Night terrors?

[crainla]

Has anyone ever experienced night terrors with epilepsy? I was recently diagnosed with complex partial seizure epilepsy after having a night terror two months ago.

Out of no where, the first and only time in my life (so far), I had a night terror which landed me in the ER after my wife had to call 911 on me. When I was referred to a neurologist, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I've been reading a lot about it, but haven't read or heard much about a link to night terrors.

I just wanted to know if anyone else out there with epilepsy had ever experienced night terrors or if anyone knows if the two are related at all.

[epileric]

Only once or twice when I was under extreme stress I would have small panic attacks when going to sleep where my heart & breathing would speed up. I wondered if it was "normal" or a side effect of the tegretol I take.

I found though that when I have a nocturnal (night) seizure strange emotions come up that have nothing to do with how I felt before the seizure. Sometimes I feel very euphoric, other times angry, or just stresses come up that I hadn't felt all day.

[Endless]

Crainla,

Welcome to CWE!

I'm so sorry you are having night terrors.

Can you describe your night terrors? Is it pure emotion alone? Or does your heart pound, breathing get fast, pulse rate go up?

The answer to that question would make a difference in how I answer.

[hootie]

When my son (the one without E) was younger, he would have night terrors. Once I removed wheat from his diet, the night terrors went away.

I wonder if you ate something that day that you don't normally eat.

Just a thought.

[tripletdad]

I get them, though they are less now that my keppra dosage was reduced to 2000mg but I still get at least 1 or 2 a month. I used to get at least 2-3 a week.

But I have always had them, they were even worse when I was young and on dilantin, depakote and pheno

[lindinig]

My son gets them most every night. He's had them since he was a toddler. I didn't know his epilepsy could have a hand in his night terrors.

[Billyboyboo]

Hi there,
Yes I have had them horribly, I've had Panic Attacks with them, it's like I wake up... after a nightmare and I just cannot go back to sleep.
Billy.

[crainla]

Thank you all for your responses. My experience with night terrors sounds much different from what you described. When it happened to me, it only happened once so far, but I don't remember anything. I was unconsious when it happened, so all I can do is refer to what my wife told me. It was something that was much worse than a stressed out moment or a bad dream. This was, I was sleeping in bed and began screaming. My wife said I was laying on my back, my entire body was stiff and locked up, my eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, and completely unresponsive. I was screaming and she couldn't get me to come out of it. She freaked out and called 911. All I remember was sitting up in my bed, seeing about 10 EMTs in my bedroom trying to talk to me and I was very out of it and didn't know what was going on. I was very aggitated and couldn't understand what was happening. They took me into an ambulance and brought me to the ER. That's the only part that I remember at all. Like I said, it was pretty tramatic. I don't have any other memory of it at all. It's the one and only time it has ever happened to me. I was just curious if it had some link to epilepsy and if anyone else has had the same thing happen to them.

[Julie]

My 17 yr. old daughter apparently has epilepsy related night terrors - mostly throughout the night every night. She´s exhausted in the morning and that led us to consult the dr. We thought she was just having nightmares. She talks, screams, sings, walks, searches, etc. Often it´s very frightening. I haven´t observed that she has convulsions since I usually console her and she settles back down and goes back to sleep. Another eeg and mri are schedule for the next week. I´m worried and scared. Good luck! I hope you also find good support through this website!

[Endless]

Hey, Crainla. Sounds like it could be a seizure to me.

Will you let us know how your tests come out?

[Ori]

Has anyone ever experienced night terrors with epilepsy? I was recently diagnosed with complex partial seizure epilepsy after having a night terror two months ago.

Out of no where, the first and only time in my life (so far), I had a night terror which landed me in the ER after my wife had to call 911 on me. When I was referred to a neurologist, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I've been reading a lot about it, but haven't read or heard much about a link to night terrors.

I just wanted to know if anyone else out there with epilepsy had ever experienced night terrors or if anyone knows if the two are related at all.

May I ask what night terrors are? Thank you.

[Nakamova]

See below for night terror definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terror

[crainla]

Just so anyone out there knows who has been nice enough to respond to my thread. I recently changed Neurologists to one who even further specializes in epilepsy. He teaches other neurologists further information about epilepsy and has worked out for me as a great doctor to go to for answers and support. Anyway, I described to him what I had and said that it was not a night terror at all, but a different type of a seizure that I had that night.

He said that basically, I have complex partial seizure disorder (epilepsy) where my seizures normally always take place in one portion of my brain, the left rear portion (forgot what it's called). That night, my seizure disorder spread to a different part of my brain and affected a lot of my brain that most likely triggered a grand mal or petit mal seizure. At this time, I was not on any medication for epilepsy at all, so this was part of my problem.

I actually developed epilepsy about 3.5 to 4 years ago and have only been taking medication and being treated by a neurologist since March 2010. It's a long story on why this happened, but I did see a neurologist back in Feb 08, and after all the tests that were ran, I was sent away with a clean bill of health. This turned out to be a big mistake. Not my choice. I tried to seek help, but didn't get it. The thing that upsets me now, is the epilepsy specialist that I mention that I am seeing now told me that the 3 years that I had epilepsy and didn't receive treatment for, could have now left me with brain damage (partially) in the area that these seizures were occuring. That honestly, pisses me off that that doctor did that at that time, when any neurologist should have easily been able to detect that was what I had.

Anyway, I have been added to Carbatrol as well as the Keppra still and I have been doing great for almost a month now. I'm pretty happy about that. Thank you all for your support. Take care and I hope you all are doing ok. Thanks.

[douglas]

... when any neurologist should have easily been able to detect that was what I had. ..

It's not that easy to detect and/or to diagnose if they can't see anything. Did you have an MRI or an EEG and did it show something or nothing? If it showed nothing, then you fall into the same category that the vast majority of epileptics fall into. Having seizures occurring and the neurologist's can't figure out why.

Don't be pissed off about it or at people. Now that you know you are prone to having seizure, you need to pay attention to it and make an effort to take better care of yourself and take your meds as they are prescribed.

[RobinN]

When my son (the one without E) was younger, he would have night terrors. Once I removed wheat from his diet, the night terrors went away.

I wonder if you ate something that day that you don't normally eat.

Just a thought.

My son without E had night terrors as a child. I thought he was just being difficult. As an adult he has had intestinal distress, and removing gluten has been beneficial, yet he is 25 and has difficulty turning down a beer or free food.

Very interesting that it could be related.

[Jbo57]

Has anyone ever experienced night terrors with epilepsy? I was recently diagnosed with complex partial seizure epilepsy after having a night terror two months ago.

Out of no where, the first and only time in my life (so far), I had a night terror which landed me in the ER after my wife had to call 911 on me. When I was referred to a neurologist, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I've been reading a lot about it, but haven't read or heard much about a link to night terrors.

I just wanted to know if anyone else out there with epilepsy had ever experienced night terrors or if anyone knows if the two are related at all.

I am not sure exactly what you mean by night terrors, but I have a terrible terror following a seizure. I always thought that this was just part of it. I have, with one exception, only seizures during my sleep. When I come back, the thing that grips me is an absolute terror. The good news is it used to only last about an hour. The bad news (for me) is following my last seizure two weeks ago, I have an anxiety that is still persisting.

[loz85]

I have had night terrors my whole life, not often until recently. I'm waking up and seeing people in my room (and once a spider!). 2 nights ago it was a lady with a white dress with green flowers on it on the roof above my bed and I woke up trying to brush her dress out of the way, that's usually when my partner turns the light on and I realise I'm screaming but I can't stop. It is one of the scariest things I have ever experienced.
I don't remember until my partner will bring it up the next day and then I remember it clearly.

I guess I'm stressed but no more then usual. I have had auras that led to migraines then long periods of sleep and night terrors since I was a child.
When I was 20 I had 1 grandmal and 3 complex partial seizures in one night and have had none since though I still take medication for it (I'm 26 now).

What I want to know is if the two are connected? Am I having seizures in my sleep and night terrors after? Are the night terrors warning there is a seizure coming? Or is this just a tired/stressed/symptoms of meds thing?

I'm on a waiting list to see a specialist but I'm beginning to panic that I will have a seizure, oh lets add panic attacks (only in times of heavy stress) to the list.
Is anyone going through this too?

Thanks, Lauren