A few people have epilepsy for a short period of their lives, and the disorder disappears on its own. In seven out of ten cases, however, epilepsy's cause is unknown. If you think you or a loved one might be having seizures, it's important to keep a careful record of what has been happening and see your doctor immediately. This record will help your doctor as he or she makes a diagnosis. People with epilepsy should get enough sleep, avoid unusual stress and work closely with their doctors for therapy to be most effective.
Drug therapy is by far the most common treatment and is usually the first to be tried.
There are a wide variety of AEDs available, each designed to control different types of seizures - so people with more than one type of seizure may take more than one type of drug. AEDs won't work properly until they reach a certain level in the bloodstream, and that level must be carefully maintained. It's important that people with epilepsy follow their doctor's instructions very carefully as to when and how their medicine should be taken. Unfortunately, AEDs can cause unpleasant side effects, like drowsiness, irritability, tremors, double vision and nausea. Sometimes, doctors must adjust medication levels several times to control seizures while minimizing side effects.