'Psychogenic Seizures'

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elizzza811

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I'm not sure I believe in 'psychogenic seizures', but what is the normal treatment for these? Anticonvulsants? Or do they prescribe psych meds?

I'm really worried. So far I've yet to prove any seizure activity by EEG, and I crashed my car. My seizures were even witnessed by ambulance personnel. Are they going to tell me my seizures are all in my head? What is the definition of 'psychogenic seizures' anyway?
 
elizzza811 said:
I'm not sure I believe in 'psychogenic seizures', but what is the normal treatment for these? Anticonvulsants? Or do they prescribe psych meds?

I'm really worried. So far I've yet to prove any seizure activity by EEG, and I crashed my car. My seizures were even witnessed by ambulance personnel. Are they going to tell me my seizures are all in my head? What is the definition of 'psychogenic seizures' anyway?
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I just got done going through a Video EEG, and ended up having Non-Epileptic seizures. My dr says this is still evidence that I have epilepsy, just not enough to cause an actual epileptic seizure. He kept me on Keppra XR, and took me off of Carbatrol. I had the non epileptic seizures during the video eeg, I came home friday, I didnt have any the rest of the day, but saturday I had 6 that day within an hour... and so far nothing on sunday or today, Monday. I dont know what kind of medication they would put you on to treat the non epileptic seizures. Im sure if I had no epilepsy show up on my veeg, I dont think my dr would have put me back on the Keppra XR.
 
Thanks for the info! I'm still confused though because they were grouped with conversion and somatoform disorders?...

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/294908-overview

However, somatoform disorders represent a psychiatric condition because the physical symptoms present in the disorder cannot be fully explained by a medical disorder, substance use, or another mental disorder.

Granted, my seizures often occur during stressful, emotional times in my life, but not all the time...sometimes I think I even have them in my sleep. And I don't like how when they can't explain something medically, it often gets lumped in with psychiatric illness. For example, I have OCD, and I believe THAT is caused by either infection or seizure activity or some combination of both. Frankly, I think ALL psychiatric illness will eventually be explained by infection or seizure activity or both. Even depression and anxiety are 'electrical illnesses' because we need the right electricity to produce neurotransmitters.
 
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I have psychogenic seizures as well as epileptic seizures. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I had a zillion of them when my first boyfriend broke up with me, and then I had several while I was dating my second boyfriend and now that I've broken up with him, I've started having really bad ones.

I can tell the difference because the PNES are huge ordeals. They have bilateral movement and they are different evey time with no loss of consciousness. The others have unilateral movements and I don't remember most of what happens during them. Oh, and the PNES never happen while I'm sleeping and the others do.

Just because you have PNES doesn't mean you don't have E though.

EDIT: They usually prescribe anti-anxiety meds like Xanax or Ativan for that.
 
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Sorry to butt in here, but what's the difference between unilateral and bilateral? I'm not sure what those two words mean.
 
Bilateral means the movements happen on both sides of the body and unilateral means they just happen on one. For example, when I have a seizure, I clench and unclench my left fist. When I have a NES, I move both sides of my body.
 
Ah I see :) thanks! Generally its my right side if I'm having a partial. I saw unilateral on my notes once but didn't know what it meant lol. Mind you, got a trapped nerve in my left shoulder from a strong twitch the other day. Does that mean its not the epilepsy? Mines more from my left temporal lobe than the right (eeg showed that).
 
I don't know, but I would say not. Mind you, I'M CERTAINLY NOT A DOCTOR and most of all, I'm not you. You would know better than anyone else. :)
 
"Bilateral means the movements happen on both sides of the body and unilateral means they just happen on one. For example, when I have a seizure, I clench and unclench my left fist. When I have a non-epileptic seizures, I move both sides of my body."

only problem with this theory is if someone has damage to both sides of the brain. Mine can happen on both sides. but generally my left side is usually the one that starts first. My damage (although small and now considered insignificant by my neuro) is on my right temporal lobe closer to the front
 
Yeah... I do have it in both temporal lobes but I don't think I ever have a jerk on both sides of body at the same time or during the same period of time. I have no idea what my tonic clonic look like cos I can't remember them and I don't like to ask. This stuff is confusing lol!

Wait, did I just hijack the thread? :hj:
 
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elizzza811 said:
I'm not sure I believe in 'psychogenic seizures', but what is the normal treatment for these? Anticonvulsants? Or do they prescribe psych meds?
Click to expand...

I don't believe in Psychogenic seizures either. It is my personal opinion that it just takes the brain less change (electrically, physically, hormonally etc) during stress on certain days, under certain conditions that causes the seizure. I do not think its because your crazy, because your stressed, its simply because your seizure threshold was lower than normal and it took less of a change to cause the seizure. That make any sense to you guys. its hard to put down in writing.

Basically I think that if all brains work on a scale of 1-100, some people with epilepsy have a seizure at 75. and others when their brain reaches 70. While people without epilepsy will have a seizure when their brain reaches 40. But in people prone to seizures, someones brain could function around 78 normally, and when it reaches 75 the person has a seizure, but the EEG doesnt show any change because its only slight.

typically the medical community makes you see a shrink of some sort (therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist) and/or puts your on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills
 
Rae1889 said:
"Bilateral means the movements happen on both sides of the body and unilateral means they just happen on one. For example, when I have a seizure, I clench and unclench my left fist. When I have a non-epileptic seizures, I move both sides of my body."

only problem with this theory is if someone has damage to both sides of the brain. Mine can happen on both sides. but generally my left side is usually the one that starts first. My damage (although small and now considered insignificant by my neuro) is on my right temporal lobe closer to the front
Click to expand...

I didn't mean that some people don't have bilateral movement, I just meant that that's how I can tell the difference between mine.

Sorry for any confusion or irritation that might have caused. :)
 
I totally knew what you meant, just wanted to clarify for some people that it doesnt always mean that bilateral movement means psychogenic.
 
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