Epilepsy and Depression

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Nutella

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Hi!

I just want to ask some of you lovely people how can I open up about feeling depressed to my neurologist. I will be seeing him next week and I have no idea how to tell him that I think I might be depressed and have been even before I was diagnosed with epilepsy.

:dontknow:

Thank you all in advance

:hugs:
 
Nutella --

:hugs:

Don't be afraid to bring it up. Assuming you have a decent neuro, he should be concerned with your overall health (including your mental health), since it can affect and be affected by your epilepsy. In addition, many folks with epilepsy also have co-occurring depression, and depression can potentially be helped and/or made worse by epilepsy meds. So for all these reasons, your neuro:

A. Won't be surprised/dismayed/bored by the fact that you may be depressed.
B. Will be glad to have that piece of information to help in evaluating your treatment.

Remember, you and your neuro are collaborators, working together to improve your brain health. Both you and he will work more effectively if all your cards are on the table. Treat the depression as you would any other symptom -- it might be relevant to your care, and it's important for you and you neuro to discuss it.

He may suggest that you have a neuropsych evaluation done. It's a series of cognitive tests administered by a neuropsychiatrist to get a sense of how well your brain is working and what factors (including meds, depression, seizure activity, etc.) may be playing a role. I had the evaluation done to set a baseline against which to measure any future changes in my brain's cognitive health.

You might want to bring a friend or family member to the appointment (if you feel comfortable doing so). They can keep notes about what the neuro says, and keep you on track if you forget to mention anything important (like depression).
 
Thank you sooo much Nakamova. He did once mention counselling but we got distracted with another MRI I had to do and looking into new medications to try as I am still having loads of seizures. I usually go in with my mum and she said she wants to tell him herself as well as she is worried so I guess that'll be helpful.

I have no idea why I am finding it so hard to just open up about it. I have planned to do it for so long and I always back out. I suppose because some days I feel fine actually pretty good but some days can be hell, so I think 'oh I am fine it was a good day.'

I have read that Levetiracetam can cause you to feel depressed but I think this started before seizures. I just think its always been so mild that I didn't feel like I need help. But I am starting to feel like I need to talk about it to a professional. I think maybe because we are actually not sure why I have seizures I feel like I don't want to add another problem to an existing problem as it is lol. But I think you are right I should tell him and it might help him as well.
 
Not only can levetiracetam cause or exacerbate depression in some people, but seizures themselves can as well. I know you mentioned you think you had this going on before your seizures, but also consider that you have other chemical factors potentially going on as well. I know when I am having a lot of seizures I am always down--seizures create a different chemical and electrical environment in the brain and it has its effect. I also struggle with mood changes as a result of Keppra but am working to remember in my case it's the drug and not let it take control. I am glad you are choosing to talk about it and deal with the issue--it shows that you are wanting to take care of yourself!
 
I don't want to worry you but have you had a firm diagnosis of epilepsy or are you still in the investigation phase? Because the depression will come in to the picture as the option of PNES may be thrown on the table, even more reason to see a psychiatrist, rather than a psychologist, so that they can asses the possibility that the seizures may a physical manifestation of underlying mental illness.

Even if that does happen, you will see that there are plenty of people who are in the same boat, still having tests done to determine whether their seizures are epileptic or not.
 
Depression always brings on seizures for me.

I had to put one of my cats down a few years ago and I had around 5 seizures in the next two days. When my grandmother passed away in the spring I had at least 3 times as many seizures as I usually do that month.

My neuro became very concerned both times, especially after my grandmother, but when he found out what had gone on he said it is normal for those things to happen. He did say that if the seizures didn't ease up in the next month then it could be one of my medicines that might have been causing them and we would have some testing done.

After I was used to the fact that my grandma and cat were gone my seizures did go back to the normal amount I had a month. So we knew it was the depression that was causing them to happen.

Defiantly let your neuro know about how you feel. It could be one of your meds that is causing the problem and it needs to be changed. It may also be something else that is going on and you can get help in a different way.

If you bring a family member or friend with you to your visit and don't feel comfortable talking to your neuro about this with them around then ask to speak to your neuro in private. You could get more of your feelings out and answer any questions better without having to hide things from other people who you don't want to know how you are feeling.
 
lindsayschu2 said:
Not only can levetiracetam cause or exacerbate depression in some people, but seizures themselves can as well. I know you mentioned you think you had this going on before your seizures, but also consider that you have other chemical factors potentially going on as well. I know when I am having a lot of seizures I am always down--seizures create a different chemical and electrical environment in the brain and it has its effect. I also struggle with mood changes as a result of Keppra but am working to remember in my case it's the drug and not let it take control. I am glad you are choosing to talk about it and deal with the issue--it shows that you are wanting to take care of yourself!
Click to expand...

Yeah I also have crazy mood changes and its affecting my relationship. My boyfriend asked my neurologist whether that is normal and he said that it is.
 
jenagade said:
I don't want to worry you but have you had a firm diagnosis of epilepsy or are you still in the investigation phase? Because the depression will come in to the picture as the option of PNES may be thrown on the table, even more reason to see a psychiatrist, rather than a psychologist, so that they can asses the possibility that the seizures may a physical manifestation of underlying mental illness.

Even if that does happen, you will see that there are plenty of people who are in the same boat, still having tests done to determine whether their seizures are epileptic or not.
Click to expand...

I can't really say its firm I've had 3 EEGs and 2 MRIs. EEGs showed abnormal activity and MRIs were normal. We are still looking into it :ponder:
 
valeriedl said:
Depression always brings on seizures for me.

I had to put one of my cats down a few years ago and I had around 5 seizures in the next two days. When my grandmother passed away in the spring I had at least 3 times as many seizures as I usually do that month.

My neuro became very concerned both times, especially after my grandmother, but when he found out what had gone on he said it is normal for those things to happen. He did say that if the seizures didn't ease up in the next month then it could be one of my medicines that might have been causing them and we would have some testing done.

After I was used to the fact that my grandma and cat were gone my seizures did go back to the normal amount I had a month. So we knew it was the depression that was causing them to happen.

Defiantly let your neuro know about how you feel. It could be one of your meds that is causing the problem and it needs to be changed. It may also be something else that is going on and you can get help in a different way.

If you bring a family member or friend with you to your visit and don't feel comfortable talking to your neuro about this with them around then ask to speak to your neuro in private. You could get more of your feelings out and answer any questions better without having to hide things from other people who you don't want to know how you are feeling.
Click to expand...

Yeah I will definitely talk to him about it this time I can't back out any more. It could be my meds as you said or maybe it could be depressing feelings causing me to have more seizures which we are trying to bring down.
 
it's the meds withe side effects of depression I do hate.I'm prone to depression.
 
Mood swings go hand-in-hand with epilepsy, especially TLE. DO NOT be afraid to tell your neuro about it. That is what the dr. is there for. I'm sure he/she has heard it ALL!! You're not the first. As I've said in many of my past postings, I used to see a neuropsychiatrist and his specialty was mood swings/depression that go along with epilepsy. I was on many Tricyclics for depression and none worked, so we finally went on an SSRI and finally found something that has worked for me, for the most part. I now take Zoloft after many trials with other meds.

So for more info, check out these websites:
http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/impact/moods-and-behavior/mood-and-behavior-101

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/impact/moods-and-behavior/medications-and-mood
 
Cint you are right I spoke to my neurologist about my mood and he said they do go hand in hand with epilepsy. I think the reason I am finding it so hard to tell him is that maybe its not depression. I feel like it might be anxiety disorder I've checked the symptoms for that and they make more sense than depression does. I think I might be a little depressed because of the anxiety itself.
 
Anxiety can go hand in hand with depression as well and depression can actually set off anxiety or the meds can
 
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