Because seizures are often the first sign of a brain tumor, they should be reported to your doctor for diagnosis. Physical findings in a medical examination or changes in behavior can help to establish a diagnosis. A seizure results from abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This is caused by pressure within the confined space of the cranium from the growth of the tumor, which pushes against a portion of the brain.
Instructions
Seizure dagnosis
1. Go to your doctor as soon as possible for diagnosis if you experience a seizure. Most seizures cause loss of awareness, shaking of the body and twitching. Generalized seizures (grand mal) cause the person to lose consciousness; their effects may manifest on just one side of the body, with symptoms like involuntary shaking of one arm or leg.
Symptoms of seizures present within seconds or a minute, and may include blackouts in which you can't remember some period of time; emotional changes such as inappropriate fear, panic or laughter; unusual sensations of the skin that spread; loss of muscle control and sudden falls; a bitter metallic taste. These symptoms may come and go quickly or last for up to 15 minutes,
2. Administration of anti-epileptic drugs (also known as anti-convulsants, or AEDs) is the second step in treating brain tumor-related seizures. If the patient has not had previous seizures, their onset is considered more diagnostically relevant.
Common types of anti-seizure drugs are Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine), Topomax (topiramate, Lamictal (lamotrigine), Keppra (levetiracetam) and Neurontin (gabapentin). Some chemotherapy drugs interact with AEDs and may alter the effectiveness of either or both drugs. Blood tests can determine if this is the case.
The kind of medication used to treat seizures depends on the severity of the seizures as well as side-effects of the drug. These vary with individuals, but common side-effects include nausea, fatigue, general weakness and impaired coordination of balance.
3. Surgical removal of the brain tumor, or a portion of it depending on location, is usually the third step. Even if the tumor can not be totally removed, surgery can reduce pressure inside the skull, which causes symptoms such as seizures.
Surgery is often followed with radiation or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, some tumors that can not be completely removed may grow back and cause more symptoms.
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