Petit Mal Seizures and ADHD

[Kimbo]

Hi,
We have only now started the process of getting help for my awesome 6 yo son. yesterday we went tot he neurologist where he had a EEG? ECG? something like that and it showed that he has a mild form of epilepsy called petit mal seizures. it is where he "blanks out' for anything up to 30 seconds at a time. I have noticed it before......allot
the doc has prescribed epilim for the seizures and of course ritalin for his ADHD. 10mg once a day to start off with (end of the school year and all that) and then to probably up his dosage at the beginning of next year.
I am so mixed up at the moment.....all that yelling "why don't you LISTEN??" and "don't switch off when im speaking to you!!" is really coming back to haunt me now.
I really just want to know if these meds are okay to be taken together ....... and if it is normal for ADHD kids to have these absence seizures in conjunction with ADHD.
She has said that Kellan (my son) has "chronic" ADHD (she called it something else) but couldn't it just be that he has these seizures and therefor doesn't "get" everything because he has switched off for that time???
Sorry im very confused at the moment, but im sure it'll become clearer with time
thanx for a great forum!

[Dizfriz]

Kimbo,

I went through this with my youngest son. It is treatable and manageable and having discovered this will mean a lot to your son as he grows up. I have seen kids having a lot of difficulty with this due to a lack of even knowing that there was a problem. Imagine a child in school having parts of the lecture or instructions cut out and not being aware of it. This can be very confusing and result in a lot of academic problems until it is discovered and helped.

One of the more common questions I asked parents involved whether their child had a "staring" problem. I caught several cases like this and saw the kids have a often dramatic positive change in their lives due to this being discovered. I complement you on getting your son help.

I have not heard of a connection between absence(petit mal) seizures and ADHD. There is a good bit of information on this available with a google search. Use the terms "absence seizure adhd" and see what you get.

Also there is a lot of support out there for epilepsy that you might plug into. Good luck. This is dealable and doable. Your job is to be your child's advocate. If you don't, no one else will so keep on plugging.

Dizfriz

[ginniebean]

Adhd can be comorbid with seizures but generally not the other way around (just happened to stumble across that the other day)

[MGDAD]

Seems to me that one would want to get the seizures under control before administering the stimulant medication. Cant stimulants make the seizures worse?

[ADDMagnet]

My husband, son and daughter take an anticonvulsant (seizure medication which is also referred to as a mood stabilizer) along with their ADHD medication. It is not the same medication your child is taking but it is in the same class.

Generally, if there were a problem combining certain medications, the pharmacy should either call the doctor to confirm or mention it to you. I have never heard of that being a problem.

[Kimbo]

Well yesterday was kellans first day going to school on his meds. Teacher said that he was a bit tearful but at the same time finished the project he had to do, not once, but twice (shame, he stuck it on the wrong way the first time) Loads of coloring in to do and a paragraph to copy off the board.
So even though he had to do it again, at least he did it! and he finished it twice. he also got a a reward at school yesterday, which is a first.
not sure if it is the idea that the pill i gave him "makes him good" or if the meds are actually working yet. can they work so quickly?
she did say that he was still hyper and did have one of his outbursts with another kid in the class.
His neurologist has put him on 10mg because it is so close to the end of the school year, at the same time she wants me to give it to him through the Dec holidays and on weekends (I have heard that some kids just take it during the school week) and if needed she will "up his dose" come the new school year.
Must admit this is all very scary to me, I mean we all know that Ritalin is a serious drug, its classed with Cocaine over here!
but now I'm rambling, all I do know is that I am willing to do ALMOST anything to help Kellan reach his potential, he is such a great kid.

[Dizfriz]

Must admit this is all very scary to me, I mean we all know that Ritalin is a serious drug, its classed with Cocaine over here!

Methylphenidate has been around over 50 years and is considered one of the safest psychiatric drugs known. There are side effects like all drugs but we are pretty much aware of them. Some rare ones can be severe but this is true of any drug including aspirin. You and your doctor simply monitor for these. For the rest, we are very aware of the normal side effects and you can and need to read up on them. Most are a pain in the whatever but can be handled.

I suspect that those who come to the forum and say that methylphenidate is equivalent to cocaine are doing it just to see what kind of reaction they can get.

When taken as directed, there is little evidence of the medication being addictive. When injected or snorted there is very much a problem but when taken as directed, into the stomach, it absorbs too slowely into the system to produce a "high" therefore little or no addiction problem. In fact there is some evidence that those taking it may be less susceptible to addiction to cocaine later on than those who have never been medicated for ADHD.

So as you can see, methylphenidate (Ritalin) is one of the safer ADHD drugs on the market but you have to be aware of and be on the watch for side effects. This is a joint project between you and the child's physician. This is true however for any medication you give your child.

As far as I know, we have not found any major issues with the other ADHD drugs on the market.

I am glad you brought up this concern.

Dizfriz

[MGDAD]

You asked if they can be effective so quickly. The answer is yes, sometimes great results are seen after taking the first pill. That is what happened with my daughter.

Good luck with everything.

[Kimbo]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud!!
Only his second day on Ritalin and there is a HUGE difference, he is waiting his turn in class, putting his hand up and doing fantatic work.........
He even got a certificate yesterday!!
Please go and have a look Kellan's Good work certificate it is on my blog too so go and have a read if you like Chaotic Kellan - A healthy dose of ADHD