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You’ve tried the drugs, but they haven’t helped. Your seizures are still out of control, despite the medication and other treatments. So what’s next?
Surgery is an option for some people with epilepsy. It can be performed to treat a specific area of the brain where seizures start (focal resective surgery), or it may involve more extensive surgery to control seizures that start in many areas of the brain (multilobar resective surgery). Many people who have these types of surgery become seizure-free after the procedure. However, it isn’t always successful, and some people may continue to have seizures afterwards.
If epilepsy surgery doesn’t work, your doctor can prescribe a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) for you. This device is implanted under your skin and delivers regular, mild pulses of electrical energy to your brain via the vagus nerve in your neck. The VNS has been shown to reduce seizure frequency by about one-third in adults and children with intractable epilepsy who are taking antiseizure medicines. As with any treatment option, there are possible side effects. These include hoarseness and difficulty speaking, coughing or breathing while the stimulator is delivering an electrical pulse.
Intractable epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions. Intractable epilepsy occurs when you have a seizure that lasts for more than five minutes or when you have two or more seizures within a week.
Intractable epilepsy is a type of epilepsy that doesn’t respond to medications. About 30% of people with epilepsy have intractable seizures.
Epilepsy is a condition in which you have repeated episodes of seizures. During an episode, you may lose consciousness and your body will shake or jerk uncontrollably.
There are many types of epilepsy and not all cause the same symptoms. In addition to seizures, some people with epilepsy also experience confusion after they’ve had a seizure. They may be unable to speak, feel weak or tired, or have blurry vision.
In most cases, doctors can control seizures with medication or other treatments.
What Happens in Intractable Epilepsy?
In people with intractable epilepsy, brain cells misfire and send the wrong signals to each other. This causes seizures.
When seizures are intractable, it means that medicines can’t control them. Your doctor may try adding more medicines or trying different ones to see if they help control your seizures better.
If that doesn’t work, your doctor may suggest brain surgery or a device that sends electrical signals to the brain. These treatments aren’t for everyone, but they may help some people who have intractable epilepsy.
In intractable epilepsy, patients have seizures or partial seizures that are not controlled by drug therapy. These seizures happen more than once a month over a period of several years.
Intractable epilepsy affects about 2 percent of the population worldwide. It can occur at any age, although its prevalence is highest in children and older adults. There are no cures for intractable epilepsy, but surgery may be an option when medications fail to control it.
How Is Intractable Epilepsy Diagnosed?
How Is Intractable Epilepsy Treated?
How Can Parents Help?
Epilepsy is a complex disorder. It is often difficult to understand and even more difficult to live with. It can be very frightening for parents who witness a seizure in their child. But, with proper care, most children with epilepsy can lead happy, healthy lives.
Your child needs your love and support. They may also need help from other family members, teachers, babysitters, or others who care for them. You can all make it easier for your child to cope with epilepsy if you:
- Learn about epilepsy and the medications used to treat it
- Work closely with the healthcare team to help manage your child’s epilepsy
- Help your child learn how to manage his or her seizures
- Make sure that your child has the same chance as others do to take part in any activity he or she enjoys
What Else Should I Know about epilepsy?
Epilepsy is not contagious.
In most cases, the cause is unknown.
Having a seizure does not mean that you have epilepsy. You must have had at least two seizures before being diagnosed with epilepsy. Also, there are many possible causes of seizures other than epilepsy.
A person can have just one type of seizure or both types.
There are many possible causes of seizures in people with epilepsy. These include missing a dose of medication, illness, stress, sleep deprivation, flashing lights and high fever.
Seizures affect each person differently. Some people have staring spells; some may fall briefly and jerk their arms or legs; others may experience an intense feeling of fear or exhilaration; some make repeated movements such as lip smacking or chewing; and others jerk all over their body.
