Medication to control seizures is a common treatment for epilepsy. At Barnes-Jewish Hospital, our neurology team is staffed with specialists ranging from epileptologists to neuroscience nurses to neurosurgeons. Together, we come up with a treatment plan that is specific to your unique case of epilepsy. Treating a third of the epilepsy patients in the region every year, we are highly experienced in prescribing and dosing epilepsy medications at the Washington-University and Barnes-Jewish Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
In mild cases of epilepsy, simple remedies, such as avoiding stress and getting enough rest, may be enough to control seizures. Most often, our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center neurologists see more serious cases that require medication. We may recommend that you stay in our state-of-the-art, 12-bed epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) so we may monitor your seizures and test medications and dosage.
Determining Your Anti-Seizure Medication
Just as there are many types of epilepsy, there also are many types of epilepsy medications available to treat seizures. Deciding which anti-seizure medication to prescribe requires careful consideration of the type of seizures occurring, your lifestyle, possible side effects and other complicating medical conditions. Our epileptologists at Barnes-Jewish are up-to-date on the latest indications for usage and possible side effects, which helps us tailor successful medication plans for each individual patient.
About 60-70 percent of patients gain control of their seizures through medication. For most, just one drug is needed. For others, a combination of drugs may give the best results. Our neurologists are careful to avoid disruptive side effects such as extreme fatigue, decreased appetite and mental confusion.
When seizures cannot be controlled by medication alone, we offer several other treatment options, including vagus nerve stimulation and epilepsy surgery. As an Academic Medical Center (AMC) and partner of Washington University School of Medicine, we have the opportunity to pioneer the use of advanced treatments and offer clinical trials.
We thoroughly evaluate our patients at every stage of treatment, especially before surgery, and optimize medication as much as we can before recommending surgery.
To make an appointment with a Washington University epileptologist, neurologist or neurosurgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, call 855.925.0631.