Take Control of your Seizures: Treating Epilepsy at Allegheny General Hospital

Seizures can affect your daily life in big ways — preventing you from driving, interfering with work and caregiving, and causing stress and anxiety. Neurologists at AHN Allegheny General Hospital’s (AGH) Joseph and Kathleen Guyaux Comprehensive Epilepsy Center want to support you as you learn to navigate epilepsy, while living your life to the fullest. With the right care, you can better understand your seizures and live with greater control and confidence.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition where a person has repeated seizures over time. Seizures are sudden episodes of abnormal brain activity that can affect movement, awareness, memory, and behavior.

It’s important to know that having a seizure doesn’t automatically mean you have epilepsy. Seizures are connected to a number of medical conditions, including high fevers and head injuries. They can also be a side effect of certain prescription medications.

Epilepsy is diagnosed when a person experiences two or more unexplained seizures or shows a pattern over time. Epilepsy can have many different causes, such as family history, excessive alcohol or drug use, infections, or traumatic brain injuries.

“Epilepsy is often misunderstood, because seizures can look very different from person to person and may be easy to miss,” said James Valeriano, MD, neurologist at AGH. “As a Level 4 Epilepsy Center — the highest ranking for complex epilepsy care — we have resources to help patients understand their seizures and feel confident in their care.”

Understanding types of seizures and their symptoms

There are two main types of seizures. They look different from one another, because they start in different areas of the brain.

• Generalized seizures begin on both sides of the brain and can cause loss of consciousness and unusual movements on both sides of the body.
• Focal seizures start on one side of the brain and may cause changes in awareness, behavior, sensation, or abnormal movements, usually on just one side of the body.

Some common seizure symptoms include:

• Staring blankly
• Twitching or jerking movements that you can’t control
• Violent muscle spasms
• Confusion or anxiety
• Fainting or loss of consciousness
• Panic attacks
• Déjà vu (feeling like you’ve experienced the present situation before)
• Feelings of depersonalization (feeling detached from yourself)

What to do if your loved one is having a seizure

If someone you know is having a seizure:

• Stay calm and speak in a soothing voice.
• Gently turn them on their side, if possible, to help prevent an injury.
• Call 911 if the seizure lasts five minutes or longer, or if multiple seizures happen back-to-back in a short amount of time.
• Observe symptoms so you can describe them to paramedics and doctors.

Epilepsy diagnosis

At AGH, neurologists evaluate seizures by asking about symptoms and running tests like EEGs, EKGs, and MRIs to look at brain activity. We get to know your entire medical history and any factors or life experiences that may put you at higher risk for epilepsy.

Epilepsy treatment

Most patients start with epilepsy medication to treat symptoms. It may take a few months to find the right dosage and combination of medications.

If medicine doesn’t work on its own, your care team may suggest surgical treatment options, including:

• Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) – Sends gentle electrical signals to the vagus nerve, which helps regulate brain activity.
• Deep brain stimulation – Uses electrodes in the brain to help control brain activity and movement.
• Resective surgery – Removes tissue from the part of the brain where seizures start.

Care at AGH doesn’t end after you receive a diagnosis and find the right treatment. Your doctors will continue to follow up with you every six months to monitor your symptoms and progress and help you manage seizures over time.

Specialty care for treating seizures

When living with epilepsy, the right treatment from the right team can make all the difference. Learn more about how our team at AHN Allegheny General Hospital’s Joseph and Kathleen Guyaux Comprehensive Epilepsy Center offers advanced options and personalized support to help you take control of your seizures and your life.