Can Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (Janz syndrome) be cured or treated?

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i have a friend who i am extremley close with and i consider him as a brother. Hes 15 and has Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy doctors said there aren't any treatments but after hearing storys of people being toled that their child cannot be treated especially a case where a child had a tumour underneath their eye and doctors said that they can't do anything about it until a certain age, until tha child is 6 so the parents raised money with the help of their community and discovered a doctor in america that can perform surgery to release the tumour. the child now is a helathy 16 year old living normal life considering doctors here said that she would be partially blind.

to summarise this, many cases have been where families have been told the doctors cant do nothing about it or theres no treatment but they find doctors that can and has lead to successful operations
so please, im desperate to know whether if there is anyy possible cure or treatment as this news has devasted my best friends mum and sisters lives as he fell into seizures, first time was a big one then he had seizures on a smaller scale but its just awful SO PLEASEEE HELPP
They can be placed on seizure medications.  (+ info)

if my husband has juvenille myoclonic epilepsy will our future children have epilepsy also?

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in x-mas 2008 we went to Las Vegas and has a seizure while playing in the slot machine. also that day he had the flu and had a fever also and to top it off he was stressed because he had a crazy work schedule. ok. long story short the neurologist told us he has juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. he had never had a seizure in his life. but his mom does. his older brother and sister are healthy. it's 2010 and he is taking valproic acid 2 pills in the morning and 2 pills at night. we don't have children yet and we are young (24) i am afraid if we have children they will inherit epilepsy...
i forgot to mention that in 2007 he was involved in a car accident. no ambulance arrived because he got out of the car on his own... i don't know if he hit his head... he wasn't bleeding or anything
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are there any cures for myoclonic progressive familial epolepsy?

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I need an answer ASAP if anyone knows. Thanks!
No  (+ info)

What would happen if i take Lamotrigine with alcohol or marijuana?

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Not that I am going to run out and do that, just curious but i am taking Lamotrigine for Juvinele myoclonic epilepsy. I just recently started taking it and i am starting off on a very low dose and working my way up. I heard some things like i may get dizzy with alcohol. I am 18 and going to college next year, just wondering what i should do or if alcohol would have terrible side effects.
Patients should avoid alcohol and CNS depressants (medications that make one drowsy or tired, such as antihistimines, sleep medications, and some pain medications)and cannabis, while taking lamotrigine. Lamotrigine can exacerbate the side effects of alcohol and some other medications. Alcohol may also increase the risk or frequency of seizures.
Ask your prescribing Dr or a pharmacist if 1 drink would be ok,better to be safe than sorry!!!  (+ info)

do i have epilepsy? myoclonic? help?

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ok. so i have these strange jerk like moments where my body just jerks, and i dont know why! i will be sitting down doing nothing and my legs fly up for no reason? and ill be lying in bed and my whole body just jerks! what is this? should i go to the doctors?
Many people have sudden body jerks when they are falling asleep, these are called hypnic jerks. As far as having your legs suddenly fly into the air, it could be myclonic epilepsy. However, myclonic seizures more often involve your arms, and myclonic epilepsy usually present along with other seizures (normally absence seizures or tonic-clonic seizures).

Seeing your doctor wouldn't hurt though, better safe than sorry.
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Has anyone here been diagnosed with Myoclonic seizures?

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Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and alcohol?

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First of all, please do not reply to this question just to tell me that I shouldn't be drinking because I am underage. That is not what this is about.
If you're going to reply, please be helpful about this - after all, it's better that I'm safe rather than wanting to be rebellious because people are telling me to not "be stupid and drink underage."

Okay, so anyway.. I have JME. I was diagnosed at age 12, and am now 17. My triggers are sleep deprivation, extreme stress/fatigue, and chronically missing doses of my medication. My seizures aren't bad at all, they're simple upper body jerks that last about a split second. However, they do get worse if the conditions are worse. For example, if I'm extremely tired/sleepy and worn out, I might have multiple seizures in a row until I calm down. Sometimes when they're this bad I make a noise when I have it. It's sort of hard to explain, it's sort of like a stuttering "eh" noise, like I'm trying to say something but I can't.
I take Depakote XR, but lately I have been seizure-free, so I haven't been taking it (I absolutely hate taking my meds, I can't swallow pills so it's just a hassle for me, and I feel that I don't especially need to take the full dose of my meds every day, or even take that HIGH of a dose at all).

My question is, if I decided to drink a little bit, would I have a really bad seizure induced by the alcohol, like a Grand Mal...? I've never had an "actual seizure," they've all just been little jerks.
Also, I am not looking to get wasted. I know for sure if I got wasted I'd have some type of a seizure. I'm talking like... drunk, or maybe even just a little tipsy.

I've read that epilepsy meds can absorb the alcohol into your system faster and can change how they react to your body chemistry. Would this happen to me, or not? Because like I said before, I haven't been taking/needing my meds lately. I've also read that it's a bad idea to purposely take your medication just because you're about to drink... because of the absorption of the alcohol into the meds.

I don't know, someone please help me though. I want to be safe, but I want to have fun, too.
First, please take your medication. I went through the same thing (I hate taking medication, I'm taking it and still have seizure, etc) and didn't take it for about 7 months without a seizure and then had 4 complex partial seizures in one day. Including one while in the car.

Second, I majorly agree with Amanda's answer. Alcohol changes your pulse, alpha waves patterns in the brain, it affects certain hormone production, and alters some brain chemistry. Not something you want to mess with if you already have problems up there.

Also, I have never heard anything about how the medications absorb alcohol but in general it's not the best idea to drink too much on any medication.

Finally, remember that just because you haven't had a seizure in awhile doesn't mean you won't have another. I went seizure free for over a year at one time before I started having another type of seizures. They hadn't gone away, just changed.  (+ info)

what causes myoclonic arm jerks?

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I have been told something is going wrong in my muscles or brain..they are still investigating. Also have messy speech, and slight foot drop on left. This has been going on for 3 years and getting worse, was first told probably young onset parkinson's
Myoclonus describes a symptom and generally is not a diagnosis of a disease. It refers to sudden, involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles. Myoclonic twitches or jerks usually are caused by sudden muscle contractions, called positive myoclonus, or by muscle relaxation, called negative myoclonus. Myoclonic jerks may occur alone or in sequence, in a pattern or without pattern. They may occur infrequently or many times each minute. Myoclonus sometimes occurs in response to an external event or when a person attempts to make a movement. The twitching cannot be controlled by the person experiencing it.

In its simplest form, myoclonus consists of a muscle twitch followed by relaxation. A hiccup is an example of this type of myoclonus. Other familiar examples of myoclonus are the jerks or "sleep starts" that some people experience while drifting off to sleep. These simple forms of myoclonus occur in normal, healthy persons and cause no difficulties. When more widespread, myoclonus may involve persistent, shock-like contractions in a group of muscles. In some cases, myoclonus begins in one region of the body and spreads to muscles in other areas. More severe cases of myoclonus can distort movement and severely limit a person's ability to eat, talk, or walk. These types of myoclonus may indicate an underlying disorder in the brain or nerves. .

Action myoclonus is characterized by muscular jerking triggered or intensified by voluntary movement or even the intention to move. It may be made worse by attempts at precise, coordinated movements. Action myoclonus is the most disabling form of myoclonus and can affect the arms, legs, face, and even the voice. This type of myoclonus often is caused by brain damage that results from a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain when breathing or heartbeat is temporarily stopped.

Cortical reflex myoclonus is thought to be a type of epilepsy that originates in the cerebral cortex - the outer layer, or "gray matter," of the brain, responsible for much of the information processing that takes place in the brain. In this type of myoclonus, jerks usually involve only a few muscles in one part of the body, but jerks involving many muscles also may occur. Cortical reflex myoclonus can be intensified when patients attempt to move in a certain way or perceive a particular sensation.

Essential myoclonus occurs in the absence of epilepsy or other apparent abnormalities in the brain or nerves. It can occur randomly in people with no family history, but it also can appear among members of the same family, indicating that it sometimes may be an inherited disorder. Essential myoclonus tends to be stable without increasing in severity over time. Some scientists speculate that some forms of essential myoclonus may be a type of epilepsy with no known cause.

Palatal myoclonus is a regular, rhythmic contraction of one or both sides of the rear of the roof of the mouth, called the soft palate. These contractions may be accompanied by myoclonus in other muscles, including those in the face, tongue, throat, and diaphragm. The contractions are very rapid, occurring as often as 150 times a minute, and may persist during sleep. The condition usually appears in adults and can last indefinitely. People with palatal myoclonus usually regard it as a minor problem, although some occasionally complain of a "clicking" sound in the ear, a noise made as the muscles in the soft palate contract.

Progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME) is a group of diseases characterized by myoclonus, epileptic seizures, and other serious symptoms such as trouble walking or speaking. These rare disorders often get worse over time and sometimes are fatal. Studies have identified at least three forms of PME. Lafora body disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning that the disease occurs only when a child inherits two copies of a defective gene, one from each parent. Lafora body disease is characterized by myoclonus, epileptic seizures, and dementia (progressive loss of memory and other intellectual functions). A second group of PME diseases belonging to the class of cerebral storage diseases usually involves myoclonus, visual problems, dementia, and dystonia (sustained muscle contractions that cause twisting movements or abnormal postures). Another group of PME disorders in the class of system degenerations often is accompanied by action myoclonus, seizures, and problems with balance and walking. Many of these PME diseases begin in childhood or adolescence.

Reticular reflex myoclonus is thought to be a type of generalized epilepsy that originates in the brainstem, the part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord and controls vital functions such as breathing and heartbeat. Myoclonic jerks usually affect the whole body, with muscles on both sides of the body affected simultaneously. In some people, myoclonic jerks occur in only a part of the body, such as the legs, with all the muscles in that part being involved in each jerk. Reticular reflex myoclonus can be triggered by either a voluntary movement or an external stimulus.

Stimulus-sensitive myoclonus is triggered by a variety of external events, including noise, movement, and light. Surprise may increase the sensitivity of the patient.

Sleep myoclonus occurs during the initial phases of sleep, especially at the moment of dropping off to sleep. Some forms appear to be stimulus-sensitive. Some persons with sleep myoclonus are rarely troubled by, or need treatment for, the condition. However, myoclonus may be a symptom in more complex and disturbing sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, and may require treatment by a doctor.

What are the causes of myoclonus?

Myoclonus may develop in response to infection, head or spinal cord injury, stroke, brain tumors, kidney or liver failure, lipid storage disease, chemical or drug poisoning, or other disorders. Prolonged oxygen deprivation to the brain, called hypoxia, may result in posthypoxic myoclonus. Myoclonus can occur by itself, but most often it is one of several symptoms associated with a wide variety of nervous system disorders. For example, myoclonic jerking may develop in patients with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Myoclonic jerks commonly occur in persons with epilepsy, a disorder in which the electrical activity in the brain becomes disordered leading to seizures.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myoclonus/detail_myoclonus.htm

For more info, here a few other sites of interest:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
http://www.wemove.org/myo/

Hope some of this info helps! Good luck, hope they are able to diagnose you soon so you can get the proper treatment.  (+ info)

Is Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy curable?

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I have JME, and have had it for the past ten years. Due to wrong diagnosis, I have been taking drugs for general epilepsy. This new year brought with it, a bomb-shell, I came to know that not only am I taking the wrong medicines; for the past ten years, I also have a kind of disorder for which I might have to take drugs all through my liffe. I want to verify this, and if JME is curable, I'm going to do all I can to get it, once and for all, out of my system.
Folks diagnosed with JME typically take anti-seizure medication throughout their lifetimes. The onset is usually in adolescence. Depakote is one of the primary meds used to treat this condition (is also used for other types of epilepsy).  (+ info)

Myoclonic Epilepsy or something else?

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Hey guys, ive been suffering with jerks for a while now and they last for a second or two but i get episodes where it happens a lot.

I get really emotional and a tingling sensation runs down my body and then my head, arm and sometimes leg jerks violently. Because it happens for a brief moment I'm not sure if i lose consciousness, but i do feel as if i have missed something after it happens. I often have to stop what i am doing because its very distracting.

I am going to see a neurologist in february, but i would like to know your opinions to know what i should say to the doctor
I also get just foot, arm, leg etc jerks all the time, especially when I start to go to sleep.

I have other symptoms too:
Headaches, memory problems, sudden complete blurred vision, tiredness and occasional speech problems.

Thanks guys :D
the best choice would be to wait to se the neurologist.  (+ info)

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