Patient's question:
The child has been acting abnormally recently. They often faint without any reason, sometimes with foam in their mouth and convulsions all over their body. It really makes me anxious. This has been happening frequently lately, occurring twice in a month. I'm very worried. After a check-up, it was found to be epilepsy. What should I do now that my child has epilepsy?Doctor's answer:
So far, there are over 30 types of epilepsy. The treatment and prognosis vary among different types of epilepsy, and no single drug can treat all forms of epilepsy.After being diagnosed with epilepsy, the first step is to visit a regular hospital and consult a specialist in epilepsy. The doctor needs to ask for a detailed medical history and perform necessary examinations, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), head CT, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to confirm the diagnosis before providing correct and effective treatment.
The most commonly used medications currently include traditional antiepileptic drugs such as carbamazepine and sodium valproate, as well as newer antiepileptic drugs like lamotrigine, topiramate, and oxcarbazepine. These antiepileptic drugs are safer and have fewer side effects compared to older drugs like phenytoin and phenobarbital, making them a more ideal choice for epilepsy patients.
The treatment of epilepsy is generally recommended to start with monotherapy at a low dose. If monotherapy is ineffective, additional or alternative antiepileptic drugs can be considered. If it is indeed determined that a particular drug is ineffective for a patient or has excessive side effects, and a switch to another drug is necessary, the replacement should be gradual.