Self-management refers to taking an active role in managing your health. This involves learning strategies and skills to help you live a better life such as making healthy lifestyle choices and informed decisions about treatment, and actively monitoring and managing your symptoms.
Self management aims to increase knowledge, better self-care, adopt healthier behaviours, to have improved outcomes. Here are some things you can do to help manage your epilepsy.
- Understand your epilepsy: Learn about your diagnosis, treatment, and the impact of epilepsy for you
- Take your medication as prescribed
- Monitor your seizures: Keep a seizure diary to identify seizure patterns and triggers
- Avoid your seizure triggers if you can
- Know what substances can affect seizures
- Get enough sleep: Keep a routine bedtime and awakening and try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night
- Be healthy: Do some regular exercise, eat a well-balanced diet
- Recognise and manage stress
- Talk to your doctor or about any health concerns
Here are some practical tips:
Medications
Remembering medication
Many people with epilepsy complain of memory problems to some degree, so to help you remember to take your medications every day, some practical tips are suggested below:
- Try to make it part of your daily routine like taking your medications at meal times or when cleaning your teeth.
- Put your medications in a visible, but safe place as a reminder. Carry an emergency supply with you when you go out, in case you forget to take them at your regular time.
- Set a watch, phone or alarm clock to remind you. There are also medication apps with reminders.
- Use a chart or calendar and tick when you have taken your medications.
- Consider using a pillbox or ask your pharmacist to pack your medications into a pill pack. These usually have the day and time you are supposed to take the tablets so you can see if you’ve taken them.
- Ask someone to remind you.
Taking other medication
Other medications, including over-the-counter medications may interfere with how antiseizure medications are absorbed, or make you more prone to having seizures.
- Speak to your doctor before taking any new medications or supplements.
- Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any other medications or supplements and always report unwanted side effects or medication reactions to your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
- You can speak to a pharmacist on Medicines Line on 1300 633 424
- Medsinfo also have some useful information
Different medication brands
There are many different brands and generic medications for epilepsy and your pharmacist may offer you one of these as an alternative. Be aware that a generic product may not be exactly the same as the original brand and the non-active ingredients may differ (these include fillers, binders, coating or colouring).
Whether you are changing from brand to generic, generic to brand or generic to a different generic, this may increase your risk of seizures. So if your medication is working, stick with it – do not switch brands without discussing with your neurologist or prescribing doctor. Generics sometimes have a different name, different packaging, different tablets, and can be slightly cheaper.
See Factsheet Switching Brands to read more about this.
Food that can affect medication
Grapefruit and Seville (bitter) oranges may affect absorption of epilepsy medication. There are substances in grapefruit that can interfere with the way the body absorbs and breaks down certain medications, increasing or decreasing levels of the dose in the bloodstream. One of the medications affected is a common antiseizure medication Carbamazepine (Tegretol). To reduce the risk of this happening:
- DO NOT drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit in any form if you take Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Tegretol CR or Teril) until you have talked with your doctor or pharmacist.
- Avoid taking any medication with grapefruit juice until you discuss with your doctor or pharmacist.
- If the juice is drunk over several days the effects are long-lasting, so simply separating the dose of medication and the ingestion of grapefruit juice does not prevent the interaction.
- Read the labels on foods and natural health products to make sure they do not contain grapefruit or Seville oranges.
Read Things you probably didn’t know about medication
When you are sick
Sickness such as vomiting and diarrhoea (which may also be unwanted side effects of antiseizure medication) can reduce how much of your medication is absorbed, so may trigger seizures. Also, vomiting and diarrhoea can cause you to become dehydrated which can increase the chance of seizures due to imbalances in your body’s fluid and electrolytes. If you have vomiting and diarrhoea stay at home and rest, try to sip fluids and eat bland foods when you are able. Speak to your pharmacist about rehydrating fluids.
Other substances that can affect seizures
Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate, many soft drinks, high energy drinks, some supplements and medications, including some diet pills, antihistamines and decongestants. Caffeine may interfere with antiseizure medication, and affect sleep patterns.
Excessive amounts of caffeine may increase the risk of seizures in some people
Guarana is a natural caffeine source and a stimulant. It is a common ingredient in high energy drinks and herbal ‘weight loss’ teas and can combine with adrenaline to produce an even stronger stimulant effect. Energy drinks frequently contain high doses of caffeine, combined with such other substances as taurine, guarana, and sugar.
Any substance that is considered a stimulant should be avoided or taken with care and moderation, as they are more likely to increase the risk of seizures.
It’s hard to know exactly how much caffeine is a problem, as its effects on the body vary from person to person. The rough guideline for the average person is to drink (or eat) less than 600 mg per day – around four cups of strong coffee, or five or six cups of tea. This would probably be less for someone with epilepsy. So limit your intake to two or three caffeinated drinks at most.
Avoid large amounts of caffeine or switch to decaf. It is best to not drink energy drinks at all.
Lifestyle and seizure triggers
Triggers are events or circumstances that make people with epilepsy more likely to have a seizure.
Identifying your seizure triggers and trying to avoid them will help with avoiding and gaining better control of your seizures. Avoiding seizure triggers can be difficult sometimes, so it is important to weigh up the risks and look at overall quality of life.
Common seizure triggers are;
- Missed medications,
- Fatigue or physical and emotional exhaustion,
- Hormonal fluctuations in females,
- Sleep deprivation and
- Stress.
Examples of some more individual and less common triggers include:
- Flashing lights or changes in geometrical patterns (photosensitive epilepsy)
- Illness or fever, colds or infections
- Extreme heat or cold, or sudden change in atmospheric temperature
- Low blood sugar and poor nutrition
- Change in sleep states (many people with epilepsy have only ever had seizures whilst asleep)
- Drug toxicity (too much antiseizure medication or other medication)
- Medication interactions, including over-the-counter medications
- Emotional stress or anxiety
- Boredom or over-excitement
- Dehydration and over-hydration
- Sudden shock or extreme pain
- Sudden loud noise
For more about Seizure Triggers
For further information
Read more about self management and lifestyle such as sleep, drugs and alcohol, stress and more click here
Take a look at our Epilepsy Products page for safety devices, monitors and seizure apps.
