What medicine should not be taken for epilepsy?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 25, 2024
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Patients with epilepsy mainly rely on some internal medicine drugs for treatment. There are many drugs available today, many of which can effectively control the occurrence of epilepsy and improve the quality of life of the patients. However, it is also important to note that some drugs should not be taken in reduced quantities,

Firstly, there are some drugs that affect the liver. Many drugs can impact the liver, and since many antiepileptic drugs are metabolized through the liver, combining them can increase the burden on the liver and even induce necrotic hepatitis,

Secondly, it is necessary to choose the medication according to the type of epileptic seizures. For example, if it is a visual seizure, or a myoclonic seizure, then one should not take Phenytoin sodium and Carbamazepine, as these two drugs can potentially exacerbate myoclonic and visual seizures,

Thirdly, patients with epilepsy should also avoid taking drugs that affect the metabolism of epilepsy medication. If used together, it can cause a reduction in the efficacy of the epilepsy drugs, easily triggering an epileptic attack, or even a prolonged state of epilepsy.

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Written by Liu Shi Xiang
Neurology
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What causes epilepsy?

The causes of epilepsy mainly include some congenital factors, such as pathological changes during pregnancy or childbirth, which can lead to the occurrence of epilepsy in children. In adults, epilepsy is generally secondary to severe head trauma, cerebrovascular disease, intracranial tumors, encephalitis, etc. Therefore, for patients with epilepsy, it is first necessary to actively remove various inducements and then to treat according to the type of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy mainly includes generalized seizures and partial seizures. Patients with generalized epileptic seizures can take medications such as sodium valproate and diazepam for treatment. Patients with partial epileptic seizures can take medications such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, gabapentin, and levetiracetam for treatment. Generally, the symptoms of epilepsy can be effectively controlled after patients follow a standardized medication treatment regimen.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Seizures in children manifest in various forms, but they all share characteristics of sudden onset, sudden cessation, and periodic occurrence. Common types include grand mal seizures, absence seizures, and benign childhood epilepsy. During a grand mal seizure, the child suddenly loses consciousness, stops breathing, turns blue-purple, pupils dilate, limbs stiffen, hands clench into fists, followed by spasmodic convulsions, foaming at the mouth, with the episode generally lasting 1-5 minutes. Absence seizures in children present as sudden loss of consciousness, interruption of activity, staring or rolling of the eyes, but without falling down or convulsing, lasting 1-10 seconds, with consciousness quickly returning after the episode. Benign childhood epilepsy seizures often involve twitching of one side of the face, lips, or tongue, possibly accompanied by abnormal sensations in the area, inability to speak, drooling, generally with clear consciousness, with episodes occurring more frequently at night.

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Written by Tang Li Li
Neurology
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What causes epilepsy in the elderly?

If a patient has no history of epilepsy but begins to experience epileptic seizures in old age, it is generally secondary epilepsy, also known as symptomatic epilepsy. All patients should have a clear cause, but with current diagnostic techniques, it is not always possible to find the cause. If the cause cannot be identified, it is called cryptogenic epilepsy. In such cases, it is generally necessary to improve diagnostic methods, such as cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cranial magnetic resonance angiography. The most common causes of epilepsy in the elderly are generally cerebrovascular disease, brain trauma, or encephalitis, and in some cases, brain tumors. Any disease that causes brain cell damage can potentially cause symptomatic epileptic seizures. If all imaging examinations fail to reveal any abnormalities, regular follow-ups are necessary to monitor for early-stage tumors that may not be detectable on imaging tests. Meanwhile, antiepileptic treatment should be administered, and routine blood tests, liver, and kidney functions should be regularly monitored.

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Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
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What are the clinical manifestations of epilepsy?

Epilepsy is caused by abnormal discharges of brain cells, and the symptoms and clinical manifestations vary depending on the area of discharge. Main symptoms can include sudden loss of consciousness, rigidity followed by clonic convulsions, and may also involve cyanosis or purpling of the face, tongue biting, frothing at the mouth, urinary incontinence, dilated pupils, continuing for several seconds to minutes before stopping. This condition is called a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Some patients may also experience sudden brief loss of consciousness and interruption of ongoing actions, with a blank stare and unresponsive to calls. They may perform simple automatic actions like swallowing or chewing. Generally, there is no falling, and the patient has no memory of the episode afterwards. This type of seizure is known as an absence seizure. Additionally, some may experience rigidity and clonic convulsions in one limb or a localized area, etc.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Common symptoms of epilepsy in children generally include sudden convulsions. During a convulsion, the typical manifestations are tightly closed or staring eyes, rolled-up eyeballs, clenched teeth, twitching at the corners of the mouth, frothing at the mouth, head and neck thrown back, and repetitive flexing or rigid shaking of the limbs. Generally, these can last for a few minutes, or vary from several seconds to ten minutes. Of course, there are also focal seizures, such as twitching of one side of the body, or absence seizures. Some infantile spasms are characterized by jackknife movements, occurring in clusters, with each display being different. The symptoms described earlier are typical of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.