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Mouse Study Sheds Light on How Diet May Affect Epilepsy
Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 23 – It's long been known that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can reduce epileptic seizures that resist drug therapy, and now researchers studying mice say they think they know why. The results of their research in mice suggest that resistance to seizures among people who eat what's called a ketogenic diet is linked to a protein that modifies cellular metabolism in the brain. The findings, reported in the May 24 issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to the development of new treatments for epilepsy, according to the researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston. "The connection between metabolism and epilepsy has been such a puzzle," study co-leader Gary Yellen, a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, said in a Harvard news release. "I've met a lot of kids whose lives are completely changed by this diet. It's amazingly ... Read more
Response to First Treatment May Predict Epilepsy's Course
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 9 – The way someone responds to the first anti-seizure medication given after a diagnosis of epilepsy often predicts how well- controlled their seizures will be over time. A new study found that about 50 percent of people became seizure-free after the first medication they took. By contrast, only 13 percent became seizure-free after the second drug was tried, and just 4 percent were seizure-free after a third drug was tried. "The long-term treatment outcome is fairly constant, and thus predictable early on, in most people with epilepsy," said the study's lead author, Dr. Patrick Kwan, a professor of neurology at the University of Melbourne, in Australia. "Few patients become seizure-free after failure of the first two medications tried," he added. Results of the study are published in the May 9 online issue of the journal Neurology. Epilepsy is a seizure disorder. You ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Epilepsy, Seizure Prevention, Seizure Prophylaxis
Epilepsy Leads to More Brain Abnormalities Over Time
Posted 3 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 3 – Aging accelerates brain-structure abnormalities in people with childhood-onset temporal-lobe epilepsy, a new study says. Temporal-lobe epilepsy is the most common type of partial epilepsy, with about 60 percent of all epilepsy patients having this form of the disease. Previous research suggests that people with childhood-onset epilepsy have significant mental and developmental problems that continue into adulthood, particularly in those who don't respond to seizure medications. Prior studies also have found that patients with temporal-lobe epilepsy have structural abnormalities in many areas of the brain. But there is limited knowledge about how aging affects these abnormalities. In the study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison used MRI to examine the brains of 55 patients with chronic temporal-lobe epilepsy and 53 people without epilepsy. The ... Read more
'Autoinjector' Offers Safe, Speedy Care for Life-Threatening Seizures: Study
Posted 15 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 – Using an autoinjector device to deliver anti-seizure drugs into muscle is a fast, safe and effective way to treat status epilepticus, a prolonged type of seizure that lasts longer than five minutes, researchers report. "This is a very important study for persons with epilepsy," said one outside expert, Dr. Jacqueline French, first vice president of the American Epilepsy Society. "Prolonged seizures and status epilepticus can lead to brain damage, prolonged hospitalization, and other serious harm. The earlier treatment is initiated, the greater the likelihood that the seizure activity can be aborted quickly, and harm can be avoided," she said. French, who is also professor of neurology at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York University Langone Medical Center, New York City, believes the study "will set a new standard for treatment by emergency teams, that ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Ativan, Lorazepam, Midazolam, Versed, Status Epilepticus
Surgery Effective for Tough-to-Treat Epilepsy
Posted 7 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 7 – Surgery can significantly improve seizure control and quality of life among people with epilepsy, according to a study stretching over 26 years. "This study may be the longest follow-up of epilepsy surgery patients in that it spans three decades, during which there were several eras of neuroimaging [brain-scanning] techniques," said Dr. Cynthia Harden, chief of the division of epilepsy and electroencephalography at the Cushing Neuroscience Institute, part of North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. She was not involved in the study. The research team, led by Dr. Matthew Smyth with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, argued that the findings could have an impact on the way the disease is treated. As reported Feb. 7 in the journal Epilepsia, they followed 361 patients who had epilepsy surgery over the course of 26 years to determine how the ... Read more
UCB Announces FDA Approval for Keppra in Infants and Children from One Month of Age with Partial Onset Seizures
Posted 26 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 25, 2012 - UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keppra (levetiracetam) tablets and oral solution as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures in adults and children one month of age and older with epilepsy. Keppra was previously approved in the U.S. as adjunctive therapy for partial onset seizures in adults and children four years of age and older with epilepsy. “As a leader in epilepsy, UCB has a responsibility to develop effective medicines that address unmet medical needs,” said Professor Dr. Iris Loew-Friedrich, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President UCB. “Our continuing development program with Keppra in young children demonstrates our long-term commitment to epilepsy.” The approval was based on data from a Phase III, double-blind, randomized, multi-center, placebo-controlled s ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Keppra, Levetiracetam
New Guidelines Issued for Combining HIV, Seizure Meds
Posted 4 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 – Physicians need to take care when prescribing seizure medication to HIV/AIDS patients to prevent harmful interactions between drugs, experts warn. The cautionary note from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has led to the issuance of a new AAN guideline, which was developed in consultation with the International League Against Epilepsy. "It is important that patients know exactly which drugs they are taking and provide that information to all prescribing health care providers caring for them," lead guideline author Dr. Gretchen L. Birbeck, of Michigan State University in East Lansing, said in an AAN news release. "Doctors may need to watch and adjust drug doses in people with HIV/AIDS who take seizure drugs," added Birbeck, who is also an AAN fellow. Seizures and related disorders are not uncommon among HIV patients, according to Birbeck and colleagues. It is ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Tegretol, Dilantin, HIV Infection, Seizure Prevention, Phenobarbital, Carbamazepine, Phenytoin, Tegretol XR, Seizure Prophylaxis, Carbatrol, Epitol, Di-Phen, Equetro, Phenytoin Sodium, Prompt
3-D TV Doesn't Raise Seizure Risk for Kids With Epilepsy: Study
Posted 4 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Dec. 4 – Children with epilepsy do not appear to face an increased risk for seizures while watching 3-D TV, a new German-Austrian study suggests. However, the results did reveal that about one in five of these children is vulnerable to other unpleasant reactions when viewing 3-D television, including nausea, headaches and dizziness. "Normal people have a very low risk to get a seizure while watching 3-D," explained study author Dr. Herbert Plischke, executive director of the University of Munich's Generation Research Program. In contrast, he noted that people with epilepsy --particularly children – could be expected to have a "higher vulnerability" in terms of overall seizure risk in such a setting. However, among a group of young people with epilepsy, "we could not see any provoked seizure which was caused by 3-D," Plischke said. He and his colleagues from the University of ... Read more
Epileptic Seizures May Worsen During Menstrual Cycle
Posted 4 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Dec. 3 – Seizures among women of childbearing age with epilepsy may worsen during menstruation or ovulation, researchers have found. In the study, investigators at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at the University of California, Irvine, examined the trend of seizures associated with menstrual cycles (called "catamenial" seizures) among a group of women aged 19 to 50. The study participants responded to a questionnaire about the worsening of their seizures during their menstrual cycle, and the researchers used these responses as well as the women's monthly seizure calendars to identify those with catamenial seizures. Among the women with catamenial seizures, the investigators examined the type of epilepsy they had, the frequency of their seizures, their response to medications as well as neuroimaging findings and seizures during pregnancy, according to a news release from ... Read more
FDA Approves Onfi for Seizures Associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
Posted 30 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
October 24, 2011 – On Oct. 21, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Onfi tablets (clobazam) for use as an adjunctive (add-on) treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in adults and children 2 years of age and older. As Onfi is intended to treat a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States, it was granted orphan drug designation by the FDA. "Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy that causes debilitating seizures," said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "This is a difficult condition to treat, and it will be helpful to have an additional treatment option." Lennox-Gastaut syndrome usually begins before 4 years of age, and can be caused by a number of conditions, including brain malformations, severe head injuries, ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures
Seizure Disorder Diagnosed Later in Veterans Than Civilians: Study
Posted 6 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 6 – Veterans who suffer emotion-related seizures that are not caused by epilepsy can go undiagnosed for much longer than civilians with the condition, according to a new study. This condition – known as psychogenic non-epileptic seizure – is believed to have a psychological origin and is different from epilepsy, but diagnosis can be difficult because the two types of seizures are similar in appearance, explained Dr. Martin Salinsky, of the Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health and Sciences University. He and his colleagues reviewed the medical records of 50 veterans and 50 civilians who were diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. It took an average of five years from the start of symptoms for veterans to be diagnosed, compared with about one year for civilians. In nearly 60 percent of the veterans, the seizures had been attributed to traumatic brain ... Read more
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Fetal Exposure to Common Epilepsy Drugs May Harm Kids' IQ: FDA
Posted 30 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, June 30 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday advised doctors to warn women of childbearing age that fetal exposure to certain drugs used to control seizures or migraines appears to diminish intellectual abilities in offspring. The drugs include so-called "valproate products" – medications such as valproate sodium (Depacon), divalproex sodium (Depakote, Depakote CP, Depakote ER), valproic acid (Depakene, Stavzor), and their equivalent generic formulations, the FDA said in a statement. Children born to women who take these medications during their pregnancy "have an increased risk of lower cognitive test scores than children exposed to other anti-seizure medications during pregnancy," the FDA said. The agency said it based its conclusions on epidemiological studies that showed that fetal exposures to the drugs tended to correlate with lower scores on IQ and ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Depakote, Epilepsy, Depakote ER, Divalproex Sodium, Depakote Sprinkles, Valproic Acid, Depakene, Stavzor, Depacon
Potiga Approved for Adult Epileptic Seizures
Posted 13 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 13 – Potiga (ezogabine) tablets have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat partial epileptic seizures in adults, the agency said Monday. Partial seizures are the most common seizure in people who have epilepsy, the FDA said in a news release. The agency said Potiga is the first among a class of drugs called neueronal potassium channel openers to be sanctioned for epilepsy in the United States. Potiga may cause "neuro-psychiatric symptoms, including confusion, hallucinations and psychotic symptoms," which usually subside within seven days of stopping the drug, the FDA said. Potiga may also lead to urinary retention, or difficulty fully emptying the bladder. And as is the case with other antiepileptic drugs, the agency said Potiga "may also cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people." Those taking the drug should contact a ... Read more
Oldest Epilepsy Drug Best for Children
Posted 3 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 3 – A landmark comparison of three drugs widely used against the most common form of childhood epilepsy finds the oldest to be the most effective. The study of 453 children at 32 U.S. medical centers found that ethosuximide (Zarontin), one of the oldest anti-seizure medications available in the United States, is most effective at controlling what is called absence or "petit mal" epilepsy, with the fewest side effects. Valproic acid (Valproate, Depakote) came second, and the newest drug, lamotrigine (Lamictal), was third, according to a report in the March 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "This is the first real hard evidence of comparing the three most commonly used medicines, and finds one superior to the other two," said trial leader Dr. Tracy A. Glauser, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. ... Read more
Related support groups: Seizures, Epilepsy, Zarontin, Ethosuximide
TV Shows Often Botch Proper Seizure Responses
Posted 15 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 15 – TV medical shows aren't the place to learn how to provide proper first aid for a person suffering a seizure, a new study says. Canadian researchers watched some popular medical dramas – "House, M.D.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" and "ER" – and found that "doctors" and "nurses" on the shows responded inappropriately to seizures almost half of the time. There were 59 seizures in the 327 episodes included in the study. Inappropriate responses – such as holding a patient down, trying to stop involuntary movement, or putting something in the person's mouth – occurred in about 46 percent of the seizure depictions. Appropriate first-aid management was shown about 29 percent of the time, while the appropriateness of first aid couldn't be determined in 25 percent of the seizure scenes, the study authors noted. "Television dramas are a potentially powerful method ... Read more
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