Vagus nerve stimulation

Only some people with epilepsy are eligible to have VNS therapy. The NHS have guidelines about who it can be offered to.

To be eligible for VNS you must still be having seizures despite trying a number of different epilepsy medicines, or your epilepsy medicine causes you too many side-effects. You must also be unsuitable for epilepsy brain surgery, or have had brain surgery but you’re still having seizures.

Ask your epilepsy doctor if they think it is a possibility for you.

• The surgery usually takes 1-2 hours. People often go home the same day or the next day
• You may feel a little hoarse for a while after the operation
• A neurologist or specialist nurse will turn the VNS on and programme the stimulation. Sometimes this is done on the day of the operation, but usually they’ll do it at follow-up appointment 2-4 weeks afterwards
• You’ll be given a hand-held magnet that you can swipe over the site of the VNS if you want to boost stimulation, for example if you feel a seizure starting
• At some point, the battery will run low and need replacing. The batteries last can between 3 and 8 years

The benefits of VNS can include:

• Fewer seizures
• Less severe seizures or shorter seizures
• Improved quality of life
• Sometimes it’s possible to reduce the amount of epilepsy medicine you take

You might find that your seizure control slowly improves over time.

Side-effects that people sometimes report after having a VNS device can include:

• Hoarseness
• A change in your voice
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Prickling feeling in the skin
• Coughing

These side-effects are common but they often improve over time, and they might only happen when the device is stimulated.

If you need to have an MRI scan and have had a VNS device fitted make sure you tell your healthcare team.