Q. I would like to ask the Doctor a couple of questions regarding our 5 1/2 year old son, three weeks ago he started to complain with his arm going to sleep and this went on for 1-2 weeks, in the middle of the night he came to us and I could feel his forearm jumping and he couldn’t control it. We called our Pediatrician the next morning and she saw him and ex-rayed 12 times that day and didn’t see anything and felt it was a Potassium Problem so she told us to increase the Gatorade and things like that, well after 4 days the arm worsened and he started to have twitching around his left eye and mouth so we called her back and she referred us to a Neurologist who we went and saw on Saturday and they did CT Scan, MRI and EEG, all was fine except EEG and he saw some abnormality around the right nerves on the brain, he has put us on Tegretol 1 1/2 pill each morning and night for 4 days and then we will increase to 2 1/2 pill twice a day. He told us we would do this for two years and then probably out grow and lead a normal life, my question is, is there anything we can watch for, any foods that can trigger this or help it, just any information on this kind of seizure (focal is what he called them) and this med. We are starting 5K school next month and I’m really concerned about him being away from me and his dad.
A. Your questions and concerns are good ones. While I don’t know exactly what was done and I’m not your son’s physician, it sounds to me like he received excellent care and a thorough evaluation was done with a good recommendation.
Tegretol can cause grogginess, but it’s an excellent choice when one looks at the whole picture including potential side effects. As long as they are checking blood levels and a CBC (complete blood count) and occasionally liver blood tests, the benefits likely far outweigh the risks.