Hi Dr. Andrew,

My father had a seizure last week, for the first time in his life. We do not have a family history of fits/seizures. This happened in his sleep and we heard a loud scream and found him with his arms raised and stiff. Then there was a rattling sound from the throat. He was raised with additional pillows and then turned on his side, which stopped the sound. During this period he could not be wakened but subsequently he mumbled he was sleepy and just wanted to sleep. Next morning he had no recollection of this episode but realised his tongue was bitten on both sides. He had one incident before and after this seizure incident where he woke up from an afternoon nap and did not remember anything of the past few days.

He has been prescribed Eptoin ER 300 mg for 15 days (to be reduced gradually), Telsartan 40 mg (for BP) and Laminor 25 mg for 10 days, then 50 mg for 10 days and then 100 mg to be continued lifelong.

The side effects of the drugs is causing us a lot of concern and we wonder whether there are any options. Kindly advise.