What happens if you miss a dose of seizure medication?

Have you ever realized you’ve missed a dose of seizure medication? Forgetting to take epilepsy medication is easy to do - maybe you were traveling, or you ran out of your prescription. In one recent survey of people with epilepsy, 71% said they’d forgotten to take their dose at some point. 

It’s important to be aware that forgetting a dose could make having a seizure more likely. In fact, this is one of the top causes of breakthrough seizures. 

So, what happens if you miss a dose of seizure medication? And how can you remember to take your doses more consistently?

‍Breakthrough: Coping after a breakthrough seizure

What happens if you miss a dose of seizure medication

To understand what happens if you miss a dose of seizure medication, it’s helpful to take another look at how anti-epilepsy medications work. Seizure medication works in a few different ways:

1. Decreasing ‘excitation’ (the electrical activity) in your brain
2. Slowing down or stopping how electricity gets sent around your brain
3. Changing how chemicals act in the brain or move in and out of brain cells

If you forget a dose of your anti-epilepsy drugs, then electrical activity in your brain may become uncontrolled, and this could lead to a breakthrough seizure. It may also increase your risk of status epilepticus.

What to do if you missed one dose of seizure medication 

If you have forgotten to take a dose of your seizure medication, it’s vital to contact your epilepsy treatment team. They can advise you on the best way forward in your situation. 

Your doctor may have provided you with a treatment plan which includes information about what to do if you miss a dose of seizure medication. Check if your treatment plan includes this guidance. 

It isn’t possible to provide general advice about what to do if you miss seizure medication, because everybody is different. Some people take just one dose of seizure medicine per day, others take two or three (or even more). Some take just one kind of medicine, others take several. Your size, age and gender also play into what you should do if you miss a seizure medicine dose.

Polytherapy: Taking multiple medications if you have seizures

Ideas for remembering to take seizure medication

Here are some ways to remember to take your anti-seizure medication on time:

Use an app

Seizure diary apps let you set reminders to take your medication. You can also use them to log when you take your seizure medicine, so you can always double check if you’re unsure whether you took them or not. 

Some apps can help with reminding you to take your medication too. For example, in a 2022 survey, 94.8% of Epsy users said it helped with their medication compliance. 

Make sure you have enough seizure medication

Try to stay on top of your supply of medication, monitor your refills, visit the pharmacy regularly, and consider opting into automated filling programs.

Use a weekly pill box (if you take medication in this form)

A weekly pill box lets you put your seizure meds into daily compartments. You can then easily see which day it is, how many you’ve taken, and see if you’ve forgotten any. 

Alternatively, if you take your medicine as a liquid you could print out a timetable and put it on your fridge or somewhere you’ll easily see at home as a reminder. 

Talk to your treatment team

If you’re finding it hard to follow your seizure medication schedule for any reason, talk to your doctor. There might be other ways of taking your medication that you might find easier.

Although occasionally forgetting a seizure medication dose is not uncommon, it’s important to be aware of the risks of breakthrough seizures. If you’re struggling to follow your treatment plan for any reason, speak with your doctor. 

‍If you have epilepsy, it’s important to know what happens if you miss a dose of seizure medication. Be prepared and try your best not to forget in future - this will reduce your risk of breakthrough seizures.