Objective Assessment Required for Stopping the Medication
Q: Dear Doctor, since last 10 months I have been taking Albendazole 400mg for tiny calcified granuloma in the brain. I was getting very tired in the evening. So I decided to stop that tablet. Does it give any side effect during withdrawal? I think 10 months are more than enough to cure the granuloma. After 2 months, I have plan to assess the condition of granuloma by CT scan.
Reply:
It is recommended that you leave the medication only after an objective assessment by CT scan, not before that.
You have already taken the drug for a sufficient period of time. This should be adequate. Talk to your doctor about it.
There are no withdrawal symptoms of this medication.
Take Care,
Buddy M.D.
Sir, my age is 18 years, my problem is calcified granuloma in right frontal lobe faced last three years. I consulted a neurologist, he said above problem through CT scan. I take medication of TRIOPTAL-150mg tablets per day two tablets. My doctor said the medicine was three years course, I have been taking it since last 30 months. The problem is danger or no danger. Please say. When should I stop the medicine?
You need to get another CT scan brain done. Your doctor may assess the status of the granuloma now. Is it as active as it was 30 months later, or is it reducing in size with time.
On the basis of his assessment on the status of the granuloma, it may be decided whether you require the medicine or not.
The medicine you are taking is a pill given to prevent any fit or seizure, since such events are common in patients having granulomas.
Dear Doctor,
My daughter aged 32 at present contracted cysticercosis at the age of 17 in 1998.
She was on albendazole and Tegretol for a long time to control her focal seizures and was lesion free from 2002.
She got married and has two daughters also now.
All of a sudden her focal lesions re appeared in 2012 which was again controlled by Livipol.
But again seizures occurred in last week due to which she is again put on high dose of tegretol.
The last MRI results in Oct 2014 says “focal calcified lesion in the left parietal convexity in the sensory cortex
Compared to previous MRI of 2012 there is minimal increase in peri lesional edema”
My questions are 1. Is there any permanent solution for this? If so which is the best hospital in the world to do that?
2. How long she has to be on AED?
3. Can it progressively lead to further complications?
Well, as for the permanent cure, as you can understand, these conditions are difficult to treat. The causative bug enters the brain via the blood stream and reside there inside a tough capsule.
The granuloma represents a constant fight (chronic inflammation) of the host cells against the bug. It is very difficult to remove the bug.
However, with continued medication of albendazole, it is very likely that your doctors have killed the bug. What still remains may be the left debris of the germ, which are also antigenic (foreign) to the body. Hence, the host cells are still acting against it to give aa reaction.
The reaction comprises edema and other signs of inflammation, which is giving her the problem of seizures.
For now, she needs to be given tegretol and some anti inflammatory medications to reduce edema.
The situation is likely to get better with time. The host cells would conclude their fight by forming a scar tissue, that would regress in size with time.
There is no official list for best hospitals. However, for most of the things, hospitals associated with Harvard, John Hopkins, Mayo Clinic are the best.