Ancestral recipe? This is the real epilepsy treatment secret!

I am Dr. Zheng Liangyan from the Department of Neurology. I focus on the diagnosis, treatment and popularization of brain and neurological diseases. Welcome to pay attention!

June 28 is "

International Epilepsy Care Day", this year's theme is "

Epilepsy care in the 5G era". This is the third article published by Dr. Zheng for this year's 6.28, introducing the correct method for epilepsy treatment.

Epilepsy is called "sheep's madness", "lamb madness", "sheep's horn madness" in Chinese folks... It is the name based on the intuitive understanding of the symptoms at the time of the seizure. Bian Que's "Nanjing" records "epilepsy onset, unhappy, stiff and staring", which is very consistent with our understanding of the symptoms of epilepsy. Famous writers Dickens and Flaubert both suffered from epilepsy, and they wrote their own epileptic seizure characteristics and their own experiences into their works. Because of the backward diagnosis and treatment technology, epilepsy patients in ancient times were not healed for a long time, and it seemed that they were "incurable diseases" and "possessed by demons".

So, can epilepsy be cured?

Modern medicine has a more comprehensive understanding of epilepsy. From the previous articles, we already know that epilepsy is a clinical syndrome caused by abnormal discharge of highly synchronized neurons in the brain, and it belongs to a chronic brain disease.

Studies from all over the world show that if newly diagnosed epilepsy patients receive standardized and reasonable drug treatment, 70%-80% of the patients' seizures can be controlled, and 60%-70% of them can gradually recover after 2-5 years of treatment. Withdrawal.

But unfortunately, many people do not have the patience and confidence for long-term treatment, and always want to be quick. So some liars take advantage of this mentality, and small advertisements are flying all over the sky, and some folk remedies, ancestral secret recipes, and medicines can cure diseases. In the end, the patient spent a lot of money, but there was no effect.

Some people, because of the long duration of epilepsy treatment and worrying about the side effects of the drug, stop, reduce or change the drug at will, causing some epilepsy that can be controlled well to evolve into refractory epilepsy.

Epilepsy, how should it be treated?

What will be introduced here are the principles of drug treatment in the Guidelines for Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Epilepsy (Revised 2015) compiled by the Chinese Anti-epilepsy Association, mainly introducing the parts that require the cooperation of patients and their families. Following this principle for treatment, it is possible to control epilepsy to the greatest extent possible.

It is up to a neurologist to decide whether and which antiepileptic drug to use.

Try to use only one anti-epileptic drug, and it is recommended to use the same manufacturer's drug regularly.

Combination therapy is only recommended if seizure-free has not been achieved with monotherapy.

Adhere to long-term, regular and regular use of antiepileptic drugs, and do not miss them. You can take out the medicine you need to take the next day every night before going to bed and put it in a separate box, and set a daily medicine alarm clock to urge yourself to take the medicine on time. Missing a dose may lead to another seizure.

Watch for adverse reactions and report to your doctor. Liver and kidney function, blood and urine routine should be checked before using antiepileptic drugs, and blood routine, urine routine and liver and kidney function should be monitored according to the doctor's requirements during the medication.

Precautions for dose reduction and withdrawal: Usually, if epilepsy patients do not have seizures for more than 2 years, they can consider dose reduction and withdrawal, but dose reduction and withdrawal must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor. Most patients require complete absence of epileptiform discharges on EEG before considering drug withdrawal. The long-term EEG should be reviewed before and during the reduction of the drug, and the EEG should be reviewed again before the drug is stopped. The drug reduction process is not less than half a year. If a flare-up occurs again during tapering, restore the dose to the previous dose. Arbitrary dose reduction or discontinuation may lead to recurrence of epilepsy or even status epilepticus.

If epilepsy recurs within a short period of time after stopping the drug, the previous treatment should be resumed. 1 year after stopping the drug, there is a triggering attack, which can be observed temporarily without the drug to avoid the trigger. If more than 2 episodes per year occur, the treatment regimen should be re-evaluated.

Children: Children who are growing up and learning knowledge should take the medicine according to the standard body weight and increase the dose with the increase of body weight. Seizures have an impact on intelligence, and some anti-epileptic drugs may also impair intelligence. Whether drugs affect intelligence should be considered when choosing drugs.

Women of childbearing age: Seizures themselves and antiepileptic drugs can affect the fetus, so women planning to have children must seek preconception counseling. It is best to plan pregnancy after the seizure is controlled and the drug is stopped for 3 months. If the seizure cannot be controlled and the drug cannot be stopped, it should be adjusted to a drug with less teratogenic effect. At 16-20 weeks of gestation, a detailed ultrasound examination of the fetus should be carried out to detect possible deformities in time. Due to weight gain later in pregnancy, the dose of the drug may need to be increased appropriately.

Surgical treatment may be considered for intractable epilepsy and for epilepsy that is clearly associated with intracranial lesions.

In daily life, patients need to pay attention to the following:

Maintain a healthy, regular lifestyle, especially to avoid sleep deprivation, overeating, cold and overwork.

If you know that certain factors can trigger your seizures, you should try to avoid these factors (eg, flashes, music, startle).

Pay attention to safety. It is not suitable to engage in dangerous work such as high altitude, water, near the stove, high-voltage motor room, etc. It is not suitable for driving and swimming.

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease. Like high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases, the treatment of chronic diseases depends on persistence, and there is never a shortcut. One of the better things about epilepsy is that it is possible to control the symptoms and gradually stop the medication.

May every epilepsy patient and his family keep these treatment secrets in mind, and wish every epilepsy patient a speedy recovery!

Pay attention to Dr. Zheng Liangyan, Department of Neurology, and pay attention to health!