Difference Between Fits and Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterised by fits or seizures, or even periods of unusual behaviour, sensations or loss of awareness. Fits happen when the nerve cells in your brain either misfire or repetitively fire.

1. What is difference between epilepsy and convulsion?
2. What causes fits or seizures?
3. What are fits?
4. Can you have epilepsy without fits?
5. What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?
6. What are the 3 types of seizures?
7. Can epilepsy go away?
8. Are fits serious?
9. What are symptoms of fits?
10. Why do fits come?
11. How do you treat fits?
12. How do I stop getting fits?

What is difference between epilepsy and convulsion?

Sometimes the cause of a convulsion is unknown. If you've had convulsions, it doesn't necessarily mean you have epilepsy, but it could. Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic condition. Convulsions can be a reaction to a single medical event or a part of a medical condition.

What causes fits or seizures?

Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. This includes a high fever, high or low blood sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. But when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause, this is diagnosed as epilepsy.

What are fits?

In adults, the most common cause of a seizure, also known as a convulsion or fit, is epilepsy. However, it can be caused by other things, including a head injury, alcohol poisoning, lack of oxygen, after taking certain drugs, or if someone with diabetes has a 'hypo' where their blood glucose is too low.

Can you have epilepsy without fits?

Some people experience symptoms similar to those of an epileptic seizure but without any unusual electrical activity in the brain. When this happens it is known as a non-epileptic seizure (NES). NES is most often caused by mental stress or a physical condition.

What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?

Seizures take on many different forms and have a beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage.

What are the 3 types of seizures?

Types of Seizures

• Absence seizures, sometimes called petit mal seizures, can cause rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space.
• Tonic-clonic seizures, also called grand mal seizures, can make a person. Cry out. Lose consciousness. Fall to the ground. Have muscle jerks or spasms.

Can epilepsy go away?

While many forms of epilepsy require lifelong treatment to control the seizures, for some people the seizures eventually go away. The odds of becoming seizure-free are not as good for adults or for children with severe epilepsy syndromes, but it is possible that seizures may decrease or even stop over time.

Are fits serious?

Seizures can cause car crashes when they strike someone who's driving. They can cause people to fall and hit their head or suffer a serious injury, too. There are longer term dangers, too. People with epilepsy often have memory problems, or emotional disorders like anxiety or depression, which can be quite disabling.

What are symptoms of fits?

Symptoms that indicate a seizure is in progress include:

• losing consciousness, followed by confusion.
• having uncontrollable muscle spasms.
• drooling or frothing at the mouth.
• falling.
• having a strange taste in your mouth.
• clenching your teeth.
• biting your tongue.
• having sudden, rapid eye movements.

Why do fits come?

Seizures can happen after a stroke, a closed head injury, an infection such as meningitis or another illness. Many times, though, the cause of a seizure is unknown. Most seizure disorders can be controlled with medication, but management of seizures can still have a significant impact on your daily life.

How do you treat fits?

There's no cure for epilepsy, but the disorder can be managed with medications and other strategies.
...
Common epilepsy medications include:

1. levetiracetam (Keppra)
2. lamotrigine (Lamictal)
3. topiramate (Topamax)
4. valproic acid (Depakote)
5. carbamazepine (Tegretol)
6. ethosuximide (Zarontin)

How do I stop getting fits?

Seizure Prevention Tips

1. Get plenty of sleep each night — set a regular sleep schedule, and stick to it.
2. Learn stress management and relaxation techniques.
3. Avoid drugs and alcohol.
4. Take all of your medications as prescribed by your doctor.
5. Avoid bright, flashing lights and other visual stimuli.