Do Rx Drugs hinder Learning?

[Dasia P]

To make a long story short:

My daughter has an undiagnosed seizure disorder. Her neuro. prescribed a drug called Topamax. I am very afraid that this drug is going to do so much more harm than good.  Minus the seizures; my daughter is a very active, bright, and jovial child. She's 22 mos. and I don't want to give her anything that will weaken her development or effectiveness of the right brain methods.

Anyone go through a similar dilemma? Or are having success with methods while their children are on rx drugs?

Any opinion or help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dasia P]

*Additional Info*
She's only had 8 seizures. She's not having seizures everyday, week, or month. The dosage amount is the same as for a child who is having many seizures a day.

[nhockaday]

I would do a lot of research about the drug. See what side effects have been reported, and see what the potential side effects are. I am not a big fan of prescription drugs, but if it's for something like seizures, than I'm sure it's necessary. You can always go to a few more doctors and try to get more opinions on the drug and the dosage. Nothing says you have to stick with one doctor and listen to his every word.

[waterdreamer]

I agree. As a parent you have to make sure you are educated on your childs health, and sometimes that means getting a second option. I know if I followed what my son's first doctor had suggested my son would not have advanced some much and would not be this close to losing his autism diagnosis

[Nikolett]

By all means get a second opinion and also ask how dangerous her seizures are vs. drug side effects. At 22 mnth I am sure you supervise her closely, so she wouldn't physically get hurt while she has one. Does it affect her brain/nerves... ? How long would she be on med. ? What is the percentile of kids with side effects, how much research is done...? These are all questions to ask your doctors.

[Dasia P]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Waterdreamer that is great, I'm happy that he is almost cured!
This information I have found on this drug so far is terrible! Weight loss, hair loss, aggression, severe allergic reaction, fatigue, sleepiness, fever, and memory issues are just the common side effects. I agree with you all on getting a second opinion which I will do. The side effects from this drug sound worse to deal with than her seziures to me. Nikolett it doesn't seem to affect her brain waves, her mri and other testing we have done has come out normal. Thankfully she has not fallen out while standing or during physical activity.

[Kappasweet]

You have to be very careful with Rx drugs and youngsters.  I agree that you should get a 2nd opinion, especially from some one who has a reputation for be conservative with prescriptions, or takes a natural approach.  Look outside your immediate area because often doctors in the same area have the same medical school and training and similar approaches.  I was reading that ADHD drugs causes children to on average be 5 lbs lighter and 2 inches shorter than their peers if it is used for the long term!  I was like  , there are so many kids that take Ritalin for years!  Sometime managing the symptom is so much better in the long run.  Is there a chance that she might grow out of the seizures?

[Dasia P]

Aha! Even more info to convince me to not give her this drug. Im sure all these college kids wouldnt take Ritalin if they knew that. Yep, there is a good chance that she will outgrow them. We are really fortunate for her to not have damage or anything from the seizures. It could be so much worse.  It's not bad enough for any drugs.

[alliesmom]

I heard something once from a physician I will never forget -- Rx DRUGS CHANGE WHO YOUR KIDS ARE.  In other words, during critical stages of development, these drugs can change the course of who your kids become.

Just some food for thought!

[momtoo]

I wonder if your daughter's seizures started after a Dipththeria, Pertussis and Tetanus (DTaP) or Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccination? You might find the article below very informative:

It’s official: the MMR jab causes seizures

http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?Id=3031

New evidence has confirmed what observation has shown for years - that the MMR vaccine significantly raises the risk of febrile seizures. The DTP vaccine was also shown to increase this risk.

A review of nearly 680,000 children found that the risk of having a seizure on the day of DTP vaccination was five times that of those not vaccinated. The MMR jab was associated with a nearly threefold increased risk of febrile seizures 8-14 days after vaccination. This translates to 6-9 per 100,000 with the DTP and to 25-34 per 100,000 with the MMR.

Although the seizures resolved fairly quickly and without long-term neurodevelopmental disabilities or subsequent seizures, this large-scale review represents the first official recognition of the link between seizures and vaccination (N Engl J Med, 2001; 345: 656-61).

[waterdreamer]

My sons autism came out at 18months 1 day after the MMR shot so that would not surprise me it would cause seizures too

[Dasia P]

Momtoo, She recieved the MMR. Had a seizure 8 days afterwards.   Her dad and I immediately suspected it was the result of the vaccines, her ped has respected our decision to not continue with them. Grandma and grandpa were not so convinced. alliesmom, that's a profound statement and very true. Look around us and see how rx's alter an adult's behavior. 

[kmum]

This is somewhat related: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324091205.htm
 It talks about general anesthetic use in children & learning disabilities.  It is not always possible to avoid anesthetics, although we were able to avoid one for our dd for which I am very grateful.

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