What jobs can I not do with epilepsy?

If you have seizures, you may not be able to do jobs that risk your safety or the safety of other people. These include: jobs that involve driving. working at heights, near open water or fire.
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What jobs can a person with epilepsy?

People with epilepsy are successfully employed in a variety of jobs that might be considered high-risk: police officer, firefighter, welder, butcher, construction worker, etc.
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What epileptics should avoid?

Here are some of the seizure triggers that have been reported by people with epilepsy:
  • Not taking epilepsy medicine as prescribed.
  • Feeling tired and not sleeping well.
  • Stress.
  • Alcohol and recreational drugs.
  • Flashing or flickering lights.
  • Monthly periods.
  • Missing meals.
  • Having an illness which causes a high temperature.
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Can epilepsy prevent you from working?

Many people with epilepsy are able to work and successfully carry out their job duties. Having occasional (or even fairly frequent) seizures may make your job hunt more challenging but not impossible. The better qualified you are for a position, the better your chances of success.
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Should I tell my employer I have epilepsy?

It is not always necessary to discuss epilepsy with a potential employer. Whether you do or not is up to you. If you have excellent seizure control and the employer does not ask any health-related questions, there's no reason to start talking about epilepsy unless you want to.
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Employment With Epilepsy



Can you get fired for having epilepsy?

You cannot be fired for having epilepsy. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the employment of a qualified individual with a disability who can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.
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Is epilepsy a disability?

Epilepsy is considered a disability and it has a listing in the Social Security Administration (SSA) Blue Book. For epilepsy to qualify for disability benefits, it must meet the criteria of the Blue Book listing. There are different listings for epilepsy in the Blue Book.
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Can I be a nurse with epilepsy?

There are no federal laws barring people with epilepsy from working as a nurse, physician, phlebotomist or other medical-related position. In fact, federal civil rights law, and many state laws, may protect your right to work in the medical profession.
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Does epilepsy get worse with age?

The incidence of any type of seizure increases substantially over the age of 60, commonly due to other neurological conditions such as dementia or stroke.
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Does caffeine affect epilepsy?

Caffeine can increase seizure susceptibility and protect from seizures, depending on the dose, administration type (chronic or acute), and the developmental stage at which caffeine exposure started. In animal studies, caffeine decreased the antiepileptic potency of some drugs; this effect was strongest in topiramate.
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What triggers seizures in epilepsy?

Missed medication, lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and menstruation are some of the most common triggers, but there are many more. Flashing lights can cause seizures in some people, but it's much less frequent than you might imagine.
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Does epilepsy make you lazy?

Fatigue is a feeling of overwhelming tiredness, weakness or exhaustion that can be mental, physical or both. When you have epilepsy, you are more likely to be affected by fatigue than other people. Having disrupted sleep, because of seizures or the effect of epilepsy medicines, makes fatigue more likely.
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What exactly does Keppra do to the brain?

Keppra contains the active ingredient levetiracetam, which is a medicine used to treat epilepsy. It works by stabilising electrical activity in the brain. The brain and nerves are made up of many nerve cells that communicate with each other through electrical signals.
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Are you born with epilepsy?

Epilepsy has no identifiable cause in about half the people with the condition. In the other half, the condition may be traced to various factors, including: Genetic influence. Some types of epilepsy, which are categorized by the type of seizure you experience or the part of the brain that is affected, run in families.
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What do epilepsy nurses do?

Epilepsy specialist nurses play a key role in supporting continuity of care between settings for people with epilepsy. There is some evidence that epilepsy specialist nurses improve clinically important outcomes such as knowledge, anxiety and depression for people with epilepsy in secondary and tertiary care.
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How do nurses treat seizures?

Assess your patient for signs and symptoms of seizure activity, such as his report of an aura or twitching of muscle groups, especially in his face or hands. Have an oral airway, oxygen, and suction readily available. Keep his bed in a low position with the side rails up. Consider padding them.
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Can epileptics donate blood?

Throughout the world people who have epilepsy and seizures are prohibited from donating blood. These restrictions are based on the assumption that they are prone to adverse donor reactions, specifically, syncope and convulsions.
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Does epilepsy affect memory?

The epilepsy may cause difficulties with being able to store memories. Research has shown that people with epilepsy are prone to forget things more quickly than others.
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Can you fly with epilepsy?

The IATA guidelines say that if you have had a tonic-clonic seizure less than 24 hours before your flight, you will need medical clearance to be allowed to fly. If your seizures are generally well controlled, you should not usually need medical clearance.
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What is the life expectancy for someone with epilepsy?

Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy. Reductions in life expectancy are highest at the time of diagnosis and diminish with time.
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Is epilepsy a physical or mental disability?

Epilepsy is not a mental illness. In fact, the vast majority of people living with epilepsy have no cognitive or psychological problem. For the most part, psychological issues in epilepsy are limited to people with severe and uncontrolled epilepsy.
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Is 500 mg of Keppra a lot?

Adults and children 4 years of age and older weighing over 40 kilograms (kg)—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The usual starting dose is 500 milligrams (mg) 2 times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 3000 mg per day.
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What are the long term effects of taking Keppra?

The most frequently reported side effects associated with the use of LEV in pooled analyses of the regulatory trials were somnolence, asthenia, headache and dizziness. TPM-associated adverse events were predominantly central nervous system-related symptoms, including somnolence, dizziness and psychomotor slowing.
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Does Keppra change your personality?

As with other antiepileptics, Keppra may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. Monitor for worsening depression or mood changes. Keppra may also cause behavioral problems such as aggression, anxiety, irritability, and nervousness; advise people taking Keppra to monitor their mood.
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