Celebrity Justice
John Travolta's Son: Meds Ultimately Didn't Work

TMZ has learned more about the medical condition of John Travolta's son, Jett, and the medication that ultimately didn't work.

We're now told the grand mal seizures Jett suffered were "frequent and extremely serious." Travolta's lawyers, Michael Ossi and Michael McDermott, tell us "each seizure was like a death," with Jett losing consciousness and convulsing.

We now know Jett was taking a drug called Depakote, a strong anti-seizure medication. There have been reports Travolta refused to give his son anti-seizure meds because of Scientology but those stories are not true.

Jett had been having seizures on an average of every four days, until he started taking Depakote. Ossi and McDermott say the drug initially worked, reducing the frequency to approximately once every three weeks.

Jett took Depakote for "several years," but it eventually lost its effectiveness, according to Ossi and McDermott. They say the Travoltas were concerned about possible physical damage. And, Jett went back to having around one seizure a week. So Travolta and Preston, after consulting neurosurgeons, stopped administering the drug. No one is suggesting withdrawal of the medicine in any way caused the fatal episode.

Reader Comments

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106. O.K.. This case has now officially become a 'mystery'!! I wanted to give Jett's parents the benefit of the doubt, but there's something rotten in Denmark!! They are embalming him today for a "viewing" on Tuesday, and a "burial" in Florida on Wednesday. Someone in authority needs to step in to preserve the evidence (the body). Too many unanswered questions here. Just got off the phone with the Phoenix Foundation, I'm told that Scientology "members" have been given orders from the Golden Temple to swarm all celebrity gossip message boards to "talk up" the organization and the Travolta's!!! MacGyver out!!

Posted at 2:36PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Angus_MacGyver_on_the_case!

107. KatProv, how can you judge people? They're judging and YOU are judging. Their judging is no worse than yours.


Posted at 2:34PM on Jan 4th 2009 by welcome back

108. "If the loss it because they denied the child proper care, how can you feel sorry for them?"

unless you have birthed, taken care of, worked, etc... with people with autism, seizure disorders, mental retardation... you wouldn't understand. medications are dangerous. medication is not the quick fixer. medication can kill and cause SEVERE bodily harm. so, maybe if you knew, or had experience... you would feel sorry too. there is no "proper care". honestly, HONESTLY, children with these disorders are lab rats. try one thing, doesn't work, try another. well this one worked a little more than this one. well this one is causing him seizures and hes gained 20lbs but we have to wait 6 weeks until his blood work shows the correct theraputic levels. lets try these 3 seizure meds with risperdal, and trazodone and seroquel and all these other meds. and what if one counter acts with another.

by the way, studies have shown that children with autism do 10 times better without meds. if you provide therapy and wheat and gluten free diets. and most importantly, providing an active and normal lifestyle. autistic kids suffer more if medication is given. autistic kids also tend to be violent. hitting, spitting, kicking, pulling hair. autism is like tripping on shrooms as a baby while being pumped full of meds that make you either an insomniac or a vegetable who cant poop right.

do you know how many times i would hear a chime and run up flights of stairs looking for an open window, only to find that one of the kids in their bedroom wanted fresh air. the times i would see one of the kids just walking around in the back yard and run up to him thinking he was having a seizure, and he was just singing to himself. perfectly fine. the times where i would be so proud that a teen would toilet himself, and feel so guilty the one time he ate the soap.

YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

Posted at 2:38PM on Jan 4th 2009 by fire nina

109. PJ, I absolutely agree with you about the right to practice any religion, we don't ever want to live in a world where that right is taken away. In fact, a lot of people do live in such a world, however it horrifies me to no end that any lunatic can claim to have been visited by an Angel or an alien and there are thousands of sad, lonely people just lined up to follow.
I also agree that this should not be turned into a discussion about religion, it is a tragic loss of an innocent child but unfortunately considering who his parents are and their involvement in Scientology, it was inevitable.

Posted at 2:39PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Leela

110. do you know how many times i would hear a chime and run up flights of stairs looking for an open window, only to find that one of the kids in their bedroom wanted fresh air. the times i would see one of the kids just walking around in the back yard and run up to him thinking he was having a seizure, and he was just singing to himself. perfectly fine. the times where i would be so proud that a teen would toilet himself, and feel so guilty the one time he ate the soap.

by fire nina


no, we don't know how many times. but why don't you tell us.

Posted at 2:40PM on Jan 4th 2009 by welcome back

111. So very, very sorry for this family. Rest in peace, Jett.

Posted at 2:44PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Linda

112. Dear Travolta and Kelly and your daughter,

I am really sorry to hear about Jett. May he rest in peace. He was
young poor thing. He will watch down on you. Just know that your
fans are thinking of you at this time.
Diana

Posted at 2:56PM on Jan 4th 2009 by DianaM

113. My heart goes out to the Travolta family. I can't imagine losing a child at any age. God bless you all.

Posted at 2:59PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Sheri from Ohio

114. I would say that I'm a christian (ashamed of some of the christian bloggers here) but I've never liked taking medication. I just didn't like to put anything toxic in my body. It was a personal decision. I used the odd aspirin or so in adulthood. I would use medication only if absolutely necessary. I knew someone who hadn't seen a certain doctor for 10 years and was given 7 different prescriptions at once. This person looked up the medications he wanted before seeing the doctor. He asked and it was prescribed. Unfortunately, he died of a drug overdose years later. I think this family did all they could for their son regardless of their religion. Jett's with God now. May he R.I.P.

Posted at 2:59PM on Jan 4th 2009 by letitbe

115. Sorry sorry didn't mean to repost my first comment.

Posted at 3:04PM on Jan 4th 2009 by PJ

116. Ok, I am missing one thing. Yes, anti-psychotics/anti-seizure meds can often "cr*p out" on you and they usually do, everyone who has mental health issues that requires some know that. Rarely a person is just placed on a med and it just keeps working forever... There is such thing as "kindling" with both Epilepsy and Bi-Polar, where the progression of the disease usually continues despite the treatment albeit slowly and many (especially the kind that Travoltas' money can afford) neuro/psychs would know that. Where is ther expertise? Where is "changing coctails"? Where is trying newer anti-psychotics that are less likely to cause Tardive Diskynesia (that I assume they were afraid of)? Grand mal seizures are nothing to be taken lightly, they are often associated with Autism and Bi-Polar, and there are methods of treatment. One just have to be willing to do it for that person, because chances are they will not be able to do it for themselves... If an acquaintance of mine can do it on a social security (disability) income there is no excuse for Travolta's not seeking alternative methods of treatment. Scientology dogma did harm, not the Depakote. I rest my case...

Posted at 3:07PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Anteah

117. Fire Nina in 103

"by the way, studies have shown that children with autism do 10 times better without meds"

And it is this scientology-provided data from 6331 Hollywood Blvd, that probably caused the discontinuation of the medication of Jett, exacerbating the problem. I would hope Travolta sues scientology over this untimely death.

Posted at 3:07PM on Jan 4th 2009 by parvent

118. [No one is suggesting withdrawal of the medicine in any way caused the fatal episode.]

So what time did the lawyers call, Harvey?

Posted at 3:08PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Me

119. Yet they left him alone all night? Neglect people. sure neglect. Let him go to the bathroom by himself. That should never have been allowed. They are just making themselves look worse. This kid should have been watched constantly. He died p because he wasnt. Plain and simple. Someone dropped the ball and now he is dead. Shame.

Posted at 3:17PM on Jan 4th 2009 by tina

120. It's not surprising they took him off the medication. These kinds of drugs have terrible side effects.

Posted at 3:19PM on Jan 4th 2009 by Lana

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