Treating epilepsy, with or without medication
Dear Dr. Donya,
I like reading your column in The Jakarta Post and hope you don't mind my raising my own problem/with you.
My daughter has just been diagnosed as having epilepsy. She will be four years old in two weeks' time, is completely healthy and is an active child, 22 kg in weight and 104 cm in height. The first seizure came on Sept. 2001, the second on Aug. 8, 2002, then the others followed quickly, on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18. All seizures happened during the night while she was asleep, mostly near her waking up time at around six in the morning.
On the first two occasions they lasted about 2 minutes, while the latter ones were quite brief (lasting less than a minute). An EEG (electroencephalogram) has been produced, showing abnormalities in the occipital area. Her pediatrician said she would grow out of it by herself and there was no need to take drugs yet as it happened during sleep, but I consulted a neurologist who then prescribed drugs.
I have not given these drugs to my daughter because I am worried they will have side affects (especially on her brain development) as they will have to be taken for a long time as the pediatrician said. I have heard about a mild kind of epilepsy: Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, which children may outgrow by themselves with or without medication and that the seizures may not harm the brain. I was hoping these were the kind my daughter was having.
I was worried because the neurologist did not mention the possibility of this kind of epilepsy or maybe this is not what she is experiencing. I would start giving the drugs to my daughter if they were really needed as it is terrible to see her having seizures. Could you please advise whether she needs to begin to be put under medication, or does my daughter need to take more tests?
Many thanks.
-- Reader
Dear Reader,
It sounds as though your daughter has benign epilepsy with occipital paroxysms. I would recommend treatment as normally the response to treatment is quite good; continue the medication for two years.
Hope your daughter is well soon.
Take care, and I will try and help with any further questions.
-- Dr. Donya