Partial Seizures / Co-phenotrope Tablets / Reactions

[Deb12345]

Hello,
Firstly, I just want to say again, a “HUGE THANK YOU” to everyone on this site because even though I don’t need to go on here very often anymore, I am always put at ease knowing that this site is always here if I did need it, and how much it helped me in the first stages of being diagnosed with epilepsy i.e. come to terms with it and knowing you are not alone etc. Thank youuuuuuuu. lol It’s also nice to help others out who have experienced similar situations etc.

Anyways……

I would like to ask a couple of questions. I have been poorly for the past 3 weeks. For the first week I had a horrible infectious cold, followed by a nasty tummy bug. My Mom eventually persuaded me to go to the doctors this Monday (14th). The doctor prescribed me Co-phenotrope tablets; 4 to take straight away (5pm) and two 5 hours later. At 2am Tuesday, I had a reaction to the tablets and had a big Partial seizure (guessing just a Simple rather that a Complex), though was really horrible / scary and had other side effects such as shakes, fast heart rate, really dry mouth (found hard to swallow and breath because of it). I thought I was going to have a Tonic–Clonic seizure but luckily I didn’t. I was really frightened / scared. My Mom rang the NHS who sent out an ambulance to check me over. They stayed until all calmed down. Since then I have felt pretty rough; really tired with headaches.

My Questions:

How long do your simple partial seizures last and how long does it take for you to feel normal again?
- Mine tend to last minutes rather than seconds and can feel horrible for a long time afterwards i.e. my eyes seem slightly blurred, I get a headache or feel tired / dazed. I tend to always get visual disturbances.

How do I know if I’ve had a complex or simple partial seizure during the night?
- i.e. I slowly woke up at 2am Tuesday to a room that was rocking like a pirate ship ride. I remember lying there in a complete daze (knew something wasn't right) before reality kicked in and I knew I was having a partial attack. I never know whether it’s me just waking up to a simple partial or me waking up after having a complex partial seizure. Hope that makes sense.

Who has experienced a complex partial seizure? What do you feel like and how long do you take to recover?

Has anyone else ever had a reaction to a tablet (excluding your normal epilepsy one/s) which brought on an epilepsy attack? How long did you take to feel back to normal; hours / days?
- I still feel tired / rough even now.

Does anyone know how long it takes for a tablet to pass through your system (not long term ones)?

Has anyone else ever had Co-phenotrope? Did you have a reaction to them?

I admit I am frightened now that I am going to get a series of mini attacks before getting a big one. I hope not, though during the period I have been poorly I have been getting mini simple partial seizures (lasts around a minute).

I hope all the above has made sense and thank you in advance for your answers. I hope you have a great weekend. Can't wait for my lie in.
Take Care
Debbie

[Nakamova]

Hi Debbie --

I don't get partials, so I can't speak directly to some of your questions. But I recommend that you be extra-careful when you are sick. Not only is your seizure threshold lower when you have an infection, but many drugs can interact with anti-seizure medications, and have nasty side effects that may trigger seizures. As you discovered, Co-phenotrope is problematic. It combines two drugs -- one of them is an opiate with anti-diarrheal properties. The other drug, Atropine, can speed up the heart rate and cause extreme dry mouth (it inhibits saliva and sweating). It can also cause dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of balance, confusion, dissociative hallucinations and extreme physical agitation. So basically it's a real troublemaker for people with seizure disorders.

I hope you stopped taking the Co-phenotrope as soon as you had the simple partial. The Co-phenotrope has a half-life of 12-14 hours and should exit your system fairly quickly, but your cold probably isn't helping things. Drink plenty of water (and chicken soup to help with the diarrhea). I hope you feel better soon.

[Deb12345]

Thank you, Nakamova. I stopped the tablets immediately after having the reaction. It’s annoying because by now, I thought, I would be feeling fine but looks as though my body is just run down because got another cold on its way and belly still hurts. Just feeling sorry for self, but hey it’s the weekend (Yay!) so can just chill / relax. Plus my favourite program "Merlin" is on TV later, which I just love watching. lol