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.
Switching Epilepsy Medications
Fifty percent of all patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy will become seizure-free with the first epilepsy drug they try. For the rest, it's try, try again: switching epilepsy medications, adjusting to side effects, and waiting to make sure the new drug works. Others find their seizures are controlled, but they can't tolerate the medication's side effects and need to switch drugs. Before you ask your doctor if your medication should be switched, make sure you are taking your current medication...
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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.
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