Epilepsy Living with Epilepsy

Don't Stop: The Importance of Epilepsy Treatment

Summary & Participants

Nearly half of all patients treated for epilepsy find it hard to take their medications as directed. Learn what steps you can take to stick with treatment and keep seizures under control.

Medically Reviewed On: July 06, 2008

Webcast Transcript

TRACY GLAUSER, MD: Seizures are electrical storms on the surface of the brain. Epilepsy is the condition of chronic, recurrent, unprovoked seizures.

Seizures occur in 10 percent of the population over the course of one’s life. Epilepsy occurs in 1 percent of the general population, approximately three million people in the United States.

ANNOUNCER: Although a large number of anti-seizure drugs have been developed that can effectively treat epilepsy, it has been estimated that over 50 percent of patients with epilepsy fail to take their medications as directed. Patient non-compliance to their prescribed drug regimen can lead to sub-optimal results and breakthrough seizures.

ELINOR BEN-MENACHEM: Why don't people take their drugs? They maybe find that the pills are too big. There's too many of them. They have to take them too often. They forget. Many of my patients just simply forget to take their medication.

TRACY GLAUSER, MD: At the beginning of therapy, it may occur because patients don’t understand the need to take their medicine, or they may be rebelling against having a diagnosis of epilepsy and not wanting to feel different.

Non-compliance may occur later in the treatment regimen because a patient may no longer feel that they need to take the medicine. They may feel that they’ve outgrown it and they try to wean themselves off of it.

It can be as simple as missing a few doses, all the way to the other extreme of a person purposely not taking their medicine out of fear of the disease or desire not to feel different.

ANNOUNCER: Other contributing factors to patient non-compliance are the side effects that can be associated with anti-epileptic medications.

BLANCA VAZQUEZ, MD: You don't want to take a medicine if you don't feel well when you take it. Antiepileptic drugs are always characterized by having side effects that are related to the central nervous system. For instance: dizziness, tiredness, behavioral toxicity, lack of interest, decrease in cognition.

TRACY GLAUSER, MD: In addition to the side effects that can affect the brain, there are also common side effects that are seen affecting the gut. For example: nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite. Some people can gain weight, and some people can lose weight.

BLANCA VAZQUEZ, MD: There are some drugs that are less likely to produce those side effects, and those are more favorable for the patients.

ANNOUNCER: The common practice of using more than one medication to treat epilepsy, known as polytherapy, can also make it difficult for a patient to stick to his or her regimen.

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