Effects Valium has on Seizures :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Effects Valium has on Seizures My sister is a victim of a disease called Rett Syndrome which causes her to have intense seizures. She is seventeen now and has had seizures her whole life. Having faced these for many years now, my parents have been through lots of different types of medications to help treat and control her seizures. The newest type of medication is Valium and so I though that I would take this opportunity to learn more about it and its effect on seizures. First off, it is important to understand what a seizure is. A seizure is caused by abnormal discharge of electric stimulation in the brain. They may also be caused by salt imbalances in the blood, gastrointestinal disease, poisoning, head injury, brain disease such as a tumor, a malformed blood vessel, or anything that causes sudden lack of oxygen to the brain.((1).) Seizures are also grouped into different categories depending on how severe they are and also depending on which part of the brain is effected. For example, if the entire brain is involved it is a generalized seizure as opposed to if only a portion of the brain is effected and in that case the seizure is a partial seizure. ((2).) There are two types of partial seizures, simple partial and complex partial. There are also two types of generalized seizures, generalized absence (petit mal) and tonic-clonic (grand mal). The seizures that my sister has are tonic-clonic or grand mal, which are considered the most severe type of seizure to have. With a tonic-clonic seizure, there are two phases. In the tonic phase, the person loses consciousness and falls, as the body grows rigid. In the clonic phase, body extremities jerk and twitch. After the seizure, consciousness returns slowly. ((2).) Over the years, my sister has been through various different medications whose intent was to control her seizure activity. A new type of treatment that her neurologist suggested trying is Valium (Diazepam). Valium is a drug that effects the limbic, thalamic and hypothalamic regions of the central nervous system. ((3).) Valium slows the central nervous system and is used to treat anxiety related disorders and conditions that cause severe muscle spasms and convulsions. ((4).) Valium is administered rectally. Liquid Valium is absorbed fast from the rectum. The effect should take place 5-15 minutes after the injection.((3).) Valium should not be used on a daily basis because it can cause withdraw and it also has many other side effects.