Nearly 3 million Americans suffer from epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Seventy percent of people with epilepsy can be expected to enter remission, which by definition is being seizure-free for five years or more while on medication. Some suffer from breakthrough seizures–an unexpected seizure occurring in those with seizure control. A variety of reasons are the culprit, and understanding them may help prevent them.
Lack of Compliance
No cure is available for epilepsy, making the dozens of anti-epileptic drugs the most important part of the treatment process. For these medications to stave off seizures, they must be taken as the doctor prescribes them, allowing the drug to work at its maximum capacity. If the patient does not comply with his doctor’s orders and take his medication regularly, it reduces the buildup of medication in the bloodstream, increasing the risk of breakthrough seizures.
Discontinuing or Changing Medications
Epilepsy Empowerment, a website providing vital information for people with epilepsy, states that discontinuing or changing medications may also cause breakthrough seizures. Should a patient choose to suddenly stop taking a seizure medication, breakthrough seizures are a common withdrawal symptom. While the patient may believe she no longer needs her medication, a sudden discontinuation sends her body into a state of confusion. If the doctor feels a patient no longer needs a specific medication, he will decrease the dose slowly to prevent breakthrough seizures. The same is true when medications are changed. Anytime a new medication is given, no one knows how the patient’s body will respond. In some cases, the body does not accept the benefits of the drug, and breakthrough seizures are the result.
Environmental Factors
Depending on the type of seizure a person has and the triggers responsible for his seizures, a number of environmental factors contribute to breakthrough seizures. TouchNeurology lists flashing lights, lack of sleep, stress and playing video games as some of these factors.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy plays a large role in breakthrough seizures. As the Langone Medical Center points out, breakthrough seizures can occur when an expectant mother does not take proper care of herself. This includes getting enough rest and nourishing her body as her doctor recommends.
Hormones
Fluctuations of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in women of child-bearing age can result in breakthrough seizures. The University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, explains that while the main purpose of these hormones is reproduction, they also have an effect on the cells of the brain–estrogen induces them as progesterone inhibits them. For women with epilepsy, a greater number of seizures occur during their mid-menstrual cycle. The exact cause is not known, although one possibility is the reduction of progesterone during this time.
