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1251

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Hi everyone! I have never posted on this, but I am feeling very desperate. I am 22 years old and I had my first seizure at 19 years old. I was asleep and I just woke up to my family and EMT’s in my room. I was put on tegretol 100 mg and I didn’t have any problems after that. I have always hated the way my medicine made me feel so when I was 21 I stopped taking my medicine (so stupid) well, obviously I had another seizure. This one was just like the other one. I was asleep and I woke up to strange EMT’s in my room haha. Ever since then I decided I was never going off my medicine and I took it religiously. I had been seizure free 1 year and 4 months, until last Saturday. The reason I believe I had my seizure was because about a month ago I ran out of my prescription. The Pharmacy tried to contact my doctor and he denied my prescription, saying he wouldn’t give me more until I went in to see him. I think this is so irresponsible because everyone knows you cannot just go off the medicine. I spent the next couple of weeks trying to call the office, but every time I called the office would just ring and ring and they had no answering service. I called my regular doctor and asked him for a prescription of tegretol while all of this was going on and he gave me the prescription. I finally got a hold of my neurologist and he said the first appointment he could give me was February 11th. I noticed my prescription wouldn’t last until then if I took it twice a day like I was supposed to, so I began taking it once a day. Well, BIG MISTAKE. I was at a bar with my friends and obviously I wasn’t drinking, but I began to feel very strange. I wasn’t able to tell my mouth to speak, but my brain was still working normally. My friends drink came and I thought that maybe if I had a sip of something it would make me feel better (I hadn’t eaten that much that day and I thought my blood sugar was low) When I went to take a sip I couldn’t tell my mouth to sip. Eventually my brain stopped thinking in coherent thoughts, the words were all out of order and the last thing I remember is pushing my friends drink back. I woke up on the cement. I had fallen off my chair and had a seizure. I will be moving to Los Angeles in 2 weeks and I cannot afford to not drive. I do believe I would be fine to drive because its like I said, when I am on my normal dose of medicine I can go years without seizures. I even forget I have them. I also realized this last time that I have ample time to warn me that a seizure is coming and I would be able to pull over. I am just curious what my fellow seizure people think haha.
 
Welcome 1251. First let me say, "Hope you got some meds!"
I can only speak from my experience. I started having seizures in 2006. Just like you they initially occurred at night. Luckily, my husband was with me. Eventually, I had auras during the day. I do get a warning, so I have been able to continue driving. I know there are many here that will tell you to stop. I believe that for some people that is unrealistic. YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!
M
ps. I am on generic Keppra 750 mgs. daily
 
If the doctor won't continue to give you a prescription to your meds, that is not in your best interest. I don't know what they were thinking. My doctor will go out of his way to make sure I have what I need. I do see him once a year. I stopped seeing him for a few years and he kept refilling my prescription although, I stopped taking my meds. Just like you, I had a seizure.

It sounds like you went through a simple partial or what others call an aura. That was what you felt before you lost conciousness.

About the driving, everyone here will tell you the same thing. Follow the laws and your doctors orders. Stop driving. Even though you know what happens before you have a seizure, you can't bet the lives of others on that. I understand being in this predicament and so do many others here.

Good luck and be careful.
 
Hi 1251 --

It's your call whether or not to drive, but you should think hard about it and make sure you are willing to be responsible if serious injury happens to you or someone else if you seize while driving. Even if you will not be officially reporting your latest seizure to the DMV, I recommend that you play it safe and not drive until you've been seizure-free for at least 6 months. That should give you some sense of how well the medication is working this time round. It's great that you're seizures have been controlled by medication in the past, but that's no guarantee that they will continue to be so in the future -- sometimes going on and off a particular medication leads to it being less-effective the next time you try it.

I also recommend that you find a new neurologist who will be more responsive -- it's terrible that they essentially forced you to go unmedicated. My neuro schedules my appointment 11 months in advance, but he makes sure my prescription is good for 12 months, just to make sure there's enough overlap in meds to keep me safe.

Good luck,
Nakamova
 
Hi 1251,

I'll tell you my experience. I've had E now for over 30 years and was seriously injured because I was misdiagnosed initially, therefore had I been taking some meds, I don't think the accident would have happened. The dr. back then said I was hypoglycemic when I was actually experiencing Simple Partial seizures. They gradually went into CPs and then TCs and when I had the first TC is when I was injured. And I was experiencing auras (which are actually simple partial seizures) but did not realize it at the time. So even tho one may experience auras, sometimes they can go further and sometimes they don't give you enough time. It is all an individual thing. The driving laws vary from state to state, but I think in CA, the physician is required to report your E to the state. So you will have to stop driving for a while.

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/rights_driving

Which states require physician reporting?

Six states (California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania) still require physicians to report patients who have seizures to the state, usually to the department of motor vehicles. While these statutes arguably do little to protect the public interest, they have been used to bring civil litigation against physicians who have not reported their patients to the department of motor vehicles, even in cases where patients are compliant and on medication.

Disclaimer: This information is for reference purposes only, please consult your state Department of Motor Vehicles for more information about the laws in your state.

Better safe than sorry. Isn't there plenty of public transportation in L.A.?
 
Hello 1251,

know one likes the way the meds can make them feel but there essential to control.I've had seizures since 1963 that's when I was diagnosed anyway. I think driving is crazy when you might have a seizure.I've never driven.

Belinda
 
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