It can also be confusing if we have to take drugs for other medical problems. For this reason the doctor will try to keep your treatment as simple as possible. Special dispensers designed to remind you to take your tablets are available from most chemists. The principles of care are exactly the same when we are older as they are in younger people. However, there are various special factors we need to take into account with regard to epilepsy in later life.
Side effects can be more troublesome.
Drugs often produce more effects as we get older because our bodies take longer to process them. Then again, because we are more frail, we may be more likely to sustain injury during a seizure. And because our bones tend to be more brittle we are more likely to suffer fractures if we fall or knock ourselves. Seizures too may become more difficult to deal with. Elderly people sometimes feel confused for longer and fail to recognise where they are when they come round after a seizure.