Patient's question:
The baby is 2 years old and suffers from epilepsy, taking antiepileptic medication. On the first night after taking the medication, the child exhibited restless crying. Starting from the second day, the child always had squinted eyes, appearing as if they hadn't woken up and lacking energy. On the third day, a fever developed. We took the child to the local health station for a fever-reducing injection, after which the fever subsided. However, on the fourth day, the child developed a fever again, reaching 39°C. Over these days, the child has consistently had squinted eyes and lacked energy. Is this a side effect of the medication?Doctor's answer:
General convulsions are usually caused by high fever. This symptom is called "fright shock," which is also known as "childhood acute convulsions" in traditional Chinese medicine. This is one of the common acute conditions among children under the age of eight.Guidelines:
If convulsions occur without a fever, it's not necessarily straightforward. Several conditions can cause this symptom, including encephalitis, brain developmental abnormalities, epilepsy, and hypocalcemia. If the electroencephalogram (EEG) is normal, based on my personal experience, I would suspect hypocalcemia in your child. It's best to go to the hospital for examination and confirmation, and then receive treatment accordingly.