Men And Epilepsy
Comparatively
little has been written specifically for men with epilepsy.
But this is not because epilepsy affects men any less than
it does women. The numbers are generally seen as being pretty
much equal between genders even though some writers have reported
that slightly more men have epilepsy than women.
For
men a wide range of specific issues have not been articulated.
They exist however, and they can be quite complex, varying
with such things as age, seizure type and severity and with
a male’s overall health and lifestyle circumstances.
If
you are a male with epilepsy
It is important to understand that your seizures are not a
sign of weakness or of mental instability or of being any
less intelligent or capable than anyone else. Seizures are
in fact a sign that your seizure threshold has been lowered
in some way. They are a clear indication that despite the
fact that your brain functions perfectly well on almost every
possible occasion, a small and relatively uncommon biochemical
glitch can bring things temporarily undone. It is very often
a very small glitch. It's usually momentary and isolated.
But, as you know, its impact can be devastating.
Epilepsy
is often called an “episodic” illness because
seizures come and go and in fact might only occur on very
rare occasions.
Men
and Compliance
Taking the tablets you have been prescribed in the way your
doctor has advised is known as “compliance” and
it is reported as a greater issue for men than it is for women.
Some writers think it is patronising to talk about “compliance”
as they equate it to “doing what you are told to do”.
Treating epilepsy is not like taking a course of antibiotics
to treat an infection. It is not something that popping a
few pills will fix. It requires you to take tablets and keep
taking them until your doctor or neurologist gives you the
all clear to reduce or stop.
What
happens if you stop or reduce your tablets?
If you stop taking the tablets prescribed, or even decrease
the dosage, you are likely to experience what are sometimes
called “breakthrough seizures” and indeed it may
be harder to get your seizures back under control the second
time than it was the first time. You may well be able to reduce
or even cease taking drugs once you have been seizure free
for a couple of years.
Tablets
are sometimes resented and rejected because they are associated
with the “stigma” of epilepsy. This can be a critical
problem for adolescents who don’t want to have to explain
why they take tablets. Or they may resent tablets as another
example of the adult authority that they tend to question
regardless of whether or not they have epilepsy.
If,
as an adult, you have been seizure free for two or more years
there is a possibility that you may be able to undergo a supervised
reduction in the number of tablets you take, and even to stop
altogether. It’s not a guarantee that seizures will
not return.
Alcohol
and other recreational drugs
Most men like a drink. And epilepsy shouldn’t stop you
having a beer or two or a glass of wine with dinner, but you
need to be honest with yourself about it. Alcohol can increase
the sedating effects of some antiepileptic medications and
it can trigger seizures under some circumstances. Some antiepileptic
medications specifically recommend that you not drink while
taking them and some neurologists expect their patients to
follow this restriction to the letter – especially until
they get their seizures under control. If it is a problem
for you, speak about it with your doctor. You may be able
to try another tablet or you may even be able to have the
occasional drink and do so with little or no adverse reactions.
Street
drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, amphetamines or solvents
can trigger seizures and when combined with a change in lifestyle
that involves late nights and alcohol your risk of seizures
is greatly increased. Talk to your doctor or epilepsy counsellor.
You should not be playing Russian roulette with seizures.
The first three to six months of your treatment are critical
for you.
Is
marijuana as good for seizures as many people claim?
Marijuana smokers with particular kinds of seizures will tell
you that they can control seizures by smoking dope. The fact
is that they may be right. But there are other facts that
are equally relevant to what is happening here.
Anti–epileptic
medication must be taken with clocklike regularity every day
to control seizures. As marijuana is generally illegal and
its supply erratic, relying on marijuana to control your seizures
is fraught with danger. If you stop because your supply has
dried up, you can be placing yourself at great risk and your
seizures may come back with a vengeance. Another difficulty
with marijuana is measuring the strength of the dope you are
smoking.
In
fact, if you do use recreational drugs, you will need to talk
about it with your doctor or epilepsy counsellor and they
will almost certainly tell you that they can trigger the very
seizures that you are seeking to avoid.
Self
image
Compliance can become a particular problem for men whose self-image
rests at the more rugged higher risk–taking, strongman
end of the masculinity scale. It can be a problem for both
men and women in the workforce where they have not told their
colleagues or employers, or where there is a habit of spending
time in the pub with mates or colleagues after work. There
is some evidence that men, particularly younger men, can find
this especially hard going. For some males their self-image
can take a battering when they are not being permitted to
drive for a certain period until seizures are controlled.
Surveys have revealed that some males would rather tell their
work mates and friends that they’re “off the road”
for drink-driving than admit to having seizures.
Being
a male brings with it a range of expectations that can make
epilepsy an especially hard condition if you allow yourself
to be ruled by stereotypes.
Driving
Most professional drivers are men, whether they drive trains,
taxis, trams, buses or road transports. The farmer on the
tractor is more likely to be a man. And indeed one of the
rites of passage for many young men is get a licence and to
get some wheels. Driving and unpredictable seizures can be
a lethal combination.
For
older men, it is often the case that they are the only person
left in the household who drives, once the children have grown
up and moved out. Having epilepsy can mean that both partners
have no immediate access to the car that has until now taken
them shopping, visiting the kids, and even on holidays.
Sport
Those men who play sport, however in truth most men watch
rather than play, tend to play more physically aggressive
sports than women. There are major sports stars who have epilepsy
who compete in some of the toughest sports played, but these
guys have their seizures controlled. Without freedom from
seizures it is inadvisable to play rough contact sports. Interestingly,
head protection gear is increasingly seen as an important
element to playing contact sports safely.
Likewise
participation in sports like weight lifting or bodybuilding,
skydiving, mountain climbing or diving should only occur under
well–supervised circumstances.
Being
a good provider
For many men the idea of supporting a family is what keeps
them going to work; often at jobs for which they don’t
particularly care. It’s the idea of being the traditional
breadwinner and it’s tied up with notions of male physical
strength and the ability to protect those you love. Well the
truth is, seizures can threaten this. They can lose you your
job. They can cause you to have a serious work injury. They
can leave you without an income, at home with the possibility
of seizures while your partner is out earning money.
Sex
While some seizures [central or parietal lobe seizures] can
involve sexual feelings and actually cause erections and ejaculation,
the experience of epilepsy is more likely to lead to a decline
in sexual energy or libido rather than an increase. The culprit
most often blamed is the sedating effect of many antiepileptic
drugs.
There
is in fact a range of solutions to impotence and newer drugs
such as Viagra appear to be compatible with anti–epileptic
medications. If such drugs help it is likely that they are
redressing difficulties that are not based on epilepsy but
are the same difficulties that millions of other men without
epilepsy experience.
All
kinds of things can go wrong for all of us, and having epilepsy
should not be seen as the culprit in every case. The important
thing is to talk about anything that worries you with your
doctor or counsellor so that you can move forward.
Can
having sex provoke seizures?
Many men wonder if sexual activity can provoke seizures. The
answer is that it is unlikely to do so. In fact an active
sex life can have a decided stress reducing effect just as
the lack of one can cause some guys to become quite stressed
out.
And
don’t forget, if you are in a sexual relationship, your
partner may want to reassure you of their love and support
and may be frustrated by your lack of interest. So it’s
important to talk.
Safety
in the Home
Motor mowers and power tools have made many men’s lives
a whole lot easier. They have also sliced through feet and
fingers. Hammers and chisels, saws and bladed tools, ladders
and being the one who climbs onto the roof are all things
most men deal with. The advice here is if you could hurt yourself
by having a seizure while doing anything with tools then you
just have to adapt the activity or pass on it until you know
that your seizures aren’t going to happen. Fixing a
leak in the roof may be sensible and you may be the only one
in the house without a fear of heights, but it’s a heck
of a lot harder fixing a broken leg or neck.
Anger
It’s true that everyone can get angry at a
diagnosis like epilepsy. In fact it’s pretty normal
to feel some anger – as well as some anxiety, even depression.
It is important to talk about these feelings because they
are manageable. The trouble is many men are not so great at
dealing with emotions like these. But you can and once you
do, you’ll learn that there’s plenty that you
can do to improve things.
The
one thing you can’t do is try to excuse anger by telling
people that they just have to put up with it because you have
epilepsy. Anger is a useful emotion but not if you can’t
keep a lid on it. Anger, if left unchecked, can do you a great
deal of damage. Talk to your doctor or epilepsy counsellor
and get through it.
Epilepsy
is a serious health condition and being a man doesn’t
mean you have to tough it out!
Reprinted
from Epifile with permission of Epilepsy Australia Ltd
August 2002
This
information provided by the Epilepsy Association of South
Australia and Northern Territory Inc on the Internet is designed
to provide basic information about epilepsy. It is not intended,
nor does it constitute medical or other professional advice.
Diagnosis and advice on medical care or other assessments
should be sought from a medical practitioner or suitably qualified
professional.
