came down.  I was having what seemed like absence seizures maybe two or three times total, thru last year, but this year I've had more in the last few months than I had all last year combined. I will talk to my doctor to see if the Omega 3 will help me, but I don't want it to bring my cholesterol down too low. I'm 57, do you think it will help control the absence seizures in older adults?

my 1 yr and 8months boy is having convulsion/seizure only if he has a fever.. he was prescribed to take phenobarbital for 1 yr. is it possible to let him drink the omega3??

Well, here's another anecdote that supports pdl1's anecdote...

My 10-year-old daughter started getting absence seizures when she was 9, along with periodic excruciating headaches that started/stopped like someone flipped a switch in her brain. Thanks to Wikipedia, I was able to deduce CAE as the probable culprit.

I didn't even want to try the epilepsy drugs -- too many potential side effects, and her symptoms didn't seem severe enough to warrant them. One day I had the random thought that, hey, the kid's allergic to nuts and seeds-- maybe she's deficient in fatty acids, and that's why she's getting the seizures. So I started her on 1 tsp of pharmaceutical-grade cod liver oil/day just to see if there might be any improvement. Her seizures and headaches stopped the very next day. It's been over a month now, and she hasn't had one seizure or headache; before I gave her the oil, she'd have several seizures a day, and the headache about once a week.

BTW the oil I used is Barlean's Organic Oils Fresh Catch Cod Liver Oil, http://www.amazon.com/Barleans-Organic-Oils-8-Ounce-Bottle/d..., ~ $15 for an 8-oz bottle. The flavor is quite pleasant, not fishy at all -- my daughter would drink the entire bottle at once if I let her ;)

I read this all please advice me if any one has benefited with omega 3

my daughter is 15 year old and has 10-20-seconds absence seizers in month about 10 -15 times.

she is taking tow medicine trigatol and colobazam should seh sould try this omega 3 or not

   I am new to this group and happy to share my experience with epilepsy which I got when I was 16 and I am still currently studying in one of the top universities even though doctors gave me only 3 months to live with such EEG. according to them its impossible to remember even your name with such active EEG.anyway..

  I think thats its very important that we share our alternative treatments we discover, because at least in my case i tried 5 different medicine and combinations and they only made it worse! so now i am already 3 years off any stupid killing medication and I am much much better!!! what i found through careful monitoring and reading hundreds of medical articles and alternative medicine books and ..the most important my reactions is that- i have to worn about these triggers

    1.  soft drinks are evil especially coke!!!! please guys dont drink them at all!!!.

    2. monitor your reactions to food. it might not have very very bad allergy like mine to eggs causing just sport- but it does affect your fits!!!! thereforeI went glutein, dairy and egg free diet also avoiding yeast and definitely E621 additives in food and nitrites. Dont eat ham sold in shops or sausages. read what you eat!!!!

  3. fish oils what is interesting caused me more fits..so be careful, for omega-3 I eat milled flaxseed 28g each day..so  look how you react.

  4. stay away from primrose oil capsules!!!

  5. magnesium is like an air. epileptics naturally have less magnesium which is involved in 300 body functions and you definitely need if you want to feel better.!!! Just dont save and buy one which is actually absorbed by your body.

  6. take B vitamins. this is one of the best known cures, but be careful - dont buy the one with yeast!!!.

  7. dont do high cardio exercise. definitely do exercise but even 20 min of high fast running always would cause me fit.

   Thats mistakes I did and thats how I learnt. I feel much better!!!

I've had epilepsy for over 10 years and they are under control but I really want to be cured of this. Right now I would do anything to be cured. Would you please tell me which omega 3 supplement you are using for you daughter and also tell me how your daughter is doing? I would appreicate this. I am getting desperate. 

Thank you.

Grace

I have had petit mal seizures (absense seizures) for 20 years now, from the age of 10. 

I've taken many medicines over the years and had a VNS surgery, to no help.  I am doing best by taking Lamictal XR (extended release) and keppra. However there are other things to take into account, aside from taking a pill 

Your way of life is key and I can control my occurences now by doing 2 main things:

1) do not eat foods with: MSG (maltodextrin, glutamate, glutamic acid, anything autolyzed yeasts, yeast extract, anything hydrolized, sodium caseinate, carrageenan, barley malt, malt extracts, and anything saying natrual flavors).  Sometimes it may be hard to design your diet around that but that's what you have to do, take it or leave it.  So you cancel that MSG factor out that way.  Forget outside foods and fast foods. Only simple meals with less sauces and flavorings when you eat out.

2) Also get plenty of sleep

If I get my sleep (6-7 hrs a night) and eat well, I am good, only having 1 "blackout" a month.  Sometimes losing sleep can catch up with you or you have to eat out, but at least you know why.

Dont ever take a vitamin while you are already taking a prescirbed mediciine, because they could throw eachother off.  What you need to do is cancel out possibilites scientifically.  You need to keep all possibilities in focus and find what's most important.  There would be no use for me to eat well if I wasn't getting sleep.  So either keep track of what you do and know what effects are coming from certain things.  So there's no use in taking nature made supplements while you're on something else because you won't know what's really helping.  I hope you see that picture that you don't just throw things in there.  You have to break it down and monitor what is and isn't having effects.  Best way to begin is keeping a very clean diet, msg free.   Plenty of foods are available without msg.  Stay away from all canned and frozen foods, broths, etc.

I'm not a dr, just a patient with 20 yrs of experience and experimentation. Hope this helps some

I'm not a doctor, but have two masters degrees.  I tried this with my daughter hoping that it woulds boost her mental acuity - the addition was made a few months after getting control of her grand mal seizures with a VNS (at age 29).  Unfortunately, she was still having absence seizures at the time - several a day.  Our finding at the time was that the Omega-3 stimulated absence seizures.  So, I stopped the Omega-3.  A couple of years later we added Gabapentin - attempting to ease spasticity, stiffness and cramping, and found that the Gabapentin helped in reducing the rate of absence seizures as well as the other problems.  After obtaining this reduction in the absence seizure-rate, we re-tried the Omega-3.  We're into the 4th week of administration, now, and this time it does not seem to be stimulating absence seizures, and may in fact be helping some with both her mental acuity (she is severely impaired) and her remaining absence seizures.  I read this as Omega-3 having different impacts for different levels of brain impairment and seizure control, and possibly having some treatment value for patients who manifest a relatively low seizure rate.  The suggestion, also, is that it might in some cases undo control, and thus needs to be used with care and caution.  Also, please note that lower doses stimulated fewer seizures (during the first administration and before Gabapentin).  A secondary suggestion, based on our experience, is that one needs to start this "experiment" at a relatively low-dose - perhaps 100 or 200 mg.. 

I've seen a lot of parents on here wondering whether to use 'natural remedies' or go straight for the 'prescriptions'!?!?

I've also read through this board, and so many of the symptons of absence seizures, ring a familiar bell. It's something I try not to think about- as alot of the neurotic spasms, must be controllable by our own minds. However, that's on a much higher level.... a level I am trying to achieve, in a desperate attempt to control my seizures.

Now to help with your question, in my opinion... Try every 'natural' possibilty first. I reached straight for the prescriptions, after experienceing myclonic seizures, in my late teens.

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, I WOULD!! I WOULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN THE PRESCRIPTION TABLETS.

It is only now that I am starting a natural approach, but I worry it is too late. That my body is too dependent and destroyed by these pills.

Hi I have a  7yr old daughter and possible having a few absent seizures during early evening time, im waiting for the eeg results to come back but ive also been looking into possible cures without any prescribed drugs as I dont really want to go down this line. Can any out there tell me have they ever used Epi STill from native remedies.com, I just wonder if there was any thougths on this. I bought some omega 3 capsules yesterday hopeingthis will help. Like I say the absentness is brief and poss 5 during early evening, when she is probably getting tired and seems to want to talk alot.

can any one offer any more advise pse.

Thankyou Diane

I came across this post while researching absence seizures for my 8yr. old son who was officially diagnosed with absence seizures last fall, although we had been noticing the absences sporadically since May 08. Our pediatrician said he would outgrow them but should have a neuro follow him.  We have seen 2 neuros, one that scoffed at the idea of vitamins/diet changes and our current neuro  that offers alternative and conventional treatments.  Right now, We are taking the route of alternative therapies/diet changes as opposed to meds due to the complications and side effects caused by anti convulsants.    Aside from the absences, my son is strong, intelligent and healthy. We started him on fish oil (Coromega orange flavored packets) and within a few weeks his absences reduced from 10 -15 per day to 5 - 8.  Our Dr. suggested magnesium and b6 supplements and said it would take about 6 weeks for any effect or changes to show up. We have also eliminated any MSG, artificial sweeteners including Splenda which we had used daily, caffeine, high fructose corn syrup and anything that has massive chemicals in the ingredients.  We started this on Jan. 19th.  Also on Feb. 23rd, we started 3x/week visits to the chiropractor.  An xray showed the bone at the base of his skull/top of his spine was out of position.  This has been our 3rd week at the chiro and this past Monday he was seizure free all day for the first time in 10 months!   For the past few days, he has gone the better part of the day without the absences except when he gets over tired. Yesterday he went all day again with none and then had 2 last night as he was up past his bed time.   I do chart them and have noticed a connection to him having them more often when he is overly tired or excited.   I am noticing significant improvement since we have added in the chiro and we are also just hitting the 6 week mark for the vitamins as well, he also takes an epsom salt bath 2x/week.  One thing of interest is that he developed hives last weekend after taking the B6, and the chiro did tell me that if it is synthetic b6 (which it was) it can happen if you have too much in your system, so to look for a better quality b6 from a health food store, preferably made from a food source.  Our neuro also offers neurofeedback which will be another option for us, if needed,  however, it is very expensive and most insurances won't  cover it, including mine.  So we are saving up if needed. Our plan is to leave no stone unturned as far as natural/alternative treatments  for my son to stay healthy and side effect free. 

pra

Dear all,

Hi.

I am father of an epileptic daughter(9 years old, 27
kgs body wt) who was diagnosed last year. So far she had three major
seizures and after that her doctor had put her on tegretol 300 mg
CR(two doses a day) and frisium 5mg a day. Since then she stopped
having seizures. However, she continues to have absence seizures may be
around 20 in a day, I guess. Fortunately I have stumbled upon this forum and
there is a lot of healthy discussion going on in this forum on
controlling absence seizures with fish oils/dietary essential fatty
acids.

If fish oil capsules or EFAs are given along with regular
medication(tegretol and frisium) which I had mentioned above, will it
cause any adverse drug reaction or any other side effects.

I appreciate if any doc/parent on this forum clarifies my doubt?

Warm regds

How do I figure out the dose of fish oil that I should be giving my daughter.  She is very drug sensitive, the first two medications had too many side effects and I would like to give the fish oil a try.   Can you(anyone) help? She weighs 71 pounds and suffer only form absence seizures, but many a day when not on medication.