Epilepsy questions

[Shannon Nelson]

Argh, chucked into the deep end again...
A friend who I am (again) trying to treat has recently been put on Tegretol,
for epilepsy. She's asking for my help, even tho she knows I think she'd
get better help elsewhere, so I have to try (again). Several questions I'd
love input on.

Previously her attacks had been very widely spaced (first at age 23, then
again 9 years to the next, then 11 years later, then 2 years later, and then
this spring, two in a single day, at which point she was hospitalized and
put on the drugs. Well actually she had already been hospitalized for
emotional breakdown... it's messy...). She's now at home, but having a hard
time with the drugs.

Her convulsions are tonic-clonic, froths at the mouth, bites tongue,
urinates on herself, each time, and has cracked teeth. She has no "aura",
no warning of when one is going to come on, and so no chance to get to
safety. Which leaves her understandably nervous...

Questions:
1) She's having horrible side-effects of the Tegretol. E.g. last week (not
too many days after starting it) she had "vertigo, sharp stomach pains,
nausea, vomiting." She reduced her dosage and sxs receeded. She consulted
her dr., who insisted the sxs could not be from the drug -- because dose was
already so low, I think???, so she increased dosage again, and sxs have
returned, but slightly changed, worse: This week splitting headache, pain
in neck, fever, swollen feet, sore throat, itching and burning of skin all
over." She says all of the other anticonvulsants have risks that are (?)
even worse, and one was already tried but stopped because of side-effects.
So her choice seems to be either live with the Tegretol, or be unprotected
from further convulsions; which frightens her, since they have become more
frequent, unpredictable (and she already has unresolved brain damage from
prior falls).

Is this a situation where Tegretol in potency could be helpful?
If so, can someone suggest potency, repetition, and what result to expect?

2) A few weeks back she started taking Hyos LM-2. She says that it has
helped, in a slow, "subtle" way. Obs: She sounds *much* more present and
connected than previously. This was our first conversation since she
started the Hyos, and the first time in many months that I've felt we were
having a conversation, rather than my just sort of witnessing an obsessive,
miserable rant. Yet the remedy hasn't prevented these side-effects. I've
suggested she increase her dosage (slowly!) and see whether that makes it
more effective. Should the emergence of these "side-effects" change
anything about her LM use?

If anyone feels they might help me sort this out I can put up more detail
(and unfortunately there's a lot more). But in any case, I'd love to hear
any input on topics of treating epilepsy, management of drug side-effects,
anticonvulsants, Tegretol...

So I'm thinking... Her tradeoff seems to be a choice between either (1)
risk of severe consequences if a convulsion comes on at the wrong time
(since she has no "aura", she has no warning, and so no chance of getting to
safety) or (2) a certainty of ongoing damage from the drugs. ??????

Ouch,
Shannon

[Robyn]

Hi Shannon
Roger Morrison mentions that patients on Tegretol and Valproic acid are
more problematic to treat than those on the other drugs, but says that many
patients taking these medications can still be helped by homoeopathy

Do you have access to his book Desktop Companion? He has some instructions
for homoeopathic treatment

Robyn

[andyh]

Robert&Shannon Nelson wrote:
Dear Shannon,
ideas:
Is hyos is correct remedy (only you can tell this based on improvement of complaints (have to separate sx of medication, might not be easy)
-----------------------
IF HYOS CONFIRMED CORRECT:
could use nux-v low after each dose of med and continue if eliminates drug side effects (protect liver , prevent violent side effects hopefully). (Could start with 6C move up periodically 12C, etc. when side effect flare again- or maybe have to use 30C to get it to work, and just give that after every dose)

GENERALITIES; ABUSE of, poisoning with; medicaments (SRII-364, G1133): aloe, ars., bapt., camph., carb-v., cham., coff., coloc., hep., hydr., kali-i., lob., mag-s., nat-m., nit-ac., Nux-v., paeon., puls., sec., sulph., teucr., thuj.

(nux-v the only bold)
---------------------
If HYOS MAY NOT BE CORRECT, could see if an epileptic rem sensitive to allopathics might fit the epileptic picture, perhaps one closelly related to hyos (it seems the remedy is doing something, but may be close but not a bullseye simillimum, and one of the factors that is "left over" as a symptom is great sensitivity to allopathic meds.) :
GENERALITIES; MEDICAMENTS, allopathic medicine; oversensitive to (SRII-365): acon., arn., asar., cham., chin., coff., cupr., ign., lyc., nit-ac., Nux-v., ph-ac., Puls., sep., sil., Sulph., teucr., valer.

Boeninnghausen relations (Hyos)-probably good to consult Rehman book
Boenninghausen Concordances; Related remedies: acon., ars., Bell., Bry., calc., caust., cham., chin., cocc., con., cupr., hep., ign., ip., Lyc., merc., nat-m., nux-v., op., phos., plat., Puls., rhus-t., sec., sep., sil., Stram., sulph., verat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
"kitchen sink" repertorization:

+H; Hyoscyamus niger, Henbane, tincture of fresh plant; Boenninghausen Concordances; Related remedies: acon., ars., Bell., Bry., calc., caust., cham., chin., cocc., con., cupr., hep., ign., ip., Lyc., merc., nat-m., nux-v., op., phos., plat., Puls., rhus-t., sec., sep., sil., Stram., sulph., verat.
+GENERALITIES; CONVULSIONS, spasms; epileptic (K1353, SRII-111, G1116)
-GENERALITIES; CONVULSIONS, spasms; clonic (K1352, SRII-106, G1116)
-MOUTH; FROTH, foam from; convulsions; during (K405, G343)
-GENERALITIES; MEDICAMENTS, allopathic medicine; oversensitive to (SRII-365)
-MOUTH; BITING; tongue; convulsions, during (K397, G337)
Elimination: Cupr., ign.
if the convulsions *alternate* clonic to tonic:

GENERALITIES; CONVULSIONS, spasms; clonic; alternating with tonic (K1352, SRII-107): bell., cimic., con., ign., mosch., nicot., nux-m., nux-v., plat., sep., stram., tab., verat-v.

then Ignatia could be the choice to evaluate, or look at
cuprum, or run these or other sx in different combos to see if a rem that is similar to hyos is better.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just some ideas for the hopper.

Your friend,
Andy

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Robyn,
Yes I do have this book; it's very helpful!
Thanks for the reminder!
Shannon
on 8/27/02 11:19 PM, Robyn at folco@tpg.com.au wrote:

[Shannon Nelson]

Thanks Souroush,

She definitely isn't a Nutrasweet user, but I will ask re any other changes.
I think, tho, that the major change was emotional shock (and related things)
due to betrayal and etc. by her husband. Really quite ugly.

Yeah, I agree and she does too, that the doc is talking thru his hat. Pt
thinks that the dr is just so "in love with" this drug, and/or has no
further or better ideas... She says she's seen several drs and he's the
best neurologist around there, but he seems to have this biiiiig blind spot.

Re the very slow increase and decrease, I'll have to mention that to her.
She did feel that the decrease had made things better (possibly easier
because she had only just begun the drug). As to why they would not have
done a slow increase, I'm guessing that's because she is only barely within
the range of "therapeutic dosage", and they are all eager to " have her
covered". But she has always reacted very oversensitively to meds, has
longstanding liver weakness, and wow, this is *not* a person who ought to be
on toxic drugs, what to do...

As to your instructions on LMs, I would *love* to have whatever additional
ones you feel might help! I have eagerly read (and benefitted greatly
from) David Little's writings about it, but that's pretty much all, and not
specific to this sort of situation, so I would love to hear whatever you
might offer!

Thanks so much,
Shannon
on 8/28/02 4:17 AM, Finrod at finrod@webstar.co.uk wrote:

Dear Shannon

1- I would first check on any maintaining causes. One of these can be
Aspartame (found in anything that is 'diet', 'reduced sugar' or 'sugar free'
and branded products such as Equal and Nutrasweet etc - It is in almost
9,000 different foods so labels need to be check VERY carefully)
[In the original experiments on 7 Rh monkeys, one died and 6 developed
seizures which stopped when the aspartame was withdrawn.]

Check on anything that may have changed recently.
2- So far as I know, there is no proving of Tegretol, so it is not a
homoeopathic remedy. Working on basis of symptom similarity, one can only
work on proven remedies.

3- If a drug causes adverse reactions, even small doses would do the same,
this is only logical and her Dr is talking out of her hat when she says Teg
is not causing the problem. Just read the side effects listed by the
manufacturers!

4- Allopathic drugs, especially those that can affect one's life and or
consciousness should not be increased or decreased rapidly. In fact you can
produce seizures by the administration of anti-epileptic drugs!
The only way to reduce is VERY slowly. My teacher Sheilagh Creasy always
recommends that a fresh nail file be allocated and used for this purpose. On
first day of reduction, the tablet is reduced by one stroke against the nail
file, one day 2, two stokes and so on ....

Allopaths will increase the dosage very rapidly and this can in itself cause
major problems and set back. Slowly is name of the game.

5- As she is taking allopathic drugs, my recommendation is that you evaluate
the case carefully and you may consider that she should take two or more
doses per day. If that is the case, I would start by 2 doses morning and at
night where she makes up the dose at night in a glass, takes a dose out of
the glass, leaves covered in fridge till morning, plusses it and then takes
another dose, throws the contents out.
If you (And any one else) have not had my LM instructions for the patient,
do let me know and I will email it to you privately.

6- She needs to educate herself about epilepsy and also what hom can do for
her.

Good luck + hang in there.

Soroush