Home Treatment
Controlling
caused by
requires a daily commitment to following your
treatment plan. If you are using antiepileptic medicine, you must take your
medicine exactly as prescribed. Not following the treatment plan is one of the
main reasons why medicines fail to control seizures.
Antiepileptic
medicines will work only if you keep the right medicine level in your
body. Your doctor will set up a schedule of medicine dosages that keeps the
proper medicine levels in your body. Missing one or more doses can throw the
whole system off. See information on:
Epilepsy: Taking Your Medicines Properly.
The same rule about following your treatment plan applies
if you or your child is on a special
ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet can be hard to
follow, but it must be followed exactly.
As you follow
your treatment plan, also try to identify and avoid things that may make you more
likely to have a seizure, such as:
- Not getting enough sleep.
- Using
drugs or alcohol.
- Being emotionally stressed.
- Skipping
meals.
If you continue to have seizures despite treatment, keep a record
(What is a document?) of any seizures you have. Note the date, time of day, and any details
about the seizure that you can remember. Your doctor can use information about
your seizures to plan or adjust your medicine or other treatment. If you have
not been diagnosed with epilepsy, a record of your seizures can help your
doctor figure out whether you might have epilepsy and what kinds of seizures you
are having.
If your child or someone else in your family has
epilepsy, learn
what to do when someone has a seizure.
If you have epilepsy (or
your child has epilepsy):
- Be sure that any doctor treating
you for any condition knows that you have epilepsy and knows what medicines you
are taking, if any.
- Wear a
. In the event of a seizure
or accident that leaves you unconscious or unable to speak for yourself, a
medical ID bracelet will let those who are treating you know that you have
epilepsy. It will also list any medicines you are taking to control your
seizures so that you are not given any medicines that will react badly with
those already in your body.
If you have a child with epilepsy, there are other
tips for parents that may be helpful.