Refractory Epilepsy
Refractory Epilepsy
If your doctor says you have refractory epilepsy, it means that medicine isn't bringing your seizures under control. You might hear the condition called by some other names, such as uncontrolled, intractable, or drug-resistant epilepsy.
You can have refractory epilepsy as an adult, or your child might have it. About 1 in 3 people with epilepsy will go on to develop refractory epilepsy.
Understanding Epilepsy -- Symptoms
Seizures are the basic indicator of epilepsy. They vary widely: Staring straight ahead, repetitive swallowing, and lapsing into complete immobility for a few seconds characterize absence (petit mal) seizures, which can recur many times in a day. Tonic/clonic (grand mal) seizures, which usually last several minutes, typically begin with a loss of consciousness and a fall, followed by rigidity, then jerking motions and incontinence of urine. After the seizure ends, there is usually a period...
Read the Understanding Epilepsy -- Symptoms article > >
Epilepsy is the medical name for having seizures again and again, when there doesn't seem to be a clear cause. In an epilepsy seizure, your brain has a sudden burst of electrical activity. When that happens, you might start shaking without being able to control it. You could black out or simply stop moving and lose awareness of your surroundings. The seizures may last a few seconds or a few minutes.
Your doctor can try certain things to help keep your seizures under better control. For instance, he might try different combinations of drugs.
Your doctor may also put a device under your skin that sends electrical signals to one of your nerves, called the vagus nerve. This may cut the number of seizures you get.
Surgery that removes a part of the brain that causes your seizures may also be an option.
With any of these treatments, you may still need to take epilepsy medicine throughout your life.
It's natural to feel anxious when the doctor tells you your epilepsy isn't getting better with the medicine you're now taking. You don't have to go through it alone, though. It's important to reach out to family and friends to get the emotional support you need. You might also want to join a support group, so you can talk with other people who are going through the same things you are.
Epilepsy can start at any age, and it sometimes runs in families. In about half of all cases, doctors don't know why it happens.
Sometimes a serious head injury causes epilepsy, for example, from a car accident. Your child might develop epilepsy from a serious infection, such as meningitis. In an adult, a brain tumor or a stroke could lead to epilepsy.
What Is Refractory Epilepsy?
If your doctor says you have refractory epilepsy, it means that medicine isn't bringing your seizures under control. You might hear the condition called by some other names, such as uncontrolled, intractable, or drug-resistant epilepsy.
You can have refractory epilepsy as an adult, or your child might have it. About 1 in 3 people with epilepsy will go on to develop refractory epilepsy.
Recommended Related to Epilepsy
Understanding Epilepsy -- Symptoms
Seizures are the basic indicator of epilepsy. They vary widely: Staring straight ahead, repetitive swallowing, and lapsing into complete immobility for a few seconds characterize absence (petit mal) seizures, which can recur many times in a day. Tonic/clonic (grand mal) seizures, which usually last several minutes, typically begin with a loss of consciousness and a fall, followed by rigidity, then jerking motions and incontinence of urine. After the seizure ends, there is usually a period...
Read the Understanding Epilepsy -- Symptoms article > >
Epilepsy is the medical name for having seizures again and again, when there doesn't seem to be a clear cause. In an epilepsy seizure, your brain has a sudden burst of electrical activity. When that happens, you might start shaking without being able to control it. You could black out or simply stop moving and lose awareness of your surroundings. The seizures may last a few seconds or a few minutes.
Your doctor can try certain things to help keep your seizures under better control. For instance, he might try different combinations of drugs.
Your doctor may also put a device under your skin that sends electrical signals to one of your nerves, called the vagus nerve. This may cut the number of seizures you get.
Surgery that removes a part of the brain that causes your seizures may also be an option.
With any of these treatments, you may still need to take epilepsy medicine throughout your life.
It's natural to feel anxious when the doctor tells you your epilepsy isn't getting better with the medicine you're now taking. You don't have to go through it alone, though. It's important to reach out to family and friends to get the emotional support you need. You might also want to join a support group, so you can talk with other people who are going through the same things you are.
Causes
Epilepsy can start at any age, and it sometimes runs in families. In about half of all cases, doctors don't know why it happens.
Sometimes a serious head injury causes epilepsy, for example, from a car accident. Your child might develop epilepsy from a serious infection, such as meningitis. In an adult, a brain tumor or a stroke could lead to epilepsy.
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