Living with epilepsy can mean managing medicines every day, often for many years.
For some people, the routine is straightforward. For others, it involves several medicines, different prescribed times, regular pharmacy visits, and appointments to obtain new prescriptions.
Parents and carers may also be helping children, partners or older family members manage their medicines.
The challenge is not always remembering the medicine itself. It is keeping track of everything that goes with it: the next scheduled dose, the current prescription, the remaining repeats and when another appointment needs to be arranged.
A little organisation can make these everyday tasks easier to manage.
Why epilepsy medicines need particular attention
There are three practical reasons why managing anti-seizure medicines can be especially demanding.
1. Keeping to the prescribed schedule
Many anti-seizure medicines need to be taken regularly at prescribed times. Missing doses can increase the risk of breakthrough seizures for some people.
But everyday life does not always follow a predictable timetable.
Work, school, travel, social commitments and changing family responsibilities can all disrupt familiar routines.
A useful starting point is to keep a current list of prescribed medicines, strengths and scheduled times somewhere accessible.
Some people prefer written checklists or phone alarms. Others find it easier to use a medication organiser that keeps multiple reminders and prescriptions together.
Whichever approach you use, reminders should reflect the schedule prescribed by your treating team.
If you miss a dose, follow the instructions for your particular medicine or contact your pharmacist or prescriber rather than guessing what to do.
2. Keeping medicine brands and formulations clear
Anti-seizure medicines can be supplied in different brands, strengths and formulations.
For some people, particularly those whose seizures are well controlled on an established treatment, changing brands or formulations requires careful consideration.
This does not mean every change is unsuitable. It means changes should be checked with the pharmacist and, where appropriate, the prescriber.
Keeping an accurate record of the medicine name, brand, strength and form can make these conversations easier.
If a new packet looks different from the one normally supplied, check the details before assuming it is equivalent.
3. Preparing for medicine supply problems
Medicine shortages and local pharmacy stock disruptions can occasionally affect anti-seizure medicines.
Discovering that a prescribed medicine is unavailable when the current supply is nearly finished can create unnecessary stress.
The best time to check availability is before it becomes urgent.
Knowing how much medicine remains, how many prescription repeats are left and when the prescription expires can give you more time to contact the pharmacy or prescriber.
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration maintains a medicine shortages database, which can help identify nationally reported supply problems.
Any change to the medicine supplied should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional.
The prescription details people often overlook
Consider a familiar situation.
You take your medicine regularly and still have tablets in the current pack. Everything seems organised.
Then, at the pharmacy, you discover that your last prescription repeat was already dispensed.
Or you find that the prescription has expired and a new appointment is needed.
The medicine routine has continued, but the prescription paperwork has fallen behind.
Keeping track of the following information can help avoid last-minute surprises:
- The medicine name and prescribed strength
- The current eScript or paper prescription
- Remaining prescription repeats
- The prescription expiry date
- When another GP or specialist appointment may be needed
The prescription expiry date is different from the expiry date printed on the medicine packaging.
A simple way to stay ahead of repeats
After each dispensing, check the repeats remaining and whether a new eScript token has been issued.
Record the updated information somewhere you will find it again.
This could be a notebook, a calendar or a digital medication record.
For people managing several prescriptions, it can be helpful to keep repeats, expiry dates and medication reminders in one place, rather than checking several messages and records.
The key is to update the information whenever a prescription is dispensed or renewed.
What happens to your eScript after dispensing?
Electronic prescriptions have made it easier to receive prescriptions by SMS or email, but they introduce another organisational task.
A token sent several weeks ago can become buried among other messages.
And when a repeat is dispensed, a new token is normally issued for the next dispensing. The old token should not be assumed to remain valid.
Keeping the latest eScript accessible can save time when visiting a pharmacy.
If you cannot find your prescription, the pharmacy or prescriber may be able to help. Eligible patients can also ask about using an Active Script List.
For people using both electronic and paper prescriptions, keeping an organised record of both can make it easier to see which medicines and prescriptions belong together.
A photograph of a paper prescription is useful for personal records, but it does not replace the original valid prescription when the original is required for dispensing.
Managing epilepsy medicines for a child
For parents, medication management often has to fit around school, sport, sleepovers and family activities.
A child may take medicines at prescribed times before school and in the evening. There may also be arrangements for school camps or another adult providing care.
A clear record helps everyone involved understand the current medication routine.
Parents may find it useful to keep a separate record for each child, including medicine details, prescribed times and the current prescription information.
Where several family members have medicines, separate family medication profiles can help avoid mixing one person's records with another's.
School staff and other carers should have the information, authorisations and care plans appropriate to their responsibilities.
Epilepsy WA provides Epilepsy Management Plans and Emergency Medication Management Plans to help communicate what to do when seizures occur.
These plans are different from everyday medication reminders and should be developed and reviewed with the relevant healthcare professionals.
When caring for an adult with epilepsy
Partners, adult children and other carers may help by collecting prescriptions, checking repeats or arranging appointments.
Problems can arise when responsibilities are unclear.
One person may believe a prescription has been renewed while another thinks an appointment still needs to be arranged.
It helps to agree who will update medication records, who checks repeats and who communicates changes from the pharmacy or prescriber.
A separate medication record for the person receiving care can make the information easier to find.
Any information sharing should respect the person's preferences, privacy and consent.
Preparing for travel, holidays and time away
A change in routine can make everyday medication organisation harder.
Before a holiday, school camp or visit away from home, it can help to check:
- Whether enough prescribed medicine is available for the planned period
- Whether prescription details are easy to access
- Whether the current medicine list is up to date
- Whether another prescription appointment is due
- Who to contact if a medicine becomes unavailable
For changes involving time zones, storage requirements or prescribed timing, speak with your pharmacist or treating team before travelling.
Do not change a medication schedule independently.
Epilepsy medicines and driving
For some people with epilepsy, driving affects their ability to work, study or remain independent.
Driving eligibility depends on seizure history, individual medical circumstances and the relevant licensing requirements.
In Western Australia, people with medical conditions that may affect safe driving have responsibilities to notify the licensing authority.
Keeping prescribed medicines organised is sensible, but medication adherence or a reminder record does not establish fitness to drive.
Discuss your individual circumstances with your treating doctor and the relevant licensing authority.
Five practical habits worth establishing
The simplest system is often the one that becomes part of everyday life.
- Keep one current medication list. Include each medicine's name, strength, formulation and prescribed schedule.
- Use reminders that suit your routine. Set them according to the treating team's instructions rather than adjusting medicine times for convenience.
- Check repeats after each pharmacy visit. Record what remains and update your eScript information.
- Look ahead to prescription expiry. Arrange the next appointment while there is still time.
- Keep family records separate. Make it clear whose medicines, prescriptions and reminders belong to whom.
These habits can be maintained with a paper system or a digital one. What matters is keeping the information accurate and accessible.
Bringing everything together
For people who prefer to manage these tasks on their phone, MediRemind is an Australian medication-management app developed to keep prescribed medicine reminders, eScripts, paper prescription records, remaining repeats and recorded expiry dates together.
It also supports separate profiles for children, parents and other family members, without requiring a particular pharmacy.
You can begin by adding your current prescribed medicines and setting reminders based on the instructions you already follow.
MediRemind helps organise medication information. It does not diagnose epilepsy, recommend treatment, advise on brand substitutions or replace a medical professional's instructions.
Further information
This article provides general information about organising prescribed medicines and is not medical advice. Speak with your neurologist, GP or pharmacist about individual treatment questions, missed doses or changes in medicine brands and formulations.
Authors' disclosure: Rishi Yogesan (Founder, MediRemind) and Professor Yogi Kanagasingam (Director, MediRemind).