If you or a family member is an epileptic and are considering the use of herbal remedies that are offered online to help you treat the condition, you should be aware that doing so could actually make your epilepsy symptoms worse.

According to Dr. Sallie Baxendale, consultant neuropsychologist at Epilepsy Society, a lot of the online herbal treatments do not work at all and may be very dangerous to use. Baxendale has written a book on the subject, Epilepsy: Complementary and Alternative Treatments,where she writes about her exploration into the scientific aspect of at least 15 alternative epileptic treatments.

“While many of the treatments promoted on the web are unproven and ineffective, others could be positively harmful for people with epilepsy,” Baxendale writes. “For example, some herbal remedies, such as skullcap, seem to have effects on brain function and have been associated with causing seizures rather than curing them.”

There is no surprise that many patients may look to “safe” herbal treatments in lieu of using prescription medications like Topamax because drugs like Topamax can be dangerous. For example, Topamax is an anti-seizure medication that has been found to cause birth defects in babies whose mothers take the drug while pregnant. These women may search for the herbal remedies during pregnancy to avoid their babies suffering from birth defects like PPHN, spina bifida, neural tube defects and oral clefts.

With these side effects in mind, Baxendale understands women’s need to find alternative treatments.

“It’s no surprise, therefore, that people turn to the Internet for help,” she says. “Unfortunately much of the information on the web is posted by people who have a vested interest in selling a product or treatment. When it comes to unregulated treatments, it’s very difficult for people to know who to trust on the Internet.”

If your baby has suffered from birth defects after being exposed to Topamax in-utero, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injury.