Antiepileptics
How seizures start and the drugs that stop them — from phenytoin to status epilepticus.
Antiepileptics Part 1: Silencing the Electrical Storm
A seizure is an electrical storm — millions of neurons firing together in a runaway chain reaction that convulses the body. Anti-seizure drugs are storm-breakers, and they work in only three basic ways: dampen the 'go' signal, boost the 'stop' signal, or steady the wires themselves. Learn those three strategies and the classic drugs fall into place — along with why one wrong choice can make certain seizures worse.
Antiepileptics Part 2: Absence Seizures, Newer Agents & Status Epilepticus
A child who keeps 'blanking out' in class for a few seconds isn't daydreaming — she may be having dozens of tiny seizures a day. And the drug that stops them is useless against other seizure types, while the common drugs for those can make hers WORSE. Add the newer, cleaner agents and the true emergency — a seizure that won't stop — and you have the rest of the antiepileptic story.
