Epileptic medications and suicidal risk

This just in from the FDA....

...in placebo-controlled trials of 11 different medications used to treat epilepsy (and other disorders as detailed in previous posts), individuals using these medications experienced twice the risk of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors. It didn't take long for some, only a week, to experience this very significant side effect. The risk WAS higher for those given these medications for epilepsy than those given the medications for other reasons.

This is the FDA's list of medications evaluated in this study:

Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR)
Felbamate (Felbatol)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Levetiracetam (Keppra)
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Tiagabine (Gabitril)
Topiramate (Topamax)
Valproate (Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon)
Zonisamide ()

Here is the FDA reference for more information:

http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#Antiepileptic


MY SOURCE: http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF6852573E1007057A9

Just a note from a nutritionist...fish oil can help reduce seizure activity. I AM NOT, I repeat AM NOT, advising anyone reading this post to discontinue their medications and replace them with a nutritional supplement. However, I AM encouraging you to discuss the possibility of a blend of nutrition therapy AND medication for a potentially gentler approach to safely managing a very serious medical issue.