Living with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
While some cases of epilepsy can be treated with medicine alone, drug-resistant epilepsy requires more than medicine to achieve seizure control.
What is drug-resistant epilepsy?
Drug-resistant epilepsy is defined as the failure of two anti-seizure medications to achieve long-term seizure freedom, as long as those medications were appropriately prescribed and properly used. In other words, seizures that continue after trying at least two anti-seizure medications are considered drug-resistant epilepsy.
Drug-resistant epilepsy is also known as refractory epilepsy, hard-to-treat epilepsy and DRE.
Studies have shown that adding more medications is not likely to control this kind of epilepsy.
Goals When Treating Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
While drug-resistant epilepsy can’t be treated by medicine alone, there is hope. If you’ve tried multiple medications, yet continue to have seizures, it’s time to question your seizure treatment. Talk to your doctor about other treatment options available.
Risks of undertreated epilepsy
Despite what we know about the risks of living with drug-resistant epilepsy, many people continue to be prescribed multiple medications instead of being evaluated for non-drug therapy options.
Depression, anxiety, and developmental issues
Adverse effects of long-term antiepileptic drug use
Hospital and ER visits
Seizure-related injury
Issues with social interactions
Increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
