Epilepsy Flashcards
what happens when someone is having a seizure
simultaneous electrical activity in the neuron
is epilepsy a disorder
yes
best trt practices for seizures
find out what the underlying cause is
when selecting the drug therapy for seizures, do this 1st
get good pt. med. hx, EEG results, lab studies
***if someone is in status epilepticus what med do we give
benzodiazepines
what is status epilepticus
grand mal seizures ldg to brain death
when dosing what are best practices
lowest dose that is effective, titrate up very slowly
if you have seizures does it mean you have epilepsy
no - can have seizures for other reasons
how long will it take to see the benefits of drug therapy for epilepsy
may take a few months
what do we teach pts. being treated for epilepsy
medication adherence
if taking other meds do so under care of neuro
***freq. bld work/monthly blood levels r/t s/e
2 classes of AED’s
traditional - still very common - more s/e
new - developed after 1993
MOA for all AED’s
help suppress neural impulses
*when thinking of Dilantin think of this
dosing is difficult - narrow therapeutic index - hard to get therapeutic dose - easy to make toxic in the body
s/s of Dilantin toxicity
seizures - gum disease - rash - Stevens Johnson’s Syndrome (skin sloths off) - cognitive impairment - double vision
what should we avoid while on anti-seizure meds
alcohol
how is dilantin administered
PO or IV
what should we know about tegretol
hepato-toxic - fewer s/e than dilantin - easier to dose
s/e of tegretol
some CNS depression
- aplastic anemia
- thrombocytopenia
- photo-sensitivity
pt teaching for tegretol
sunscreen, hat; no citrus juices
how is tegretol given
PO
drug interactions with Tegretol
warfarin, oral contraceptives, grapefruit (competes)
***no grapefruit margaritas on the beach to help remember Tegretol s/e
beach - photo-sensitivity
avoid alcohol
stay away from citrus fruit
**depakote s/e
increased ammonia levels
pancreatitis
pt teaching for depakote
avoid alcohol
