The best supplements for epilepsy - All you need to know
Are there supplements and natural remedies to treat epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition where a patient need to take one or more drugs for a long period of time, once diagnosed. So, one might wonder if any supplements can help control seizures rather than these medicinal drugs. As most people love natural supplements and vitamins, continuous attempts to find appropriate natural remedies have yielded in scientific evidence to suggest that some of them might be useful as adjuncts to main drugs, specially to help reduce their side effects.
What are the supplements which can be used in epilepsy?
1. Vitamin D
Antiseizure medications might affect bone health and lead to osteoporosis (weak bones, or reduced bone density), especially the old drugs like Phenytoin (Dilantin), Carbamazepine (Tegretol), Phenobarbital and Valproic acid (Depakote). As a natural remedy, Vitamin D is recommended for patients with epilepsy to protect the bones. A dose of Vitamin D between 500 IU and 2000 IU can be taken daily along with Calcium. You can check the blood levels of these, so that you do not take too much because excess also can cause health issues.
2. Folic acid
Some anti-epileptic drugs can be teratogenic, which means they can cause birth defects in the fetus during the pregnancy. Folic acid helps prevent some types of fetal malformations or birth defects in women of childbearing age. So, they should take Folic acid to be ready for pregnancy which can happen at any time. The baby needs folic acid on the first 21 days of embryonic life. This period is even before you know you are pregnant. Therefore, folic acid should be started at the time when a woman is expecting a pregnancy. So, take it before pregnancy to make sure you have enough stores. The dose is anywhere between 1 and 4 mg and we do not know the exact dose yet. As with Vitamin D, too much folic acid may be harmful.
3. Pyridoxin or Vitamin B6
Out of the different types of epilepsies, there is a specific type of epilepsy that is genetically transmitted and seen in babies which is correlated with Pyridoxine deficiency. Pyridoxine is helpful in this type and the dosing and administration is individualized and must be monitored closely especially the first dose. If you do not have Pyridoxine deficiency, it won’t help.
4. Omega 3
Scientific studies regarding benefit of Omega 3 in epilepsy has yielded mixed results. Some studies show that omega 3 can help with seizures while some others showed no benefit. Some advocate for omega 3 to be given for cognitive function. Therefore, omega 3 is not currently recommended to treat epilepsy or cognitive deficits as it can be caused by many factors. Eating fish can give you the same benefit. Also, now Omega 3 can have potential contamination with heavy metals and arsenic, so better to avoid it.
5. CBD oil
CBD has only a modest effect and it has many side effects on the liver and the gastrointestinal system. We have pharmaceutical grade CBD which is Epidiolex. CBD must be prescribed by the treating doctor and monitored closely. All over the counter CBD are very variable and unreliable and according to a study done by the FDA showed either no CBD or wrong concentration in about half of the samples.
6. Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is a very helpful and scientifically proven treatment for epilepsy. It is natural and healthy. However, like anything else, it is not suitable for everyone, needs medical supervision from the neurologist and the dietician.
In summary,
Lots of so-called "natural supplements” claim that they will help epilepsy or boost brain health. But these supplements are not regulated by the FDA, which might make it unsafe to consume or risk of contamination and poor preparation. Even on their own website, they say that these are not intended to treat any medical condition. So just eat balanced food and do exercise that is better for you along with the prescribed medications to keep epilepsy under check.