Re: Tegretol and the Harm it can do....

Posted By CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS on December 11, 1998 at 12:43:04:

In Reply to: Tegretol and the Harm it can do.... posted by William R. Yeadeke on December 11, 1998 at 11:20:18:






MY DAUGHTER IS THREE YEARS OLD AND THE PEDIATRICIAN HAS HER ON THREE DOSES OF LIQUID TEGRETOL A DAY. FOR SEIZURES THAT SHE IS SUPPOSEDLEY HAVEING. I HAVE NOTICED THESE SEIZURES, BUT HE SAYS THAT THEY SHOW UP ON THE EEG. WHAT SHOULD I DO...?  i HAVE DONE A LITTLE RESEARCH ON TEGRETOL AND FOUND OUT THTA IT HAS NO CONTROL OVER PETIT MAL SEIZURES AND CAN CAUSE SEVER LIVER FAILURE AND HEART PROBLEMS...
ANY SUGGESTIONS
Dear William:
Sorry to hear about your daughter.  Tegratol is a really good anti-seizure medication.  It works well with focal epilepsies.  If your daughter has absence seizures (used to be called petite mal), then the EEG should have been positive for a specific pattern we call 3 hertz spike and wave.  It should have been easily seen when hyperventillating your daughter and when she fell to sleep during the EEG.  If this pattern was not seen, then your daughter may not have absence seizures.  Not having examined your daughter and seeing the EEG I cannot comment on whether she has or does not have absence seizures.  If she does, then tegratol is not a good medication for absence epilepsy.  So, it really depends on the EEG and what your daughter seizure's look like.  Tegratol does have some side effect, as all medications do.  However, at therapeutic levels these are unlikely.  The usual side effects are drowsiness, dizziness and double vision.  There can be some decrease in blood counts and some changes in liver enzyme
activities.  If she is still having her seizures, then you need to go back to your pediatrician and tell him/her that the medication isn't working well.  If her EEG does show the classic 3 hertz spike and wave of absence epilepsy then she needs another medication such as Zarontin, or valproate sodium.  If you do not have any luck with your pediatrician, I would see a pediatric neurologist.
Sincerely,
CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS