In a sense, the parents’ attitude toward treatment is one of the determinants of treatment outcome.
1. Drug therapy: Anti-epileptic drug therapy is the main treatment for children with epilepsy. The goal is to control seizures and improve the quality of life of the child. Children need to insist on taking antiepileptic drugs until 2 to 3 years after the seizures are completely controlled before they can consider reducing the medication under the guidance of a doctor, and some children need to take medication for a long time after the seizures are completely controlled. Zhang Guojun, Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University
During the course of medication, special attention should be paid to taking medication as prescribed, observing and recording seizures, and reviewing regularly to ensure the effectiveness of treatment and avoid serious adverse reactions.
Precautions during medication: The number of doses of various antiepileptic drugs required daily varies, mostly from one to three times daily. This is to ensure that the blood concentration of the drug in the child’s body is stable and effective. In the course of long-term medication, attention should be paid to the relatively fixed duration of medication. If you need to take 2 times a day, the interval between 2 times should be more than 10 hours. If it is taken 3 times a day, the interval between doses should be greater than 6 hours. Antiepileptic drugs for children are available in a variety of dosage forms, including regular tablets, extended-release tablets, and syrups. Generally, regular tablets can be crushed and given to children. Extended-release tablets should be swallowed whole or broken into halves as required. Special measuring instruments (such as measuring cups or syringes) should be used when taking syrups to ensure accurate dosing.
Treat the adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs in a reasonable and scientific manner. It is unrealistic to say that antiepileptic drugs do not have any adverse effects, but the drugs chosen by a specialist are safe and effective for the majority of patients. Specialists have gained a great deal of experience in clinical work over a long period of time and will put the safety of the medication first when treating children. During the course of antiepileptic drug use, some children may experience some adverse drug reactions, such as drowsiness and appetite changes, but most of these reactions are transient and completely tolerable, and have no significant impact on the child’s life or school. During the treatment period, the doctor will ask the child to have some relevant examinations regularly, such as: blood routine, liver and kidney function, EEG, etc. Parents should strictly follow the requirements of the physician. If abnormalities are found in the course of treatment, parents should contact or take their child to the hospital for follow-up.
2. Other treatment: After careful consultation and treatment by specialist physicians, most children with epilepsy can recover completely through antiepileptic drug treatment. If medication is not effective, other treatments such as surgical removal of epileptic foci, vagus nerve stimulation, and ketogenic diet therapy can be considered under the guidance of a doctor.