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Discussion on ANTI-CONVULSANTS
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New Member:
Lynx
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 7, 2007 - 5:12 pm:
my horse is apparently suffering from epilepsy but I have never seen one of his fits.When he has a fit he stretches his head up in the air then swings it back over his shoulder then onto his back,walks backwards in decreasing circles for a couple of minutes then stops bringing himself out of it,sets off at an extended trot around the perimeter of his field,suddenly stops and becomes normal again.Could anybody give me any information as to what is wrong with my boy and what treatment would help him.My vet seems to think he is suffering from epileptiform attacks and suggests a magnesium suppliment.If anybody could shed some light on this matter I would be very grateful.Many thanks Clare
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jan 8, 2007 - 4:48 am:
Welcome Clare,
You should start with the article on Epilepsy and seizures that heads this topic. If you go to the top of Helen's discussion on her horse you will see the navigation bar, click on Seizures and Epilepsy. After reviewing the article if you have any questions you should repost in your own discussion. The link is at the bottom of the list of discussions under the article. To address your specific question I am uncertain what the rationale for recommending magnesium as a therapy for epilepsy is unless he thinks your horse deficient in this nutrient.
DrO
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 9, 2007 - 7:28 am:
Hi Clare, I am not a horse but I suffer from epilepsy. Most epileptics in people have low magnesium or a electrolyte imbalance could cause a seizure in people. So I would get a blood test to check mineral levels. Magnesium is recommended to me by epilepsy specialist because it calms over excitable nerves. I can relate to getting a seizure from a noise. It does not prevent it but it does make episodes a lot less frequent. I cant comment on how epilepsy drugs work on horses. I know they make me into a walking zombie. I hate them but I have to take them. I don't think it would hurt giving a low dose of magnesium too see if it helps, Dr 0. If this is recommended for people by specialists could it not also help a horse.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jan 9, 2007 - 7:38 pm:
Hello katrina,
I can find no support in the medical literature for the notion that most epileptics suffer from low blood magnesium (hypomagnesemia) and/or benefit from its supplementation. Here is one of half a dozen reports that I reviewed in response to your post, none of which found magnesium abnormalities:
Blood levels of trace elements, electrolytes, and oxidative stress/antioxidant systems in epileptic patients.
Hamed SA, Abdellah MM, El-Melegy N.
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Assiut University Graduate School of Medicine, Assiut, Egypt. Shamed50@hotmail.com
Epileptic patients exhibited variably altered status of trace elements, electrolytes, and free radical scavenging enzyme activities. We investigated the effect of epilepsy and long-term antiepileptic drug therapy on the serum level of some trace elements (zinc, selenium, and copper), electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium), and antioxidants (glutathione peroxidase, and uric acid) and plasma levels of lipid peroxidation index (malondialdehyde), total antioxidant capacity, and ceruloplasmin. Seventy epileptic patients and fourteen controls were recruited in this study. In the treated group (particularly with valproate), we reported increases in the levels of zinc, calcium, sodium, malondialdehyde, and glutathione peroxidase and decreases in the levels of copper, total antioxidant capacity, and ceruloplasmin with no difference in selenium, magnesium, and potassium. However among untreated epileptics, uric acid level was increased and total antioxidant capacity was markedly lowered. We conclude that the above parameters balance differs in epileptics comparable to controls and hence their correlation to seizures pathophysiology and their degree of control or resistance to antiepileptic drug therapy. Better regulation of the lipid peroxidation and antioxidants and fewer disturbances in mineral metabolism were observed in monotherapy versus polytherapy and with carbamazepine versus valproate therapy.
There is a rare cause of seizures in humans from the condition of famial hypomagnesemia, where there metabolism does not adequately regulate magnesium so it falls to very low levels. But of course this would not be termed epilepsy because the cause is known.
DrO
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Member:
Kthorse
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007 - 12:32 pm:
Thanks Dr for going to all that trouble. I might show my Dr this. Very interesting
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