When taking anti-convulsant drugs, some nutrients may not be adequately absorbed. And even with nutritional supplementation, anti-seizure drugs may still be required. Hopefully, it will be possible to reduce the dosage. All anti-seizure medications have side effects, making dosage reduction an ideal worth pursuing.
Amino Acids
Taurine is a neuroinhibitory amino acid that can help deal with epilepsy. Dosage can range from 500 to 1,500 mg daily.
Herbs
Hops, Lobelia, Scullcap, and Wild Yam may all prove helpful. Consult with your herbalist, naturopath, or other health practitioner to determine the appropriateness of these herbs for your needs.
Lifestyle
A ketogenic diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates helps control epileptic seizures. The high protein intake forces the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Metabolizing fat produces ketone bodies in the body and they can be detected in the urine with a simple test strip.
It is not known why, but high levels of ketone bodies in the blood help control seizures. The brain obtains energy from ketone bodies and it is also more readily absorbed than glucose.
Consult with your nutritionist to determine the most appropriate diet to meet your needs.
Possible risks of a ketone diet include nutritional deficiencies, calcium loss, constipation, higher cholesterol levels, and increased susceptibility to gout.
Minerals
It is quite common for epileptics to be deficient in magnesium and the "Catch-22" is that such a deficiency is known to cause seizures. Dosage can start at 400 mg daily and can be doubled after a few weeks. However, this should only be under the supervision of a naturopath or other health practitioner.
Therapies, Healing Aids, & More
A nutritionist can determine the most appropriate way to incorporate a ketogenic diet (see Lifestyle, above).
Vitamins
Vitamin B6 is similar to magnesium in terms of importance of adequate intake. Dosage can start at 100 to 200 mg daily.
A B-Complex vitamin will also complement the individual B vitamin supplements.
Many other nutrients may be beneficial in dealing with seizure disorders. These include folic acid, vitamins B1, D, and E, calcium, copper, manganese, selenium, glutamic acid, and dimethyl glycine (DMG). Supplementing with these nutrients should be discussed with your naturopath or other health practitioner.
