Epilepsy treatment is used to reduce the number and intensity of epileptic seizures, as there is no cure for epilepsy.
The treatment can be carried out with medication, electrostimulation and even brain surgery and, therefore, the best form of treatment should always be evaluated with a neurologist, depending on the intensity of each patient’s seizures, for example.
- In addition to these proven techniques.
- There are still methods that are being tested.
- Such as cannabidiol.
- Which is a substance extracted from marijuana and that can help regulate brain electrical impulses.
- Reducing the risk of seizures.
- This drug is not yet marketed in Brazil.
- With this therapeutic indication.
- But in some cases and with the corresponding authorization can be imported.
- Learn more about cannabidiol remedies.
The use of anti-seizure medications is usually the first treatment option, as many patients stop having frequent seizures with a single daily intake of these medications.
Examples include
However, the correct medication and dose can be difficult to find and therefore it is necessary to record the appearance of new seizures, so that the doctor can assess the effect of the drug over time, modifying it if deemed necessary.
Although they work well, continued use of these medications can cause side effects such as fatigue, bone density loss, speech problems, memory impairment and even depression.This way, when there are few seizures for 2 years, your doctor may stop using the medicine.
This technique can be used as a substitute for drug treatment, but it can also be used in addition to the use of medications, when the reduction of seizures is still not sufficient.
In this treatment method, a small, pacemaker-like device is placed under the skin in the chest area, and the cable is placed to the vagus nerve that runs through the neck.
The electrical current that passes through the nerve can help relieve up to 40% of the intensity of epileptic seizures, but it can also cause side effects such as sore throat or shortness of breath, for example.
This diet is widely used in the treatment of epilepsy in children because it increases the amount of fat and reduces carbohydrates, forcing the body to use fat as an energy source, by doing so, the body does not need to transport glucose through the brain barrier. , which reduces the risk of seizures.
In these cases, it is very important to have regular follow-up by a nutritionist or doctor, to ensure that the amounts of nutrients are well respected. After two years without seizures, your doctor may slowly remove dietary restrictions from children, because in many cases the seizures go away completely.
Understand how the ketogenic diet should be performed
Surgery is usually done only when no other treatment technique has been sufficient to reduce the frequency or intensity of seizures. In this type of surgery, the neurosurgeon may:
Although it is most often necessary to continue using medications after surgery, dosages can generally be reduced, which also reduces the risk of side effects.
Treatment of epilepsy during pregnancy with medications should be avoided, as anticonvulsants may cause changes in baby development and malformations.Learn more about risks and treatment here.
Women who suffer from habitual epileptic seizures and need medication to control them should consult with their neurologist and change their medication to medications that do not have as many side effects on the baby, take 5 mg of folic acid before and during pregnancy and vitamin K should be administered during the last month of pregnancy.
One way to manage seizures during pregnancy is to avoid the factors that cause epilepsy in a woman and use relaxation techniques to avoid stress.