Seizure Treatments to Ask Your Doctor About
Seizures can be frightening and disorienting. However, modern medicine offers many effective treatments for people living with epilepsy and seizure disorders. These can help you manage your condition and even prevent seizures from happening altogether.
Each person often requires slightly different treatment depending on their disorder or health status. This may involve a combination of medications, lifestyle changes and sometimes surgical interventions to help control seizure activity.
But here’s the good news: with proper medical care and management, many people with seizures can lead full, active lives. Below, we take a look at the different seizure treatments currently available.
1. Antiepileptic Medications (AEDs)
Antiepileptic medications (AEDs) are the most common form of seizure treatment. AEDs target different mechanisms in the brain, allowing doctors to select the most appropriate medication for each patient’s specific seizure type.
For instance, levetiracetam (Keppra) helps regulate brain chemicals to prevent seizure activity. Meanwhile, carbamazepine and phenytoin work by controlling abnormal electrical activity in the brain through sodium channel modulation. Valproic acid also proves effective for many seizure types by enhancing GABA, a natural brain chemical that reduces seizure activity.
FINTEPLA (fenfluramine) represents a newer class of AEDs that works by modulating serotonin levels in the brain. While initially developed for other purposes, FINTEPLA has shown remarkable effectiveness in controlling seizures, particularly in children over two years of age with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Often, medications are combined with other therapies to help reduce or manage seizures. Your specific treatment will depend on your condition, disease, side effects, age and more. Typically, medications are started at a lower dose and then adjusted accordingly.
2. Lifestyle Modifications
Lifestyle changes can help reduce seizure frequency and severity in some cases. Your doctor may recommend:
- Maintaining consistent sleep patterns and getting seven to nine hours each night.
- Practicing regular relaxation techniques, like meditation or deep breathing, to reduce stress (which can bring on seizures for some individuals).
- Keeping a seizure diary to identify and avoid personal triggers.
- Engaging in appropriate physical activities with proper precautions; walking, supervised swimming or stationary cycling can be beneficial options.
- Staying hydrated.
- Eating regular meals.
3. The Keto Diet
Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can help control seizures, specifically epileptic seizures. This high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet forces the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. It typically consists of 90% fat, with the remaining 10% coming from protein and carbohydrates combined.
Regular monitoring by healthcare providers is key to ensuring safety, proper nutrition and management of potential side effects like constipation or kidney stones. Success with the diet often appears within a few months, though some people see results more quickly.
4. Surgical Options
When multiple medications fail to control seizures, surgical intervention may offer hope for patients with specific types of epilepsy. Candidates for surgery typically have seizures that consistently begin in an identifiable area of the brain.
Several surgical approaches exist, each designed for different seizure types and patterns. These include:
- Lobectomy. The most common type of epilepsy surgery involves removing the specific brain area where seizures originate.
- Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT). This minimally invasive option uses precise laser technology to target and destroy seizure-causing brain tissue.
- Multiple Subpial Transection. When seizures start in areas controlling vital functions, surgeons make shallow cuts to prevent seizure spread.
- Corpus Callosotomy. This surgery involves cutting the connection between brain hemispheres. This procedure can be particularly helpful for patients with severe drop attacks or seizures affecting both sides. However, it’s worth noting that this isn’t always successful.
- Hemispherotomy. Reserved for severe cases, this procedure disconnects one side of the brain from the body and the rest of the brain. This can help patients with seizures affecting an entire hemisphere.
5. Neurostimulation Devices
Neurostimulation devices offer an alternative approach to controlling seizures through targeted electrical stimulation. These sophisticated devices work by sending carefully controlled electrical pulses to specific areas of the nervous system.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) represents one of the most established neurostimulation treatments. This therapy involves implanting a small device under the chest skin connecting it to the vagus nerve in the neck. From there, the device delivers regular, mild electrical pulses that help prevent seizures and can sometimes stop them once they begin.
Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) takes a more advanced approach by continuously monitoring brain activity. Doctors implant this smart device directly in the skull, where it watches for patterns that typically lead to seizures. When concerning patterns emerge, the device automatically delivers electrical stimulation to prevent seizure progression. This system also provides valuable data about seizure patterns and treatment effectiveness.
Then, there’s Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). This involves placing electrodes deep within specific brain regions connected to a stimulator implanted in the chest. The system provides regular electrical stimulation to help prevent abnormal brain activity that causes seizures. Doctors can adjust stimulation settings over time, fine-tuning the treatment for optimal seizure control.
6. Alternative Therapies
Several alternative therapies may complement traditional seizure treatments, including:
- Acupuncture.
- Biofeedback.
- Herbal supplements.
- Mindfulness and meditation practices.
- Music therapy.
- And more!
While traditional medications remain the primary treatment, many people achieve better control through a comprehensive approach with multiple strategies. Keep in mind that new therapies continue to emerge, offering hope for better seizure control and improved quality of life for those affected by seizure disorders.