14 yr old son new dx started trileptic - Epilepsy Message Board

brennan'smom · 11-04-2004, 05:37 PM

anyone know much about this we go back to dr in a week to get all info.abnormal eg etc..
thanks

kayakmom · 11-05-2004, 07:11 AM

I am so sorry that your son has started down this road, but glad you found us here! Trileptal is a pretty good seizure med for many. It is in the same family as Tegretol but has fewer side effects.

I am glad that you see the neuro soon to get all the info on tests he has had. Be sure to write your questions down to take in with you. I find that writing his answers helps me as well...

The pharmacy should be able to give you details on what to expect or watch out for with this medication. Sometimes extra sleepiness or problems happen in the first month of two of taking Anti Epilepsy meds (AEDs) but can lessen over time..

Best wishes for your son. What kind of seizure(s) has he had?

brennan'smom · 11-05-2004, 07:46 AM

Well we are not for sure what kind the drs wil determine but the dr states he has had it for a while, I DO know he had a grand mal, and some staring, some where he jusr drops to floor and passes out with just left side movement. Here is the strange part of it. He is adopted his b-mother took phenobarbital they whole time she was pregnant, he had febrial seizures, he had a skull fracture at 9 months. Then in Sept he got a moderate concussion in football and has had these"spells" every since,they detected heart murmur & value problem. BUT thougt the passing out was linked to head injury and would go away WELL ME couldnt accept that this was "normal" for a kid to pass out 5/6 times a day. So my pca referred me on. ALL I know is he had a abnormal eeg we dont see the neuro till the 15 to find out what where etc... Im lost I do NOT know much about epilepsy.Sorry to blabber!

kayakmom · 11-05-2004, 09:15 AM

WOW, sounds like he could have lots of things going on!! Since they detect a heart murmur, it might be wise to ask about a "tilt table test". This can show if the passing out is a heart issue. THere are some cardiac things that can mimic seizures. The abnormal EEG shows an electrical misfiring in the brain and having 2 head injuries has raised his risk for seizures anyway. Having his birth mom treated for seizures also increases the chance of developing seizures a little, too. The reason I suggest the tilt table test is that they make sure he does not have BOTH things going on.

THe way you describe the drop and movement on one side sounds like a partial seizure. There are 2 major categories of seizure: Generalized which means the electrical misfiring is all over the brain from the beginning of the seizure (grand mal/tonic clonic, absence, atonic and myoclonic are generalized.) The other is Partial seizure where the activity comes from just one part of the brain, but can SECONDARILY generalize into a tonic clonic (grand mal).....I bet it all sounds so confusing. There are over 20 different kinds of seizures. EEG can do a lot to help figure it out. The doctor needs to know what type to get him on the best med for that type.

I also suggest, if you have not already done so, start a notebook that you can write the seizures and other things in as they happen. I now do this in a word document and print out a copy for me and for the neuro if he wants it. This helps my memory for each thing. I include illnesses, the concussion, how long a seizure was and if there was some specific trigger (lack of sleep, sick, fever, skipped meds or whatever)

Hang in there! If you can find a book by John Freeman, I think it is called a Parents Guide to Childhood Epilepsy....Red cover is the newest edition I think. He is very helpful and it has good info in it.

Feel free to ask any questions. I will try and find you a good answer. My 13 year old son and 15 year old daughter both have epilepsy now.

brennan'smom · 11-06-2004, 12:46 PM

He does not have vasovagal! He also has auras, etc. I just wish I did not have to wait so long to see what the eeg showed where they seizures were coming from.