User:Mahakhanswal/Medication for epilepsy

Overview of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic, non-contagious disease with Central Nervous System disorder. It is caused by excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells.

Epilepsy causes seizure attacks whose symptoms can vary from a simple blank gaze for a few seconds to an involuntary movement of muscles that could involve either a part of the body (partial) or a full body (whole) which can last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Anyone can acquire epilepsy both male and female, young and aged can develop epilepsy, although sometimes childrens can outgrow epilepsy.

The frequency of these attacks can vary from several times a month to once in several years. But just one seizure attack doesn't confirm that a person is suffering from epilepsy.

Epilepsy is diagnosed when there are at least two unprovoked seizure attacks which should be 24 hours apart. People also tend to fall unconscious during a seizure attack, seizures can occur unexpectedly, hence there is always a high risk of the person who often gets seizure attacks getting injured while fainting due to unconsciousness.

To avoid any kind of injury during the fall and involuntary muscle action people with seizures can get a service dog. These kinds of trained service dogs can also be termed as "seizure alert dogs". These are specifically trained to provide help and can also provide assistance to the patient in a variety of ways such as "placing their body in between the patient and the floor to break the fall", providing a soft surface for their head, they stay beside the patient for support, provide comfort while showing affection towards the patient.

It is essential to know that there is no cure for epilepsy till date, although it can be regulated through anti-epileptic drugs or surgery to reduce its frequency for most people, while others would have to take a lifelong treatment for seizures.

Medication for Epilepsy (Antiepileptic medication)

Antiepileptic drugs do not cure Epilepsy but they are intended to -

•Decrease their severity.

•Further prevent seizure attacks from occurring if there are chances of having Seizures in the future.

•Decrease the frequency of seizure attacks.

•Decrease the duration of seizure attacks which generally last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Anti-epileptic drugs could be administered through the Oral, Intravenous (IV), Rectal, Nasal or Buccal route.

They work either by decreasing excitation or increasing inhibition of electrical signals within the neurons in the (CNS) to manage the neuron's dysfunction. [1]

Physicians prescribe the type of Antiepileptic drug and the dosage taking a lot of factors into consideration such as-

•Age

•Weight

•Other prevailing medical conditions

•Other drugs/medications the patient might be taking

•Any side effects that could occur

•Level of severity

Globally it has been found that most of the patients receiving Antiepileptic Medication therapy are treated successfully with no sign of a seizure, while for some patients these medications could last lifelong.