Epilepsy Articles – December 2019

EWCT brings you the latest news on epilepsy-related articles

  1. Pharmac-funded research into whether people with epilepsy were imagining side effects from a medicine brand change has been suspended as angry patients point out that deaths have been linked to the switch.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/404933/epilepsy-patients-angry-at-being-told-symptoms-all-in-their-heads

  2. Up to 200 New Zealand children with epilepsy may be missing out on a diet treatment that could make them seizure-free.

    Help from a dietician is essential to assist parents manage the extremely strict ketogenic diet required to treat their child. But that help is is funded by only a handful of district health boards.

    Teresa Cowie has been talking to those who want to see urgent change.

    The Waikato District Health Board has not answered our requests for a ketogenic dietitian to be employed at the Waikato Hospital, despite the MOH strongly supporting it.

    EWCT will continue to fight for this cause as many children and adults are being denied the right to live seizure-free.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018725698/children-missing-out-on-keto-diet-epilepsy-treatment

  3. 2019: Evidence summary about the potential risks and benefits to health from the use of recreational and medicinal cannabis.

    This paper summaries the current research evidence on the health impacts of cannabis and cannabinoids to assist communities considering the opportunities and risks associated with cannabis use. 

    https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/our-expert-advice/all-expert-advice-papers/cannabis-how-it-affects-our-health/

    or

    https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/assets/documents/Cannabis-how-it-affects-our-health-digital.pdf


  4. After years of frustration, epilepsy researchers are shifting from targeting the seizures to seeking their cause, sometimes one patient at a time. Much about the condition remains a mystery, including why antiseizure medications fail so many people.

    https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/epilepsy-drugs-fail-nearly-one-third-patients-scientists-seek-root-causes-seizures