My 15 year old sister has seizures, and her brain activity is abnormal. Please help.

Question

Hello doctor,

My sister has been having seizures. So, we consulted a doctor, who said she has abnormal brain activity. Her electroencephalogram (EEG) showed abnormal spikes. Currently, she is taking Levipil 1000, twice a day. What is going on with my sister? No one is explaining anything, and the medication is affecting her behavior too much. Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I have read your query and understand your concerns. Regarding seizures, Levipil (Levetiracetam) is a good option for treatment of seizure disorder, and I think your doctor has taken the right decision. Now regarding the behavioral changes that you mentioned, I would like to inform you that it could be due to the following factors: 1. Seizure episodes: Seizure activity is known to cause psychosis in 15 % of affected individuals, and it is possible that if she had poor control of seizures, the disorder itself is leading to behavioral change. 2. Levipil: In a few patients, who are prescribed Levipil, develop some behavioral changes. This reason is possible if there is a clear temporal relationship between the start of Levipil and development of behavioral symptoms. I hope this answers you. If you have more questions, feel free to write back to me. Please do not forget to mention the symptoms of the patient along with the description of the behavioral change, which will help us in pinpointing the probable cause. Thanks again.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. Thanks for reverting. First of all, I would like to inform you that a person with epilepsy (seizure disorder) has a risk to her life if not treated well. They may develop a serious form of seizure disorder called status epilepticus. Also, they may fall anywhere including road, water, fire when they lose consciousness due to seizure episode leading to serious injury or death. Besides, if the seizure is not treated well, it may lead to various forms of psychosis called as organic psychosis, which is again a serious disorder. Seizure affects the intelligence of such patients, which leads to poor performance in life. There is a risk of physical illnesses, if not treated well and the list goes on. I mean to say that, it is important to continue treatment, as they are helping her in maintaining her life. Regarding her attitude that she cannot be cured may have resulted from depression. As mentioned above, many patients have serious psychiatric illness resulting in abnormal thinking pattern. It is important to have proper counseling, as it needs lots of efforts to continue medication on a daily basis. I hope this answers you further. Thanks and regards.