Prognosis

The prognosis of epilepsy can be quite varied, for some people it can be fairly positive, but for others, it could require a lot more ongoing care in the future. There are lots of factors which will affect the prognosis, and one of the most prominent is finding out what caused epilepsy in the first place. For example, if the cause is due to a brain tumour or brain injury, the brain may well be affected in different ways. For some people, the first anti-epileptic medication that they are given works at making them seizure-free, and as long as they keep taking this medication, they could remain seizure-free for the rest of their life.

Unfortunately, for others, the impact of epilepsy is much much greater and it may be that not only does the first medication not work, but neither does the second, the third and so on. Some people may be prescribed numerous epilepsy medications yet are still having seizures. There really is no "one-stop-shop" when it comes to controlling seizures and epilepsy, it is quite literally unique for everyone. For people whose prognosis looks more like this, the best thing is often to try and find a good balance between the benefits of the medications, and the side effects that may occur from the mixing of medications. What is good for one person may not be good for another, and every individual needs to find their own balance.

As we have discussed, a diagnosis of epilepsy affects not only the person themselves but also their family and friends. It can be very scary to be diagnosed with epilepsy, especially if a person has never before encountered it, as there are many misinformed preconceptions around the condition. Not only will the patient themselves need to educate themselves on the condition, but so will their wider family. Gaining as much information as possible can only benefit everyone in the long run. There are lots of charity organisations who support people with Epilepsy, such as the Epilepsy Society and Young Epilepsy Charity. These organisations provide a great deal of support and resources for affected families, and we have put links to a number of these on the student download area of this course.