Modern ideas for treating epilepsy with medicines and alternative treatments.

Modern Ideas for Treating Epilepsy User

[Pick the date] Introduction

Epilepsy is a chronic dis characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures , and is associated with a variety of medical conditions and neurological diseases . Antiepileptic medications attempt to treat this chronic seizure propensity , and , by definition , antiepileptogenic drugs aim to prevent the natural history of the epileptic disease ' ADDIN EN .CITE Raman20041 16Sankar RamanJong M . RhoJosy E CavazosEpilepsy Scientific Foundations of Clinical Practice2004N ew York - BaselInforma Health Carehttp /books .google .com /books ?i d zGCXt6o3wXwC

pg PP1 dq epilepsy as_brr 3 sig W5HC_IDnV ZY27gXgxG2Gp8LapD8 PRA1-PA5 ,M1 (Raman , Rho Cavazos , 2004

Epileptic seizures are paroxysmal clinical events arising from neuronal hyperexcitability and hypersynchrony of the cerebral cortex , either locally or simultaneously in both hemispheres . A seizure occurs when there is a sudden imbalance between the excitatory and inhibitory inputs to a network of neurons such that there is overall excessive excitability . The behavioral manifestations of a seizure depend on the area of the area of the cerebral cortex that is involved - directly , in the seizure focus , or indirectly , through recruitment and propagation of this abnormal paroxysmal neuronal activity . Convulsions are defined as seizure that includes motor manifestations such as repeated and rhythmic jerking of the limbs , most often due to involvement of the motor cortex Anticonvulsant drugs are medications that attempt to compensate for this abnormal cellular hyperexcitability by shifting the delicate balance back toward its normal state

Treatment for Epilepsy

Prospective population-based studies have demonstrated that 65-70 per cent of patients attain at least a 5-year remission and that half of these will successfully stop treatment . Thus , the long term prognosis of epilepsy is good for most patients with a short history of seizures ADDIN EN .CITE Appleton2001336Richard AppletonEpilepsy4th2001Massachusetts , USAInforma Health Care (Appleton , 2001 . The question arises as to when treatment should be started and when it can be stopped . Prophylactic treatment may be undertaken in patients with a high prospective risk of epilepsy after head injury and craniotomy for various neurosurgical conditions , although no evidence exists that antiepileptic treatment is effective in such cases

The main form of treatment for epilepsy is drugs ' ADDIN EN .CITE Scambler1989226Graham ScamblerEpilepsy1989New Fetter Lane LondonRoutledgehttp /books .google .com /books ?id WzRN_3hCOMwC pg PP1 dq ep ilepsy as_brr 3 sig -5piLCkfzvwg4M7cbgWZVEgMpF8 PPA9 ,M1 (Scambler , 1989 . The majority of people can be rendered seizure-free by pharmacological mean although chronic intractable epilepsy develops in approximately 20 per cent of cases . Occasionally surgery may be appropriate for those who have a single discrete focal abnormality and whose seizures have been unresponsive to drug therapy , but the proportion of those with epilepsy likely to benefit from surgery will probably remain small . Sometimes people can learn to control their seizures by avoiding clear precipitants , for example alcohol or lack of sleep . But the large majority requires anti-convulsant medication , often over a period of many years

Five drugs are commonly used for the management of partial and grand mal seizures : phenytoin , carbamazepine , sodium valporate , phenobarbitone and primidone . All show similar therapeutic results...