We know you’re concerned about seizures

We also know seizures aren’t your only concern.

About Epilepsy and its Treatment

For most people diagnosed with epilepsy, becoming seizure free is the goal.

Work with your healthcare professional to begin treatment as soon as possible. Some basic questions about epilepsy and its treatment are answered below.

What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person is prone to having recurring seizures. A seizure happens when the way in which the nerve cells in your brain send electrical signals becomes disturbed. These disturbances can interfere with your senses, your awareness of things around you, and the way your body moves. During a seizure, the nerve cells in your brain may fire together and many times faster than usual. ^ Return To Top
Are there different types of seizures?
Yes. There are a number of different types of seizures. They differ in many ways, including their outward form and the way they make you feel. Some people may experience only one type of seizure; others may experience more than one. Most epileptic seizures are either partial seizures (also called focal seizures), which affect just one part of the brain, or generalized seizures, which affect both sides of the brain at the same time. See our Types of Seizures page for more. ^ Return To Top
What causes epilepsy?
In most people there is no known specific cause of epilepsy. In others, an accident, trauma, or illness (such as a tumor, stroke, or infection) that injures the brain may be a cause. Sometimes epilepsy can be inherited. ^ Return To Top
Are seizures dangerous?
If not controlled with proper medication, seizures can be dangerous or even life threatening. Even when seizures are brief and infrequent, they are not harmless if they disrupt your life or put you and others at risk of being injured. ^ Return To Top
Does epilepsy get worse as you get older?
Not usually. Epilepsy is not a condition that gets more severe the longer you live with it. In fact, with the right treatment, most people can bring their seizures under control. ^ Return To Top
How is epilepsy treated?
The primary treatment for epilepsy is the use of antiseizure medicines—called anticonvulsants or antiepileptic drugs—to bring seizures under control. The goal is to prevent seizures while minimizing side effects from the drugs. If medicines fail to control your seizures, other treatment options may be available. Work with your healthcare professional to make sure your treatment is as effective as possible. ^ Return To Top
Can medicines cure epilepsy?
Antiseizure medicines can reduce the occurrence of seizures or prevent them from occurring, but they do not cure epilepsy. In some people, over time, seizures do disappear. This is more likely when treatment has brought the epilepsy under control. ^ Return To Top
Are there dietary or herbal alternatives to antiepileptic drugs?
The ketogenic diet—a restricted diet that is high in fats and low in carbohydrates—is sometimes used to treat children with severe seizures that cannot be controlled with drugs alone. This treatment is not without risks; it can cause kidney stones and high cholesterol.

No herbal or nutritional supplement has been proven to control seizures. In fact, some herbals can actually trigger seizures. Talk with your healthcare professional about any dietary or herbal agents you may be taking: such supplements could affect your medicine’s effectiveness, cause side effects, or increase the frequency of your seizures. ^ Return To Top
What are side effects?
Even well-tolerated medicines can have unwanted additional actions—side effects—alongside their helpful actions. For instance, some medicines may make you feel dizzy, tired, or sleepy. A side effect may be absent or hardly noticeable for one person but heightened for another.

Side effects are most likely to appear when your body is just getting used to a new medicine. Your healthcare professional can help to guide you through this period and explain what you can do to reduce the impact of any side effects you experience. ^ Return To Top
What is the right treatment for me?
Many different drugs are available for the treatment of epilepsy. Sometimes the first medicine you try will be all that is needed to control your seizures. However, since everyone is different, it may take several tries to find the single drug or combination of drugs that works best for you. Only you and your healthcare professional will be able to decide which treatment is right for you. ^ Return To Top
Where can I get answers to my other questions?
Your physician should be your primary source for all medical questions. For practical answers, get in touch with other people who are living with epilepsy, and learn about what has worked for them. Online communities and local organizations are a good place to start. Please see our Important Organizations and Resources for more.

Treatment support can make a difference. If you or your loved one are taking TOPAMAX, join the FREE Everyday Essentials™ support program and get expert answers to your treatment questions, product rebates, support-giver information, help finding resources in your area—and much more. ^ Return to Top

About TOPAMAX

TOPAMAX is approved as initial monotherapy in patients 10 years of age and older with partial-onset or primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Effectiveness was demonstrated in a controlled trial in patients with epilepsy who had no more than 2 seizures in the 3 months prior to enrollment. Safety and effectiveness in patients who were converted to monotherapy from a previous regimen of other anticonvulsant drugs have not been established in controlled trials.

TOPAMAX is approved as add-on therapy for patients 2 years of age and older with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, partial-onset seizures, or seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Important Safety Information

Serious risks associated with TOPAMAX include lowered bicarbonate levels in the blood resulting in an increase in the acidity of the blood (metabolic acidosis). Symptoms could include hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing), tiredness, loss of appetite, irregular heartbeat or changes in the level of alertness. Call your doctor immediately if you get these symptoms. Your doctor may want to do simple blood tests. Chronic, untreated metabolic acidosis may increase the risk for kidney stones or bone disease.

Other serious risks include decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and increased eye pressure (glaucoma). Call your doctor immediately if you have any decrease in vision or eye pain. These problems can lead to blindness if not treated right away.

More common side effects in adults are nervousness, coordination problems, fatigue, speech problems, slowed thinking, memory difficulty, tingling in arms and legs, and double vision; and in children, fatigue, loss of appetite, nervousness, memory difficulty, aggressive behavior, and weight loss.

As monotherapy, the most common side effects of TOPAMAX (in the 400 mg/day group and at a rate higher than the 50 mg/day group) in adults were tingling in arms and legs, weight decrease, sleepiness, loss of appetite, dizziness, and difficulty with memory; and in children, weight decrease, upper respiratory tract infection, tingling in arms and legs, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and mood problems.

In combination with other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), the most common side effects of TOPAMAX in adults (200 to 400 mg/day) were sleepiness, dizziness, nervousness, loss of muscle coordination, fatigue, speech disorders and related problems, psychomotor slowing, abnormal vision, difficulty with memory, tingling in arms and legs, and double vision; and in children (5 to 9 mg/kg/day), fatigue, sleepiness, loss of appetite, nervousness, difficulty with concentration/attention, difficulty with memory, aggressive reaction, and weight decrease.

Tell your doctor about other medications you take.

Please see full U.S. Prescribing Information.

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This site was last modified on: Jul 26 2007 at 13:45:27 EDT