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Epilepsy glossary - A
Absence seizure – a type of generalised seizure where the person briefly loses awareness and becomes blank or unresponsive. Absences often last a few seconds and the person is unconscious. If they are walking they might carry on walking.
Active ingredient – the chemical part of a drug that works on the body to control or treat a condition or disease.
Acute side effect – a side effect that starts soon after a drug is taken, or when the dose of a drug is increased. These side effects can vary from one drug to another and from one person to another. They include headaches, dizziness and drowsiness. The effect usually goes away after a few weeks.
Add-on (or adjunctive) therapy - medication taken in addition to another medication.
Adherence – when someone takes their medication as they are told to. This is an old-fashioned term because it suggests people ‘have to do what the doctor says’ or that ‘the doctor knows best’. A similar term that is used is ‘compliance’. The term concordance is now often used instead of adherence.
Adjunctive treatment – adding an extra drug to a drug (or drugs) that is already being taken. This is also called ‘add-on therapy’.
AED (anti-epileptic drug) - medication taken to control epilepsy and stop seizures.
Ambulatory EEG – when someone has EEG monitoring and they can move and walk around. The EEG electrodes are held in place on the head with tape, and connected to a recorder that is worn on a belt. This means that the EEG recording can be done over a longer period of time, and can be done at home, during day-to-day activities. Ambulatory EEG is often done when someone has had a standard EEG but had no seizures. Because Ambulatory EEG is done over a longer time than a standard EEG, it is more likely that a seizure will happen and the information can be recorded.
Anticonvulsants – another name for anti-epileptic drugs, used to treat epilepsy. This term is misleading because not all epileptic seizures include convulsions.
Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) – medication taken to control epilepsy and stop seizures from happening. There are many different AEDs and they work in different ways and stop different types of seizures. Up to 70% of people with epilepsy could have their seizures stopped with the right AEDs.
Ataxia – unsteady or shaky movement caused by the brain not being able to control posture and body movement. This can be a side effect of some anti-epileptic drugs.
Atonic or atonic seizure – a type of generalised seizure where the person’s muscles suddenly lose tone, go floppy, and they fall down (usually forwards) if they are standing up. Although the seizures don’t hurt, the person might hurt themselves, especially their head and face, when they fall. These seizures are usually very brief and the person becomes conscious again very quickly. This is sometimes called a ‘drop attack’.
Aura – a type of simple partial seizure that becomes a generalised seizure (see secondarily generalised seizure). Auras are usually strange sensations, such as a strange smell, funny taste, or strange ‘rising’ feeling in the stomach. The person will be conscious and aware that the aura is happening. Auras are also called ‘warnings’ because they warn the person that a generalised seizure is coming.
Automatism – this is an automatic movement that has no purpose. Automatisms can happen in complex partial seizures and often look very strange or unusual. They include lip-smacking, making chewing movements, repeatedly picking up objects or pulling at clothes.
