Some of the Anti Ep Drugs (AEDs) can produce a drunken feeling or
slurred speech if their dose ranges go outside of therapeutic range.
This can happen between doses or while the blood levels are too high.
 She may not be aware this is happening? I only found out about
strange behaviours I had or szrs. I didn't remember, from others who
told me what had happened.
  Did you ever consider e.g. asking her if any  doses had changed or
if she realized that *you could see some things change that she might
not be aware of ?  If she's not aware of it, and sees a Dr. regularly
you could write them a note to ask if these changes might be caused by
the pills or her condition.  (Some things can change as we age, e.g.
rate our body will absorb or purge something that has been stable for a
longer time.)  That way the Dr. could do any tests that might show if a
dose level might now be too high or need some kind of adjustment to
reset the levels of control she had.   G./

Welcome to our group.  I am a woman who has had epilepsy for 30+ years.
 I was not diagnosed until I was about 18.  I can understand that your
family member's mother may have felt helpless and fearful, especially if
your relative has tonic clonic seizures (also referred to as grand mal).
 It can be a very frightening thing to witness.  I have never witnessed
one myself because I am unconscious when I have one.  But I can tell you
the after affects.  We feel extremely drained of energy, and our muscles
ache from the convulsions. I remember also having a difficult time
talking properly for about a week or two.

Right now I am in the middle of transitioning from an older medication
to a newer medication.  If you were to communicate with me right now I'm
sure you would see a somewhat "off" mental state which would be a result
of the two medications I am on right now.  My coordination is totally
off.  I can type fast, but then I have to go back and correct my
mistakes.  The most frustrating thing for me is not being able to think
of words.  My friends and family understand and they help me out by
filling in the words for me, when I ask.

So it could be the medication she is on, or it could be the seizures
(there are many different kinds of seizures) or it could be a
combination of the two.

There are many new AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs) on the market now that
are so much better than the older drugs.  In my case I chose to switch
to a newer drug even though I haven't had a tonic clonic seizure for
over 10 years.

We always welcome new voices in the epilepsy community.  Happy to have
your involvement.  Please feel free to pick our brains and ask any
questions.

Take care,

Julie Walton, Volunteer Webmaster
Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho
http://www.epilepsyidaho.org