Stopping Your Epilepsy Treatment
Can You Stop Taking Your Epilepsy Drugs?
If you have epilepsy and haven't had a seizure in a long time, you may wonder if you can stop taking your epilepsy drugs. Your doctor may tell you that you can stop your medication if you haven't had a seizure in two years. Other doctors advise their patients to wait until four or five years have passed without a seizure before stopping their epilepsy treatment.
Some people can stop taking their epilepsy medication, but it depends on their age and the type of epilepsy. More than half of children who stop having seizures while on medication can eventually stop taking the medication without suffering new seizures. In a study of adult epilepsy patients, 68% of those who had not had a seizure in two years could stop taking their medication without having another seizure; 75% could discontinue if they had gone three years without a seizure.
Treatments for Epilepsy in Children
One possible option for some children with epilepsy is surgery. You may be frightened by the idea of your child having brain surgery. It's definitely a treatment reserved for a select few. But while surgery for epilepsy may be a radical step, improvements have made these operations much safer and more effective. "In the old days, doctors would wait 20 years before trying surgery in a person with epilepsy who didn't respond to medication," says William R. Turk, MD, Chief of the Neurology Division...
Read the Treatments for Epilepsy in Children article > >
It's very important to keep taking your medication as long as the doctor prescribes it. If you stop taking it suddenly, you have a greater chance of having new seizures. These seizures can be extremely dangerous and may make it more difficult to treat future occurrences.
WebMD Medical Reference
Epilepsy GuideToday in Epilepsy
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.