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Seizures that occur more than twice are most likely due to epilepsy. If you suffer a seizure, visit Cory Lamar, MD, at Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, in Naples, Florida. Dr. Lamar can determine what’s causing your condition and provide sophisticated treatments that limit your risk of further seizures. To find out how to manage your seizures more effectively, call Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, or use the online form to schedule a consultation today.
Seizures Q & A
What are seizures?
Seizures are periods of lost or altered consciousness or involuntary movement that occur because of a problem in your brain. They’re typical symptoms of epilepsy, but seizures can occur for other reasons, like high fevers, traumatic brain injuries, and stroke.
Your brain cells continually send out electrical discharges that allow them to communicate with one another. If part or all of your brain creates abnormal electrical discharges, it triggers a seizure. The most common kinds of seizures are focal and generalized:
Focal seizures
Focal or partial seizures account for about 60% of epileptic seizures. They occur when abnormal electrical activity occurs in one part of your brain.
Generalized seizures
Generalized seizures affect over 30% of people with epilepsy. With a generalized seizure, abnormal electrical activity occurs in the entire brain.
Secondary generalized seizures start as focal seizures and then develop into generalized seizures. Seizures usually last no more than a few minutes.
What symptoms do seizures cause?
Seizures can trigger various symptoms, depending on what’s causing them. Generalized seizures include absence or petit mal seizures, which typically result in rapid blinking or staring into space for a few seconds.
Another kind of generalized seizure, tonic-clonic or grand mal, is the one most people associate with epilepsy. Tonic-clonic seizures can make you collapse and lose consciousness temporarily. You might have muscle spasms that make your body jerk uncontrollably, and you may cry out. Tonic-clonic seizures can be exhausting.
Simple focal seizures can cause twitching or altered sensations like strange tastes or smells. Complex focal seizures can make someone with epilepsy feel dazed and confused. You might not be able to respond to someone talking to you for several minutes.
How are seizures treated?
Dr. Lamar at Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, is board-certified in epilepsy and treats seizure disorders in patients as young as 14. He creates a personalized combination of treatments tailored to your diagnosis and how seizures affect you.
Two of the main treatments for seizures are medication and electrical stimulation. Anti-seizure medicines that help prevent seizures are often the first option. Other treatments include vagus nerve and deep brain stimulation.
These procedures involve implanting a small stimulator device under your skin. The devices send out electrical impulses to your brain or the vagus nerve that serves your brain to stop seizures from occurring.
To learn about these and other treatments for seizures, call Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, or request an appointment online today.