DVDInside
Featuring John O’Hurley
A guide FOr pAtients And FAmilies
A guide FOr pAtients And FAmilies
Copyright 2013
American Academy of Neurology
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except when permitted by law.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Contents
Introduction................................................................................... 4
WhatIsepilepsy?......................................................................... 7
WhatCausesepilepticseizures?................................................. 9
HowIsepilepsyDiagnosed?...................................................... 11
Medicinesforepilepsy............................................................... 13
GettingtheMostfromepilepsyMedicines................................. 14
surgeryforepilepsy.................................................................... 15
othertreatmentoptionsforepilepsy......................................... 16
HelpingsomeoneWhoIsHavingaseizure............................... 18
PlanningAhead........................................................................... 21
LivingWellwithepilepsy............................................................. 23
RealChoices,RealHope............................................................ 28
seizureDiariesandothertrackingoptions............................... 30
Resources................................................................................... 31
seizureDiaryForm...................................................................... 35
DIsCLAIMeR:The guidebook and DVD program is intended for informational purposes only. This program was produced by Conrad Productions and Alan Weiss Productions, with editorial oversight from the American Academy of Neurology. Financial support was provided by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
The guidebook author is Stephen Braun and the DVD script writer is Deborah Gobble. Complete disclosure information on the physician experts who participated in this program (Dr. Gregory Cascino and Dr. Daniel Hoch) is available at AAN.com.
The writers, producers, program presenters and program funder make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided within.
No one should rely upon this information as the basis for treatment decisions. Anyone requiring medical or other health care should consult a medical or health care professional. Any actions based on the information provided are entirely the responsibility of the user, and of any medical or other health care professionals who are involved in such actions.
Photos in this booklet are used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model, not an actual patient or health care professional.
4 5
IntRoDuCtIon
Morethan3,000yearsago,peoplerecognizedthebehaviors
thattodayweknowarecausedbyabraindisordercalled
epilepsy.epilepsyismorecommonthanmostpeoplethink.
About2millionpeopleofallagesintheushaveepilepsy.And
asmanyas1in26peoplewilldevelopepilepsyatsomepointin
theirlifetime.
epilepsyisaseriousmedicalcondition.Buttoday,manypeople
canmanageepilepsyandlivewell,justasotherslearntolive
wellwithotherlong-termmedicalconditions.epilepsydoesnot
havetoruleyourlife!
Asmanyas2ofevery3peoplenewlydiagnosedwithepilepsy
arelikelytohavetheirseizuresbecomewell-controlledby
usingepilepsymedicines.Andmedicinesandothertypesof
treatmentscanhelppeoplewithepilepsynomatterwhenthey
werediagnosed.
Akeyistogethelpearlyandworkwithhealthcareproviders,for
example,neurologists,whospecializeintreatingepilepsy.this
kindofpartnershipcanhelpyoutakefulladvantageofthemany
treatmentoptionsthatexisttoday.thesetreatmentscanoften
reduce,orsometimeseveneliminate,seizures.
somepeoplewithepilepsy,however,continuetoface
misunderstandingsabouttheircondition.Asaresult,theycan
facediscriminationineducationandemployment.Fortunately,
moreandmorepeoplearelearningthetruthaboutepilepsy—it
isamedicalconditionthatcanusuallybewell-managedwith
treatment.
thisbookletandDVDprogramwillhelpyou:
• Learnmoreaboutthedifferenttypesofepilepsy
• Learnaboutavailabletreatmentoptions
• takepositivestepstobehealthy,bothphysicallyand emotionally
DIDYouKnoW?
neurologistsaremedical
doctorswhospecialize
indisordersofthebrain
andnerves.theyarethe
specialistswhomostoften
treatpeoplewithepilepsy.
6 7
WHAtIsePILePsY?
epilepsyisaprobleminthebrainthatcausesseizurestooccur
withoutwarning.Aseizureislikean“electricalstorm”inthe
brain.Duringaseizure,thenormalpatternofactivityinthebrain
istemporarilydisturbed.Braincellsbegintofireabnormally.
Manythingscancauseseizures,includinginjuries,fevers,and
manytypesofdiseases.epilepsyisthenameforagroupof
medicalconditionsthatcauseseizures.therearemorethan25
kindsofepilepsy.eachkindiscausedbyadifferenttypeof
braindisorder.
therearealsomanytypesofepilepticseizures.seizurescan
beexperiencedasstrangesensations,emotions,behaviors,
convulsions,alteredawareness,orinabilitytorespond.some
peoplemayexperienceunusualsensationsbeforeaseizure.
thesewarningsensationsarecalledauras.
DIDYouKnoW?
epilepsyisthe4th-most
commonneurological
disorderintheus.
DIDYouKnoW?
Havingaseizuredoesnotmeanapersonhasepilepsy.Manypeoplehaveasingleseizureintheirlifetime,becauseofaninjury,illness,orfever.thisisnotepilepsy.onlywhenapersonhashadtwoormoreun-provokedseizuresisheorsheconsideredtohaveepilepsy.
8 9
usuallyanepilepticseizurelastsonlyaminuteortwo.Afterthe
seizureapersonmayfeeltiredanddazed.someseizuresarenot
obvious.theymayconsistofonlyasensationorunusualfeeling
thatisnotnoticedbyothers.orapersonmaysimplyseem“out
ofit”forabrieftime,andthenresumewhatsheorhewasdoing.
DIDYouKnoW?
There are 2 major types of seizures:focalseizuresandgeneralizedseizures.thetypeisdeterminedbyhowtheseizuresstart.
•Focalseizures(alsocalledpartial seizures)begininjustonepartofthebrain.thefeelingsorsensationsapersonmayhaveduringafocalseizuredependonwhichpartofthebrainisaffected.Partialseizuresmayspreadtoaffectbothsidesofthebrain.
•Generalizedseizuresresultfromabnormalbraincellactivityonbothsidesofthebrainatonce.theseseizuresmaycausemomentarystares,lossofconsciousness,falls,ormassivemusclespasms.
WHAtCAusesePILePtICseIzuRes?
thehumanbrainissocomplicatedthatmanythingscanmake
it“actup”andproduceseizures.someseizuresoccurbecause
thebrain’s“wiring”—theconnectionsbetweenbraincells—isnot
normal.seizuresmayalsoarisefromanareaofthebrainthat
hasbeeninjuredinthepastorisnotworkingnormallyforsome
reason.thiscanhappenforanumberofreasonsincludinghead
injury,tumors,strokes,orAlzheimer’sdisease.
sometimesepilepsyrunsinfamiliesandiscausedbygenetic
influences.Butabouthalfofallseizureshavenoknowncause.
scientistsarestilllearningaboutthemanythingsthatcan
causeepilepsy.
Whilethereiscurrentlynocureforepilepsy,forsomepeople
theseizurescanstop.Childrenmay“growoutof”theirseizures
naturally,whethertheytakemedicationsornot.Inonestudy,
childrenwithepilepsyofanunknowncausehada68%to92%
chanceofbecomingseizure-free20yearsafterthey
werediagnosed.
DIDYouKnoW?
somefamouspeoplewhohavehadseizures:
• supremeCourtChiefJusticeJohnRoberts
• MargauxHemingway
• DannyGlover
• Leotolstoy
• neilYoung
• tchaikovsky
10 11
Patientswithuncontrolledepilepsyhaveahigherriskforother
problemssuchasinjuries,accidents,emotionalormood
disorders,and,rarely,suddendeath.Butmanypeople’s
seizurescanbecomewell-controlledbyusingavailable
treatments.theimportantthingistoworkcloselywitha
neurologist,carefullyfollowalltreatmentadvice,anddo
everythingyoucantobeashealthyaspossible.
“Epilepsy is what
I have, not who I am.”
–Anonymous patient
HoWIsePILePsYDIAGnoseD?
seizuresrarelyhappeninthepresenceofahealthcareprovider.
tofigureoutifaseizureisduetoepilepsy,severalkindsoftests
canbeused.Adetailedmedicalhistoryisstilloneofthebest
waysthatahealthcareprovidercantellwhetherapersonhas
epilepsyand,ifso,whattypeofepilepsyheorshehas.since
manypeoplewhohaveaseizurecan’tremembertheseizure
itself,it’simportantforsomebodyclosetothepersontogivean
accountoftheseizure.
AtestcalledaneeGmaybeusedtodiagnoseepilepsy,or
determinethetype.AneeGmeasurestheelectricalactivityof
thebrain.sometimesapersonwithepilepsywillhaveabnormal
patternsofbrainwaves—anepilepsy“fingerprint.”thiscanhelp
pindownadiagnosis.ButaneeG,byitself,maynotbeenough
toconfirmadiagnosis.that’sbecausenoteveryonewhohas
epilepsyhasanabnormaleeG.Andsomepeoplewhoneverhave
seizuresdoshowabnormalbrainwavepatterns.
12 13
MeDICInesFoRePILePsY
therearemanywaystotreatepilepsy.seizurescanbereduced
oreliminatedinabout80%ofpeoplewithepilepsy.themost
commontreatmentforepilepsyistheuseofmedicines.More
than20kindsofanti-seizuremedicinesarenowavailable.
Whichmedicineyourhealthcareproviderrecommendswill
dependonmanyfactors,includingthetypeofseizuresyou
have,yourlifestyle,yourage,andwhetheryoutakeotherkinds
ofmedications.
Yourhealthcareproviderorneurologistwillworkwithyouto
determineifananti-seizuremedicineisrightforyou.Itmaytake
some“experimenting”tofindonethatworksbestforyou.In
somepatients,seizurescanbebestcontrolledbycombiningtwo
ormoremedicines.
otherkindsofbrainscanscanhelppinpointwhereinthebrain
seizuresbegin.somescans(Ctscan,MRI)canalsodetect
tumors,cysts,orotherproblemswiththebrainthatmightbe
causingseizures.
Bloodtestsaresometimesusedtolookforunderlying
problemsthatcancauseseizures,suchasinfections,lead
poisoning,anemia,orgeneticissues.Havingacleardiagnosis
ofepilepsy,eveniftheunderlyingcauseisunknown,isthekey
firststeptofindingeffectivewaystocontroltheseizures.
14 15
GettInGtHeMostFRoMePILePsYMeDICInes
Betweenone-thirdandtwo-thirdsofpeoplewithepilepsydonot
closelyfollowthetreatmentplansrecommendedbytheirhealth
careprovider.takingyourmedicinesexactlyasprescribediskey:
taketherightdose,attherighttime,andcarefullyfollowother
directions,suchaswhetherornottotakeamedicinewithfood.
themorecloselyyoustickwithyourtreatmentplan,thebetter
yourchancesofreducingoreliminatingyourseizures.
talktoyourneurologistorotherhealthcareproviderifyouare
havingdifficultykeepingtrackofyourmedicines,ortakingthem
asdirected.Goodcommunicationwithyourhealthcareprovider
isanimportantstepinhelpingtogetyourseizuresundercontrol.
suRGeRYFoRePILePsY
Whenseizurescannotbecontrolledbymedicines,surgerymay
provideanotheroptionforsomepatients.surgeryistypicallynot
thefirsttreatmentoption.Itisusuallyconsideredonlyafterat
least2or3medicineshavebeentriedwithoutsuccess.
Forthosepatientswhoarecandidatesforsurgery,acommon
techniqueistoremovethesmallareaofthebrainwhereseizures
start.Ingeneral,peoplehaveabetterchanceofbecoming
seizure-freeaftersurgeryifdoctorscanfigureoutwherethe
seizuresarebeginning.
Yourhealthcareproviderwillhelpyoudecideifyouareagood
candidateforepilepsysurgery.Ifyouareagoodcandidate,
itisbestifsurgeryisdoneassoonaspossibleafterthe
determinationhasbeenmade.
16 17
otHeRtReAtMentoPtIonsFoRePILePsY
Inadditiontomedicinesandsurgery,twoothertreatmentsmay
helppeoplewithcertainkindsofepilepsywhodonotrespond
adequatelytomedicines.
Vagus NerVe sTimulaTioN
thelargevagusnerveconnectspartsofthebraintobodyorgans
suchasthe“voicebox,”theheart,andthestomach.stimulating
thisnervehasbeenfoundtoreduceepilepsyseizuresin
somepeopleby20%to40%.In1997,theusFoodandDrug
Administrationapprovedtheuseofvagusnervestimulatorsfor
treatingteensandadultswhoseseizureswerenotwell-controlled
bymedicines.
thestimulatorisasmallbattery-powereddevicethatis
implantedundertheskinofthechest,muchlikeapacemaker.
Itisconnectedtothevagusnerveinthelowerneck.the
devicedeliversshortburstsofelectricitytothevagusnerve,
whichinturninfluencesthebrain.thestimulationcanbeeither
continuous,oritcanbecontrolledbythepatientifsheorhe
feelsthataseizuremaybeabouttohappen.
special dieT
studiesshowthatsomepeoplemayhavefewerseizuresifthey
followastrictdiet—highinfatsandlowinsugaryorstarchy
foods(thesefoodsarecalledcarbohydrates).
originallydevelopedalmostacenturyago,thisdietforcesthe
bodytoburnfatsforcalories.Whenthishappens,thebody
producessubstancescalledketones,whichiswhythistreatment
iscalleda“ketogenicdiet.”thedietisnotusuallyusedfor
morethan2to3yearstoavoidanyharmfuleffectsongrowthor
developmentifusedwithchildren.Itrequiresalotofmotivation
andclosesupervision.nonetheless,aketogenicdietmay
providearealoptionforthosewhodonotrespondtomedicines
orothertreatments.
18 19
HeLPInGsoMeoneWHoIsHAVInGAseIzuRe
It’simportantforthoseclosetosomeonewithepilepsytoknow
whattodoifthepersonhasaseizure.It’salsoimportantforthe
personwhohasepilepsytotalkclearlywithothersinadvance
aboutwhattodointhecaseofaseizure.Manypeoplehave
mistakenideasabouthowtohelp.Forexample,somethink
theyshouldputsomethingintheperson’smouthtoprotectthe
tonguefrombeingbitten.thisisnotnecessary—itcanactually
harmthepersonhavingaseizure.
According to the National Institutes of Health, here are the steps to take if someone is having a seizure:
• Rollthepersononhisorhersidetopreventchokingon fluidsorvomit.
• Cushiontheperson’shead.
• Loosenanytightclothingaroundtheneck.
• Keeptheperson’sairwayopen.Ifnecessary,gripthe person’sjawgentlyandtiltherorhisheadback.
• Donotrestrictthepersonfrommoving,unlessheorsheis indanger.
• Donotputanythingintotheperson’smouth,noteven medicineorliquid,unlessinstructedbyahealthcareprovider.
• Removeanysharporsolidobjectsthatthepersonmighthit duringtheseizure.
• notehowlongtheseizurelastsandwhatsymptoms occurred,soyoucantelladoctororemergencypersonnel ifnecessary.
• staywiththepersonuntiltheseizureends.
• Call911ifthepersoninjuresher-orhimself,iftheperson stopsbreathing,orifyouhaveanyotherreasontofeelyou cannothandlethesituationonyourown.
20 21
PLAnnInGAHeAD
Youshouldworkwithahealthcareprovidertomakea“seizure
plan.”thisisalistofthingstodo,bothforyourselfandforany
relativesorcaregiverswhoarelikelytobearoundyou.Hereare
somethingsaseizureplanmightsuggest:
• WearabraceletorotherIDwithyourmedicalinformationonit.
• Considerkeepingaseizureorepilepsydiary(seepage35 forasamplediary).
• organizeemergencycontactnumbers.
• Learntorecognizeaurasandotherwarningsignsofa seizure,andtakestepstomovetosafelocationsorpositions.
• Learnyourownseizuretriggers(forexample,lackofsleep, alcohol,stress,orhormonechangesrelatedtoamenstrual period).
• safety-proofyourenvironment(padsharpcorners,use barrierstoprotectagainsthazardssuchasheights,pools, bodiesofwater,fireplaces,etc.).
• Reviewyourplanwithrelativesorcaregiversofchildren.
22 23
LIVInGWeLLWItHePILePsY
Havingepilepsycanbechallenging.Itcanaffectschoolwork,
mood,relationships,andyourabilitytoworkanddrive.But
therearemanywaysyoucanaddressthesechallenges.Here
aresometipsforwaystocopewithsomeofthemorecommon
non-medicalaspectsofepilepsy:
recreaTioNal acTiViTies
Peoplewithepilepsyshouldavoidsportsorrecreationalactivities
thatwouldbeextremelydangerousifaseizureoccurred,like
skydivingormotorracing.Butpeoplewithepilepsycanenjoy
manysportssuchasvolleyball,bowling,baseballandsoftball,
basketball,andothersusingnormalprotectivegear.Infact,
someevidenceshowsthatregularexercisecanimproveseizure
controlinsomepeople.talkwithyourhealthcareproviderbefore
startinganynewsportorrecreationalactivity.
DIDYouKnoW?
theAmericanAcademyofneurologywarnsallpeople,notjustthosewithepilepsy,aboutthedangersofsportssuchasboxingandsomemartialartsthatinvolveintentionalblowstothehead.
24 25
BehaVior aNd emoTioNs
Peoplewithepilepsymayhavedifficultyadjustingtotheir
conditionorthewayotherpeoplereacttothem.Childrencanbe
teased,bullied,oravoided.Adultsmayfindthatpeopledistance
themselvesorreactnegativelywhentheylearnthepersonhas
epilepsy.thesekindsofsituationscanleadtoanincreasedrisk
ofpoorself-esteemorevendepression.Peoplewithepilepsy
mayhaveahigherriskfordepressionbecausethepartsofthe
brainthatcontrolmoodmaybeaffected.
Behavioraloremotionaldifficultiescanbehandledinmany
ways.Boththepersonwithepilepsyandthosearoundhimorher
needtolearntoacceptandlivewiththepossibilityofseizures,
withoutblameorembarrassment.Counselingservicesofmany
kindscanhelppeoplewithepilepsyandtheirfamilymembers
sharetheirfeelings,learnfromeachother,andworkthroughany
misunderstandingsorconflictsthatmightdevelop.
sometimes,medicationmaybehelpfulinimprovingmood.If
youoralovedoneishavingemotionalproblems,talktoahealth
careprovider.sheorhecanusuallysuggestotherprofessionals
whocanhelp.(Manycitieshavelocalchaptersofanepilepsy
organizationthatcanprovidehelpandguidance.seethe
Resourcessectiononpage31.)
driViNg
Moststatesrequirepeoplewithepilepsytodemonstratethat
theyhavegoneaspecificlengthoftimewithoutaseizure
toobtainorreinstateadriver’slicense.thisrestrictionof
independencecanbedifficulttodealwith,andmayaffect
choicesofwheretoliveorwork.Butmanypeoplewith
well-controlledepilepsydodrivesafely.Itisimportanttolearn
aboutthelawsofyourownstate,andhowyoucanmeet
whateverrequirementsexist.ofcourse,alternativestodriving
mayexistinyourcityortown.Checkouttheavailabilityof
buses,taxis,trains,orothertypesoftransportation.
26 27
educaTioN
severalthingscanmakeschoolworkorstudyingharderfor
peoplewithepilepsy.someepilepsymedicinescanmakeit
hardertoconcentrateorrememberthings.Also,sometypesof
epilepsyareassociatedwithlearningproblemsduetounderlying
braindysfunction.studentswithepilepsymaybeentitledto
extrahelp,orextratimewithschoolwork.
Bylaw,peoplewithepilepsyintheunitedstatescannotbe
deniedemploymentoreducationbecauseoftheirseizures.still,
peoplewithepilepsymayfacebarriersatschoolorwork.It’s
importanttoknowyourrights,standupforyourself,andworkto
overcomeignoranceonthepartofothers.Forexample,teachers
shouldbetoldwhattodoifachildhasaseizure,andparents
shouldworkwiththeschoolsystemtofindreasonablewaysto
accommodateanyspecialneedstheirchildmayhave.
pregNaNcy aNd moTherhood
AccordingtoAmericanAcademyofneurologyguidelines,
mostwomenwithepilepsycanbecomepregnantandhave
healthybabies(AAn.com/view/epilepsyPregnancy).Women
withepilepsydonothavesubstantiallyhigherriskofhaving
complicationsduringlaboranddelivery.Ifawomanisseizure-
freefor9monthsbeforeshebecomespregnant,it’slikelythat
shewillnothaveanyseizuresduringthepregnancy.
Womenwhoarethinkingaboutbecomingpregnantshould
talkwiththeirhealthcareproviderwellbeforethepregnancy,
becausesomeepilepsymedicinesareknowntoincreasethe
riskofbirthdefects.Yourhealthcareprovidercanhelpyoutake
stepstopromoteahealthypregnancy,suchastakingprenatal
vitaminsandfolicacid.
28 29
ReALCHoICes,ReALHoPe
You’velearnedinthisbookletandDVDprogramthatpeoplewith
epilepsycanlivewellwiththeircondition.Infact,manypeople
withepilepsycanrealisticallyhopetocontroltheirseizures.
Rememberthatyouarenotalone—millionsofpeoplehave
epilepsy.organizationsandsupportgroupsexistinnearlyevery
cityandarereadytohelpyoulearnmoreandcopebetterwith
yourcondition.
Medicaladvancesinthepasttwodecadeshaveledtoabetter
understandingofepilepsyandseizures.Advancedbrainscans
andothertechniquesallowbetterdiagnosisandtreatment
planning.Manymedicines,surgicaltechniques,andother
treatmentscancontrolseizuresformostpeoplewithepilepsy.
Workingcloselywithaneurologistwillhelpyoumanageyour
epilepsy.Youshouldtakestepstoimproveyouroverallhealth:
exerciseregularly,eatwell,getenoughsleep,andavoidknown
seizuretriggers.Youcancontrolyourepilepsy,ratherthanletting
itcontrolyou!
Bylearningmoreaboutepilepsyandhowitcanbemanaged,
you’vetakenthefirststepstowardlivingwellwiththiscommon
medicalcondition.Pleaserefertopage31foradditional
resourceinformation.
seIzuReDIARIesAnDotHeRtRACKInGoPtIons
oneofthemostimportanttoolsyourneurologistorhealthcare
providerhastohelpyoumanageyourepilepsyisonethatyou
provide:arecordofyourday-to-dayexperiences.“seizure
diaries”provideessentialinformationaboutthetype,timing,and
durationofseizures,aswellaspossibletriggers.
Manytypesofseizurediariesexist.Aprintversionisavailable
onpage35.Inaddition,thereareanumberofonlinediariesand
evenappsformobiledevicessuchasaniPhone®oriPad®.see
theResourceslistoppositeforwebsitesthatofferonlineseizure-
trackingtoolsorapps.
30 31
ResouRCes
american academy of NeurologyAAn.com
american Brain FoundationCureBrainDisease.org
Neurology Now® magazineneurologynow.com
american epilepsy societyaesnet.org
citizens united for research in epilepsy (cure)CuReepilepsy.org
epilepsy Foundationepilepsyfoundation.org
epilepsy Therapy project (source of online seizure diary)epilepsy.com
National institute of Neurological disorders and strokeepilepsy information pagehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/epilepsy.htm
seizure Trackerseizuretracker.com
re
so
ur
ce
s
Fundingsupport
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. sunovionisaresearch-basedpharmaceuticalcompanydedicatedtodiscovering,developingandcommercializingscientificallyadvancedtherapeuticproductsthatarefocusedonhelpingpatientssufferingfromcentralnervoussystemandrespiratorydisorders,aswellasotherillnesses.
thecompanyname,whichisrepresentativeofthelife-affirmingenergyofthesunandthepowerofinnovation,reflectssunovion’sportfolioofcurrentlymarketedpharmaceuticalproductsandpipelinecandidates;andservestoemphasizethecompany’songoingcommitmenttoimprovethelivesofpatientseverywhere.
32 33
ProgramPresenters
American Academy of Neurology theAmericanAcademyofneurology(AAn),establishedin1948,isaninternationalprofessionalassociationofmorethan25,000neurologistsandneuroscienceprofessionalsdedicatedtopromotingthehighestqualitypatient-centeredneurologiccare.Aneurologistisadoctorwithspecializedtrainingindiagnosing,treating,andmanagingdisordersofthebrainandnervoussystem,suchasepilepsy,Alzheimer’sdisease,multiplesclerosis,stroke,andParkinson’sdisease.
FormoreinformationvisitAAn.com.
American Brain FoundationtheAmericanBrainFoundation,thefoundationoftheAmericanAcademyofneurology,isanindependentorganizationthataimstobecometheworld’sleaderinraisingmoneytocurebraindiseases,suchasepilepsy,Alzheimer’sdisease,stroke,Parkinson’sdisease,andautism.thesediseasesaffectmorethan50millionpeopleintheunitedstatesalone.
Formoreinformationonhowyoucanhelpcurebraindiseasevisit
CureBrainDisease.org.
34 35
Credits
Epilepsy: A Guide for Patients and Families wasmadepossiblethroughtheexpertise,funding,time,andeffortsofmanycontributors.specialgratitudeto:
Program Presenters
american academy of Neurology american Brain Foundation Contributors to the Video
Gregory D. Cascino, MD Fellow,AmericanAcademyofneurologyWhitneyMacMillan,Jr.ProfessorofneurosciencesMayoClinicCollegeofMedicineChair,DivisionofepilepsyMayoClinicRochester,Minnesota
Daniel Hoch, PhD, MD Fellow,AmericanAcademyofneurologyneurologistandepilepsyspecialistMassachusettsGeneralHospitalAssistantProfessorHarvardMedicalschoolBoston,Massachusetts
Funding Support sunovion pharmaceuticals inc.
specialthanksto:John o’hurley
Mr. O’Hurley lost his teenaged sister to complications of epilepsy.
Project ManagerCarol BrandenburgExecutive Producer Conrad & Associates
Guidebook AuthorStephen BraunMedical Writerbraunmedicalmedia.com
Guidebook DesignCinda DebbinkDesign Partnersdgdesignpartners.com
Program Research and DevelopmentElizabeth T. Conrad, MD, DABFP
seIzuReDIARY
Makecopiesofthisformanduseittokeeptrackofanyseizuresyouhave.Youcanbringtheformstoyournextvisitwithyourneurologist.
Dateofseizure:timeofday:Lengthofseizure:
possible triggers:£Medicationchange(describe)
£overtired/lackofsleep£Alcoholordruguse£Changeofdietoreatingpattern£emotionalstress£Brightorflashinglights£Menstrualperiod£Fever£Illness(describe)
description of seizure:£Aura£Muscletwitches(describe)
£Musclestiffness(describe)£Lossofconsciousness£Lossofabilitytocommunicate£Lossofurineorbowelcontrol£Alteredperceptions
£other(describe)
AAN.com
Drawalineonthe“thermometer”toshowhowsevereyoufeelyourseizurewas.
10ismostsevere;1isleastsevere.
10
5
1
36
DVDInside
Presented by Funding Support provided by
more than 3,000 years ago, people recognized the behaviors that today we know are caused by a brain disorder called epilepsy. About 2 million people of all ages in the us have this condition.
With proper treatment, people with epilepsy now can manage their condition and live well. Having epilepsy does not necessarily have to limit what you do or how you live your life!
today, as many as 2 of every 3 people who are newly diagnosed with epilepsy are likely to have their seizures become well-controlled with treatment. A key is to get help early and work with your neurologist.
This booklet and DVD program will help you:• learn more about the different types of epilepsy• learn about your treatment options • take positive steps to be healthy, both physically and emotionally
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., and is a registered trademark of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd.
PMRC#: STE005-13