 [ Symptoms ] how will adolescence affect my teenager who has epilepsy [ Disease ] adolescence is a volatile time both socially and biologically a lot of profound changes are taking place it is especially important that once a child hits puberty he or she go back to the doctor for a check up it is possible that the physical changes of puberty may mean that your teen is medication needs to be adjusted a lot of parents find that their teenager wants to stop taking medication some teens with epilepsy feel like they no longer need epilepsy drugs or they do not want to be controlled by a drug it is important that you make clear to your teen the risk of stopping medication teens may need to be reminded what it was like when they had regular seizures also if they have not had a seizure in some time point out that the reason may be that their drugs are working teenage years are often a time when standing out is the last thing a child wants a lot of kids feel painfully awkward and it can be worse for teenagers with epilepsy they may be embarrassed by their condition they may be terrified of having a seizure in public they may also not like the side effects of their medication which may affect their concentration or their physical appearance it is important to get any of these concerns checked out with a doctor it is possible that a change in medicine could ease some of their concerns depression is a bigger problem among teenagers with epilepsy than previously thought says william r turk md chief of the neurology division at the nemours children is clinic in jacksonville florida if you think your child might be depressed it is important to get help for parents some of the emotional preparation for the teenage years can start early any parent of a child with epilepsy should work hard to establish a climate of trust  turk says if you have an open and honest relationship with your child when she is young you may feel more comfortable with her independence as she grows older on the other hand if you are always isolating your kids or imposing restrictions on them they may be more likely to rebel when they get older