a guide for patients and familiespatients.aan.com/globals/axon/assets/10889.pdf · 6 7 what is...

DVDInside

Featuring John O’Hurley

A guide FOr pAtients And FAmilies

A guide FOr pAtients And FAmilies

Copyright 2013

American Academy of Neurology

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except when permitted by law.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction................................................................................... 4

WhatIsepilepsy?......................................................................... 7

WhatCausesepilepticseizures?................................................. 9

HowIsepilepsyDiagnosed?...................................................... 11

Medicinesforepilepsy............................................................... 13

GettingtheMostfromepilepsyMedicines................................. 14

surgeryforepilepsy.................................................................... 15

othertreatmentoptionsforepilepsy......................................... 16

HelpingsomeoneWhoIsHavingaseizure............................... 18

PlanningAhead........................................................................... 21

LivingWellwithepilepsy............................................................. 23

RealChoices,RealHope............................................................ 28

seizureDiariesandothertrackingoptions............................... 30

Resources................................................................................... 31

seizureDiaryForm...................................................................... 35

DIsCLAIMeR:The guidebook and DVD program is intended for informational purposes only. This program was produced by Conrad Productions and Alan Weiss Productions, with editorial oversight from the American Academy of Neurology. Financial support was provided by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The guidebook author is Stephen Braun and the DVD script writer is Deborah Gobble. Complete disclosure information on the physician experts who participated in this program (Dr. Gregory Cascino and Dr. Daniel Hoch) is available at AAN.com.

The writers, producers, program presenters and program funder make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided within.

No one should rely upon this information as the basis for treatment decisions. Anyone requiring medical or other health care should consult a medical or health care professional. Any actions based on the information provided are entirely the responsibility of the user, and of any medical or other health care professionals who are involved in such actions.

Photos in this booklet are used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model, not an actual patient or health care professional.

4 5

IntRoDuCtIon

Morethan3,000yearsago,peoplerecognizedthebehaviors

thattodayweknowarecausedbyabraindisordercalled

epilepsy.epilepsyismorecommonthanmostpeoplethink.

About2millionpeopleofallagesintheushaveepilepsy.And

asmanyas1in26peoplewilldevelopepilepsyatsomepointin

theirlifetime.

epilepsyisaseriousmedicalcondition.Buttoday,manypeople

canmanageepilepsyandlivewell,justasotherslearntolive

wellwithotherlong-termmedicalconditions.epilepsydoesnot

havetoruleyourlife!

Asmanyas2ofevery3peoplenewlydiagnosedwithepilepsy

arelikelytohavetheirseizuresbecomewell-controlledby

usingepilepsymedicines.Andmedicinesandothertypesof

treatmentscanhelppeoplewithepilepsynomatterwhenthey

werediagnosed.

Akeyistogethelpearlyandworkwithhealthcareproviders,for

example,neurologists,whospecializeintreatingepilepsy.this

kindofpartnershipcanhelpyoutakefulladvantageofthemany

treatmentoptionsthatexisttoday.thesetreatmentscanoften

reduce,orsometimeseveneliminate,seizures.

somepeoplewithepilepsy,however,continuetoface

misunderstandingsabouttheircondition.Asaresult,theycan

facediscriminationineducationandemployment.Fortunately,

moreandmorepeoplearelearningthetruthaboutepilepsy—it

isamedicalconditionthatcanusuallybewell-managedwith

treatment.

thisbookletandDVDprogramwillhelpyou:

• Learnmoreaboutthedifferenttypesofepilepsy

• Learnaboutavailabletreatmentoptions

• takepositivestepstobehealthy,bothphysicallyand emotionally

DIDYouKnoW?

neurologistsaremedical

doctorswhospecialize

indisordersofthebrain

andnerves.theyarethe

specialistswhomostoften

treatpeoplewithepilepsy.

6 7

WHAtIsePILePsY?

epilepsyisaprobleminthebrainthatcausesseizurestooccur

withoutwarning.Aseizureislikean“electricalstorm”inthe

brain.Duringaseizure,thenormalpatternofactivityinthebrain

istemporarilydisturbed.Braincellsbegintofireabnormally.

Manythingscancauseseizures,includinginjuries,fevers,and

manytypesofdiseases.epilepsyisthenameforagroupof

medicalconditionsthatcauseseizures.therearemorethan25

kindsofepilepsy.eachkindiscausedbyadifferenttypeof

braindisorder.

therearealsomanytypesofepilepticseizures.seizurescan

beexperiencedasstrangesensations,emotions,behaviors,

convulsions,alteredawareness,orinabilitytorespond.some

peoplemayexperienceunusualsensationsbeforeaseizure.

thesewarningsensationsarecalledauras.

DIDYouKnoW?

epilepsyisthe4th-most

commonneurological

disorderintheus.

DIDYouKnoW?

Havingaseizuredoesnotmeanapersonhasepilepsy.Manypeoplehaveasingleseizureintheirlifetime,becauseofaninjury,illness,orfever.thisisnotepilepsy.onlywhenapersonhashadtwoormoreun-provokedseizuresisheorsheconsideredtohaveepilepsy.

8 9

usuallyanepilepticseizurelastsonlyaminuteortwo.Afterthe

seizureapersonmayfeeltiredanddazed.someseizuresarenot

obvious.theymayconsistofonlyasensationorunusualfeeling

thatisnotnoticedbyothers.orapersonmaysimplyseem“out

ofit”forabrieftime,andthenresumewhatsheorhewasdoing.

DIDYouKnoW?

There are 2 major types of seizures:focalseizuresandgeneralizedseizures.thetypeisdeterminedbyhowtheseizuresstart.

•Focalseizures(alsocalledpartial seizures)begininjustonepartofthebrain.thefeelingsorsensationsapersonmayhaveduringafocalseizuredependonwhichpartofthebrainisaffected.Partialseizuresmayspreadtoaffectbothsidesofthebrain.

•Generalizedseizuresresultfromabnormalbraincellactivityonbothsidesofthebrainatonce.theseseizuresmaycausemomentarystares,lossofconsciousness,falls,ormassivemusclespasms.

WHAtCAusesePILePtICseIzuRes?

thehumanbrainissocomplicatedthatmanythingscanmake

it“actup”andproduceseizures.someseizuresoccurbecause

thebrain’s“wiring”—theconnectionsbetweenbraincells—isnot

normal.seizuresmayalsoarisefromanareaofthebrainthat

hasbeeninjuredinthepastorisnotworkingnormallyforsome

reason.thiscanhappenforanumberofreasonsincludinghead

injury,tumors,strokes,orAlzheimer’sdisease.

sometimesepilepsyrunsinfamiliesandiscausedbygenetic

influences.Butabouthalfofallseizureshavenoknowncause.

scientistsarestilllearningaboutthemanythingsthatcan

causeepilepsy.

Whilethereiscurrentlynocureforepilepsy,forsomepeople

theseizurescanstop.Childrenmay“growoutof”theirseizures

naturally,whethertheytakemedicationsornot.Inonestudy,

childrenwithepilepsyofanunknowncausehada68%to92%

chanceofbecomingseizure-free20yearsafterthey

werediagnosed.

DIDYouKnoW?

somefamouspeoplewhohavehadseizures:

• supremeCourtChiefJusticeJohnRoberts

• MargauxHemingway

• DannyGlover

• Leotolstoy

• neilYoung

• tchaikovsky

10 11

Patientswithuncontrolledepilepsyhaveahigherriskforother

problemssuchasinjuries,accidents,emotionalormood

disorders,and,rarely,suddendeath.Butmanypeople’s

seizurescanbecomewell-controlledbyusingavailable

treatments.theimportantthingistoworkcloselywitha

neurologist,carefullyfollowalltreatmentadvice,anddo

everythingyoucantobeashealthyaspossible.

“Epilepsy is what

I have, not who I am.”

–Anonymous patient

HoWIsePILePsYDIAGnoseD?

seizuresrarelyhappeninthepresenceofahealthcareprovider.

tofigureoutifaseizureisduetoepilepsy,severalkindsoftests

canbeused.Adetailedmedicalhistoryisstilloneofthebest

waysthatahealthcareprovidercantellwhetherapersonhas

epilepsyand,ifso,whattypeofepilepsyheorshehas.since

manypeoplewhohaveaseizurecan’tremembertheseizure

itself,it’simportantforsomebodyclosetothepersontogivean

accountoftheseizure.

AtestcalledaneeGmaybeusedtodiagnoseepilepsy,or

determinethetype.AneeGmeasurestheelectricalactivityof

thebrain.sometimesapersonwithepilepsywillhaveabnormal

patternsofbrainwaves—anepilepsy“fingerprint.”thiscanhelp

pindownadiagnosis.ButaneeG,byitself,maynotbeenough

toconfirmadiagnosis.that’sbecausenoteveryonewhohas

epilepsyhasanabnormaleeG.Andsomepeoplewhoneverhave

seizuresdoshowabnormalbrainwavepatterns.

12 13

MeDICInesFoRePILePsY

therearemanywaystotreatepilepsy.seizurescanbereduced

oreliminatedinabout80%ofpeoplewithepilepsy.themost

commontreatmentforepilepsyistheuseofmedicines.More

than20kindsofanti-seizuremedicinesarenowavailable.

Whichmedicineyourhealthcareproviderrecommendswill

dependonmanyfactors,includingthetypeofseizuresyou

have,yourlifestyle,yourage,andwhetheryoutakeotherkinds

ofmedications.

Yourhealthcareproviderorneurologistwillworkwithyouto

determineifananti-seizuremedicineisrightforyou.Itmaytake

some“experimenting”tofindonethatworksbestforyou.In

somepatients,seizurescanbebestcontrolledbycombiningtwo

ormoremedicines.

otherkindsofbrainscanscanhelppinpointwhereinthebrain

seizuresbegin.somescans(Ctscan,MRI)canalsodetect

tumors,cysts,orotherproblemswiththebrainthatmightbe

causingseizures.

Bloodtestsaresometimesusedtolookforunderlying

problemsthatcancauseseizures,suchasinfections,lead

poisoning,anemia,orgeneticissues.Havingacleardiagnosis

ofepilepsy,eveniftheunderlyingcauseisunknown,isthekey

firststeptofindingeffectivewaystocontroltheseizures.

14 15

GettInGtHeMostFRoMePILePsYMeDICInes

Betweenone-thirdandtwo-thirdsofpeoplewithepilepsydonot

closelyfollowthetreatmentplansrecommendedbytheirhealth

careprovider.takingyourmedicinesexactlyasprescribediskey:

taketherightdose,attherighttime,andcarefullyfollowother

directions,suchaswhetherornottotakeamedicinewithfood.

themorecloselyyoustickwithyourtreatmentplan,thebetter

yourchancesofreducingoreliminatingyourseizures.

talktoyourneurologistorotherhealthcareproviderifyouare

havingdifficultykeepingtrackofyourmedicines,ortakingthem

asdirected.Goodcommunicationwithyourhealthcareprovider

isanimportantstepinhelpingtogetyourseizuresundercontrol.

suRGeRYFoRePILePsY

Whenseizurescannotbecontrolledbymedicines,surgerymay

provideanotheroptionforsomepatients.surgeryistypicallynot

thefirsttreatmentoption.Itisusuallyconsideredonlyafterat

least2or3medicineshavebeentriedwithoutsuccess.

Forthosepatientswhoarecandidatesforsurgery,acommon

techniqueistoremovethesmallareaofthebrainwhereseizures

start.Ingeneral,peoplehaveabetterchanceofbecoming

seizure-freeaftersurgeryifdoctorscanfigureoutwherethe

seizuresarebeginning.

Yourhealthcareproviderwillhelpyoudecideifyouareagood

candidateforepilepsysurgery.Ifyouareagoodcandidate,

itisbestifsurgeryisdoneassoonaspossibleafterthe

determinationhasbeenmade.

16 17

otHeRtReAtMentoPtIonsFoRePILePsY

Inadditiontomedicinesandsurgery,twoothertreatmentsmay

helppeoplewithcertainkindsofepilepsywhodonotrespond

adequatelytomedicines.

Vagus NerVe sTimulaTioN

thelargevagusnerveconnectspartsofthebraintobodyorgans

suchasthe“voicebox,”theheart,andthestomach.stimulating

thisnervehasbeenfoundtoreduceepilepsyseizuresin

somepeopleby20%to40%.In1997,theusFoodandDrug

Administrationapprovedtheuseofvagusnervestimulatorsfor

treatingteensandadultswhoseseizureswerenotwell-controlled

bymedicines.

thestimulatorisasmallbattery-powereddevicethatis

implantedundertheskinofthechest,muchlikeapacemaker.

Itisconnectedtothevagusnerveinthelowerneck.the

devicedeliversshortburstsofelectricitytothevagusnerve,

whichinturninfluencesthebrain.thestimulationcanbeeither

continuous,oritcanbecontrolledbythepatientifsheorhe

feelsthataseizuremaybeabouttohappen.

special dieT

studiesshowthatsomepeoplemayhavefewerseizuresifthey

followastrictdiet—highinfatsandlowinsugaryorstarchy

foods(thesefoodsarecalledcarbohydrates).

originallydevelopedalmostacenturyago,thisdietforcesthe

bodytoburnfatsforcalories.Whenthishappens,thebody

producessubstancescalledketones,whichiswhythistreatment

iscalleda“ketogenicdiet.”thedietisnotusuallyusedfor

morethan2to3yearstoavoidanyharmfuleffectsongrowthor

developmentifusedwithchildren.Itrequiresalotofmotivation

andclosesupervision.nonetheless,aketogenicdietmay

providearealoptionforthosewhodonotrespondtomedicines

orothertreatments.

18 19

HeLPInGsoMeoneWHoIsHAVInGAseIzuRe

It’simportantforthoseclosetosomeonewithepilepsytoknow

whattodoifthepersonhasaseizure.It’salsoimportantforthe

personwhohasepilepsytotalkclearlywithothersinadvance

aboutwhattodointhecaseofaseizure.Manypeoplehave

mistakenideasabouthowtohelp.Forexample,somethink

theyshouldputsomethingintheperson’smouthtoprotectthe

tonguefrombeingbitten.thisisnotnecessary—itcanactually

harmthepersonhavingaseizure.

According to the National Institutes of Health, here are the steps to take if someone is having a seizure:

• Rollthepersononhisorhersidetopreventchokingon fluidsorvomit.

• Cushiontheperson’shead.

• Loosenanytightclothingaroundtheneck.

• Keeptheperson’sairwayopen.Ifnecessary,gripthe person’sjawgentlyandtiltherorhisheadback.

• Donotrestrictthepersonfrommoving,unlessheorsheis indanger.

• Donotputanythingintotheperson’smouth,noteven medicineorliquid,unlessinstructedbyahealthcareprovider.

• Removeanysharporsolidobjectsthatthepersonmighthit duringtheseizure.

• notehowlongtheseizurelastsandwhatsymptoms occurred,soyoucantelladoctororemergencypersonnel ifnecessary.

• staywiththepersonuntiltheseizureends.

• Call911ifthepersoninjuresher-orhimself,iftheperson stopsbreathing,orifyouhaveanyotherreasontofeelyou cannothandlethesituationonyourown.

20 21

PLAnnInGAHeAD

Youshouldworkwithahealthcareprovidertomakea“seizure

plan.”thisisalistofthingstodo,bothforyourselfandforany

relativesorcaregiverswhoarelikelytobearoundyou.Hereare

somethingsaseizureplanmightsuggest:

• WearabraceletorotherIDwithyourmedicalinformationonit.

• Considerkeepingaseizureorepilepsydiary(seepage35 forasamplediary).

• organizeemergencycontactnumbers.

• Learntorecognizeaurasandotherwarningsignsofa seizure,andtakestepstomovetosafelocationsorpositions.

• Learnyourownseizuretriggers(forexample,lackofsleep, alcohol,stress,orhormonechangesrelatedtoamenstrual period).

• safety-proofyourenvironment(padsharpcorners,use barrierstoprotectagainsthazardssuchasheights,pools, bodiesofwater,fireplaces,etc.).

• Reviewyourplanwithrelativesorcaregiversofchildren.

22 23

LIVInGWeLLWItHePILePsY

Havingepilepsycanbechallenging.Itcanaffectschoolwork,

mood,relationships,andyourabilitytoworkanddrive.But

therearemanywaysyoucanaddressthesechallenges.Here

aresometipsforwaystocopewithsomeofthemorecommon

non-medicalaspectsofepilepsy:

recreaTioNal acTiViTies

Peoplewithepilepsyshouldavoidsportsorrecreationalactivities

thatwouldbeextremelydangerousifaseizureoccurred,like

skydivingormotorracing.Butpeoplewithepilepsycanenjoy

manysportssuchasvolleyball,bowling,baseballandsoftball,

basketball,andothersusingnormalprotectivegear.Infact,

someevidenceshowsthatregularexercisecanimproveseizure

controlinsomepeople.talkwithyourhealthcareproviderbefore

startinganynewsportorrecreationalactivity.

DIDYouKnoW?

theAmericanAcademyofneurologywarnsallpeople,notjustthosewithepilepsy,aboutthedangersofsportssuchasboxingandsomemartialartsthatinvolveintentionalblowstothehead.

24 25

BehaVior aNd emoTioNs

Peoplewithepilepsymayhavedifficultyadjustingtotheir

conditionorthewayotherpeoplereacttothem.Childrencanbe

teased,bullied,oravoided.Adultsmayfindthatpeopledistance

themselvesorreactnegativelywhentheylearnthepersonhas

epilepsy.thesekindsofsituationscanleadtoanincreasedrisk

ofpoorself-esteemorevendepression.Peoplewithepilepsy

mayhaveahigherriskfordepressionbecausethepartsofthe

brainthatcontrolmoodmaybeaffected.

Behavioraloremotionaldifficultiescanbehandledinmany

ways.Boththepersonwithepilepsyandthosearoundhimorher

needtolearntoacceptandlivewiththepossibilityofseizures,

withoutblameorembarrassment.Counselingservicesofmany

kindscanhelppeoplewithepilepsyandtheirfamilymembers

sharetheirfeelings,learnfromeachother,andworkthroughany

misunderstandingsorconflictsthatmightdevelop.

sometimes,medicationmaybehelpfulinimprovingmood.If

youoralovedoneishavingemotionalproblems,talktoahealth

careprovider.sheorhecanusuallysuggestotherprofessionals

whocanhelp.(Manycitieshavelocalchaptersofanepilepsy

organizationthatcanprovidehelpandguidance.seethe

Resourcessectiononpage31.)

driViNg

Moststatesrequirepeoplewithepilepsytodemonstratethat

theyhavegoneaspecificlengthoftimewithoutaseizure

toobtainorreinstateadriver’slicense.thisrestrictionof

independencecanbedifficulttodealwith,andmayaffect

choicesofwheretoliveorwork.Butmanypeoplewith

well-controlledepilepsydodrivesafely.Itisimportanttolearn

aboutthelawsofyourownstate,andhowyoucanmeet

whateverrequirementsexist.ofcourse,alternativestodriving

mayexistinyourcityortown.Checkouttheavailabilityof

buses,taxis,trains,orothertypesoftransportation.

26 27

educaTioN

severalthingscanmakeschoolworkorstudyingharderfor

peoplewithepilepsy.someepilepsymedicinescanmakeit

hardertoconcentrateorrememberthings.Also,sometypesof

epilepsyareassociatedwithlearningproblemsduetounderlying

braindysfunction.studentswithepilepsymaybeentitledto

extrahelp,orextratimewithschoolwork.

Bylaw,peoplewithepilepsyintheunitedstatescannotbe

deniedemploymentoreducationbecauseoftheirseizures.still,

peoplewithepilepsymayfacebarriersatschoolorwork.It’s

importanttoknowyourrights,standupforyourself,andworkto

overcomeignoranceonthepartofothers.Forexample,teachers

shouldbetoldwhattodoifachildhasaseizure,andparents

shouldworkwiththeschoolsystemtofindreasonablewaysto

accommodateanyspecialneedstheirchildmayhave.

pregNaNcy aNd moTherhood

AccordingtoAmericanAcademyofneurologyguidelines,

mostwomenwithepilepsycanbecomepregnantandhave

healthybabies(AAn.com/view/epilepsyPregnancy).Women

withepilepsydonothavesubstantiallyhigherriskofhaving

complicationsduringlaboranddelivery.Ifawomanisseizure-

freefor9monthsbeforeshebecomespregnant,it’slikelythat

shewillnothaveanyseizuresduringthepregnancy.

Womenwhoarethinkingaboutbecomingpregnantshould

talkwiththeirhealthcareproviderwellbeforethepregnancy,

becausesomeepilepsymedicinesareknowntoincreasethe

riskofbirthdefects.Yourhealthcareprovidercanhelpyoutake

stepstopromoteahealthypregnancy,suchastakingprenatal

vitaminsandfolicacid.

28 29

ReALCHoICes,ReALHoPe

You’velearnedinthisbookletandDVDprogramthatpeoplewith

epilepsycanlivewellwiththeircondition.Infact,manypeople

withepilepsycanrealisticallyhopetocontroltheirseizures.

Rememberthatyouarenotalone—millionsofpeoplehave

epilepsy.organizationsandsupportgroupsexistinnearlyevery

cityandarereadytohelpyoulearnmoreandcopebetterwith

yourcondition.

Medicaladvancesinthepasttwodecadeshaveledtoabetter

understandingofepilepsyandseizures.Advancedbrainscans

andothertechniquesallowbetterdiagnosisandtreatment

planning.Manymedicines,surgicaltechniques,andother

treatmentscancontrolseizuresformostpeoplewithepilepsy.

Workingcloselywithaneurologistwillhelpyoumanageyour

epilepsy.Youshouldtakestepstoimproveyouroverallhealth:

exerciseregularly,eatwell,getenoughsleep,andavoidknown

seizuretriggers.Youcancontrolyourepilepsy,ratherthanletting

itcontrolyou!

Bylearningmoreaboutepilepsyandhowitcanbemanaged,

you’vetakenthefirststepstowardlivingwellwiththiscommon

medicalcondition.Pleaserefertopage31foradditional

resourceinformation.

seIzuReDIARIesAnDotHeRtRACKInGoPtIons

oneofthemostimportanttoolsyourneurologistorhealthcare

providerhastohelpyoumanageyourepilepsyisonethatyou

provide:arecordofyourday-to-dayexperiences.“seizure

diaries”provideessentialinformationaboutthetype,timing,and

durationofseizures,aswellaspossibletriggers.

Manytypesofseizurediariesexist.Aprintversionisavailable

onpage35.Inaddition,thereareanumberofonlinediariesand

evenappsformobiledevicessuchasaniPhone®oriPad®.see

theResourceslistoppositeforwebsitesthatofferonlineseizure-

trackingtoolsorapps.

30 31

ResouRCes

american academy of NeurologyAAn.com

american Brain FoundationCureBrainDisease.org

Neurology Now® magazineneurologynow.com

american epilepsy societyaesnet.org

citizens united for research in epilepsy (cure)CuReepilepsy.org

epilepsy Foundationepilepsyfoundation.org

epilepsy Therapy project (source of online seizure diary)epilepsy.com

National institute of Neurological disorders and strokeepilepsy information pagehttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/epilepsy.htm

seizure Trackerseizuretracker.com

re

so

ur

ce

s

Fundingsupport

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. sunovionisaresearch-basedpharmaceuticalcompanydedicatedtodiscovering,developingandcommercializingscientificallyadvancedtherapeuticproductsthatarefocusedonhelpingpatientssufferingfromcentralnervoussystemandrespiratorydisorders,aswellasotherillnesses.

thecompanyname,whichisrepresentativeofthelife-affirmingenergyofthesunandthepowerofinnovation,reflectssunovion’sportfolioofcurrentlymarketedpharmaceuticalproductsandpipelinecandidates;andservestoemphasizethecompany’songoingcommitmenttoimprovethelivesofpatientseverywhere.

32 33

ProgramPresenters

American Academy of Neurology theAmericanAcademyofneurology(AAn),establishedin1948,isaninternationalprofessionalassociationofmorethan25,000neurologistsandneuroscienceprofessionalsdedicatedtopromotingthehighestqualitypatient-centeredneurologiccare.Aneurologistisadoctorwithspecializedtrainingindiagnosing,treating,andmanagingdisordersofthebrainandnervoussystem,suchasepilepsy,Alzheimer’sdisease,multiplesclerosis,stroke,andParkinson’sdisease.

FormoreinformationvisitAAn.com.

American Brain FoundationtheAmericanBrainFoundation,thefoundationoftheAmericanAcademyofneurology,isanindependentorganizationthataimstobecometheworld’sleaderinraisingmoneytocurebraindiseases,suchasepilepsy,Alzheimer’sdisease,stroke,Parkinson’sdisease,andautism.thesediseasesaffectmorethan50millionpeopleintheunitedstatesalone.

Formoreinformationonhowyoucanhelpcurebraindiseasevisit

CureBrainDisease.org.

34 35

Credits

Epilepsy: A Guide for Patients and Families wasmadepossiblethroughtheexpertise,funding,time,andeffortsofmanycontributors.specialgratitudeto:

Program Presenters

american academy of Neurology american Brain Foundation Contributors to the Video

Gregory D. Cascino, MD Fellow,AmericanAcademyofneurologyWhitneyMacMillan,Jr.ProfessorofneurosciencesMayoClinicCollegeofMedicineChair,DivisionofepilepsyMayoClinicRochester,Minnesota

Daniel Hoch, PhD, MD Fellow,AmericanAcademyofneurologyneurologistandepilepsyspecialistMassachusettsGeneralHospitalAssistantProfessorHarvardMedicalschoolBoston,Massachusetts

Funding Support sunovion pharmaceuticals inc.

specialthanksto:John o’hurley

Mr. O’Hurley lost his teenaged sister to complications of epilepsy.

Project ManagerCarol BrandenburgExecutive Producer Conrad & Associates

Guidebook AuthorStephen BraunMedical Writerbraunmedicalmedia.com

Guidebook DesignCinda DebbinkDesign Partnersdgdesignpartners.com

Program Research and DevelopmentElizabeth T. Conrad, MD, DABFP

seIzuReDIARY

Makecopiesofthisformanduseittokeeptrackofanyseizuresyouhave.Youcanbringtheformstoyournextvisitwithyourneurologist.

Dateofseizure:timeofday:Lengthofseizure:

possible triggers:£Medicationchange(describe)

£overtired/lackofsleep£Alcoholordruguse£Changeofdietoreatingpattern£emotionalstress£Brightorflashinglights£Menstrualperiod£Fever£Illness(describe)

description of seizure:£Aura£Muscletwitches(describe)

£Musclestiffness(describe)£Lossofconsciousness£Lossofabilitytocommunicate£Lossofurineorbowelcontrol£Alteredperceptions

£other(describe)

AAN.com

Drawalineonthe“thermometer”toshowhowsevereyoufeelyourseizurewas.

10ismostsevere;1isleastsevere.

10

5

1

36

DVDInside

Presented by Funding Support provided by

more than 3,000 years ago, people recognized the behaviors that today we know are caused by a brain disorder called epilepsy. About 2 million people of all ages in the us have this condition.

With proper treatment, people with epilepsy now can manage their condition and live well. Having epilepsy does not necessarily have to limit what you do or how you live your life!

today, as many as 2 of every 3 people who are newly diagnosed with epilepsy are likely to have their seizures become well-controlled with treatment. A key is to get help early and work with your neurologist.

This booklet and DVD program will help you:• learn more about the different types of epilepsy• learn about your treatment options • take positive steps to be healthy, both physically and emotionally

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., and is a registered trademark of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd.

PMRC#: STE005-13