

More serious health problems, such as a stroke or a tumor.We know that the best possible seizure control and living safely can reduce the risk of epilepsy-related death.įactors that increase the risk of early death include: However, the risk of early death is higher for some. Most people with epilepsy live a full life.

Many epilepsy centers work with university hospitals and researchers. Epilepsy centers are staffed by providers who specialize in epilepsy care, such as People who have seizures that are difficult to control or who need advanced care for epilepsy may be referred to an epilepsy centers. When problems occur such as seizures or side effects of medicine, the primary health provider may send the patient to a neurologist or epileptologists for specialized care. An epileptologist is a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. Ī neurologist is a doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system. These providers may make the diagnosis of epilepsy or they may talk with a neurologist or epileptologist. Primary care providers such as family physicians, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners are often the first people to see a person with epilepsy who has new seizures. Many kinds of health providers treat people with epilepsy. Read more about the treatment options for epilepsy in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke publication: Seizures and Epilepsy: Hope Through Research. Another option is the ketogenic diet, a high fat, low carbohydrate diet with limited calories. These include vagus nerve stimulation, where an electrical device is placed, or implanted, under the skin on the upper chest to send signals to a large nerve in the neck. When medicines do not work and surgery is not possible, other treatments can help. Epilepsy surgery is mostly used when the seizure focus is located in the temporal lobe of the brain. When seizures come from a single area of the brain (focal seizures), surgery to remove that area may stop future seizures or make them easier to control with medicine. Medicines work for about 2 in 3 people with epilepsy. A health care provider will change the amount of the medicine or prescribe a new drug if needed to find the best treatment plan. Anti-seizure drugs are medicines that limit the spread of seizures in the brain. The most common treatments for epilepsy are: There are many things a provider and person with epilepsy can do to stop or lessen seizures.
