Treatment

The ultimate goal of epilepsy treatment is seizure freedom with minimal side effects. But, you may also have goals and ideas about treatment that are unique to you. For example, regaining your driver’s license may be among your highest priorities . . . or, you may be content to rely on public transportation. Only you know what matters most to you, so be sure to discuss your individual treatment goals with your neurologist.

Examples of personal treatment goals include:

  • Feeling comfortable in a relationship
  • Ability to regain/retain your driving privileges
  • Job stability
  • Academic success
  • Participation in sports
  • A healthy pregnancy

As with any medical condition, epilepsy treatments have potential risks and side effects. So, it is important that you discuss your treatment options with your neurologist and treatment team.

Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs)
AEDs are the most common treatment for controlling seizures. These include:

  • First-generation epilepsy medications—First used in the late 1800s and early 1900s; some are still in wide use today
  • Second-generation epilepsy medications—Newer epilepsy medications began to appear in the 1990s

During a seizure, nerve cells become overexcited and communications become excessive. AEDs help control seizures by decreasing excitatory signals between nerve cells and/or increasing inhibitory signals.

Learn about Keppra XR™, a medication that has been proven to provide seizure control, even for patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy.

Other Epilepsy Treatments

  • Ketogenic diet—High-fat, low-carb diet, mostly used in very young children with difficult-to-control generalized epilepsy
  • Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS)—Pacemaker-like device implanted under the skin in the upper part of the chest; generates pulses of electricity to stimulate the vagus nerve
  • Surgery—Surgical procedure designed to eliminate seizures by removing the particular section of the brain where the seizure originates. The most common procedure is the anterior temporal lobectomy. Less common procedures include the corpus callosotomy and hemispherectomy.

Next: Epilepsy FAQs