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| Why do older people develop epilepsy? Is treatment different for seniors? How can I avoid drug interactions? The answers to these questions can give you the confidence to understand what's happening to you and how you can maintain a happy and healthy life. |
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| Learn how age sets the stage |
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| Epilepsy is a disorder of neurons in the brain. Whenever neurons are damaged, seizures can result. Epilepsy affects people differently based on age: |
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Young people—new cases tend to occur because of brain injury before or after birth. Inherited seizure disorders usually happen before the age of 20. |
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After age 65—seizures tend to be caused by damage to the brain, such as stroke, brain tumors, and infections. Patients with Alzheimer's disease also are at higher risk. Although most of these cases are due to stroke, the cause cannot be known for about half of older people with epilepsy |
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| Understand the basis of treatment |
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| The approach to epilepsy treatment is the same for all ages. Successful treatment begins with knowing the cause, if possible. A seizure may be the first warning sign of a serious health problem. Understanding what is causing the seizure and treating it can sometimes stop them from happening. |
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| Avoid drug interactions |
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| Right now, you may feel good about your epilepsy treatment. But what if another doctor makes changes to any of your other medicines? These medications can interact, changing their effect. Let all of your doctors know what medicines you are taking to treat any illness or condition. |
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| Know the facts |
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| Seizure medicines may affect seniors differently than other people with epilepsy. Take note of these points when taking your treatment: |
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People may become more sensitive to medicines with age |
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Seniors may react to medicines differently than other people |
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Seniors may need to take different doses than other patients |
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Seniors may not easily detect side effects |
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Some medicines may cause seizures in seniors with epilepsy |
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| Be sure that any doctor prescribing medications for you knows about your epilepsy and its treatment. |
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