does my daughter have epilepsy or not? - #11483
She(18F) took eucalyptus oil 5ml and had 2 GTCS on one day(2/1/25), and she was prescribed phenytoin 100mg thrice daily and leviteracetam 500mg twice daily and EEG was taken on 5/1/25 which showed BACKGROUND : Awake record shows 8-9Hz alpha activity of 60 ot 100uV, which is wel modulated and most prominent over bilateral occipital regions, with normal reactivity to eyes opening. SLEEP : Normal physiological sleep related activity was seen. TRANSIENTS : There were frequent burst of sharp and slow wave discharges seen over both the hemispheres lasting for a period of 0.5-1 second. PROCEDURES: There was normal response to hyperventilation and photic stimulation. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: NIL. CLINICAL CORRELATION: INTER-ICTAL RECORD S/O GENERALIZED EPILEPSY Is the EEG due toeucalyptus oil or epilepsy? Please reply
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Doctors’ responses
1. Ingestion of eucalyptus oil (5 ml) is known to cause seizures, especially generalized tonic-clonic type, even in previously healthy people.
2. However, the EEG findings (sharp and slow wave discharges bilaterally, inter-ictal record suggestive of generalized epilepsy) indicate an underlying predisposition to epilepsy, not just a toxin effect.
3. The fact that discharges were seen independent of the seizure event suggests a possibility of generalized epilepsy.
4. Current medicines (phenytoin and levetiracetam) are appropriate to control seizures and should not be stopped without neurologist guidance.
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