NO EPILEPSY DRUGS, SOME OF 65 000 PATIENTS DISFIGURED

BETHANY - The lack of medication for epilepsy has supposedly led to some of the 65 000 patients being disfigured, as they are offered alternative medical drugs.

According to a number of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, they were enrolled on treatment which they were supposed to get monthly. However, the shortage of medical drugs and pharmaceutical supplies in public health facilities, has resulted in pharmacists prescribing them alternative medication. Patients interviewed by this publication said the prescribed medical drugs were quite expensive, as they range between E500 and E750 at retail pharmacies. 

The patients diagnosed with epilepsy claimed that they were supposed to collect their medication monthly from public health institutions, in order to stabilise any seizures that may arise. Information gathered indicates that 65 000 people in the country have been diagnosed with epilepsy. This equates 5.4 per cent of the population of about 1.2 million people. Meanwhile, the patients told this publication that due to the alternatives prescribed in the absence of the initially prescribed medication, they developed a lot of side effects. The side effects, according to some of the patients, led to loss of sight, and some having constant nose bleeds and bleeding through the eyes and ears.

Effects

They further stated that the side effects resulted in others having swollen stomachs. It was their claim that some of them constantly had swollen feet, skin peeling off, disfigured shoulders and or their manhood becoming dysfunctional. Among the patients alleging to have suffered side effects after being offered alternative medication, is Wandile Mahlalela (41) of  Othandweni, in Siphofaneni. Mahlalela alleged that he recently lost his sight as a result of the side effects of the medication prescribed to him. According to the patient, he started taking anti-epileptic medication in April 2022. This, he said, was after being diagnosed with the condition and in the initial stages of his enrolment, there were no side effects.  However, Mahlalela claimed that due to the ongoing drugs shortage in the country, he was then switched to another medical drug - Tegretol CR 200 Norvartis.

According to drugs.com, Tegretal CR 200 Divitabs is an anti-epileptic medicine used to treat epilepsy and it helps prevent certain types of seizures (fits). The website states that it is also prescribed for a painful condition of the face, head and neck, known as trigeminal neuralgia and diabetes-related nerve pain (diabetic neuropathy). It further lists that Tegretol may cause serious blood problems or a life-threatening skin rash or allergic reaction and patients need to call their doctors if they have a fever, unusual weakness, bleeding, bruising or a skin rash that causes blistering and peeling.

Meanwhile, Mahlalela said his misery started after being prescribed Tegretol CR 200 Norvartis, as some of his body parts started swelling, resulting in him failing to walk at some point.  Subsequently, Mahlalela purported, he developed blisters all over his body. Following this side effect, he claimed that blood started coming out through his nostrils, ears and mouth.
This, he said, led to him suspecting that there was something wrong with the medication that was prescribed to him.

“Following my bleeding through various body parts, I was then taken to the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital; but I was turned back. I was then referred to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, where one of the doctors said it might be possible that the medication I was using was the cause of the problem at hand,” claimed Mahlalela.  The side effects, according to Mahlalela, persisted as he continued to bleed through various parts. He said it was at this instance that he was referred to Mbabane Government Hospital for further check-ups.  According to the patient, at the Mbabane Government Hospital, one of the doctors who attended to him emphatically said he was experiencing side-effects of the anti-epileptic medication he was using at the time.  

Medication

“I was not admitted, despite that the doctor informed me that the epilepsy medication had led to the complications. My mother then took me home, where she started bathing me with some salts. The situation was really bad. No one wanted to come close to me because of the bad smell, as my flesh was also peeling off. I thank God that I am still standing today,” he said. Last Wednesday, this publication interviewed Mahlalela at Bethany, who narrated his challenges. He was in the company of his mother. The patient communicated that he had lost his eyesight and attesting to his assertion were scales which covered his eyes. 

Also visible was that nails on both his hands and feet were peeling off, and his body was covered with black spots.  Following the side-effects of Tegretol CR 200 Norvartis, Mahlalela said he was now using Sodium Valproate and Valproic (500 mg) to treat his epileptic seizures. He said he was praying that he might regain his sight. According to him, he would go for an operation between September and October this year.

On the other hand, another patient, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, said he started taking the anti-epileptic medication in 2015. The patient was of the view that government was falling short in ensuring that they accessed healthcare and in turn, continued to be productive members of society. His view was that government was moving at a snail’s pace to procure their vital medication. Last Thursday, the patient claimed to have visited the Mbabane Government Hospital, where he sought anti-epileptic medication. 

He said this had been the same case in the month of July, when he went to the public health facility. The patient said he always took two different drugs per day, which are folic acid and Epillim. He supposed that Epillim had been on stock-out for some time at the public health facility, while in June, he had not received folic acid from the dispensary. “Since I did not get Epillim, I was given another drug called Sodium Valproate and Valproic Acid controlled release (500mg), which acts as a substitute for the one I am familiar with.

Purchase

“I do not know where I will get E700 to purchase the drug said to be on stock- out. Even at the time I used Pegritory, I would be told at times that it was not available and would have to buy it. “It cost me between E500 and E550 and as epileptic patients, we cannot afford to buy drugs in (retail) pharmacies, as they are expensive,” lamented the patient. He said the downside of not receiving the medical drugs was that, epilepsy patients suffered multiple seizures.  He further claimed that some patients with underlying illnesses received no caution from some health workers about the new drugs’ side effects.

“There is no consistency in the drugs given to us by health workers, because of the way they interchange the medication. Some of the health workers give us drugs they think might help stabilise such conditions without consultation with doctors,” alleged one of the aggrieved patients. He alleged that after receiving alternative drugs from the ones prescribed by the doctor, he started developing some deformities. He alleged that his manhood became dysfunctional. He said after making that discovery, he went back to the hospital and reported the new developments. “I was not happy with the responses I got from the health workers regarding the drug’s side effects. The health worker informed me that they were interested in the fact that I remained alive, not what I complained about,” claimed the patient.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: