Module 3: Treatment Management

Quick Review

• What are a few topics we discussed last week?

Module Objectives

• Discuss healthcare and how it relates to epilepsy

• Provide information on different types of treatment

• Talking to your healthcare provider

• Provide management tools

Who thinks they manage themselves fairly well medically?

What works best for you?

Treatment Options

• Medication

• Ketogenic Diet

• Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS)

• Surgery

Healthcare: Before You Visit the Doctor

• Confirm that your visit will be covered by your health insurance – call ahead to check

• Spend time thinking about what you want to accomplish – Is this a routine check-up or do you have in-depth

questions to ask? Do you need to complete any forms?

• Make your appointments a priority – attend them regularly

Healthcare: Concerns That You May Have During Your Visit

• I am still having seizures, what should I do?• I am having side effects from my medication, is there

something that can be done about that? • Discuss any upcoming life changes and make sure to plan

for these changes– New study habits– Changes in your sleep pattern– Changes to your diet– Stress levels– Getting your driver’s license– Caffeine, alcohol, or any other beverage consumption– Pregnancy

• If you’ve been seizure free for a long time, you can talk about reducing or stopping your medicine

Healthcare: Medication Changes

• If your medication is changed, make sure that you are aware of possible side effects or drug interactions

• Most prescribed drugs have a generic medication that is available and those tend to be less expensive than their name brand counterparts

• If you are unsure of the cost differences, call your insurance company to make sure that your new prescription is covered

Healthcare: Understanding Insurance and What’s Covered

• 2 main types of health insurance– Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

– Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)

• Co-pay: a certain amount of money that the patient pays out of pocket for their appointments or medications

• Deductible: the amount of money that you are expected to pay before your insurance company will start contributing to your medical care

Healthcare: Challenge of Switching to Generic Medication

• Generic Medication: the patent on a medication expires and competing companies make several varieties of the same medicine– These are roughly the same formula as the originally

patented drug, but they cost less than the original drug

• The FDA allows for a range of variability in these medications, this slight difference could potentially cause a seizure

• Talk to your doctor before switching to a generic brand medication

• Likewise, do not allow your pharmacist to switch your medication to generic without consulting your doctor

Healthcare: Challenge of Switching to Generic Medication

• State laws do allow pharmacists to fill prescriptions in generic form if “Brand Necessary” isn’t written on the prescription by the doctor

• If you’re worried that your insurance might not cover a certain medication, ask your doctor to request coverage to your insurer

• Your insurance company may be required to cover brand-name medicine if the generic does not work for you

• Visit No More Seizures for more information– http://www.nomoreseizures.org

Healthcare: Mail-Order Prescriptions

• A good option if your medication is expensive and you don’t expect to change your dose anytime soon

• Your insurance company might provide you a specific mail-order pharmacy

• Possible incentives – in some cases you can receive a three month supply for the price of two months

Healthcare: Transitioning from a Pediatrician

• If you’re comfortable with your pediatrician, you can continue to see them until around age 20

• It is a good idea to change to a doctor of internal medicine if you have drug interactions with birth control or alcohol consumption

• You can also find a doctor who specializes in adolescents if your insurance will cover it

From Pediatric to Adult Care

• Changing from a familiar doctor to a completely new doctor can be daunting but it is necessary as you age into adulthood

• Some hospitals have transition clinics specifically designed for youth to adult care transition

Things to Consider Discussing With Your New Doctor

• Lifestyle habits (eating/sleeping)

• Birth-control

• Pregnancy

• Libido

• Mood changes

• Driving

• Living on your own

• Drinking alcohol & exposure to other drugs

• Long-term disability forms

• Support groups

• Special needs programs

• Psychiatric or mental health questions

Management Tools• Texting4Control

– Targets ages 13+ users with mobile phones to receive daily text message reminders

– Receive reminders at specific times as well as motivational messages

– Can record seizures in a patient diary, track emergency room visits, and list rescue medications and/or injuries

– Easy to share information with family and doctors

Management Tools

• WebEase

– Online source for epilepsy awareness, support, and education

– Interactive self-management program for people who have epilepsy

– Developed by a team of Emory University researchers and physicians

Management Tools: WebEase• How does it work?

– Serves as a guide to help you systematically manage seizure activity and minimize seizure frequency

– Three interactive modules:

• Medication management, stress management, and sleep management

– Includes MyLog, an online personal journal you can use to track seizures, medication, stress, and sleep patterns

– Also includes personalized feedback

Next Meeting

• Our next meeting will be an online module which can be accessed under the Services tab and by scrolling to Youth Programs selection on the EFCST website.

– www.efcst.org

• The module will be open; Wed. July 9th and will cover Module 4 Life Long Health.