Epilepsy takes place when one has unpredictable seizures due to abnormal signals. These signals come from the temporal lobe. Epilepsy can cause several seizures that affect the brain overtime. An epileptic person that has not been diagnosed yet suffers from several symptoms after or before a seizure due to these strong abnormal signals. However, it all depends on which type of Epilepsy the person has. Each type of Epileptic seizure is completely different. There are three categories of epileptic seizures, generalized, partial and absence seizures. Epilepsy is diagnosed through the Electroencephalography (EEG) and an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain.
The EEG records the electrical activity that is released from the temporal lobe. Depending on the doctor, an EEG can be from 30 minutes to an entire week. Usually when a doctor is unsure whether to prescribe a medication, he or she wants to have a longer recording of the electrical activity. An EEG that is under 24 hours usually takes place in the Neurologist office or in a hospital. During this procedure, the doctor wants the patient to record each time they have a seizure.
If the patient has abnormal electrical activity during these seizures, then the seizure is an Epileptic Seizure. During a Neurological MRI, a patient’s brain structure is looked at to see if there are any irregularities of the brain. The Grand-Mal Seizures are the most common seizures in Epileptic people. With this type of seizure the person loses consciousness and passes out. During this seizure, there are three phases that take place: Tonic, Clonic and Postictal. The Tonic Phase is when a body stiffening takes place. This usually last from 30 to 60 seconds. The Clonic Phase is when the body goes into a violent jerking.
The entire body starts moving for 30 to 60 seconds. After this, the person goes into a deep sleep known as the Postictal Phase. These seizures are known to cause injuries or damage to the brain because the person passes out and falls to the ground. Also, tongue biting and urinary incontinence usually take place during the seizure which can also harm the body. Yet, there are several medications that can be taken for this form of Epilepsy. The doctor will prescribe the medication for Grand-Mal Seizures if he or she is sure that the patient has it. With all the recordings from the EEG and the symptoms the patient has, the doctor can figure out which medication is best for this type of Epilepsy.
Some common medications that Neurologists prescribe to patients with Epilepsy are: Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Valproic Acid, Oxcarbazepine, Lamotrigine, Gabapentin, Topiramate, Phenobarbital, Zonisamide, Levetiracetam, Tiagabine, Pregabalin, Felbamate, Ethosuximide, Lorazepam, and Clonazepam. Partial seizures is when a seizure only affects one part of the brain. It always depends what part of the brain it affects to explain the exact symptoms that will take place. For example, if the seizure affects the part of the brain that controls the movement of hands then a jerking movement will take place in that are.
If there are other parts of the brain are involved then you can feel a full feeling in your stomach or small movements. When one has complex partial seizures then they tend to look confused or dazed. They are fully alert but unconscious. Some symptoms would be lip smacking, chewing, fidgeting, and involuntary movements. These involuntary movements are usually called automatisms. When one has simple partial seizures they suffer with jerking, movement in the muscles, spasms and head-turning.
With Simple Motor seizures, one feels unusual sensations that tend to affect their senses such as vision, hearing, smelling, taste or touch. With Partial Seizure with Secondary Generalization people suffer with a knowing of being conscious and then they evolve into a loss of consciousness and convulsions. These seizures turn into a generalized seizure. Most of the time these seizures can be controlled with medication. In some cases, medication won’t work and surgery is the last option. Absence seizures are most common at childhood. They usually appear between the ages of 4 and 14. You can still have these seizures at no matter what age if suffering with it.
During these seizures, one is conscious yet they have a short loss of consciousness. During this loss of consciousness, you don’t remember what took place. Usually when one is in this type of seizure, their face is stares blankly. They don’t last more than 10-25 seconds. They can appear several times a day. A common symptom for these people is that they feel they have lost time. These seizures can happen at anytime of the day. They don’t have a cause. Several people suffer with nausea, headaches or fear after these seizures. These seizures are usually known as episodes of staring into space.
There are two types of Absence Seizures: Simple and Complex Absence Seizures. Simple Absence Seizures are usually just stares. On the other hand, Complex Absence Seizures are a change in muscle activity. You can have eye blinks, tasting movements of the mouth, hand movements and contraction of the muscles. The Complex Seizures usually last the longest. When one is diagnosed as an Epileptic person, there living habits do change. Depending the state, it can take six months to a year to get your license. Also when one wants to take a bath or go swimming, there must be someone there to look over them. People that go into a seizure in the water could drown.
In the country there has been an increasing awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). The risk factors are: seizures between the age group of 20 and forty, generalized tonic clonic seizures, seizures at night, poorly- controlled seizures and frequent changes of medication that are not well controlled based on the Neurologist’s instructions. Since Epileptic Seizures take a while to be controlled, people are having to take medication for years.
The downfall of these medications for treating Epilepsy is that it can cause a low blood cell count, skin reactions, depression, liver mal function, and birth defects. Since these medications cause low blood cell count, doctors usually make the patient go in for blood work to make sure all the blood counts are going well. Anti-convulsant drugs can cause a rash known as the Steve-Johnson Rash. This rash is fatal. Also, patients taking these medications have a small rate of suicidal thoughts and being in a depressed mood. With the medication Valproate it can cause liver malfunction. If a patient has low transaminases, then they must stop taking this medication.
All these medications can cause birth defects so it is advised to not get pregnant while on this medication. If pregnant, the doctor has to lower your dose which can increase the amount of seizures.. Women that decide to go through with having a child while on Epileptic Medication can cause their child to be born with fetal anti epileptic drug syndrome-characterized by cleft lip and/or cleft palate, developmental delay and a small head. In conclusion, Epilepsy has three completely different categories known has Generalized, Partial or Absence seizures. All of these different types of seizures are different with completely different symptoms.