Treating Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: Easier Said Than Done

February 2003 in “ Annals of Neurology ”

Ronald P. Lesser

finasteride dihydrotestosterone progesterone neurosteroids catamenial epilepsy polycystic ovary syndrome Propecia DHT PCOS

TLDR Progesterone treatment improved seizures in a woman with menstrual cycle-related epilepsy, but a wrong medication worsened her condition.

The document from 2003 discusses the use of neurosteroid-based therapies for treating epilepsy, with a focus on catamenial epilepsy, which is influenced by the menstrual cycle. It presents a case where a woman with catamenial epilepsy and polycystic ovary syndrome saw an improvement in seizure control after being treated with progesterone. However, her condition worsened after she was inadvertently given finasteride, a medication that inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone and is not recommended for women of childbearing age. This case underscores the role of endogenous neurosteroids in managing seizure susceptibility and suggests that further research into neurosteroid-based treatments for epilepsy is justified.

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