New to it all (kind of!)

[kjt503]

Hi there everyone, I've been familiar with epilepsy for pretty much my whole life, but have just recently had the experience myself.

Here's my story...
I was born when my mom was 25, and she had her first seizure (grand mal) at the age of 26. She then had 2 more at the age of 28 and her last one at 29. All of her seizures occurred either soon after she went to bed or early in the morning - while she was sleeping. She always said she heard the phone ring and went to answer it. She began taking medication after the fourth grand mal, starting with Tegretol and Diazepam (I think), both which she was allergic to. She has now been on Dilantin (again, I'm pretty sure) for the past 16 years and has been seizure-free. She has had CT scans and EEG's but they have never found the cause.. I think they may have found a little lesion in her brain but that's it. When she was born she was going into convulsions for 2 days straight and couldn't breathe properly, so that may have something to do with it?
About 2 months ago my mom heard me kind of moaning at 7am while I was still asleep, and came into my room to find me very rigid, shaking a little bit, and foaming a little at the mouth. She called 911, and then I started to turn blue because I stopped breathing. She said the seizure only lasted about 2 minutes at the longest, and by the time the paramedics arrived I was already back asleep.
We arrived at the hospital, and I was very groggy, confused, tired and a little bit nauseous. In the ER they did a CT scan which came back normal, and I was released early that day.
A week later I was back at the hospital at the Single-Seizure Clinic, where they did a sleep-deprived EEG (also came back normal - although my neurologist said it could have been a "false normal"). Because of my family history, he prescribed me Lamotrigine. The first week on the medication was fine, but when I upped my dosage the second week I developed a rash which was a serious side effect and could lead to a fatal skin disease. Back at the ER I was taken off Lamotrigine and given Prednisone to help the rash. After the 4 days of Prednisone I started on Leviteracetam (Keppra), and have been on this medication for a little over 3 weeks.
A few weeks after the sleep-deprived EEG they did an ambulatory EEG, which I think my neurologist actually pioneered.. It is a 24-hour EEG where they attach the electrodes, wrap up your head and put the little recording device in a backpack which you take home with you for 24-hours. I have yet to hear back from this test as I imagine it takes a while to go over all of the data. I am also supposed to go in for an MRI later this month.
They still are unsure what caused the seizure, but curiously I was quite sick the day before I had the seizure (nauseous, confused, and tired) and went to Minor Emergency where they said it was just a bug. I was also studying for finals at the time, and actually had a final scheduled for the day I had the seizure (my Neuroscience final, ironically enough).. So stress may have been a factor, although I have had the stress of finals many times before.
So far the Keppra has been working.. No major side effects and have been seizure-free since. I am a 20 year-old University student so I'm not sure how this is going to effect my life.. what with stress, little sleep and wanting to go out and have a good time with friends.
My family doctor (because I'm female) said I should be taking Folic Acid supplements every day (because of the harmful effects of anticonvulsant medications on the reproductive system), and as well just a multi-vitamin.

I have a few questions, like..
Does taking a multivitamin help with side effects?
Is drinking alcohol while on Keppra (even mildly) a bad idea?
After not having a seizure for my whole life (almost 20 years) what are the chances I will have another one?

Looking forward to chatting with you all, much appreciated!

 

[Silat]

Hello and welcome!

Taking a multivitamin I don't think directly helps with side effects, however it can help indirectly. Having proper nutrition will make you physically feel better, which can help with dealing with the side effects. One of the major side effects of Keppra is the mood swings, and after being on Keppra for quite a while, I found I'm less irritable if I feel better and have proper nutrition. So no, it doesn't directly help, but indirectly it'll make you feel better, which may help.

I would advise staying away from alcohol... that's just my personal opinion. A beer here and there is okay, and won't bother you much, if at all... but getting drunk is not good. Getting drunk depletes your electrolytes and leaves you dehydrated, it also has an effect on your medicine, and it is hard on your kidneys. Seizure meds are hard on your body anyway, so it's probably best not to stress your body any more than it needs to be.

The chances of having another... I have no idea. It really depends on why you had the seizure. Since you've only had one, it may be something else entirely. A defeciency in vitamins, or magnesium, or a lack of sleep, or simply stress... it may have been a combination of all of those factors. It really depends on what your neurologist finds.

Again, welcome to CWE and best of luck to you!

 

[Nakamova]

Hi kjt503, welcome to CWE!

With Keppra there are sometimes side effects on mood. Some folks have found that taking extra B6 (in addition to a B-Complex vitamin supplement) can help with this particular side effect. Keppra and other AEDs can also effect the absorption of both calcium and Biotin, so a multivitamin can help with those if you are not already getting enough from dietary sources.

Everyone has a different threshold in terms of alcohol. The main thing to keep in mind is that AEDs and alcohol re-inforce one another in terms of the sedative effect. You may find yourself getting sleepier, quicker. So until you know for sure, best to be careful -- start with a small amount and see how you feel on it, and aim for moderation.

As Silat says, there's no way to predict whether you'll have another seizure. People start having seizures at all different ages (I had my first at age 35), so this could be the start of something, or a completely isolated event. One in 20 people will have a one-off seizure at some point in their life, let's hope that is the case with you, and that the family connection is not a factor.

It can help to treat this as wake-up call about your general health. When you've got multiple stressors going on (illness, fatigue, overwork) go extra-easy on yourself. Make sure you get enough sleep, and eat and drink healthily. You may have not been vulnerable in the past, but it can't hurt to be proactive in case you are vulnerable in the future.