by Natalie Main

Created on: August 15, 2009

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological condition in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 1 in 131 people suffering from it. Epilepsy is stated as a tendency of recurrent seizures or convulsions or even fits as there sometimes known as, these are caused by a rise in electrical activity in your brain making the messages normally passing through your brain cells to get muddled and confused, depending on where the seizure starts in your brain depends on what type of fit you have and there is lots of different types you can have.

Seizures can be grouped into three different categories, partial, secondary generalised and, generalised.

PARTIAL SEIZURES

These can be described in two ways, either a simple partial which is where the person is fully conscious and they are still fully aware of everything around them and then there's the complex partial in which partly loses consciousness and control, they also may be able to remember the seizure afterwards.

GENERALISED SEIZURES

These seizures could be described as the more common of the three, it's where the seizure is in all of the brain, the person normally fully loses consciousness and cannot remember what has happened afterwards, these are the type of seizures I personally suffer from.

SECONDARY SEIZURES

These seizures are when it starts off as a partial seizure but then continues on to spread to the rest of the brain.

Epilepsy can be caused by many different things such as brain tumours, severe blow to the head, a stroke or even meningitis these are termed as "symptomatic" as a cause has been found, but for most people who suffer from the condition no known cause is ever found this is termed as "idiopathic".

Epilepsy can be treated using AEDs or Anti-epileptic drugs and normally 70% of people have their seizures completely controlled. Some of the more common medications they use are.

CARBAMAZEPINE (Tegretol)

This is used to treat partial seizures and is mostly used to treat children and sometimes adults, it may also be used to treat generalised seizures. it helps to reduce the electrical activity in the brain and calm it. Possible side affects to these can be dizziness, drowsiness, headaches and nausea. I have been on this medication and have found no problems with it.

LAMOTRIGINE (Lamictal)

This is used to treat a broad range of seizures but it not known how the medication actually treats them, it is sometimes used with another anti-epileptics drugs. Some of the side affects can include, rashes, nausea, headaches and dizziness. This is the medication I'm on at the moment and it controls my seizures completely but everyone is different always consult a doctor and never take yourself off medication I learnt this the hard way.

OTHER MEDICATIONS USED ARE

Sodium Valproate, Phenytoin, and Valproic Acid.

You can search the Internet for an extension range of different medication and receive more information on them. Most people with epilepsy live perfectly normal lives with the exception of a few common sense rules example I wouldn't go swimming by myself, but I do drive and I have been to college and all that jazz.. I tell everyone I work with or who I went to college with I had epilepsy and what to do in case of me having a seizure, I advise other people to do this as well as it could be beneficial, don't be ashamed of having epilepsy most people I have come across are very understanding with the exception of a few.

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