Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain. In people with epilepsy, brain cells create abnormal electricity that causes seizures. A seizure may cause "jerking" movements. In some cases, seizures cause only a loss of consciousness, a period of confusion, a staring spell or muscle spasms. Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that manifests in diverse ways. There are numerous seizure types and numerous mechanisms by which the brain generates seizures. The two hallmarks of seizure generation are excessive excitability of neurons and hypersynchrony of neural circuits. A large variety of mechanisms alters the balance between excitation and inhibition to predispose a local or widespread region of the brain to hyperexcitability and hypersynchrony. A single seizure is not considered epilepsy. People with epilepsy have repeated episodes of seizures.
Natural supplements for
epilepsy
I am still studying the role of a natural supplements in epilepsy
treatment or prevention. I am certain that there are a number of
supplements or herbs that could reduce the severity of this conditions.
Antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitors, i.e., Prozac, may be useful in seizure control. SSRI drugs
increase serotonin levels in the brain. Since tryptophan and 5-HTP also
increase brain serotonin levels, one wonders if these natural supplements
could reduce the severity of epilepsy or reduce the number of seizures.
The
ketogenic diet is helpful in reducing the risk of epilepsy.
Vitamin D supplement for those on
epilepsy drugs
Taken for long periods, anti- epilepsy drugs can lead to brittle bones.
High-dose vitamin D therapy significantly improves bone mineral density in this
situation. Dr. Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan from American University of Beirut Medical
Center, and colleagues compared the effects of low-dose and high-dose vitamin D
on bone mineral density in 72 adults and 78 children and adolescents taking anti
epilepsy medications. The low dose consisted of 400 IU (international units) per
day, and the high dose was 2000 IU per day for children and 4000 IU daily for
adults. At the start of the study, 34 percent of the adults were in the
deficient range of vitamin D levels and 46 percent were in the insufficient
range. Among children, the corresponding figures were 18 percent and 44 percent.
Bone mineral density was below normal in the adults, but in the children and
adolescents it was still in the normal range. After treatment, none of the
adults and only a few of the children in the high-dose group still had vitamin D
deficiency, and relatively few had vitamin D insufficiency. Bone density in
adults assigned to high-dose vitamin D increased significantly, but it didn't
change much in the low-dose vitamin D group. For children, bone density
increased with both low and high doses of vitamin D, with no differences between
the dose groups. Neurology, December 2006.
Epilepsy Drug Tolerance
Over time, some patients being treated for epilepsy show signs of tolerance to
antiepileptic drugs. Tolerance is the reduction in response to a drug after
repeated administration. Almost all first-, second-, and third-generation
epilepsy drugs lose their antiepileptic activity during prolonged treatment.
This tolerance may lead to a reoccurrence of the epilepsy. Tolerance is
reversible with discontinuation of the drug or drugs. There are two types of
tolerance: Pharmacokinetic (metabolic) tolerance due to induction of epilepsy
drug -metabolizing enzyme has been demonstrated for most first-generation
epilepsy drugs and may be easi to overcome by increasing the dosage of the drug.
However, if the drug tolerance is not overcome by dose increments, the epilepsy
may be considered drug resistant. Pharmacodynamic (functional) tolerance due to
"adaptation of epilepsy drug targets (e.g., loss of receptor sensitivity) has
been shown experimentally for all epilepsy medications that lose activity during
prolonged treatment. Perhaps alternating different epilepsy medications may be
an option for some people who have epilepsy. Epilepsia 2006.
Suicide risk from epilepsy drugs
Patients receiving drugs commonly used to treat epilepsy are more likely to
experience suicidal behavior compared to those receiving placebo. The increased
risk, observed as early as the first week of treatment, is consistent among 11
commonly used epilepsy drugs.
Epilepsy drugs are associated with a higher risk of suicidal
thoughts and behavior. Epilepsy drugs include Pfizer Inc's Lyrica,
GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal, Johnson and Johnson's Topamax, and Abbott
Laboratories Inc's Depakote.
Epilepsy Surgery
Severe epilepsy that can't be controlled with anti-seizure medication may
require a brain operation, but in such cases there's apparently a trade-off.
Surgery, especially on the left temporal lobe, can results in long-term loss of
verbal memory.
Epilepsy and ketogenic diet
Long-term use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy.
Dev Med Child Neurol. 2006 Dec;48(12):978-981. Groesbeck DK, Bluml RM,
Kossoff EH. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
Long-term outcomes of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy have
not previously been reported. A retrospective chart review of children treated
with the ketogenic diet for more than 6 years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital was
performed. In all, 28 patients (15 males, 13 females), currently aged 7 to 23
years, were identified. The median baseline seizure frequency per week at diet
onset was 630 (range 1-1400). Diet duration ranged from 6 to 12 years; 19 remain
on the diet currently. After 6 years or more, 24 children experienced a more
than 90% decrease in seizures, and 22 parents reported satisfaction with the
diet's efficacy. Ten children were at less than the 10th centile for height at
diet initiation; this number increased to 23 at the most recent follow-up
(p=0.001). Kidney stones occurred in seven children and skeletal fractures in
six. After 6 years or more the mean cholesterol level was 201mg/dl, high-density
lipoprotein was 54mg/dl, low-density lipoprotein was 129mg/dl, and triglycerides
were 97mg/dl. Efficacy and overall tolerability for children are maintained
after prolonged use of the ketogenic diet. However, side effects, such as slowed
growth, kidney stones, and fractures, should be monitored closely.
Children with epilepsy may have
nutritional deficits
The nutrient levels in young children with poorly controlled epilepsy
disorders is often below the recommended levels. Dr. Stella L. Volpe, at the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia did a nutritional analysis comparing
43 children with intractable epilepsy with 1,718 healthy children between 1 and
8 years of age. Intractable epilepsy was defined as one or more seizures every
month, despite treatment with at least three antiepileptic drugs. The average
age of the children was 5 years. Children with epilepsy ate statistically
significant lower levels of total calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, dietary
fiber, and multiple vitamins and minerals, compared with healthy children.
Thirty percent of the children with epilepsy had lower-than-recommended intakes
of vitamins D, E and K, folic acid, calcium, linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic
acid. The younger children had lower levels of micronutrients than the older
children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2007.
Newly diagnosed epilepsy
People newly diagnosed with epilepsy have an especially high risk of suicide and
doctors should monitor them.
Epilepsy questions
Q. This is my second e-mail in regards to advising me on the suggested
natural medications for my 10 year-old Autistic & Epileptic child. I want to
give him carnosine (or Mind Power Rx), fish oils a multivitamins but i don't
know the dosage and frequency to give it to him. I want to inform you that he is
on Topamax and Klonopin (both anticonvulsants) twice a day. He is now seizure free
for a year.
A. Thank you for your email, but as we state on the website where
the email address is located, we are not in a position to offer individual
advice. We suggest having your doctor read the info and then give his or her
opinion. One has to be very careful with epilepsy and epilepsy meds.
Q. My name is John B. Symes, D.V.M. I am a veterinarian
who has been studying the effects of gluten-free/casein-free/soy-free/corn-free
diets on canine (and now human) epilepsy for the past 7 years. I have witnessed
phenomenal results in my canine patients and am now getting more and more
testimonials from people who have successfully used the diet I outline (now
called "The G.A.R.D.") on themselves or their epileptic children. I believe this
will all make perfectly good sense to you, especially if you are already
familiar with the link between celiac disease and epilepsy.
I found your site by doing a search for "epilepsy diet". I know that your main
interest is in the publication of medical information that is derived from
peer-reviewed research but I thought that you might be interested in my work,
which is currently under review by contacts I have made at Johns Hopkins, the
Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic. The results of "The G.A.R.D." (the
glutamate-aspartate restricted diet) have been astounding for epilepsy, chronic
pain syndromes, peripheral neuropathies, and much more. You will find my work at
www.dogtorj.net. Seven years ago I found out that I suffered from celiac
disease. I quickly experienced a miraculous recovery from numerous long-term
ailments, especially once I eliminated the others of what I call "the big
4"...gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn...the four "foods" capable
of inducing the villous atrophy commonly associated with gluten intolerance. In
the very first week of my study, I read that celiac children with epilepsy who
were placed on gluten-free (GF) diets often had dramatic improvements in the
severity and frequency of their seizures. This really grabbed my interest, as
epilepsy in veterinary medicine was also considered "idiopathic". I began
placing my epileptic canine patients on GF diets and the results were
astounding. I then set out to understand WHY this was happening. That is what my
Website is all about. Rather than going into great detail here, I will refer you
to the Epilepsy and Diet section of my site (http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id2.html
). In that section, I explain how I developed The G.A.R.D. (the glutamate-aspartate
restricted diet; also known as the gut absorption recovery diet). It dives into
the role of the "excitotoxins" (glutamate and aspartate), the lectins of the
"big 4", viruses, environmental issues (pollution) and even the seasonal
influences (lack of sunlight->low serotonin->increased seizures) in the
pathogenesis of epilepsy. I hope that you will find this interesting and
helpful. I lecture at veterinary conferences and have even spoken at a human
medical conference on this topic. In my mind, the research behind the G.A.R.D.
helps to explain the successes (and failures) that your profession is seeing
with the use of the ketogenic and now "modified Atkin's" diets in epileptic
people, neither of which eliminate all of the dietary culprits we have now
identified as factors in canine epilepsy. The connections between celiac disease
and epilepsy are well-established but gluten is clearly not the only culprit. By
eliminating all of the "big 4", I believe both professions will realize the huge
gains that I have seen in these patients. John B. Symes, D.V.M. (aka "Dogtor J")
Beltline Animal Hospital, Mobile, AL 36609