12/06/2023
Focal seizures start on one side of your brain.
Focal aware seizures mean you're awake and you can respond to others
Focal impaired seizures mean you're not completely aware
Focal motor seizures cause your body to jerk, twitch, or move in other ways
Focal non-motor seizures affect how you feel or think
Generalized seizures start on both sides of your brain.
Generalized motor seizures make your body move or twitch
Generalized non-motor seizures don't cause movement
What Are the Symptoms?
Seizures can make you move, have unusual feelings, or both. Which symptoms you have depend on the type of seizure you get.
During a seizure, you might:
Stare into space
Get confused or be unsure of where you are
Pass out
Jerk or twitch your arms and legs
Rub your hands, smack your lips, or make other unusual movements
Notice strange smells, tastes, sounds, or sights
Feel strange in general
These problems can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. Most people have the same symptoms each time they have a seizure.
How Is It Diagnosed?
If you think you have epilepsy, start with a visit to your primary care doctor. You might be referred to a specialist in brain disorders, called a neurologist.
Your doctor will ask questions about your seizures, such as:
When did you have your first one?
What were you doing before it happened?
What did the seizure feel like?
Have you had more than one? How many?
Were you tired or confused afterward?
You may get a neurological exam, a series of tests that show how well your brain and the rest of your nervous system are working. Your doctor will check your:
Walking skills
Reflexes and coordination
Muscles
Senses
Thinking ability
Other tests your doctor may suggest to find out if you have epilepsy:
EEG. It checks for problems with the electrical activity in your brain.
Blood tests. They look for signs of infections and other medical problems that can cause seizures.
CT scan. It's a powerful X-ray that makes detailed pictures of your brain. A CT scan can find other causes of seizures, like a tumor or infection.
MRI. It uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make pictures of your brain. An MRI can also look for problems in your brain, like tumors or infection.
To get an epilepsy diagnosis, you typically must have had two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart. In some cases, you may be diagnosed with epilepsy after one seizure if you’re at higher risk of another.
How Is It Treated?
Doctors treat epilepsy with medicine, surgery, devices, and sometimes diet. Your doctor may suggest you try some of these treatments:
Anti-seizure drugs. They're the main way to control epilepsy. Your doctor may recommend one or more medicines such as:
Brivaracetam (Briviact)
Cannabidiol (Epidiolex)
Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
Cenobamate (Xcopri)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Clobazam (Onfi)
Diazepam (Va**um)
Diazepam nasal spray (Valtoco, Neurelis)
Divalproex sodium (Depakene, Depakote)
Eslicarbazepine (Aptiom)
Ethosuximide (Zarontin)
Ezogabine (Potiga)
Fenfluramine (finteplax)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Lacosamide (Vimpat)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Levetiracetam (Keppra)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
Perampanel (Fycompa)
Phenobarbital
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Primidone (Mysoline)
Rufinamide (Banzel)
Stiripentol (Diacomit)
Tiagabine (Gabitril)
Topiramate (Topamax)
Valproic acid (Valproic Acid)
Vigabatrin (Sabril)
Zonisamide (Zonegran)
Which medication you get depends on the type of seizure you have. If the first drug you try doesn't work, your doctor may switch you to another one or may add another medication to what you are already taking.
Rescue Medications There are medicines and treatments which can and should be used in specific situations. They do not take the place of daily medications and should only be used to help stop a seizure quickly in emergency situations. Depending on the circumstance, they can be administered:
Nasally - Sprayed up the nose
Orally - Swallowed in pill form
Sublingually - Placed under the tongue to dissolve
Buccally - Placed between the cheek and the gum to dissolve
Rectally - Given via a gel through the a**s
The most commonly used medications are benzodiazepines because they get into the bloodstream quickly to start working on the brain to stop the seizure. They include:
Diazepam - given orally (if the person is awake),
as a nasal spray - Valtoco
rectally - Diastat
orally, sublingual (if the person is awake) -Lorazepam
Midazolam - can be given nasally (Nayzilam), buccally, orally
Surgery. It could be an option for you if medicine doesn't control your seizures, or if your seizures are caused by a brain problem like a tumor or stroke.
During surgery, the doctor removes a small part of your brain that's causing your seizures, or they may make small cuts in the brain to prevent seizures from spreading.
Devices. Two types are approved to treat epilepsy:
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) sends regular pulses of electrical energy to your brain to prevent seizures. A doctor puts the device under the skin of your chest.
Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) also sends pulses to the brain, but through a device that your doctor places under your scalp.
Ketogenic diet. It's a high-fat, low-carb food plan that helps control seizures in children. It might work for adults, too, but more research is needed.
