Epilepsy Ontario :: Drug Therapy - A Personal Responsibility

Drug Therapy: A Personal Responsibility

Compiled by Neena Gupta (Support Services Assistant, Epilepsy London & Area) from various sources. Reproduced with permission.

Successful drug therapy requires the active participation of the patient. Here are some important points to remember if you take anticonvulsant medication(s).

Know what medication and how much of it you take (dosage and colour of medication).
Brand name drugs and generic drugs do not always release the same amount of medication into your system. You should ask your pharmacist not to substitute one for the other.

Store your anticonvulsant medication and all other medicines out of reach of children. Keep the medication in a dry place. The humidity of the kitchen or bathroom may damage the medication. Liquid medications may require refrigeration.

Anticonvulsant medications should be taken at the same time(s) each day. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. If more than one dose is missed, follow your regular schedule and take the missed dosage at bedtime. If an entire day is missed, consult your doctor.

Never take more than the prescribed amount of medication, regardless of seizures.
It is best to take some anticonvulsant drugs with food or liquids (water, juice or milk). As your pharmacist for advice.

Drug level monitoring (blood work) may be used to adjust dosage. Some doctors will want blood work done every six months. Others may prefer shorter or longer intervals, depending on the individual. Some doctors will not be concerned about blood levels unless there is a problem. For some of the newer medications, blood levels cannot be taken.

Read all labels carefully and talk to your pharmacist or doctor before buying a nonprescription medicine containing alcohol, such as cough and cold medications.

Avoid mixing large amounts of alcohol with your medications. Alcohol can interfere with anticonvulsant drugs and can prevent them from reaching therapeutic levels in the bloodstream. Many anticonvulsants cause sedation and may lower a person's tolerance to alcohol. At the same time, be sure not to miss your medication simply because of moderate use of alcohol.

Before emergency treatment or any kind of surgery (including dental surgery) is undertaken, tell the doctor or dentist that anticonvulsant medication is being taken.

Do not wait until you are in short supply before ordering medication renewals. Always have a least several weeks' supply of medication on hand. (This is especially important if you are going on vacation.)

If you plan to carry medication in a container other than the drugstore bottle, make sure that the container bears your prescription label. If you are travelling across international borders, get a note from your doctor describing your condition and need for medications. When travelling to other countries, it may be illegal to carry medication in anything other than its original container.

Don't stop taking medications abruptly. If you do, you may run the risk of [rebound] seizures or status epilepticus (life-threatening non-stop seizures).

Don't try other people's pills. The medication that works well for a friend may not work well for you.

Inform your physician if you've been missing doses and having more seizures as a result. Otherwise s/he may assume that your dosage is too low, decide to increase it and you may find yourself over-medicated.

All the tips mentioned above are suitable both for adults and children. Below are a couple of tips that are more appropriate just for children.

Some anticonvulsant medications may make your child dizzy, drowsy, clumsy or less alert than normal (often called "sedative side effects"). If this occurs, your child's teachers should be told that the child is taking medicine that may cause these effects.