Most<unk>  who develop epilepsy are treated conventionally with anticonvulsants. In about 70% of cases of childhood epilepsy, medication can completely control seizures. Unfortunately, medications come with an extensive list of side effects that range from mild discomfort to major cognitive impairment. Usually, the adverse cognitive effects are ablated following dose reduction or cessation of the drug. Medicating a child is not always easy. Many pills are made only to be swallowed, which can be difficult for a child. For some medications, chewable versions do exist. The goal of treatment is to control, stop, or reduce how often seizures occur. Treatment is most often done with medicine. Many types of medicines used to treat seizures and epilepsy. Your child’s healthcare provider will need to identify the type of seizure your child is having. Medicines are selected based on the type of seizure, age of the child, side effects, cost, and ease of use. Medicines used at home are usually taken by mouth as capsules, tablets, sprinkles, or syrup. Some medicines can be given into the rectum or in the nose. If your child is in the hospital with seizures, medicine may be given by injection or intravenously by vein (IV) (Hopkins Medicine). It is important to give your child medicine on time and as prescribed. The dose may need to be adjusted for the best seizure control. All medicines can have side effects. Talk with your child’s healthcare provider about possible side effects. If your child has side effects, talk to the healthcare provider. Do not stop giving medicine to your child. This can cause more or worse seizures (Hopkins Medicine). While your child is taking medicine, he or she may need tests to see how well the medicine is working. You may have: * Blood tests. Your child may need blood tests often to check the level of medicine in his or her body. Based on this level, the healthcare provider may change the dose of medicine. Your child may also have blood tests to check the effects of the medicine on his or her other organs. * Urine tests. Your child’s urine may be tested to see how his or her body is reacting to the medicine. * Electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG is a procedure that records the brain's electrical activity. This is done by attaching electrodes to the scalp. This test is done to see how medicine is helping the electrical problems in your child’s brain. Your child may not need medicine for life. Some<unk>  are taken off medicine if they have had no seizures for 1 to 2 years. This will be determined by your child's healthcare provider (Hopkins Medicine). The ketogenic diet is used to treat<unk>  who have not responded successfully to other treatments. This diet is low in carbohydrates, adequate in protein and high in fat. It has proven successful in two thirds of epilepsy cases. A ketogenic diet is a type of diet is very high in fat, and very low in carbohydrates. Enough protein is included to help promote growth. The diet causes the body to make ketones. These are chemicals made from the breakdown of body fat. The brain and heart work normally with ketones as an energy source. This special diet must be strictly followed. Too many carbohydrates can stop ketosis. Researchers aren’t sure why the diet works. But some<unk>  become seizure-free when put on the diet. The diet doesn’t work for every child (Hopkins Medicine). Vagus Nerve stimulation (VNS) This treatment sends small pulses of energy to the brain from one of the vagus nerves. This is a pair of large nerves in the neck. If your child is age 12 or older and has partial seizures that are not controlled well with medicine, VNS may be an option. VNS is done by surgically placing a small battery into the chest wall. Small wires are then attached to the battery and placed under the skin and around one of the vagus nerves. The battery is then programmed to send energy impulses every few minutes to the brain. When your child feels a seizure coming on, he or she may activate the impulses by holding a small magnet over the battery. In many cases, this will help to stop the seizure. VNS can have side effects such as hoarse voice, pain in the throat, or change in voice (Hopkins medicine). In some cases, severe epilepsy is treated with the hemispherectomy, a drastic surgical procedure in which part or all of one of the hemispheres of the brain is removed.
Epilepsy in children
Epilepsy syndromes
Pediatric stroke
Abdominal epilepsy
Diabetes and deafness
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Temporal lobe epilepsy
Childhood absence epilepsy