Complex or Simple?

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Endless

Endless

Even Keel
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I was looking at my seizure journal, and saw one entry I didn't know how to catagorize. Your help would be great.

I had one seizure where I was having a conversation with someone, was thinking a perfectly good sentence, and instead real words but a nonsense sentence came out my mouth. I was concious, but had no control. I couldn't stop myself. It felt rather dream-like. Afterwards I remembered it.

How odd. Anybody else get something like that?

Complex or simple partial???
 
After some of my stronger seizures I'll think I'm talking normally but I make absolutely no sense. I've been told words come out but not in any understandable way.

Other times I'll try to talk & it feels like I can but I can't get the words out. I've gotten embarrassed quite a few times & scared people just as many times.
 
It sounds more like a complex partial seizure, which can be characterized by the inability to speak clearly. Complex seizures can involve "impaired" memory and consciousness, but not necessarily total loss of either.
 
Endless said:
I was looking at my seizure journal, and saw one entry I didn't know how to catagorize. Your help would be great.

I had one seizure where I was having a conversation with someone, was thinking a perfectly good sentence, and instead real words but a nonsense sentence came out my mouth. I was concious, but had no control. I couldn't stop myself. It felt rather dream-like. Afterwards I remembered it.

How odd. Anybody else get something like that?

Complex or simple partial???
Click to expand...

It sounds like to me (i'm not a doc, but I have complex partial) complex. I know when i have a episode, I suddenly talk really fast for a couple of minutes and I can't stop! I interrupt people (which is so not me) and i just can't stop talking. Then a few moments later, my words begin to slur. So, it sounds similar, but I black out after the words slur. I hope this helps you a little.
 
Sounds like a cp to me. Although I've had sps where I couldn't speak properly afterwards - it was like I couldn't say the middle or ends of words. Especially k's for some reason.. Or at least I thought it was a sp.. maybe it was complex.
 
Thanks everybody. Wow... this redefines things for me a bit. I've been having many more complex partials than I thought. I was listing them as simples. Not great news.
 
Hi, Blondie,

Thanks for asking. I'm withdrawing cold turkey off the lamictal. I had a few days with no seizures, but back to usual last night with an aura and my stomach in my throat.

I have a headache but not a migraine, and my eyesight is really funny. It looks like I'm looking at everything underwater. It has lasted about 5 hours or so, so it can't be a seizure. I'm wondering if it is Lamictal withdrawl? I'm also really tired. That IS withdrawl. My brain is playing a few tricks on me, like thinking I did something and I didn't. Par for the course. All in all, this is not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

And now for the REALLY good news.... about the lamictal rash! After discontinuing Lamictal a couple of days ago, steroid creams, antihistamines, lotions, potions, and who knows what, no soap allowed when showering, wearing mittens to keep myself from scratching.... the rash is about 70% gone and my skin no longer burns! Hooray! But it left my skin a darker discoloration in the places where it's 100% gone. Hope it's not a permanent scar.

How are YOU today, Blondie? :)
 
the darker discolouration makes me think that it was SJS and stopping lamictal was a good Idea, because SJS breaks down your skin cells.

Um, I'd say that the vision is a with draw effect, but it is possible to have a simple partial lasting that long. its called non-convuslive status. its continuous seizing. Are you on any AEDS right now, or just stopped it all cold turkey?
 
Cold turkey. My history is that if I start the new drug before the allergy symptoms are completely clear from the old one, I'll just react to the new one, too. So I need to wait on the Trileptal until the rash is completely gone, plus a day or two.

The vision seems to be getting worse instead of better. My eyes hurt, too. Don't want to whine, but eye stuff is a little scarey, since we only have one pair. Hm.. might be a migraine, too. Head doesn't really hurt, but it doesn't have to.

I'm going to add that I feel really weird. It's not my usual aura, which is that something is really wrong plus a weird physical feeling. This is that my head feels weird. Like it's disconnected from my body.
 
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hmm.. I'm still inclined to say that its withdraw effects from Lamictal, but if it was working that well for you, you might be having overlapping simple partials, which have changed due to nothing controlling them.

Watch youself and make sure your drinking lots. as well as eating enough. If you have a noticable seizure, call your neuro or the ER and see what to do. they might be able to give you a something to hold you over until the rash is gone.

When I had my rash, they told me to slowly come off. I said no and stopped cold turkey. and started Dilantin right away. I also stopped cold turkey a few months before for about 4 or 5 days because I just didnt want to take the Lamictal. I kinda felt like you did, but I also induced what I think was a drop seizure, so be careful
 
My phsycs and pharmacist as well as my g.p told me that it is dangerous to stop cold turkey,especially when dealing with lamictal.Even if someone who does not get seizures
stops lamictal cold turkey,apparently they can get extreme seizures.
Given this information, assuming it is correct, that could be a likely reason for more activity than usual.

I once was not able to get my lamictal for about four days.The result was pretty much
identical to yours as far as the simple partials go.
 
Yikes, things are worse. I called my Primary care doc and left a message. Neurologist I wouldn't hear from until tonight. My vision still looks like underwater, my head feels disconnected from my body, it feels like my head is somewhere else but not here, I feel like I'm floating, I keep nodding asleep and can't keep my eyes open. That last part makes me wonder if I'm having complex partials. My dog keeps howling. He doesn't warn me a seizure is coming, but sometimes he tells me during and afterwards.

I was only on 50 mg. This isn't supposed to be happening to me on that low dose. Taking say 25 mg and weaning off isn't an option for me due to the rash.

At what point do you throw in the towel and go to the doctor? He couldn't do anything for me anyway, and I'd just be stuck away from home instead of in my own bed, with my own dog.
 
Stuck between the rash and the withdrawal symptoms -- sounds like fun.

Since you know you're vulnerable now, go easy on yourself. Sleep if you're tired, make sure you're staying hydrated, keep telling yourself that this is just a phase. If you do notice that you're having seizures and they're escalating, head to the ER.
 
Update; oddly enough I feel better now. I've had 3 complex partials in the last 2 hours or so. I have no idea where my brain went, but it wasn't here. mystery solved, all the weird feelings was an aura - the longest one I've ever had; it lasted all through the night and into the afternoon. But now vision is better, head back on body, spaciness better, heart rate back down. But a horrible migraine. I'm scared to take imitrex with what my heart and BP has been doing. I'll just ice my head & neck and try to nap.

Thanks for your support and info. I'm now adding lamictal withdrawl to my list of less fortunate experiences. The nurse said there could be 4 more days of this. Ugh.
 
Well, one more update. Just for the record, I now believe everyone that says going off Lamictal is hell. Yesterday was terrible. But much better today. Allergic Rash almost all gone. Only one seizure so far this a.m., and my pulse & bp is back to normal. Vision is still like looking through both water, and through a white veil.

It wasn't the big increase in cp seizures yesterday or the dizziness that really scared me. It was a fast, erratic heartbeat and low blood pressure, and impaired vision that threw me for a loop. The migraine was off the charts, and because of my heart & bp I was afraid to take anything for it, and waited for my dr's call to ask what I could take. Which meant I suffered with nothing because he never called back.

The docs should have a hand-out when they take you off this stuff, so you are prepared. I also think they should instruct people that they shouldn't be home alone with it.

My lesson learned: make sure there is a doc you can reach 24 hrs a day when in withdrawl. I thought I did, but turned out I didn't. My call into my epi's office went unanswered.
 
OH my you poor thing. Did you tell the office what your call was about??? I hope so.
Sorry about the vision thing. Hope that it improves soon.

HUGS~! Thanks for the update and that the rash at least is going away.

Warmly, Jan
 
Vision

Question for anyone who has gone off lamictal:

One of the side effect of withdrawl is "blurry vision." my vision is still like looking under water, plus looking through a white veil. That doesn't sound like "blurry" to me. Is this what your vision was like? Should I be worried?

Also, my resting pulse is back up to 103. Took it several times 15 min. apart. It's really faint - hard to feel. It's going the right direction - yesterday was 110 all day, this morning down to 90, now back up. Should I be worried about that either? (My blood pressure is up now to 111/82, so that's okay)

We need a "coming off lamictal" hotline. As it is, all I have is you good people, because my PCP says to call my epi, and my epi doesn't get around to calling back.
 
I have been on lamictal for a year and a half. Life has really changed and I'm not sure it's for the better. I also take Topomax. My seizure have all but disappeared. I have terrible breakouts that leave scar and small lumps on my face. I don't look like a walking monster ,but in a few more years I'll need a paper bag over my head. Could anyone share their side effects. I have nothing to compare it to ... I'm grateful. Thanks if you can help me.
 
Hi, Pat. On lamictal my skin broke out, too. Not little pimples - HUGE acne bumps bigger than i had when I was 15. It was all over my face, back, shoulders, chest. I used proactive and that helped some, but not much. If I hadn't been taken off of of the lamictal due to rash I would have gotten help from a dermatologist on the acne.
 
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