Epilepsy: 199 Answers ( A Doctor Responds to
His Patients’ Questions)
By Andrew N Wilner MD FACP. Published by Demos
Vermande, New York, 1996. ISBN 1-888799-09-9. Paperbound, xx +128 pp. (23x15.5
cm), $24.95.
There is a paucity of literature about epilepsy available to patients and
their families. This book is an excellent resource and may help to bridge that
gap by disseminating educational information to the people who need this
information the most. Besides the patients and their families, these people may
include psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists,
social workers, and clergy members.
The book is clear, complete, and well organized. The author begins each
chapter with an appropriate case that entices the reader to read further. The
book is written in an easy-to-read question/answer format. Questions are divided
into chapters, which makes answers easy to find. The chapters include
information such as what to expect at the physician’s office, medications,
medication adverse effects, alternatives to medications, brain surgery,
involvement in research trials, support groups, driving, employment, and
nonepileptic seizures.
The text is easy to understand and very comprehensive. Besides answering a
number of important questions, some of the book’s greatest strengths are the
provision of information in the appendices on support groups, state requirements
for seizure-free periods for driving, and comprehensive treatment centers where
one might go to be involved in clinical research. Seizure calendars, as well as
an area for patients to document their seizure history, are
provided.
Although the book has no major weaknesses, there are several questions that I
might have answered differently, such as making up a missed dose of
antiepileptic medication. The author suggested that the missed dose be taken
either before or after the next dose. Since many of these medications have
dose-related adverse effects, I would more specifically advise patients to take
any missed doses within 4 hours of the time missed, and if it is longer, skip
that dose and take the next scheduled dose. Another question asked about
addition to phenobarbital. The answer appeared to confuse addition with
physiologic tolerance by discussing withdrawal and return of seizures on abrupt
discontinuation of the medication.
The author has written the book in a fashion that remains current, even with
the advent of a number of recently approved antiepileptic medications. At
$24.95, it is reasonably priced and should be recommended to patients diagnosed
with epilepsy and their families. It should also be on the bookshelves of
healthcare professionals and clergy who provide education and counseling for
persons with epilepsy.
Cherry Wyant Jackson PharmD BCPP
Associate Professor of Pharmacy
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Institute of Psychiatry
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina 29425
Reprinted with permission from:The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Vol 32,
November 1998, pp 1255-1256