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BRE and behavioral issues—does medication help?
Fri, 01/03/2020 - 11:32Topic: Medication Issues
Our 7-year-old has been diagnosed with BRE, but hasn’t had seizures since he was five. Both the sleep-deprived EEG and 72-hour ambulatory EEG still show lots of abnormal electrical discharges. Thus far, we have been told “we don’t medicate an abnormal EEG, we only medicate seizures.” However, he has heartbreaking behavioral challenges—he is incredibly irritable and inflexible at times, and can vocalize that he is unable to control it. I’ve had him tested for autism spectrum issues—that’s not it. He HAS been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, and they say these two are the reasons for the behavioral challenges. We’ve tried one stimulant med for ADHD, and it only made things worse. There’s a part of me that wonders whether the BRE is at all behind this. The interesting thing is that the epilepsy meds that are commonly used are actually the same as mood stabilizer drugs—prescribed in differ t dosages depending on whether it’s for epilepsy or a mood disorder. There’s a part of me that wants to try a drug like trileptal to see if it might have an impact, but the neurologist won’t be the prescriber because it’s not to treat epilepsy (back to the “we don’t treat the abnormal EEG” thing). I’m sure I can find a developmental pediatrician to do it if we decide to go that route, but I’m more just curious to hear from any of you who have kids that might have a similar profile and have tried meds—what were the results?
Hi, Thank you for posting and
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2020-01-06 - 09:01
Hi, Thank you for posting and we understand your concerns and frustrations. We cannot determine if BRE is contributing to your son’s behavioral issues you describe or not. It’s important that you review this further with his healthcare team, (that you’re comfortable with) to determine what individual treatment plan is best for him. It can be challenging to find a healthcare team that you're comfortable with, but if you feel you can’t talk openly with his doctors or aren’t working towards the same goals, it may be time to get a second opinion. For information regarding second opinions or assistance finding a specialist near you, please visit : https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/you-and-your-healthcare-team/second-opinions https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/find-epilepsy-specialist Obtaining an accurate picture of a child's potential requires an assessment by professionals from different fields. You may want to consider having your son see a neuropsychologist. Neuropsychologists can evaluate cognitive or learning issues and adequately determine individual strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations about schooling. Psychologists and Psychiatrists can also measure a child's adaptive level, or ability to manage common daily activities and help children with mood and learning disorders that are common in children with epilepsy. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/parents-and-caregivers/about-kids/your-medical-team To learn more about the role of neuropsychologists, psychologists and psychiatrists play in the treatment of epilepsy, visit : https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/you-and-your-healthcare-team It may be helpful to keep a journal or diary. My Seizure Diary: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diaryis a great tool for identifying & tracking seizures, setting reminders, managing medications & side effects, setting reminders, recording medical history & other therapies, moods,behaviors, and triggers, that may affect seizures and wellness, which can be shared with his healthcare team. It’s common for those who are in caregiver role to feel overwhelmed, but it is just as important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well.https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/parents-and-caregivers It can be helpful to connect with other parents who may have similar experiences, to ask questions, find &give support to each other, by visiting: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/parents-and-caregivers/parents-helping-parents Or contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline