Epilepsy

[ponygirl]

My brother has suffered from epilepsy since he was about 11 (now 38) and last night, after 5 or 6 years of being completely stable, he had a series of severe fits resulting in his partner calling an ambulance and he ended up in intensive care on a ventilator . He's had a CT scan which has ruled out haemhorrage or any other reason for the fit other than the epilepsy itself. He's off the ventilator now and the sedation is being reduced, but there remains the question of why this would suddenly happen. Does anyone know if epilepsy can suddebly flare up like this after a long period of stable medication? Or if there have perhaps been small signs recently that maybe my db has chosen to ignore?

And another question, for anyone in the know out there: one of my aunts has epilepsy also but apparently a different type. Does this suggest that there is no genetic connection between the two? Is epilepsy genetic? The bottom line question: do my children have a predisposition to epilepsy? Or am I just looking for other things to be worried about?!

TIA

See this
www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/inheritance.html

for information of epilepsy and genetics.

Re the seizures, has be being taking anything that could intefere with the medication that he takes? Has he being taking St Johns wort? This happened to a friend of mine with epilepsy, she took St Johns wort and had break through seizures

Thanks hmb. I don't know if he's been taking else. Tbh I can't imagine him taking St John'S Wort - he's a regular pharmaceuticals kind of guy!

Epilepsy can come back suddenly after years of being "clear". It happened to me, when I was 21/22, after about 14 years of being seizure free. It's quiet a vague science in a way, there are not all the answers as to why seizures occur yet. The brain is a complex and mysterious thing

There can be a familial trait wrt epilepsy. I don't know of anyone in my family who has it, but dd1 had fits when she was small (not febrile convulsions), for which we had to carry rectal valium around for a while, and ds2 had a couple of fits, although it seemed to be a one off. Docs certainly ask if there is a history of epilepsy in the family, when I have seen them, but it doesn't mean that your children are more pre disposed to epilepsy. I would think it would be more likely if you were epileptic, although don't quote me on that. St John's wort is a good point. It's not recommended ofr those with epilepsy, so I would check if your brother has been taking anything that may affect his meds. Even certain aromatherapy oils like clary sage can cause problems.

Hope he gets better soon, and his seizures become controlled again.

Thanks Lou. He's still in the ICU but is expected to go up to the High Dependency Unit in the morning. ICU say they can't find any reason for the seizures, so it's over to the neurologists.

And there are other precription meds that can affect the blood levels of anti convulsants. Is there any chance that he was not taking hos meds?

I wouldn't have thought so, hmb, unless he's been feeling worse lately that he's letting on. His partner told me earlier that he'd been really stable and just had the odd day when he felt rough, but I know for a fact he had an episode in the summer and my aunt has told me that he's had quite a few at her house within the last year. Slightly concerned that he's been covering up a bit, possibly to protect his driving licence (that's a wild guess on my part but the thought makes me very ).

Or has he had a stomach upset or something? My friend's ds is very sensitive to dehydration (much younger though) and he had some awful seizures following stomach upsets.

Alternatively maybe he's just had a viral illness or something. Remember anyone can have a seizure- its just that some people have a lower threshold.

It sounds as if he may have been building up to something. Hoepfully this will allow them to readjust his medication etc.