What treatments are available to a person who has generalized seizures?

What treatments are available to a person who has generalized seizures?

Charles Ribak, Ph.D. (Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, UC Irvine School of Medicine) gives expert video advice on: What happens to the brain and body during a generalized seizure?; What do I do if I think I'm going to have a generalized seizure?; What do I do if I see someone having a generalized seizure? and more...

Dilantin, this is really used a lot for people with generalised seizures. Dilantin and Tegretol. Both of these medicines have a tendency to suppress neuronal activity. How do they do it? It's still unclear. They may embellish the inhibitory neurons in the brain which use GABA as a neural transmitter, or they may interact with glutamate or excitatory neurons in the brain. The basic bottom line is it suppresses activity in the brain. It has a tendency to dumb you down a little, and make you a little more tired throughout your day; maybe you'll find you don't have as much energy. However, at the same time, it is helping you to stop having seizures. Maybe it's not a complete block of seizures; maybe just the frequency of the seizures is decreasing. In either event, it is helpful and once you go on these medicines, do not stop taking them unless you're under a doctor's supervision.