Myths about women with epilepsy

Medications
The most common therapy for epilepsy is anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), which represent several classes of medications. New areas of concern for people taking AEDs include the following.

• Bone health
"We're finding that some AEDs may be associated with decreased bone density," says Dr. Nathalie Jetté of the University of Calgary. She suggests AED-users talk to their doctor about taking 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and 400 international units of vitamin D daily.

• Low folate levels
Jetté suggests taking at least 0.4 milligrams of folic acid daily.

• Depression
"At least 30 per cent of people with epilepsy suffer from depression," says Jetté. She suggests individuals with epilepsy inform their physician if they are experiencing any psychiatric symptoms, such as depressed mood, anxiety or psychosis, because some AEDs can aggravate these symptoms.

• Birth control
Certain AEDs can increase the metabolism of the birth control pill, says Jetté, eliminating it faster from the body and providing an inadequate level of protection. Inform your physician if you are using any hormonal contraception because you may need a higher dose of birth control to provide adequate protection against pregnancy.

Surgical therapy
A study from London, Ont., published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (a type of partial epilepsy), surgery was more effective than anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). The surgery involves removing the anterior part of the temporal lobe. About 50 to 60 per cent of seizures are partial seizures, with the majority being temporal lobe seizures.

At the end of one year, 58 per cent of patients who had epilepsy surgery were free of seizures compared with eight per cent in the group treated by AEDs alone. New surgical therapies for any type of partial epilepsy, including temporal lobe, are under investigation.

• Deep brain stimulator, an implanted device, delivers electrical stimulation to regions deep inside the brain.

• Responsive neurostimulator, a device about twice the size of a loonie, is implanted under the scalp and connected to one or two wires in the brain, where the seizures originate. When a seizure is detected, it delivers a mild electrical stimulation in an attempt to stop the seizure.

First aid for seizures
Most seizures are undetectable. Someone experiencing an absence seizure may just blank out for a few seconds. But if you see a person experiencing a more physical seizure, which can be frightening to watch, the following tips from Living Well with Epilepsy, available through the B.C. Epilepsy Society's website, will help you keep that person safe. Keep in mind that the person having the seizure may not hear you and may not be conscious of his actions.

• Ease him to the floor, if necessary. Move any hot, hard or sharp objects away. Loosen tight neckwear. Protect his head and body from injury.

• Do not restrain him or insert anything into his mouth.

• When the seizure is over, roll him onto his side to keep the air passage open and help his breathing.

• Stay with him until he has recovered completely.

• Seek medical attention immediately if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes or if the seizure repeats without a full recovery.

For more information about epilepsy, visit the following websites.
• Epilepsy Canada: www.epilepsy.ca
• The Canadian Epilepsy Alliance: www.epilepsymatters.com

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