Avoiding Dilantin Side Effects in Favor of Brain Surgery
By John Curran
There are some excessively debilitating neurological conditions that can contribute to an epilepsy diagnosis. Doctors often find that removing a portion of the brain can eliminate seizures either in part or often in whole. This can be an option for some epilepsy patients want to — or need to — treat their condition without anti-seizure drugs like Dilantin, which can carry severe side effects. For one girl, never having to worry about Dilantin side effects came from a drastic procedure performed by an elite neuroscientist.
Grace Wohlberg is 10, and right now only has half of the brain she was born with after recovering from the surgery. That was on purpose, because the severity of her seizures and the debilitating Rasmussen’s Encephalitis had left her barely able to function. The recovery will be serious, as she is currently partially paralyzed where the excised hemisphere had control. However the prognosis is much better than it would have been had she taken an epilepsy drug such as Dilantin and dealt with Stevens Johnson Syndrome side effects.
It is important to note that Wohlberg’s surgery was so invasive because of the extreme nature of the disorder. Many epilepsy patients who end up having procedures only have a tiny portion of the brain removed, and it is small because doctors can identify the area causing seizures using CT scans. More importantly, if performed early, the brain is exceptionally plastic, or adaptable, and can create new connections. The seriousness of some Dilantin side effects, as well as the fact that the medication cannot fully control seizures, may make it a non-starter for some patients.
Dilantin and Stevens Johnson Syndrome
One of the scariest side effects of Dilantin is Stevens Johnson Syndrome. The symptoms of Stevens Johnson Syndrome can start inconspicuously at first, but can quickly escalate to severe side effects. What starts as a skin rash might seem like chicken pox. If it is accompanied by chills and a fever, doctors may deem it the flu. It’s sometimes neither, and Stevens Johnson Syndrome side effects can be devastating. The body begins to attack itself, with inflammation in the mucus membranes that can even lead to blindness. Since it is often misdiagnosed, it can even develop into the skin-killing toxic epidermal necrolysis.
If these or other side effects ring a bell, know that there are other treatment options. There are also legal remedies available for those who have suffered due to epilepsy drugs like Dilantin. Learn more at the Dilantin Stevens Johnson (SJS) & Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, one can fill out the short form to get a free legal review of his or her case. Disorders like Stevens Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis can be devastating and expensive to treat, so find out what legal remedies are available.
Updated February 20th, 2013
{loadposition content_postads}
All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.
Top Class Actions Legal Statement
