Postictal Psychosis or Med Reaction

[gbpackerfan]

Well, my neuro does blood work for me every month including a "Complete Metabolic Panel". The hospital that I went to did a lot of blood work on me for my first few days. I know that I saw my neuro after getting out of the hospital but I didn't have the presence of mind to ask too many questions. My neuro has an online patient cloud portal that I can log in to. The metabolic encephalopathy diagnosis was listed on my previous visit's summary. I see him again before the end of the month and will definitely ask about it. I do not know if this may be info that was relayed to my neuro from the hospital staff or his own diagnosis.

 

[AlohaBird]

Yeah, it might be a good idea to ask what exactly is included in "Complete".

The fix can be remarkably easy for some things like needing more magnesium. Or they can be a little more tricky but still doable if it is a blood sugar concern. If it's a thyroid issue, you really might want to request an actual endocrinologist take a look. But you need to know in any case where the difficulty is in order to know what to fix

Metabolic Encephalopathy is a pretty broad group definition for a lot of smaller more specific conditions.

It is sometimes hard to keep track of all the questions that you meant to ask. I find making a list to take into the appointment helps. especially when you are feeling postictal oatmeal brains.

So, no more roaming the streets at night in your skivvies? How goes the plan to pare down your list of meds?


And then there is this little gem from the link you posted defining Metabolic encephalopathy.

Toxic metabolic encephalopathy can also include medication side effects or drug ingestions affecting the chemical transmitters in the brain. Called neurotransmitters, dopamine, GABA, serotonin, acetylcholine, and glutamine help nerve endings pass electrical signals between brain cells. Alterations in these transmitters can decrease brain function"

 

[gbpackerfan]

These are all the blood tests my neuro ordered when I got out of the hospital:
08/27/2015 CBC With Differential/Platelet
08/27/2015 Basic Metabolic Panel (8)
08/27/2015 Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
08/27/2015 Vitamin B12 and Folate
08/27/2015 Magnesium, Serum
08/27/2015 TSH
08/27/2015 Ferritin, Serum
08/27/2015 CBC With Differential/Platelet
08/27/2015 Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy
08/27/2015 Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)
This was just copied and pasted from his patient portal.

 

[AlohaBird]

Does the portal give you the outcomes of the tests, a reference range and what your numbers looked like?

That's good that they did check Mg, D, and B12 and TSH (which is your thyroid).

 

[gbpackerfan]

Alohabird,
Yes, all of my levels were within normal ranges, on all blood tests. I do not think I was eating and/or hydrating normally before my 'event'. I do not know what my blood work showed or what was tested when I went to the hospital. I have not had any recent nocturnal expeditions that I know of. Now I just have to think of a way to justify walking around in my banana hammock at night, in public, when I'm not having a psychotic episode, sleepwalking or going through postictal state...

 

[gbpackerfan]

The diagnosis of metabolic encephalopathy is a pretty broad umbrella, for sure. I think that there is a mention of brain dysfunction related to seizure disorders as well.

 

[AlohaBird]

Alohabird,
Yes, all of my levels were within normal ranges, on all blood tests. I do not think I was eating and/or hydrating normally before my 'event'. I do not know what my blood work showed or what was tested when I went to the hospital.

If you were massively dehydrated, that could cause electrolyte problems and not eating well could cause blood sugar roller coaster rides. Yep, that would do it.

I have not had any recent nocturnal expeditions that I know of. Now I just have to think of a way to justify walking around in my banana hammock at night, in public, when I'm not having a psychotic episode, sleepwalking or going through postictal state...

:roflmao:

 

[AlohaBird]

The diagnosis of metabolic encephalopathy is a pretty broad umbrella, for sure. I think that there is a mention of brain dysfunction related to seizure disorders as well.

What I've read on metabolic encephalopathies seem to keep pointing to ether electrolytes, blood sugar, thyroid, or renal and/or hepatic problems.

You might have perfectly healthy kidneys and liver but IIRC, you were on quite the med cocktail there when you started this thread, switching off of some and onto others with multiple Rxs from multiple MDs.

There could been an element of liver and kidney overload in a situation like that. It might have gotten to be just too much for them to process out all at once. Perhaps they sort of temporarily "went on strike" to protest. Then the toxemia presented as metabolic encephalopathy. Just my theory.

A little light reading....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9117077

 

[gbpackerfan]

So I met with my 'sleep medicine' doctor to go over the results of my one night sleep study. Everything came back normal. She told me that it must be neurological issues that I'm having, call her back if I need to, but ultimately just follow up with my neurologist. I told her that my nocturnal 'spells' are very infrequent and maybe we needed to do a longer study or possibly a device that I could take home. She told me that we can't monitor me every night, hoping that something will happen. Sometimes I feel like the doctors think I'm lying.

 

[gbpackerfan]

Alohabird,
As far as lowering my meds goes, my neuro wants to get me stabilized on what I'm taking now before we try to lower or remove any of them. That being said, we definitely want to take one of my E meds out of the mix. We were both hoping that my most recent steroid injection would relieve some of my back pain but it only made it worse. I am being referred to another pain management place for my back issues. If I can find something for my back, we'll take the ibuprofen and gabapentin out of the mix too. I was supposed to switch to Celebrex from ibuprofen but my insurance wouldn't approve it, bastards.. The super B complex, vitamin D and a much healthier eating regimen have been helping a lot.

 

[AlohaBird]

Sometimes I feel like the doctors think I'm lying.

That sucks doesn't it? The six night study I just did was the fist time ever that I "performed for the camera" and got the abnormal EEG on record. The first four nights were nothing, then the last two, seizures back to back. Urg.

I am being referred to another pain management place for my back issues. If I can find something for my back, we'll take the ibuprofen and gabapentin out of the mix too. I was supposed to switch to Celebrex from ibuprofen but my insurance wouldn't approve it, bastards.. The super B complex, vitamin D and a much healthier eating regimen have been helping a lot.

Have you ever tried acupuncture or acupressure? Some insurance companies even pay for it these days. I know Kaiser does.

The reason the healthier eating is helping is the same reason ibuprofen helps. It takes down the inflammation. But it's better because it's permanent, if you make the dietary changes permanent and has no side effects other than missing pizza and beer a bit.

Thanks for the update.

 

[seagull]

If need medication get through life and e gives you restriction like driving then yes it basically clerical word it not free passport weasel out of work

 

[gbpackerfan]

Hi Seagull,
Please elaborate on what you have said. On this forum, I talk about my E. Some of us have other medical conditions that we do not talk about here also. If you think someone is trying to 'weasel out of work', maybe you should know all of the facts before posting something like that.

 

[seagull]

extream stress can do it