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Drugs can work very well for many people with epilepsy, allowing them to lead full and normal life. Others less easy to find drugs, either because of side effects or simply because it does not work. While many do take medications to be effective, the fact remains that up to 20-30 percent of people with epilepsy do not respond well to drug therapy. If the drugs do not prove effective, your doctor may try a higher dose or a different drug, or a combination of two drugs.

Very rarely antiepileptics may lead to greater frequency of seizures. If this happens, your doctor can verify the diagnosis. Doctors usually start patients with epilepsy outside the lower dose of antiepileptic and then build it to minimize side effects. How much is needed depends on several factors such as construction and metabolism, influencing the way your body processes drugs and how your epilepsy is easily treated. Too high a dose can cause poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning vary from drug to drug. If someone gets too phenytoin, are usually very unstable and may have increased frequency of seizures. Carbamazepine toxicity usually begins with the double vision and drowsi tion. Another reason why drugs sometimes seem to increase drug seizures, if it is appropriate for one type of seizure aggravating other seizure types. Carbamazepine, for example, is effective against tonic-clonic seizures, but not against absence seizures.

There is some confusion on branded versus generic drugs. Almost all drugs have two names. The first is the common one, even the scientific name given to a medicine which is internationally recognized. Branded drugs are a name created by an individual pharmaceutical companies have manufactured them. The actual medication is the same, but the problem may arise if you switch from one to another - for example, if you go from Tegretol (brand) with carbamazepine (generic). This is because there are minor sometimes differences in the way that drugs are manufactured. It is best to stick to the type of epilepsy pill you are first prescribed, whether branded or generic. Sometimes the change may precipitate Seizures or side effects. Conversely sometimes a person of seizure control may improve or decrease impact.

Modifying drug treatment Before the treatment was changed several questions must be considered: 1 Is it epilepsy? The misdiagnosis rate is estimated to be between 10 and 25 percent. 2 If it is epilepsy, what type of seizure disorder or syndrome? Many people with youth myoclonic epilepsy (tonic-clonic Seizures and myoclonic jerks first thing in the morning) go undiagnosed, as relevant leading questions are not asked about myoclonic jerks or early morning tonic-clonic Seizures. Specific Syn Drome responded extremely well to sodium valproate, but carbamaze pine can create Seizures worse. 3 Are you in an appropriate anti-epileptic drugs? All anti-epileptic drugs appear equally effective (or ineffective!) For Seizures slightly, but in primary and symptomatic generalized epilepsy Seizures respond best to sodium valproate, with lamotrigine as second-line therapy. 4 Is the drug provided an adequate dose? It is amazing how many people have more than one drug, all drugs in inadequate dosages. Results of a clinical audit are provided in London suggested that Seizures can be halved to about a third of the people by reducing the number of drugs in monotherapy and adequate drugs in dosage. Interestingly 10 percent became seizure-free as a result of this simple maneuver. 5 Are you taking medication? If this is a problem that is worth trying to simplify a medication therapy provided a maximum of twice a day. The midday dose was very easy and forget everything but gabapentin has long half-life for them given either once or twice daily.

If all the above evidence reassess unsuccessful then adding a second anti-epileptic needs of, or possibly surgery as an alternative means of therapy.