Understanding Seizure Medication: How They Work & Effectiveness

Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from an active seizure disorder. Anti-seizure medications are available for preventing and minimizing severity of seizures.

Function

• Anti-seizure medications work by slowing down firing rates of neurons in the brain, either by blocking specific channels responsible for neuron firing, increasing GABA levels which slows down firing rates or binding to a specific protein that helps slow down firing rate.

Effectiveness

• Anti-seizure medications typically require at least one to two weeks to build up to a therapeutic level in your system to be most effective.

Time Frame

• Anti-seizure medications may be taken on a relatively short-term basis---one to two years or less---or a long-term basis. In some cases, anti-seizure medications must be taken for a lifetime to adequately control seizures.

Side Effects

• Common side effects of seizure medications include fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision and gastrointestinal discomfort. Different seizure medications may cause different side effects, so discuss any potential side effects with your physician or pharmacist prior to taking anti-seizure medications.

Considerations

• Not all seizures respond well to medications. Other treatment options, such as changing to a ketogenic diet or having surgery, are available.