Q: My two and a half years daughter is suffering from convulsions since birth. We have used all types of medication as advised by the doctors. Now the doctor says that her nervous system is totally damaged and he cannot do anything. My baby is unable to stand or sit properly. We gave her these medicines - Epival syrup (4 ml) thrice a day, Frisium (5 mg) twice a day and Levera (500 mg) twice a day. How can my daughter’s convulsion be managed?

A:You should understand that there many causes and varieties of epilepsy. Hence, management and treatment of epilepsy is a very complicated and specialised science. Epilepsies with onset at birth or early infancy, which are persisting at two and half years of age, are serious in nature, and probably related to problems at birth, neurometabolic disorders or structural defects of the brain. It is important to meet a child neurologist and get the child evaluated. The prognosis depends upon the cause of your child's epilepsy. Thereafter, the medications can be modified.