Whether you say it as antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), anti-seizure medications, or anticonvulsant medications, all such medicines are used to prevent or reduce the severity of seizures in individuals with epilepsy or other conditions that involve abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It is advised that before using any seizure meds or anticonvulsant medications, you should understand what this condition is, how it is triggered, and how to take care of the patients. Health experts suggest proper guidelines for patients and caregivers to deal with cases of seizure or epilepsy.
What is an epileptic seizure?
Epilepsy or epileptic seizure disorder refers to a long-term brain condition that causes repeated seizures; the condition is also known as fits. This condition indicates a sudden change in neurologic function due to neurons’ excessive discharge in the brain. Remember, a single or once-in-a-lifetime seizure cannot be related to an epileptic seizure. The anti seizure meds work by stabilizing the electric activity in the brain, which often targets specific neurotransmitters or ion channels.
Causes of epileptic seizure
The exact cause of an incident of epileptic seizure cannot be ascertained, but it usually happens due to a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. The most probable causes of epilepsy are the imbalance of neurotransmitters or neurological disturbances, including brain damage from injury or illness, brain tumors, strokes, genetic complications, metabolic problems, autoimmune issues, etc. Common seizure medications are developed to work on all these causes but not for any specific one. According to the etiology, the causes of epilepsy are largely divided into three parts, such as:
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- Idiopathic – Almost 40% of cases of epileptic seizures registered across the world are due to idiopathic causes. It denotes the absence of neurological signs starting from childhood. For example, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and childhood absence epilepsy.
- Cryptogenic epilepsy – It happens due to some unidentified or unclear implications. The exact cause of this condition is difficult to identify. In many cases, this condition happens due to stroke, damage to the central nervous system, intracerebral hemorrhage, brain injury, or other neurodegenerative diseases.
- Acquired epilepsy – This condition is caused by the structural abrasions of your brain or any structural brain abnormalities inflicted by an underlying disease or condition. A congenital factor and developmental disorder can also be a cause of acquired epilepsy.
Symptoms of epileptic seizure
There are various symptoms to identify epilepsy, such as:
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- Loss of consciousness or awareness
- Uncontrollable shaking
- Head and eye deviation
- Body stiffening
- Eye rolling
- Abnormal sensations
- Sudden falling
Types of epilepsy
The international league against epilepsy (ILAE) classified the types of seizures and epilepsies in 2017, and they are widely accepted in the medical world. These classifications help epilepsy patients and their caregivers to understand the nature of the condition and choose effective anticonvulsant medicines. There are four major types of epilepsy – Focal, Generalized, Combined, Generalized & Focal, and Unknown epilepsy.
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- Focal epilepsy seizure involves one hemisphere of the brain, and its impact remains up to unifocal and multifocal disorders. An interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) checkup can identify focal epileptiform discharges. It causes focal aware seizures and focal impaired awareness seizures.
- Generalized epilepsy is a form of spike-wave activity. It causes absence of consciousness, myoclonic, atonic, tonic, and grand mal seizures or tonic-clonic conditions.
- Under combined generalized & focal epilepsy, you experience the symptoms of both generalized and focal seizures. Usually, this condition occurs in infants or children.
- Unknown epilepsy is a condition that occurs due to an unknown factor, and EEG studies remain clueless about its exact cause.
Available anticonvulsant medications
Different medications work by stabilizing the electrical activity in the brain, often by targeting specific neurotransmitters or ion channels. The usual anticonvulsant medications are available as:
Pregabalin – It is an anticonvulsant drug that can treat neuropathic pain conditions and fibromyalgia. This anticonvulsant medicine is used for the treatment of partial-onset seizures and epilepsy in combination with other prescribed medicines.
Phenytoin – It is a form of anticonvulsant drug that is recommended for prophylaxis. It can effectively control various types of epileptic seizures.
Topiramate – This anticonvulsant drug is prescribed to control the risks of epilepsy and treat migraines.
Valproic acid – Experts recommend it to control complex partial seizures as well as simple and complex absence seizures.
Trimethadione – It has some effective medicinal properties that work as an anticonvulsant agent to treat refractory petit mal seizures.
Other than these anti seizure meds, there are some common seizure medications such as Mephenytoin, Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine, Ethosuximide, and Ethotoin. They can also be used beyond epilepsy.
You should also be aware of the possible side effects of these seizure meds. The rare and possible side effects of these anticonvulsant medications are weight loss, fatigue, dizziness, mood swings, behavioral issues, etc. Consult a doctor; he will guide you and prescribe the best anticonvulsant medications after carefully examining the patient’s health.
