What treatments are available for simple visual partial seizures in absence? My 17 year old started noticing these 1-2 times /day about 5 years ago, and they gradually increased to 10 instances/day. This happens when she is standing or walking, and her vision goes black (but she never loses consciousness). She has been tested for Neuropathy, MS, and a few other things and all came out normal. So now her neurologist prescribed Trokendi XR (Topamax), beginning with 50 mg/day and over a few weeks, up to 100 mg/day. She had horrible side effects, such as difficult with memory and concentration, muscle weakness, Paresthesia, dizziness, hypoesthesia, so we are going back tomorrow. Are there other drugs without such significant side effects that can help, or other non-drug remedies?
Hello! Welcome on Chat Doctor ! I read carefully your question and would explain that the fact that her seizures are triggered by standing up position is not typical of partial epilepsy seizures. For this reason, I would recommend performing a Head Up Tilt test to exclude possible orthostatic hypotension, which may trigger this clinical situation. If orthostatic hypotension is excluded, I would recommend trying Aborigine for the seizure control. It is better tolerated compared to Tokamak. Hope you will find this answer helpful! Best wishes, 