About the Expert:

Dr. Alan Ettinger is Chief of the Division of EEG and Epilepsy at the North Shore-LIJ Comprehensive Epilepsy Centers, and the Cushing Institutes of Neuroscience, in New Hyde Park and Manhasset, New York.

He is Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He also serves on the Foundation’s Professional Advisory Board on the Quality of Life committee.

Episode 1: Mood Disorders and Epilepsy

Dr. Ettinger: This is an excellent question and the answer is very complicated. Medications are just one of many potential causes. While many used to simplistically believe that depression was simply a reaction to having a chronic illness, in fact there are likely many biological causes and the conditions that give rise to epilepsy may in fact also produce depression.

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Episode 2: Medications and Side Effects

I'm currently taking Dilantin 100mg (extended phenytoin sodium) 3 capsules a day. It seems as if I'm loosing my eye sight, and some facial staining. Is that normal?

Dr. Ettinger: Antiepileptic drugs such as Dilantin can sometimes cause blurry vision or even frank double-vision, particularly at higher doses. This effect is reversible however with lowering or eliminating the medication. I would recommend having an ophthalmologist perform a thorough evaluation of your visual symptoms before attributing this to Dilantin.

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Episode 3: the Initial Diagnosis

I'm 42 years old and 2 years ago I started to have seizures. A neurologist said that I was epileptic and now another says that I am not, that I have non-electrical seizures. I don't understand can you help and tell me the difference?

It would be important for you to ask the doctors specifically what they mean by “non-electrical seizures”. One possibility is what is called psychogenic non-epileptic seizures which refer to episodes that resemble and feel like epileptic seizures but are more akin to the mind playing tricks on the body. It is important to treat these as one would treat any illness but the treatments are different than for epilepsy.

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