epilepsy and a depression

[thijmen]

dear everybody who reads this i will first just tell really fast what all happend
i have epeleption for a long time but had a operation 7 years ago and they thought everything was gone but since a couple of months ago the aura's where back so its really kinda hard to accept there back cuz my whole live is upside down now and i just dont know what to do i feel so bad and alone about it, and just dont know what to do, all i want is just to be able to accept it once more like i did but its soo hard i was just free from it for 7 years and now everything go's down again and makes me feel so bad.

but the big problem is i am also depressed *am that all my live from child of* and there seems to be no medication for depresive when you got epilepsy can anybody plzz help cuz i am just wondering if maybe in america or somewhere else there is

so i hope somebody can help or atleast let me know i am not the onley one or just send me a hugg to let me know i am not alone cuz my world seems to collapse thnx so much and btw i really like this site its verry good

* i come from holland so also sorry for my english if its not perfect *

greets thijmen dimitri sturkenboom

[Nakamova]

Hi Thijmen, welcome to CWE!

Big hugs to you!

You are not alone! There is a strong statistical connection between epilepsy and depression. In some cases it may be that the same brain imbalances that lead to epilepsy can also result in depression. In other cases, the depression can be triggered or made worse by the diagnosis of epilepsy, or by the medications prescribed to treat it. At least one antiepileptic medicine, Keppra, is known to cause moodiness, depression and anger. I recommend that you talk to your doctor right away to address your depression and figure out what the right treatment step(s) to take are. It may be that you need to try a different medication, if the one you're on is contributing to depression. Some other anti-epileptic medications are also often prescribed as mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder, and could be beneficial (or not) in your situation. In addition it's worth considering counseling or therapy.

Epilepsy can take a toll, but as this site's name indicates, there are lots of ways to cope with it. I hope you feel free to search the site, and comment or post with any questions.

Best,
Nakamova

[Cint]

Hello Thijmen,

My heart goes out to you!! I'm so sorry to hear about the return of seizures and the depression, which is hard to deal with also. I was in a very similar situation, also. After I had a left temporal lobectomy, I went into a very deep depression which the doctors had a difficult time figuring out how to treat it. At the time, I was seeing a neuropsychiatrist, who was well known in his field. He had me try numerous meds, some did nothing. He said tri-cyclics were the type to use for people with epilepsy instead of SSRI's. And on top of the depression, the seizures returned 14 months after the surgery, from complex partial seizures to tonic clonic seizures. So that only worsened the depression. I was seeing a therapist in addition to my neuropsychiatrist, which helped somewhat, but what was really needed was figuring out the right medication(s) and if there was any kind of imbalances in my system.

Please find a good neurologist and discuss the depression along with the seizures. It is very common along with epilepsy. And seek out a therapist or someone you can talk to.

{{{HUGS}}}

You are not alone........

[appsandsuch]

Hi thijmen,

You're definitely not alone- you'll find a lot of great support here on this board. I'm really sorry your auras have returned. I know they're not fun at all. In regards to medication for depression, a good amount of anti-depressants do affect seizure threshold, but there are some that are known to be relatively safe. I'm not sure what's available in Holland, but your neurologist should know which ones will be okay for you.

I hope today was better than yesterday!!

Hugs,
Sarah

[thijmen]

thank you soo much can you maybe give me a list of the anti depression you there got cuz then i can name them to my docter

hugg thijmen

[dfwtexas]

I take Cymbalta, but I take it for nerve pain (from arm trauma) as well as depression....but there are several kinds available, at least here in US
You are never alone, we are here!
jenn

[Zoofemme]

Hi thijmen...folks here are quite nice and welcoming. I empathize with you on the depression, please be sure to talk with your doctor about it so the appropriate drugs are administered...there is nothing worse than mixing the wrong meds together! Take care!