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Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a type of epilepsy surgery that involves implanting an electrode into the brain and a neurostimulator into the chest, usually just below the left collarbone.  DBS is a type of ‘neuromodulation’, similar to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). It has been used for both epilepsy and is also widely used for…

Category: Treatments

The European Union has taken the landmark step of approving a medical cannabis product for use in certain cases of epilepsy. Put simply, this means that the drug can legally be prescribed within the UK and other EU countries, however, at present it is not recommended by the NHS. (source: BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49795260)  Just last…

Category: Treatments

Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is an extremely rare childhood epilepsy syndrome that affects boys twice as much as it affects girls and usually develops around the ages of 3 - 6. One of the key features of LKS is that it can affect speech and language skills in children and most likely result in behavioural problems.…

Category: Syndromes

When a person is diagnosed with epilepsy, the first thing they often ask is “can it be cured?”. It’s a completely natural reaction after receiving news that is possibly life changing to hope that there is a cure and life can continue as normal. However, at present there is no medical cure for epilepsy.  For…

Category: Treatments

Photosensitive epilepsy is the term commonly used for people who have seizures triggered by flashing or flickering lights and patterns. Due largely to its depiction in TV and film, it’s also a type of epilepsy trigger that many people think is an extremely common trigger. Although it affects around 20,000 people in the UK alone,…

Category: Seizures

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published their initial decision to not recommend the use of cannabidiol/CBD (Epidyolex) for people who have Lennox-Gastaut or Dravet syndrome.  This is an initial decision and not yet classed as final NICE guidance, which means that although they are not initially backing it as a…

Category: Treatments