Medical History

The most important information about your seizures comes from the detailed medical history. The doctor will want to know what happens from the first hint of a seizure until the end. If you have more than one kind of seizure, each type should be described as fully as possible.

If you're not aware of what happens to you during a seizure, have someone who has seen your seizures come with you when you see the doctor, or ask them to give you a written description. Don't be afraid to describe any strange feelings you may get from time to time. They may provide clues about your seizures.

Blood tests

Blood tests are often ordered to check on the general state of your body and can be used to determine if your liver, kidneys, or blood cells are functioning normally. Blood tests can also be used to determine if you have infections, vitamin deficiencies or whether you have been exposed to any poisons, such as lead.

If the doctor thinks your seizure might have been caused by infection or bleeding in the brain, he or she may order a spinal tap (or lumbar puncture). This procedure removes a small amount of fluid from the spinal canal so it can be analyzed.

These tests are designed to find out whether your seizure had an underlying cause that may be treated directly.

If you are already taking medications to stop seizures, your doctor may wish to check the concentration of the medicine in your blood. This is called a "blood level." It is important to remember that for all antiseizure medicines, the "normal" blood level is zero, since none of the drugs are normally found in your body.

The goals of treatment are to find a dosage of medicine which stops seizures and doesn't cause side effects. The dosage that does that for you is your personal "therapeutic level." The dose that works for you may be very different from the dose of the same medicine which works for someone else.

Because of this variation from person to person, drug levels alone cannot tell whether your dose of medicine is too low, too high or just right. A dose of medicine which makes you feel sick because it is too much will give a drug level that is "toxic" for you. The drug level that may make one person "toxic" may be the concentration that is just right for someone else.