Helping Treatment Work

Ask your doctor about possible side effects associated with the medicine and what you should do if you see them.

Keep follow up appointments. Some medications require periodic blood tests that are important to your child's health. Ask the doctor at the end of each visit when he or she wants to see you both again, and make the next appointment then.

Don't change your dose or discontinue seizure medicine on your own without checking with your doctor.

Request refills from your pharmacy several days before you will run out of medication.

Ask your doctor how to handle fever associated with childhood illness. In some children, fever triggers seizures. Ask, too, about the best way to give medication when a child has a stomach virus and cannot keep medication down.

Find out what you should do if your child misses a dose of medication.

Not a Path to Abuse

Parents often worry that long term use of antiepileptic drugs may lead to drug abuse or dependency in their children.

Most doctors say there is very little if any abuse of these medications among young people with epilepsy. In fact, refusing to take the medication is a more common form of rebellion among teenagers.

Taking Responsibility

When children are small, the parents are the ones who make sure the meds are taken on time. As children get older, they may take on more of this responsibility themselves.

Even with the best of intentions, however, children may forget. One way of being sure that doesn't happen is to count out (or teach the child to count out) each day's doses and store them in a special container. Then you can track whether or not the tablets or capsules have been taken.

If a school-aged child has to take medication during the day, check with the school about what arrangements should be made. Most school systems will not allow a child to give himself medication at school, but will arrange for the school nurse or other school official to do so.