Complex Partial Epilepsy

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Devin

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Hi everyone. My story basically is i hit my head roughly 12 years ago, i fell off stands at school. And i was diagnosed with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy. It was mainly controlled for the time after that but then last year towards the end i had quite a big seizure and then they started to persist as the year itself progressed. And then i was diagnosed with complex partial focal epilepsy. I was always on Lamictin for all these years and i currently am presently. My doctor has tried Tegretol in conjuction with the lamictin but after a period of time we noticed it wasn't really doing much. I then recently +- a month now have been put on Topamax in conjunction with the Lamictin. I take this medication both in the morning and at night. Lamictin(250mg) Morning/evening & Topamax (30mg) Morning and evening. I would just like some feed back with regards to people here who are going through similar situation as me and or who know much about Topamax. I also take Xanax(Other trade names as Xanor) 0.5g Morning & at night before bed with the Lamictin/Topamax. But lately i have been getting the AURA a lot. And then not all the time but sometimes after the AURA i will get "Adversive" Seizures my eyes and head turn to one side and also a Jacksonian Seizure tingling in my hand or arm. And i feel a little bit dazed afterwards. And i also get tingling feelings in my leg and right foot. But my full blown seizures seem to have subsided. Also in my sleep i get funny awkward sensations especially in the morning where i will like feel in a brief paralyzed state and my left hand will contract and its only my left hand side that does this. And at the same time my eyes will go to the left like that of the adversive seizures. I do not drink/take drugs etc. My doctor responded this-> What happens in the brain is a type of "cascading change"
of electrical activity as you fall asleep.And it is this change in
brainwave activity that often triggers a seizure (or seizure like symptoms). I am healthy and fit at the same time. Please if anyone has any insight to this whatsoever.
 
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Hi Devin, welcome to CWE!

I'm on Lamictal (same as Lamictin), but I haven't tried Topamax. From what I understand, it can cause cognitive slowing ("Dopomax"), fatigue, and numbness and tingling in the arms and legs. So its possible that some of your sensations may be side effects rather than symptoms. Topamax-related tingling can be cause by the way it drains potassium from your system. It can also interfere with the metabolism of vitamin D and other nutrients, so ask your doctor about adding a supplement.

Your dosage for the Topamax is relatively low -- I think for epilepsy a daily total of 100mg is considered more likely to be effective, so you may also want to discuss an dosage tweak to see if it helps control the adversive seizures.
 
Thank you for your response, but i have been on Lamictin(Lamictal) for a long period of time(a few years if not more) & as i said in my initial post that these things only started happening from mid last year.
 
Is it not possible that my partial episodes are being bought on by Anxiety? Like can Anxiety bring on a seizure or partial seizures?
 
I was thinking the Topamax (not the Lamictin) might be causing your symptoms, but if they pre-date the addition of the Topamax, then they are more likely related to seizure activity. All kinds of stress can potentially trigger seizure activity. If you think anxiety is playing a role in yours, explore ways to reduce sources of anxiety in your life. Can you do preventive relaxation or meditation? Counseling therapy? What activities bring your stress levels down?
 
That's what I've been taking the Xanor for..for my anxiety. Also my anxiety generally seems to peak the highest in the afternoon/evenings..Do you have any idea as to why?
 
Late afternoon and early evening anxiety is actually fairly common. It may relate to changes in blood pressure or blood sugar. For example, your blood pressure rises during the day, and usually peaks in the middle of the afternoon. Then in the late afternoon and evening, blood pressure begins dropping again. Blood sugar can rise or fall depending on when and what you eat, as well as patterns of activity.

Another possibility is that the effects of Xanor have worn off by late afternoon. (It's peak effectiveness tends to be within the first hour and a half after you take it.) Xanor is generally considered safe for people with seizures, but if you are worried about its effectiveness or safety, you should check in with your doctor.
 
Thank you for your response. But do you personally think my Anxiety could be constituting that much towards my seizures? Or do you think there is another trigger?
 
Everyone's triggers are different. The best way to figure out your triggers is to keep a detailed diary. If you're not sure whether your anxiety attacks are actual seizure symptoms, side effects, or just plan old anxiety, mark them in your diary with an asterisk and discuss them with your doctor. And be proactive about reducing sources of stress in your life to see if it helps. Counseling, exercise, progressive relaxation, meditation, medication, maintaining good overall health -- there are a lot of different ways to potentially help reduce your anxiety.
 
Thanks for all your help. This morning i had a full blown seizure in my bed(early hours) And it basically my head going to the left, limbs convulting..& overall feeling very dazed after wards. Do you know much about sleep at all? Like as i said in my first initial post i get this like "sensation" through my body(feels like the AURA) it might even be it i'm not sure. it is as the point when I'm awake and about to fall asleep, and if its a strong one my arm & hand(both left) will get a tingling sensation and my left hand will open and close for like 3-5seconds. As i also said my doctor responded this->My doctor responded this-> What happens in the brain is a type of "cascading change"
of electrical activity as you fall asleep.And it is this change in
brainwave activity that often triggers a seizure (or seizure like symptoms). So i'd really appreciate it if you had more insight with regards to this or if you have heard of this before. Cause it is starting to really break my self esteem as well as affect my daily function. Thank you. Devin
 
My 7 year old son is on Topamax (Dopamax) and recently underwent IQ testing at school. Before this horrible drug, he was just fine, despite the absence seizures. He had normal processing speed and working memory. Now both of those scores fall below normal, and he was diagnosed with ADHD, combined type on top of it all. He has extreme fatigue, irritability, impulsivity, and a bit of aggression on this med. at the end of the month we begin the tapering schedule for the Topamax to be rid of it. He also takes Lamictal, and we hope the Lamictal alone will control his seizures. We haven't noticed any ill-effects upon the addition of the Lamictal. He was also on Depakote, which caused his blood ammonia to be too high, and caused similar side effects to the Dopamax. He was first prescribed Zarontin, which was ineffective in alleviating the seizures. But each medication works differently for each person, but Topamax definitely has a slowing of cognitive functions.
 
Thank you for your response. Do you have any insight with what i mentioned one post above that happens in my sleep?
 
You have NO idea.. I'm at a stage where i am so desperate.. :(. Thank you again for your responses.
 
Hey Devin,

I'm one of those people that hate to take meds. I told my doc to lets try one med at a time until we run out of options. This mixing drugs is making things that much more difficult to diagnose which drug is doing what and together it can be a cluster fu**. :)

But my question to you is did your doc do an mri, ct or eeg lately on you?
 
since having an rta in 2003 having a bleed to the brain I was fit and healthy before the I was fit and healthy when the neurosurgeon came to see me and said I would have focal onset seizures with gran mall for the rest of my life I was in shock dident take the tablets for 3 or 4 yrs now I take them without fail but dread the sickness dry cough that comes with it sumtimes I feel is there a way out.
 
Devin said:
Do you know much about sleep at all? Like as i said in my first initial post i get this like "sensation" through my body(feels like the AURA) it might even be it i'm not sure. it is as the point when I'm awake and about to fall asleep, and if its a strong one my arm & hand(both left) will get a tingling sensation and my left hand will open and close for like 3-5seconds. As i also said my doctor responded this->My doctor responded this-> What happens in the brain is a type of "cascading change"
of electrical activity as you fall asleep.And it is this change in
brainwave activity that often triggers a seizure (or seizure like symptoms). So i'd really appreciate it if you had more insight with regards to this or if you have heard of this before.
Click to expand...

I've had a few seizures in my sleep, according to my ex, and wasn't aware of them until he woke me and told me of them. I've also had them first thing in the morning and right when I'm falling asleep and during the day, too. I've taken Tegretol, Lamictal, and am currently taking Topomax along with Keppra. I also take Zoloft for depression. And as Nakamova suggested, have you considered counseling? Also, make sure you keep your blood sugar under control.

Here is a good link about sleep and epilepsy/seizures:
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/sleep_epilepsy
 
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