Dreaming of seizures

[valeriedl]

Recently I think I've started having sleep seizures along with the ones I have when I'm awake.

About a week ago my husband saw me laying on the couch with my eyes open shaking a little while I was taking a nap. This happened twice.

I've also begun to be dreaming I'm having a seizure, I really don't know how to describe it. I've woke myself up shaking during the seizure that I'm dreaming about. When I wake up I'm not shaking, or having a seizure.

It's possible however that I may have been having the seizure while I'm asleep and after I wake up and not know that I'd actually had it because most of the time when I have a complex partial seizure I don't know that it happened.

Is it possible that these 'dream seizures' are real ones that I could be asleep during and/or still having them when I'm awake after.

 

[masterjen]

I think the best indicator that the dream seizures are real would be if you have your usual post-seizure symptoms following a dream seizure that you do following an awake seizure. That is what my neurologist said to me. You say that you don't know if you had a cps - so no confusion, fatigue, headache or anything?
I used to dream about seizures, too, and if I woke up with my usual post-seizure symptoms I'd know it was real, and if not I could be fairly certain it really was just a dream.
Apparently dreaming about having a seizure is not uncommon and represents anxiety about having a seizure, which is only understandable for those with epilepsy.

 

[AlohaBird]

if I woke up with my usual post-seizure symptoms I'd know it was real, and if not I could be fairly certain it really was just a dream.
Apparently dreaming about having a seizure is not uncommon and represents anxiety about having a seizure, which is only understandable for those with epilepsy.

Yep. When my seizures were less under control this was a more frequent issue.

 

[walkerjm3]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that dreams about having them. It feels like at least once a week.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

Is it possible that these 'dream seizures' are real ones that I could be asleep during and/or still having them when I'm awake after.

Yes it is possible. When I was still taking Lyrica for CPS I experienced dream seizures as a side effect. I would be in very vivid dream state when they'd occur. It would be like I was having an out of body experience. During that time I could actually see myself starting to shake in my dreams. I would wake up shaking and terrified. That happened at least three times when I was on Lyrica. I got switched to another AED as soon as I could.

 

[valeriedl]

I think the best indicator that the dream seizures are real would be if you have your usual post-seizure symptoms following a dream seizure that you do following an awake seizure. That is what my neurologist said to me. You say that you don't know if you had a cps - so no confusion, fatigue, headache or anything?
I used to dream about seizures, too, and if I woke up with my usual post-seizure symptoms I'd know it was real, and if not I could be fairly certain it really was just a dream.
Apparently dreaming about having a seizure is not uncommon and represents anxiety about having a seizure, which is only understandable for those with epilepsy.

I'm always very tired after a seizure and after the 'dream seizures' I fall right back asleep after I've woke up from 'having the seizure'. I don't always have headaches after seizures and I didn't have any after the 'dream seizures' that I know of because I've fallen back asleep after it's happened.

Yes it is possible. When I was still taking Lyrica for CPS I experienced dream seizures as a side effect. I would be in very vivid dream state when they'd occur. It would be like I was having an out of body experience. During that time I could actually see myself starting to shake in my dreams. I would wake up shaking and terrified. That happened at least three times when I was on Lyrica. I got switched to another AED as soon as I could.

This sounds exactly like what happens to me. I can see my body shaking in the dream. I'll have one big twitch/shake and that's when I wake up from the 'dream seizure' that I'm having. My heart will be beating pretty fast and it takes Me a minute or two to figure out what's actually going on and where I am then I fall right back asleep.

I think in one of the 'dream seizures' I was dreaming I was in my bed. During the other one I don't remember if I was in bed or somewhere else (did that make sense?). When I woke up from both of them I was in bed and the covers weren't all messed up like I'd been shaking like crazy. In the dreams my whole body was shaking but not very strong. It wasn't like I was dreaming that I was having a full out grand mal where my body was shaking around with arms and legs flopping all over the place.

I've been on the same meds for a good many years now but my Depakote was decreased about 4 months ago. I don't know if that could have anything to do with it because the 'dream seizures' just started in the last week or two.

 

[BIGMAN131307]

This sounds exactly like what happens to me. I can see my body shaking in the dream. I'll have one big twitch/shake and that's when I wake up from the 'dream seizure' that I'm having. My heart will be beating pretty fast and it takes Me a minute or two to figure out what's actually going on and where I am then I fall right back asleep.

I think in one of the 'dream seizures' I was dreaming I was in my bed. During the other one I don't remember if I was in bed or somewhere else (did that make sense?). When I woke up from both of them I was in bed and the covers weren't all messed up like I'd been shaking like crazy. In the dreams my whole body was shaking but not very strong. It wasn't like I was dreaming that I was having a full out grand mal where my body was shaking around with arms and legs flopping all over the place.

I've been on the same meds for a good many years now but my Depakote was decreased about 4 months ago. I don't know if that could have anything to do with it because the 'dream seizures' just started in the last week or two.

During my experiences I could interact with others around. It was mostly my family in my dreams. I'd be talking with them, then suddenly they'd start to cry. I'd ask them what's wrong. They'd say something like your face, your face. I'd feel my face, as they'd say it's drooping. At that moment it be like I could see myself through their eyes (or out of body experience), I would start shaking and convulsing. Then I'd wake up shaking and terrified. It would take me several hours to calm down enough to go back to sleep.

When I experienced those "dream seizures" I was taking Trileptal & Lyrica I was switched to Lyrica because Keppra caused severe stomach/groin pain. About four AEDs before that I was on Depakote. Which also caused severe stomach/groin pain.

I was on the full dosage amount of Lyrica when I was experiencing the "dream seizures". But it may be possible that the dosage change could be effecting you.

It could also be some other issue that requires a blood test.
You need to speak to your neurologist about these.

 

[Joyful]

I used to dream that I was having seizures when I really wasn't. Like you said, I can tell if I really had one or not by the post-seizure feeling.

Does anyone else feel "heavy" after a seizure ? I feel that way after a grand mal - that's how I can tell I had a grand mal or just a series of "jerks".

 

[lindsayschu2]

Whenever I have partial seizures in my sleep I can tell just because I feel like crap the next day with all my usual post-ictal stuff and feel like I barely slept all night (and usually have super minor 'micro-partials' off and on all the next day). I had a dream a couple of nights ago I had a tonic clonic at work, and came to with paramedics in the office. More of a nightmare actually--but the partial before the tonic seemed so real . . .but I woke up feeling rested and perfectly fine so I concluded it wasn't an actual seizure. Funny seeing this thread--I never dream of seizures, and this was the first in years.

 

[valeriedl]

Whenever I have partial seizures in my sleep I can tell just because I feel like crap the next day with all my usual post-ictal stuff and feel like I barely slept all night (and usually have super minor 'micro-partials' off and on all the next day). I had a dream a couple of nights ago I had a tonic clonic at work, and came to with paramedics in the office. More of a nightmare actually--but the partial before the tonic seemed so real . . .but I woke up feeling rested and perfectly fine so I concluded it wasn't an actual seizure. Funny seeing this thread--I never dream of seizures, and this was the first in years.

I think in my dream seizures everyone around me was trying to get the seizure to stop, I have a VNS and they were using it on me. I think I was telling them to call 911 during some.


I had an actual seizure while I was awake the other day that was just like the seizures I see myself having in my sleep.

I know that I was having a simple partial because I was light headed, dizzy and my lips were tingling. These are things that usually happen during a simple partial.

The only thing that was different was that the top of my body was shaking/twitching. I don't really know how to describe it but at times it was like I was strongly shaking off a chill or my shoulders would come up like I was giving the 'I don't know' shrug. Nothing was going on with the lower part of my body.