Which seizure medication is best

Brain surgery may be used to treat epilepsy when medications fail to stop seizures. Learn about the benefits and risks. Natural treatments for epilepsy, such as herbs, biofeedback, and acupuncture, may complement traditional treatment options. Learn more. Epilepsy is a nervous system disorder that causes seizures.

Absence seizures, also called petit mal seizures, are brief and may not have noticeable…. Benign Rolandic epilepsy is the most common type of childhood epilepsy. It typically has an excellent outlook, and most children outgrow it by age Photosensitive seizures can be triggered by exposure to flashing lights on screens or natural light as well as static images with contrasting….

Learn more about types of seizures, causes and symptoms, and how you can help someone having…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Epilepsy and Seizure Medications List. Your options depend on: your age your lifestyle your chance of becoming pregnant the types of seizures you have how often you have seizures. Types of antiepileptic drugs AEDs. Types of seizures. Narrow-spectrum AEDs. Broad-spectrum AEDs. Expert recommendations. Talk with your doctor. Read this next.

The Cost of Epilepsy Medications. Medically reviewed by Nancy Hammond, M. Types of Brain Surgery for Epilepsy. Medically reviewed by Jeanne Morrison, Ph. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Diabetes: Facts, Statistics, and You. Medically reviewed by Michelle L. Griffith, MD. Absence Epilepsy Petit Mal Seizures. Medically reviewed by Seunggu Han, M. Benign Rolandic Epilepsy Overview. If the event s are thought to be partial focal seizures, then most currently available seizure medications may be appropriate.

If the event s are thought to be generalized seizures involving both sides of the brain from the beginning , then the doctor may suggest medicines that can help many different seizure types. These medicines are called broad spectrum anti-seizure medicines. The term seizure medicines and anti-seizure medicines or AEDs are used to mean the same thing.

Broad spectrum anti-seizure medicines include: valproic acid and divalproex sodium, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, topiramate, zonisamide, felbamate, and benzodiazepines. Some of the newest anti-seizure medicines also may have a broad spectrum of activity and work against different seizure types. If the seizure type is not known, then usually a broad spectrum seizure medicine is recommended first. The risk of seizure recurrence having more seizures predicted by history, examination, and test results as well as the person's willingness to take or not take medicines and their lifestyle are also important to consider.

You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. You will receive the first epilepsy email message in your inbox shortly. This message will include the latest treatment options, innovations and other information from our epilepsy experts. Seizures don't usually result in serious injury, but if you have recurrent seizures, injury is a possibility.

These steps can help you avoid injury during a seizure:. It's helpful to know what to do if you witness someone having a seizure. If you're at risk of having seizures in the future, pass this information along to family, friends and co-workers so that they know what to do if you have a seizure.

If you're living with a seizure disorder, you may feel anxious or stressed about what your future holds. Stress can affect your mental health, so it's important to talk with your health care provider about your feelings and seek ways you can find help. Your family can provide much-needed support.

Tell them what you know about your seizure disorder. Let them know they can ask you questions, and be open to conversations about their worries. Help them understand your condition by sharing any educational materials or other resources that your health care provider has given you.

Meet with your supervisor and talk about your seizure disorder and how it affects you. Discuss what you need from your supervisor or co-workers if a seizure happens while at work. Consider talking with your co-workers about seizure disorders — you can widen your support system and bring about acceptance and understanding. Remember, you don't have to go it alone. Reach out to family and friends. Ask your health care provider about local support groups or join an online support community.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Having a strong support system is important to living with any medical condition. In some cases, seizures need immediate medical attention, and there's not always time to prepare for an appointment. In other cases, your first appointment to evaluate a seizure may be with your family doctor or a general practitioner. Or you may be referred to a specialist, such as a doctor trained in brain and nervous system conditions neurologist or a neurologist trained in epilepsy epileptologist.

To prepare for your appointment, consider what you can do to get ready and understand what to expect from your doctor. Preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For a grand mal seizure, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Cost-effectiveness based on differences in costs and quality-adjusted life years found valproate to be superior.

Among new focal epilepsy patients , levetiracetam did not meet non-inferiority criteria for month remission compared with lamotrigine in intention-to-treat analysis HR 1. Per-protocol analysis showed month remission was superior with lamotrigine than either levetiracetam HR 1.

Lamotrigine was superior to both drugs in cost-utility analyses. Participants subsequently diagnosed as not having epilepsy were excluded from per-protocol analyses.