Interesting Tidbit of News

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Did you know that someone with epilepsy should not have a dpt shot?? And maybe other vaccinations? Not sure on that last part though.

I would never have guessed one had to do with the other. For sure no doctor ever once mentioned it.

Travis went to get his required vaccinations for the college. Soon as they discovered he has epilepsy then turned him down flat. Told him he is forever exempt from vaccinations. Since their clinic is part of their excellent medication school I have to assume they know what they're talking about.

Be darned.

Seems they can cause grand mal seizures. Now gee, I'd think that would be something a pediatrician doctor might want to mention to the parent of the child he's giving vaccines to. But no one ever said a word. Wonder if this is a new finding perhaps??
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I've never heard of that but nothing surprises me any more. Are they saying that the DPT shot can bring on the epilepsy? Or that the shot can cause seizures in someone who has epilepsy?

I always wondered about something like that. One of my nephews was always just fine, no medical problems at all when he was a kid ... joined the Navy, got all kinds of immunizations, then started having grand mal seizures. They never could find a reason for the seizures but he had to give up the military.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Well, the sheet I had to fill out to get my flu shot asked if I had any neuro disorders or epilepsy or seizure disorders. I was getting this shot at a pharmacy and I was concerned because I had the seizures with the meningitis plus I had the meningitis and I do have the bipolar so I asked them what did they think. They said since it wasnt true epilepsy and the meningitis wasnt ongoing I should be fine, especially since I had the regular flu shot and was fine.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
It is supposed to trigger them in someone who has epilepsy Donna. However, it is possible your nephew was a sufferer of absence seizures and he and no one else ever picked up on it. Travis had them for years before we did.

So now I have 2 kids who can never be vaccinated. Interesting.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Is it just with the IM vaccine, or does the nasal spray have the same effect? Does it matter if it's a live virus or not? Does it matter what the cause of the epilepsy is? For example, husband's seizures are due to a combination of having had brain surgery plus the remnant of the cavernoma that remains in his brain tissue. Does it matter if the seizures are under control with medication? Do they know HOW/WHY this happens?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Those are questions I can't answer gvcmom. I just found this out today when the clinic at the college told Travis this when he attempted to get his vaccinations. The cause of the epilepsy I doubt would matter as you'd still be susceptible to having a grand mal seizure. Can't say about if it's controlled with medications or not.........as it didn't seem to matter today. Travis' epilepsy is due to brain injury at birth. Soon as he told them he has epilepsy he was told he couldn't have them period. No if ands or buts about it.

I haven't had time to look into this and get any info on it yet. Maybe Judi will see this post and be able to answer that sort of thing.
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Lisa, I'm not surprised - as an epileptic I haven't had various vaccinations (mostly tetanus); with the 2007 diagnosis of probable Guillian-Barre I now get no shots at all.

Flu, H1N1, pneumonia, etc. Just not happening.

Thanks for sharing your ever growing medical knowledge.
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
Wow.....Missy has had her vaccinations on schedule. She had both flu vaccines this year. The only deal is that she can't have the nasal vaccinations for flu.. doctor won't give them to her because 1. she has asthma and 2. she said they have some neurological side effects associated with them, which rules Missy out for getting them.

She has had all her other shots, though. She's not had any seizures after receiving any shots though.

After her recent swine flu vaccination, she did have some mild stuffiness, sneezing, tiredness and generalized malaise.
 
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