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Epilepsy Services
Treatment Options
Treatment Options
Here’s a look at some of the treatment options available to help patients control epilepsy:
Medications
A physician’s decision of
which drug to prescribe depends on what kind of seizure a person
is having. Physicians work with each patient to determine the right
dose of the right drug. Some patients at Holy Cross Hospital have
the opportunity to participate in clinical trails and try new medications
not yet available to the general public. This is particularly important
for patients whose seizures have not responded to existing medications.
Surgery
If seizure-preventing medications are not
successful, brain surgery may be considered. If tests reveal that
all of a patient’s
seizures originate from the same place in the brain, this area
of the brain may be removed to relieve seizures without affecting
other functions. This procedure is called a temporal lobectomy.
Implants
When medications are not working and surgery
is not an option, patients may also consider having a vagal nerve
stimulator implant. This small device goes in the upper chest and
stimulates a nerve in the neck to reduce seizure activity.