107 citations,
August 2002 in “Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry” Women with epilepsy should be monitored for reproductive issues, which can be caused by epilepsy or its treatments, especially when using valproate.
46 citations,
December 2014 in “Epilepsy & behavior” Some antiepileptic drugs can cause weight gain and hair loss, especially in women.
34 citations,
January 2008 in “International Review of Neurobiology” Epilepsy and certain epilepsy drugs can lead to reproductive problems in women, but changing medication might improve these issues.
13 citations,
November 2013 in “Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy” Levetiracetam may cause hair loss, which can potentially reverse with lower doses or stopping the drug.
10 citations,
October 2016 in “Epilepsy & behavior” Levetiracetam often causes behavioral issues, while oxcarbazepine is more likely to cause sleepiness in epilepsy patients.
5 citations,
May 2011 in “European Journal of Medical Genetics” A genetic duplication on chromosome 5 was linked to a woman's unique combination of medical conditions.
2 citations,
October 2018 in “The journal of pediatrics/The Journal of pediatrics” The document concludes that specific hair and blood vessel abnormalities in infants with seizures and developmental issues may indicate Menkes disease, which lacks a cure and is often fatal by age 3.
March 2018 in “New scientist” 
October 2010 in “Epilepsy Currents” Ketogenic diet, neurosteroids, and HMGB1-TLR4 signaling pathway are potential targets for new epilepsy treatments.
30 citations,
February 2003 in “Annals of Neurology” Progesterone and related compounds may help control seizures linked to the menstrual cycle but have limitations that need addressing.
6 citations,
April 2019 in “Russkij žurnal detskoj nevrologii” Some epilepsy drugs can cause reproductive and cosmetic side effects in women and affect pregnancy, but most women still have healthy babies.
4 citations,
January 2018 in “General Physiology and Biophysics” The steroids allopregnanolone and allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosteron worsened absence seizures in rats.
4 citations,
August 2001 in “Epilepsia” Treating epilepsy is complex, requiring careful drug choice and patient adherence to manage seizures and side effects.
2 citations,
February 2003 in “Annals of Neurology” Neuroimaging suggests that treatments targeting brain steroids could help control epilepsy, especially types linked to the menstrual cycle.
Antiepileptic drugs can cause cosmetic side effects and affect menstrual cycles, fertility, and bone health in women with epilepsy.
August 2022 in “Metabolic Brain Disease” Ferulic acid may help control menstrual cycle-related epilepsy by affecting female hormones.
6 citations,
January 2012 in “Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology” Women with epilepsy on certain medications might gain weight and have higher thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, but not more polycystic ovarian syndrome.
November 2023 in “Children” Many pediatric epilepsy patients experience preventable severe adverse drug reactions, especially with certain medications and risk factors.
August 2021 in “Research Square (Research Square)” Ferulic acid can reduce seizures and depression-like behaviors in catamenial epilepsy by balancing hormones and brain enzyme activity.
January 2017 in “Elsevier eBooks” Stress and hormones like progesterone can affect absence seizures, but their effects change with different life stages.
January 2008 in “Elsevier eBooks” The young woman with epilepsy became seizure-free after finding the right combination of medications.
March 2023 in “Epilepsia” Trilostane may help delay epilepsy development by increasing certain brain chemicals.
65 citations,
January 2011 in “Frontiers in Endocrinology” Neurosteroids show promise for treating epilepsy and more research is needed.
18 citations,
January 2009 in “Acta neurologica Scandinavica” Long-term sodium valproate treatment for epilepsy generally caused mild and temporary side effects.
1 citations,
October 2019 in “Epileptic disorders” A girl with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome developed curly hair as a rare side effect from the epilepsy drug perampanel.
May 2022 in “Indian Journal of Pharmacology” Sodium valproate can cause serious high blood pressure in children.
13 citations,
October 2010 in “Seizure” Extended-release valproate effectively reduced seizures and improved quality of life in epilepsy patients over 6 months, with some side effects.
1 citations,
April 2015 in “Russkij žurnal detskoj nevrologii” Antiepileptic drugs can cause side effects like menstrual problems and infertility in women with epilepsy, but most pregnancies result in healthy babies, with newer drugs being safer.
March 2023 in “Scientific Reports” Using focused ultrasound on the brain can help epilepsy medicine work better in rats.
July 2020 in “Scholars journal of applied medical sciences” Sodium valproate caused vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, weight gain, and anemia in young children with epilepsy.