General Nursing©

What You Should Know About Epilepsy?

Ethosuximide is used primarily in the treatment of absence (petit mal) epilepsy and occasionally as an adjunctive agent in other generalized seizure disorders. Maintenance doses average 20 to 30 mg/kg/day. Common side effects include sedation, headache, and stomach upset. Idiosyncratic reactions may include rash or blood dyscrasias.

Partial seizures often respond to many of the anticonvulsant medications used for generalized seizures, including phenytoin and valproic acid. Another first-line agent used in the treatment of partial seizures is carbamazepine, which is effective against both partial and secondarily generalized seizures. Maintenance doses average 10 to 20 mg/kg/day PO. Dose-related side effects may include stomach upset, sedation, and ataxia. Potential idiosyncratic reactions include leukopenia, aplastic anemia, rash and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Epilepsy can be treated.

Majority of the seizures can be treated (80-85%) as long as medications are taken regularly.

Persons with seizures can go to neurologists, pediatric neurologist, pediatricians, internists and family physicians who can provide treatment with epilepsy.

In cases where there is no definitive cause for the seizure, the patient usually has to take his medications only for about 2-5 years. With the recommendation of the Physician the drug is eventually withdrawn slowly.

Medications are available that control seizures. Different types of seizures require different types of anti-epilepsy medications have undesirable side effects. Most of them are encountered when the doses are very high.

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