Epilepsy

Epilepsy

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

Your child's neurology team will design a treatment plan tailored to your child's medical condition, state of health and individual needs. You child may need more than one kind of treatment, or treatment requiring several visits to UCSF Medical Center. Your child also may be referred to additional doctors or other medical professionals.

Most medical treatments can involve some risks or complications. Your child's neurologist will explain any possible risks or complications from your child's treatments. Don't be afraid to ask the doctors, nurses or therapists about your child's treatment.

We specialize in the full range of treatments for all degrees of epilepsy, including the most complex cases.

Medications – In many cases, seizures can be successfully prevented with medications. The type of medication your child will receive depends on many factors. Your child's neurologist will explain how the medication should be taken and the side effects that may occur. Over time, your child's medication regimen may be changed. It is very important that your child take their medication exactly as directed. Call your neurologist if you have any questions about the medications or if your child is experiencing unexpected side effects.

Some patients do not respond to medications and continue having seizures. In these cases, other treatments may be recommended.

Ketogenic Diet – This special high-fat, low-protein, no-carbohydrate diet has been recommended for many years to some children with epilepsy who do not respond to medications. The diet mimics certain effects of starvation, which helps to prevent seizures. Our dietitian will work closely with you and your child to help incorporate the diet into your family's lifestyle. Strict adherence to the diet is essential for the treatment to be successful.

We collaborate with experts at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Oakland and UC Davis Medical Center in providing the Ketogenic diet.

Surgery – Surgical procedures may be considered to prevent seizures or to implant devices that deliver medications or stimulators to emit electrical impulses. These procedures include:

• Focal resections – The removal of a small area of the brain where seizures originate. This procedure often results in complete seizure control.
• Vagus nerve stimulation – This procedure involves minor surgery and is a relatively new treatment that helps prevent or lessen the severity of seizures. An electrical stimulator is placed beneath the skin of the upper chest. The stimulator, which emits electrical impulses, is connected to an electrode that is attached to a nerve in the neck through a small incision. A patient with a vagus nerve stimulator continues to take medication but sometimes can reduce the amount or number of medications.

Prevention and Follow-Up

To help cope with epilepsy and reduce your childs chance of injury from seizures, we recommend these guidelines:

• Have your child carry identification, including a bracelet, card or necklace that indicates that they have epilepsy. In an emergency, this information can ensure that your child receives the right care.
• Explain to your family, friends and child's teachers, sports coaches, how to care for your child if they have a seizure.
• If your child has regular or even occasional seizures, make sure that they avoid dangerous situations at school and during leisure activities. They should be careful when playing sports and should not swim unattended.
• Your child should never stop taking their seizure medication or change the amount they take without discussing it with their doctor first.
• Talk to your child's doctor or pharmacist before they take other medications in addition to their seizure drugs.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated October 31, 2007