Could epilepsy cause this problem?

[philippic]

Well, before I start with my problems, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Phil, and I'm 19 years old. When I was about four, I began suffering from complex partial seizures; EEGs showed that my left temporal lobe was the cause. My neurologist prescribed a low dose of Tegretol, the seizures stopped, and I went off the medicine a couple of years later.

I started exhibiting some minor behavioral problems in elementary school. All my grades were fine, but I was somewhat insubordinate. In sixth grade, I began experiencing panic attacks. To be sure I wasn't having seizures, I got an EEG; the results were abnormal. The doctors said I probably wasn't having seizures, so I saw a psychiatrist and began taking Paxil. The panic attacks stopped, and I went off the Paxil about a year later. Now, looking back on that whole ordeal, it's strange that the panic attacks included olfactory hallucinations.

After I stopped taking Paxil, I noticed something strange. It just hit me one day. I never felt happy anymore. I thought about it some more, and I realized that I didn't feel any emotion at all. When I was younger, I had numerous hobbies, played outside with friends all the time, and was often in a good mood. By the time I was about 13, I had lost interest in nearly every hobby, I stopped going outside, and as my friends gradually moved away, I didn't find many new ones. I figured that I had to be suffering from depression, so I returned to my psychiatrist and tried a number of SSRIs. None of them helped, so I assumed that high school would be fun and I would start to feel better.

Yes, I know that was a truly naive assumption. Things remained the same. When I was in tenth grade, girls started asking me out. I figured dating would make me feel better, and my parents encouraged it. At the time, however, I was quite sure that I was "late." I really had no interest in dating, but I decided to try it anyway after a girl asked me to the Homecoming dance. I dated for months, and I didn't like it. I kept telling myself that I was bound to hit puberty some time. I tolerated the kissing, but as soon as she wanted to do more than that, I broke up with her. I should have done that much sooner.

Later in high school, I had another EEG so I could legally drive. The results were, of course, abnormal. "This is an abnormal EEG by virtue of left temporal sharp forms, phase reversing at T5. This does not make the diagnosis of epilepsy; however, if a clinical seizure disorder is suspected this may suggest focal onset." My neurologist was nonchalant and said that as long as I wasn't having seizures, he had done his job.

I'm currently in my second year of college, and I thought it would be fun. I'm still just as naive, I suppose. I haven't taken my education seriously at all; I just don't care. I haven't even declared a major yet. Last semester, I didn't buy the textbooks for half of my classes. My GPA is still near-perfect, however, and people often compliment me for being such a "good" student. I work as a math tutor, and my parents aren't concerned about me at all.

I'm really worried at this point. I've felt no emotion since I was about twelve years old. I don't care about anything. I take nothing seriously, I've forgotten about all my hobbies, and I haven't socialized with any new people. I know for a fact that I have actually hit puberty at this point, and I still have absolutely no interest in dating or sex. Nothing feels good, and my entire time at college has felt more like I'm watching it than participating in it. I spend every hour of every day completely bored, and I'm afraid it's eventually going to drive me insane.

I'm not going to wait any longer. It's not going away, and my neurologist and psychiatrist are both useless. I started looking online for a disorder with symptoms close to mine, and schizoid personality disorder was an exact match. Then, at the bottom of the list of symptoms I was reading, it mentioned that people with these symptoms should be sure that it's not being caused by temporal lobe epilepsy, since it has similar effects. None of my doctors ever told me this. I got a blood test and all of my hormone levels appear to be normal. I decided to schedule an appointment with a new doctor who is both a neurologist and a psychiatrist, but the earliest appointment was March.

Have you seen or experienced similar symptoms before? Is it likely that my abnormal temporal lobe is causing all of this? I looked at various medicines online, and the anticonvulsant lamotrigine looks promising, since it has relatively few side-effects and is known to stabilize moods. If anyone here has gone though something similar and can offer advice, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading all that...

 

[joan]

Phil, hi and welcome : ) Great name and age but then my son is a Phil and 19 as well. Im off to the vet but I will get back later and write to you. Hang in there, helps coming.
joan*

 

[morgan381]

Hi, Phil. Welcome to CWE. I have had bouts with serious apathy, similar to what you have described, though not as severe. My neurologists have not found a focal point to my epilepsy, however they suspect it to be temporal lobe based on the type of seizures I have. I was started on Keppra, which stopped the seizures (for a while) but caused me to experience "kepprage". After the last break through seizure I had, my doc put me on Lamictal (lamotrigine). This has seemed to help combat the depression and apathy.

I agree with your decision to find a different doctor. I went through 5 neurologists before I found one that listened to me and that I felt was competent. One just wrote prescriptions and sent me home, barely taking time to hear (much less listen) to what I had to say; another treated me as though I was an idiot. It can be very frustrating to find a good neurologist, but don't give up. The important thing to remember is that the doctor(s) work for you...

Just curious...do you still have simple or complex partial siezures? Just because your EEG doesn't indicate epilepsy, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't have it. All but one of my EEGs have been "normal", but I still have seizures. The EEGs are like a snapshot of your brain activity at that particular time. Many people spend days in the hospital attached to EEG machines in an effort to capture the abnormal activity. An hour or two may not be enough time to provide the whole picture.

Don't give up, you have to be the advocate for your own health. I wish you the best and hope that you find relief.

 

[joan]

Finding the right Dr and the right meds very important. Have you had seizures? I think you are heading in the right direction with the neuro psychiatrist. My son is also 19 and in his second year of college, He doesn't try either and yet does well. He started seeing a neuro psychologists and he was the most helpful person so far.
Your flat emotions can be many things. My son tends to run "flat" not happy, not sad. Just there, existing. Almost going thru the motions. For him, we found it was part meds, part depression and a big part sensory processing disorder (SID or SPD). We are actively working on it and he does feel better mos days. You sound like such a smart, in tuned to yourself person. You seem very wise. I think you will do well and you will find answers. Finding those answers will, I think, make you feel better.

Also, you say you don't try in school and still do well. What would happen if you tried? If you gave yourself a challenge to take a class that is different for you. That would be new? I also find when I help others it makes me feel. If I go to the shelter to help with the dogs, or if we go to the soup kitchen to restock shelves or whatever. Maybe find something that would make you "FEEL" better. Sometimes doing for others, I find, makes me just feel.

I hope you stay and keep us posted. There's alot of good company and wise advice here.

joan*

 

[RobinN]

Hi Phil - welcome to CWE
First I want to praise you for continueing to put one foot in front of the other. I know that it can be difficult at times. My son was on Paxil at 19 so this rings very near and dear to me.

I did a quick search of Epilepsy / apathy and of course much came up about mood disorders. What a shame that your doctors wouldn't have seen this. Problem is, they would have just found one more medication to put you on.

Next search I did was Paxil / apathy. Something jumped out when you said you came off of Paxil and you noticed something strange. They are now calling it discontinuation symptoms:
http://www.prozactruth.com/paxil.htm
I think there could be a combination of the two.

My approach is not to label you as having one or the other, or even "schizoid personality disorder". Why not look at some of the information we have here concerning nutrition. The latest: Important Article
should be a first approach for all medical professionals to consider.
My son has found diet to be the number one reason he feels better emotionally.

I hope you find CWE to be a place to hang your hat from time to time.
Thanks for sharing yoru story

 

[Bernard]

Hi Phillippic, welcome to the forum. :hello:

... Now, looking back on that whole ordeal, it's strange that the panic attacks included olfactory hallucinations.

Olfactory hallucinations could be symptomatic of simple partial seizures. Are you aware that there are many different types of seizures? It's possible that you have been experiencing seizure activity all along and just weren't aware of it (because you didn't recognize them as seizures).

You might look into magnesium and 5-HTP supplements and see if they help you with the panic attacks and depression. Depression and mineral imbalances go hand in hand (one can cause the other).

Hope your new doc can help you out!

 

[philippic]

Olfactory hallucinations could be symptomatic of simple partial seizures. Are you aware that there are many different types of seizures? It's possible that you have been experiencing seizure activity all along and just weren't aware of it (because you didn't recognize them as seizures).

That's why I mentioned the smells. I didn't think it was too bad at the time, but afterward I began to realize that I may have been having simple partial seizures. That's an extremely scary realization, because I still have the panic attacks from time to time; I had one yesterday while driving, and it's unsafe and illegal to drive if you've had a seizure within six months, I believe.

The confusing part about that is I can't tell cause from effect. When I was four, I had complex partial seizures. I would get a pain in my left thigh and then I would salivate, which was my aura. A few seconds later I would have the seizure, which would last about ten seconds. When I was driving yesterday, I got a pain in my left thigh. I told myself it was just a panic attack, and I let it pass. I never lost consciousness. Did the sensation trigger the panic attack, or was a seizure triggering the pain? I honestly can't tell you.

Just curious...do you still have simple or complex partial siezures? Just because your EEG doesn't indicate epilepsy, it doesn't necessarily mean you don't have it. All but one of my EEGs have been "normal", but I still have seizures. The EEGs are like a snapshot of your brain activity at that particular time. Many people spend days in the hospital attached to EEG machines in an effort to capture the abnormal activity. An hour or two may not be enough time to provide the whole picture.

I had complex partial seizures. My most recent EEG says I could "have long-term 48 to 72 hour monitoring to capture a spell." I commute to college, so that would be asking for trouble.

Next search I did was Paxil / apathy. Something jumped out when you said you came off of Paxil and you noticed something strange. They are now calling it discontinuation symptoms. I think there could be a combination of the two.

That was one of the first things I came across before thinking it may be linked to epilepsy. I've been off of the SSRIs for five years, and I was never on a high dose. I find it highly unlikely that I would still be suffering from withdrawal. I hope that it's not the SSRIs, because that's incurable.

Thanks for the help, everyone! I might try the dietary suggestions. I've never heard of taking magnesium supplements, so it's worth a shot. I have nothing to lose.

 

[kelso54]

Phil, I am 54yo and have had absence seizures, partial complex seizure since I was about seven.Your neurologist was nonchalnt, you need a new neurologist! Do a search for epilepsy treat center, you are looking for an "epileptologist" a neurologist specializing in epilepsy. Repeated seizures not attributed to some other cause; fever, some kind of infection, knock on the head IS epilepsy. You balk at a monitored EEG lasting; 48-72 hours, try 5-7 days! They need to record more than one "spell". I feel for you Phil, I have been through the depression, the apathy, the not feeling, no emotion, save for anger. I find that epilepsy can be root cause of many of our problems. It's not always the "epilepsy", these problems can't be thought of as symtoms, they are more reactions. Your seizures put you under a lot of stress and stress can do all manner of things to your body and mind. We both have beat one complication of epilepsy; I was not good student; but I got by, you are a good student. Half the people with epilepsy have some kind of learning disability.

 

[Bernard]

Hi kelso54, welcome to the forum. :hello:

 

[philippic]

Phil, I am 54yo and have had absence seizures, partial complex seizure since I was about seven.Your neurologist was nonchalnt, you need a new neurologist! Do a search for epilepsy treat center, you are looking for an "epileptologist" a neurologist specializing in epilepsy. Repeated seizures not attributed to some other cause; fever, some kind of infection, knock on the head IS epilepsy. You balk at a monitored EEG lasting; 48-72 hours, try 5-7 days! They need to record more than one "spell". I feel for you Phil, I have been through the depression, the apathy, the not feeling, no emotion, save for anger. I find that epilepsy can be root cause of many of our problems. It's not always the "epilepsy", these problems can't be thought of as symtoms, they are more reactions. Your seizures put you under a lot of stress and stress can do all manner of things to your body and mind. We both have beat one complication of epilepsy; I was not good student; but I got by, you are a good student. Half the people with epilepsy have some kind of learning disability.

Thanks for the reply, and welcome to the forum!

I've read that the apathy and other strange things typically happen for one or two days after a seizure, and as I said before, I haven't been aware of any seizures for over 15 years. Those long EEGs are really annoying (I've had them before). It's sort of a lose-lose situation. If I get a long EEG and nothing emerges, I've spent that many agonizing hours in the hospital for nothing. If they catch a seizure, I lose my driver's license and have to withdraw from all of my college classes because I commute. Argh.

I'm meeting with a neurologist/psychiatrist in March. I hope that goes well.

 

[RobinN]

I'm meeting with a neurologist/psychiatrist in March. I hope that goes well.

I do too Philip.
You might consider some nutritional changes in the meantime.
Just for the fun of it.