OTHER APPROACHES TO EPILEPSY THERAPY: THE KETOGENIC DIET – IS MY CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR THIS DIET? WILL MY CHILD HAVE TO REMAIN ON THIS DIET FOR LIFE?
OTHER APPROACHES TO EPILEPSY THERAPY: THE KETOGENIC DIET – IS MY CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR THIS DIET? WILL MY CHILD HAVE TO REMAIN ON THIS DIET FOR LIFE?”Is my child eligible for this diet?”The diet appears quite effective in children with myoclonic and atonic (drop) types of seizures, the types most resistant to current medications. However, it can be used in virtually all forms of epilepsy. The diet is not used during the first year of life, because the infant is not capable of maintaining the ketosis. There is no upper age limit to its use, but children over the age of four or five who have normal intelligence may have developed sufficient food preferences and sufficient independence that maintaining the diet can be difficult. We have used it successfully in pre-teens and adolescents when the individual and family are well-motivated.”Will my child have to remain on this diet for life?”No. Most children whose seizures are controlled on the diet remain on it for two years. After that time they can gradually be taken off the diet, and the seizures usually do not return, even without additional anticonvulsant drugs.*146\208\8* neomeds.net
