Lifestyle & risks
Lifestyle & risks
Mental Health
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Feeling sad or low for long periods of time
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Feeling hopeless or helpless
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Feeling anxious or worried
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Feeling irritable
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Feeling guilty
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Feeling tired all the time, with no energy
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Sleeping more or less than usual
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Having no motivation or having trouble concentrating
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Losing interest in things you normally enjoy
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Losing interest in sex
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Eating more or less than usual
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Thinking about harming yourself or suicide
It is thought that one in four people will have a mental health condition at some point in their lives. For people living with long-term conditions such as epilepsy, this risk is higher. Whatever you are experiencing, help is available so please be reassured that things can be done to improve how you are feeling. Seek advice if you are:
Lifestyle & risks
Contraception and family-planning
If you have epilepsy you may be nervous about what it means for your pregnancy and baby. Try not to worry, as it is likely that you will have a healthy pregnancy and go on to have a healthy baby. But there is a slightly higher risk of having a baby with a birth defect or developmental problem, so it’s important to get the right support.
Women with epilepsy should speak to their clinician about the best form of contraception as some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can interfere with some types of contraception. This could affect how your contraception works and might make your seizures worse.
It’s important that women have ongoing discussions with their epilepsy clinician about contraception, sex and pregnancy (also known as pre-conception counselling). These discussions should take place even when there are no plans for pregnancy. It’s important to have personal discussions so you can make personal choices, which provide the best outcomes for you.
If you do unexpectedly find that you are pregnant it is vital you do not stop taking your epilepsy medication. However, see your doctor / clinician immediately to ensure the safest possible care for both you and your baby.
Lifestyle & risks
Pregnancy
To ensure a healthy pregnancy, it’s important to have balanced information and to receive personal medical advice before you become pregnant. This is known as pre-conception counselling.
Some epilepsy medicines are not recommended during pregnancy, but stopping them could affect how well your seizures are controlled. It’s therefore vital that expert advice is sought to minimise any risks to both mother and child.
Having a baby could also affect dosages and your seizures may change too. These changes may continue until the baby is born. Again, your clinician can help with advice on this.
Continue to take your medication as prescribed by your clinician – because maintaining control over your seizures is one of the best ways to keep both you and your baby safe.
For more information and tools to help you specifically during pregnancy, see below.
Lifestyle & risks
Long term treatments – the effects of
Some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)
are known to affect bone strength over time. Other long-term side effects may also occur. That’s why it’s important to have annual reviews of your epilepsy and your medications with your clinician – even when you are stable and seizure free.
Recreation & sports
If you have epilepsy you might worry that some activities or sports will be unsafe. Often, this is not the case but again, talk to your GP / clinician before you begin and seek advice. You may need to modify what you do or make sure there are people around you who know how to support you should you have a seizure.
Driving
If you have active seizures, there will be certain rules and restrictions which may affect whether you can drive.
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