:agree:I'm brand new to this forum, and I have to say that my heart is still racing as I recall the drama of this past week. My heart truly goes out to individuals and families who live with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. It's a new world to us and I know very little at this point, except it seems very possible that my 6-year-old daughter's series of petit mal and grand mal seizures earlier this week were due to use of Benadryl. She had either one extended grand mal seizure, interrupted by smaller ones . . . or it was actually two grand mal seizures, beginning in her sleep. After a frantic 911 call and 3 days in the hospital her EEG looked normal, CT scan showed no signs of anything, yet she clearly had some major seizures.
I have to ask if they were related to the Benadryl which I had given her the night before. When she was in what I would call the petit mal seizure state (please excuse my lack of terminology---it's all so new for us!) her "zoned out, looking-right-through me" gaze and behavior was so much like what I've seen when she has had Benadryl in the past. But, having been assured by her doctors that it was perfectly safe and some kids look a bit "spacy", I thought it was safe to give for a stuffy nose. The "seizure face" was identical to what I have seen when she has had Benadryl, and this time it seems that she may have reached the tipping point.
I'm horrified that I didn't know of the risks of Benadryl . . . I'm informed, aware, and thought that I have appropriately questioned anything that I have given my children---either OTC medications or prescription meds. I can tell you that we have thrown out any Benadryl in the house, and now I am left with a sick feeling that I have to watch her every second, round the clock to recognize any future seizures. The neurologist said that she has a 75% chance of having another one and that there is greater likelihood here in these first few weeks. If we make it to 6 months without a seizure we can be reasonably sure that this was a one-time deal. My daughter is very small for her age (39 pounds, 39 inches---at age 6) and has PDD-NOS on the autism spectrum as well as very mild CP. Since the seizures we have noticed a regression back to some earlier behaviors and physical conditions . . . more hand-flexing and difficult in stringing words into meaningful syntax. I don't know if this is just post-seizure behavior that will eventually disappear or if this is something that might linger. If anybody has any comments, please feel free to chime in. I have found some of our best health resources to be forums with people who have had similar experiences, and I'm hoping that our experience may be helpful to other families and that we might perhaps find some answers ourselves. Thanks for letting me join in here.
However, when my nose gets stuffy during a cold, I use a nasal spray like Afrin. I have a tendency to snore, and plugged sinuses only makes it worse. I don't like taking pills like sudafed because they make me feel jittery. That, and I figure Afrin can only be used for 3 days. After that, it can make the congestion worse. So, knowing that makes me just tough it out with saline nasal spray as much as possible. My kids tend to go to sleep after using their allergy meds. And hubby is ADHD...so benadryl just makes him hyper.
