seizures after 25 years

[bromley]

I dont know if this is the correct place to post this but as the title says after 25 years I had 2 tonic clonic seizures

I had been taken into hospital 4 weeks before and given the drug Zopiclone, to help me sleep. Once i stopped this drug the seizures happened. I havent had any since or taken the drug again and never had any other drug or stressor kick off any type of seizure before.

Does any of you have any experience of this drug?

Thank you

 

[jyearta]

I haven't taken this one.

Maybe someone else has and will answer.

 

[Nakamova]

Zoplicone isn't sold in the U.S., though it's similar to the sleep med sold here called Lunesta. Although it isn't a benzodiazepine, it can have similar effects as the benzos especially in terms of addiction and withdrawal.

Because it has such a strong tranquilizing effect, abrupt withdrawal can cause seizures. It would be unusual for this to occur after short-term use -- but depending on the dose you received, how often you received it, and your individual sensitivity to the med, that could have been what triggered your seizures.

 

[Fritz2]

That's very bad luck to have gone so long and then had some. To my uneductaed view, it would suggest that the sleeping drug may have had something to do with it.
Were you on anti seizure meds for the 25 years? Were you diagnosed with epilepsy of a certain type when you were younger?
Have you seen a doctor and got their opinion yet?

 

[RobinN]

I would connect the two.
But you might also consider that your seizure threshold is lower for other reasons too.
Lack of sleep, nutrition, hormonal reasons... etc
My non-medical recommendation would be to work to raise your threshold, and thus reduce the chance for more seizures.

 

[Blue]

My friend was off med and, all but seizure free for about 15 years, until last Wed then, 6-7 hours of alternating c/t and absence seizures non stop. The neurologist blamed stress, which I'm sure is at least 75% of it so, other medications are not always to blame.

 

[Fritz2]

My friend was off med and, all but seizure free for about 15 years, until last Wed then, 6-7 hours of alternating c/t and absence seizures non stop. The neurologist blamed stress, which I'm sure is at least 75% of it so, other medications are not always to blame.

That's odd too - to go 15 years with no problems at all and then suddnely have a load on one day. Maybe your friend was having absences during the 15 years but not overly aware of them?

 

[Blue]

He had maybe one or tow absences a year an only one c/t that whole time. The last few months have been super stressful for him - beyond what normal life brings by a long shot.

Based on when and how that round of status happened, I think the first c/t was triggered by either something on the computer or the TV, then the built up stress kept it going from there.

The reason I think the first was externally triggered is because he didn't have an aura before hand and, he always has before. He blanked out about an hour before, no memory at all of cooking or eating dinner but, he did cook and eat so I'm thinking triggered when he blanked out and, it took that hour or so for it to build to a seizure, then the loop got going and, it took calling 911 to stop it.

Had someone been there that knew him well enough, they might have been able to pull him out of being triggered before he seized but that wasn't the case.