Ketogenic Diet - Epilepsy Message Board

kyethra · 04-10-2005, 09:16 AM

Hello. I was scrolling through this list. My brother has epilepsy- he is now 23. He also has Cerebral Palsy and Autism. As a baby he had alternating hemoplegia of infancy and suffered from multiple strokes.

When he was 12 he started having seizures again after being seizure free for many years. THe next few years we ran the gambits with all the different medications.

As a teenager he started the ketogenic diet, and his seizures almost stopped.

He was on that diet for five years, and today is on the Atkins diet. Looking back over history my mother noticed that he was also put on depakote aroiund the same time he started the ketogenic diet. But we also notice now that if he has too many carbs than he also has ketogenic activity.

His neurologist doesn't know exactly how the diet works, but as it seems to he says to leave well enough alone. My brother is also on a few different medications and he sees a good neurologist up in chicago.

Has anyone here had experience with diets like Atkins or the ketogenic diet?

Phoebe · 04-10-2005, 11:03 AM

I have read that about sugars causing more seizure activity in some people. Carbs could easily do the same since they break down eventually into simple sugars. Ketogenic and Adkins diets produce fats for the body to use. I know some adults who use a modified version of the ketogenic diet, but they were not on it as a child. It does work well for some. I also am not sure what your question is since that dietary alternative seems to work for him. Are you interested in possibly changing things for your brother? That is really up to him. You can find out more about the diet itself by doing a ****** search. There may be some posts here too. The search feature will lead you there. Phoebe

Kramer · 04-16-2005, 11:14 AM

I haven't tried either diet, but I find simple carbs can be a problem. That and going too long without eating. Eating complex carbs and a mid afternoon snack helps smooth out the blood sugar fluctuations, and reduces seizure activity. Carbs are important. It's a matter of eating the right ones.