Thyroid dysfunction and seizures

[gigi]

Nakamova:

"but I'd love to see a study examining long-term anti-epileptic drug use and hypothyroidism"

I'm your study! Dilantin use for 30 years.

[Nakamova]

Gigi: Do your docs think that the Dilantin caused the hypothyroidism?

[gigi]

Oops:

Nakamova:

Meanwhile! I have mentioned this to my Gyno., Endo. (worthless), and P.C.P.. They have no response, will not engage in a conversation with me. I see the P.A. at the Gynos office, she is the ONLY health care provider that will speak to me more than 10 minutes. This usually denigrates to speculation, and casual small talk. In answer to your ?, they will not come out and say, yes this could be a direct result of the anti-epileptic drug. I am in good health, so I do not see any other explanation for this. I had a hysterectomy in 03, and my thyroid problems started sometime after that, but my uneducated guess would be there is a correlation between dilantin and the thyroid problems. I had red measles as a child, shingles at age 17, and EBV was detected in 2008. First seizure at age 11. I have read the connection between viruses and seizures. I am trying to stick it out with the G.A.R.D. diet now. I have three nodules on my thyroid now (benign), and am paying attention to the diet in hopes of retrieving some of my thyroid health, as well as cutting back on the dilantin. I have not seen a neurologist since 2003. I can get small talk w/o paying for it, and I have CWE, so I am not sure what the point is in going to see a neurologist.

[donding]

I'm on Lamictal and the first thing my nero did was check my thyroid. Lamictal can cause thyroid problems. I went off it and then went back on it myself without having my thyroid checked. Like I said before I've always thought that hormones always were a contributing factor in my seizures. I had a full hysterectomy back in 2000. Of course I continued to have them. Now the strange thing is that since I started to experience thyroid symptoms (haven't gone to the doctor yet...MONEY.....) my seizures have declined. I always have them every 30 to 45 days like clock work. The last one I had was almost three months ago, 90 days. The one before that was 60 days. I started having these symptoms about 6 months ago. That really makes me wonder even more. Thyrotic (not sure of the spelling) episodes have seizure like symptoms but is hard to detect unless you are doing it at the time the blood is being drawn. Your hormone levels are jumping up and down when you have these. Now what I wonder is this....was I having these episodes and my thyroid was dumping these hormones into my system and now I don't get enough and that may be why these seizures have been reduced. I know I'm grasping at straws here.

[Nakamova]

What thyroid symptoms are you experiencing? (So I know what to look out for).

[donding]

Here is where I found the information.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsfor...selftest_2.htm

Here is the reason I suspect thyroid problems:
1) I have gained weight which I can't lose. I always stay around 125 and have always been able to eat all I want and never gain weight.
2) I have the swelling in my hands and feet...not all the time. It usually happens late in the evening then is gone by morning. This has happened four or five times in the last 6 month's.
3) I get the shakes very often for no reason at all.
4) I have the puffy eyes quite often. Usually in the morning then it goes away and comes back late afternoon. My eyes always itch and when I wipe them it feels like sand in my eyes.
5) Dizzyness. I can't even lay down on the floor then get up with out feeling I'm going to spin out of control and that is getting worse.
6) Constant headaches
7) Constant fatiqued and loss of interest in common tasks.
Contantly cold hands and feet, even when it's 70 degrees outside. Many times tingling in hands and feet.
9) Tightness in chest and trouble breathing at times. Not real severe but I do notice it which is irritating at times.
10) Ringing in ears...constant
11) Sometimes have numbness between my neck and shoulder.
12) My husband informed me I have started snoring, which I never ever did before.
13) Sometimes I'll wake in the middle of the night and I feel the back of my throat is swollen to the point I can't even swallow. That always scares me.
14) Waking with a sore throat.
15) Severe joint pain.
16) Memory loss..can't hardly even remember my childhood.
17) Sometimes feel lost, detached...it's hard to explain.
1 My eyes are VERY sensitive to light, even when it's cloudy.

I think you got the idea. Like I said before I have not been to the doctor yet and won't until I have the money for the visit and the blood work up. I just have to many of the symptoms which have only developed in the last six months. That is why I suspect thyroid.

As far as the Thyrotic Episodes I can't find the link. I can't believe I didn't bookmark it. It may be called something else. Can't remember. May be called Thyoiditis Episodes????

Sorry this is so long.

[forward2007]

I am wondering what is going to happen to my Thyroid levels and my Testosterone levels once I get off Tegretol. I don't know if it's too late for the Thyroid to return to functioning properly on it's own or if it can work like it's supposed to again once I'm off the tegretol. I took the Tegretol for 23 years. It won't be until Aug or Sept before I'm totally off the Tegretol.

[RobinN]

From my reading it seems one needs to support the adrenal glands if there are thyroid issues.
Great Google fun time

[Sweetface]

There probably is. I've always heard that metabolic disorders can cause seizures. Usually the first thing my neuros have checked were my thyroid. I'm almost positive I have some kind of malfunction that's not being detected on routine tests. For the past 10 years, every once in awhile my T4 comes up elevated, but when they retest it will be normal again. My primary care doc says it's nothing to worry about, but I still think something's up.

I'm so glad to have found this!!! I told my friend who has seen me slur that when my thyroid dose is lowered my "brain" issues are much worse. All my symptoms with slurred speach, cognition and brain farts (what I think are absent seizures) are much worse when my doctor reduces my armore thyroid. When I take a higher dose, I don't slur as much and can talk like a news anchor. I'm so glad there is a link now!!! Thanks for posting this thread.

[RobinN]

So glad that you have figure out something which makes sense to help you improve your seizure threshold.

I know when I found answers it helped to confirm my instincts. What a relief.

[Kixnggls]

Hi, I have had E for most of my life, started when I was a toddler, and I am 47 now, I was on Synthroid, for severe hypothyroid.. and later put back on Dilantin for my Epilepsy, (I'd been off E meds for years)
so, I had the E all my life, started out as absence, and turned into grandmal, (during my szrs my blood pressure dips dangerously low as well as my pulse was clocked by Paramedics at only 38bmp.
a new neurologist in his infinite wisdom took me off Dilantin and put me on Keppra, (nasty drug) within a month they had to reduce my synthroid, and kept reducing it from .135/day to .88/day(with ea reduction causing bad sweats, as well as other stuff) since Keppra, I kept getting fatter, and my hypo symptoms worse.. now I have been on Keppra 2.5 yrs, yes szr free, but at what cost? I gained 30 pounds, (I was always very trim b4 Keppra) and my cholesterol which was always very healthy, my doc said I had the cholesterol of a 20yr old! But now it's 275!

And unless it's like 90 out my hands and feet are always icy cold. I'm at the end of the rope.. once this past spring I ran out of Keppra, right about the time I'd gone in for a Thyroid test from my Endo (My nuero has NEVR done a thyroid check) anyway, my tests came back extremely hypo.. I'd gone 2.5 days without Keppra, scheduled a re-check, got my keppra but reduced it from 1000/day to 500/day, and boom levels are at the low end of normal..
When I take the 1000mg/day my thyroid levels come back as hypERthyroid.. only thing changed.. the Keppra..

And my neurologist refuses to listen to me about it, also all my Endo said was "hmm that's strange" Umm ya think? are there any docs around me who listen to their patients?

[davidmc]

I have had mostly normal thyroid test results, yet I have excessive sweating and get too hot despite the weather (it can literally be snowing and I can be too hot). The high one was only slightly out of range.

But lately the getting too hot thing has not happened as much, though the excessive sweating is still there, could Topamax cause a decrease in the being too hot? And why would my thyroid test results be normal?

[marlena23]

I'm gonna get my thyroid checked. After I had my daughter I broke out in hives and gained a bunch of weight, would wake up at night drenched in sweat. At the time I did not have health insurance and my hives got so bad I was having trouble breathing. Some docs thought I was allergic to something but none of my routine had changed, no new food or soap, but the rapid weight gain sent off a red flag. One ER doc ran some tests and said I had thyroid storms. Not quite sure what it is and my memory fails me now cuz I was on meds for a while and zyrtec cuz they had to control the hives, but I never thought it had anything to do with my seizures since I was diagnosed 2 years ago and the thyroid episodes happened 10 years ago. I have those same symptoms always cold hands and feet and not to mention my hair falls out by the handfuls.
Also, after I had my son I had a bad reaction to the depo shot. My hormones were so far out of wack that I needed surgery and my gyn told me he never seen a patient like me.(oh the science books my docs could write about me lol).anyway, after my 3rd child is when my seizures started. Maybe its hormonal? I'm definitely looking into this...thanks to everyone who has posted