Has epilepsy caused anymore health problems for anyone?

[mspang]

Well besides Epilepsy starting in 1993 I ended up with Ulcerative Colitis in 2001. The cause unknown, but i'll always think it had to do with the seizure meds. Even though the doctor says no. onder:

Unfortunately my Ulcerative Colitis got to the point this year where I had to have surgery to have my colon removed.

 

[momof3boys]

Ive had seizures all my life, but during my puberty years, I had alot of difficulties with my hormones. I was dx'd with PCOS when I was 18 years old. From doing research and asking neurologists, they are finding that PCOS and Epilepsy are both becoming more in common with each other for women who have Epilepsy. Ive found that if I can get my seizures treated, meaning like lazored out, or could get rid of them, my PCOS would more than likely go away too. Other than the PCOS, Ive had no other health problems with my Epilepsy.

 

[Nakamova]

So far, nothing that I know of. Ask me again in ten years...

Sorry to hear about the Ulcerative Colitis.

 

[Endless]

So sorry about the colitis. That's a hard one to cure, too.

I don't know if it's the Lamictal or the seizures, but my immune system isn't working like it used to. I catch everything, and some things I get really BAD. I also have acid reflux that the strongest of the acid blockers aren't curing. I chock that one up to either Lamictal or Diamox. I also have chronic metabolic acidosis, which reached a very dodgy level once - I went to the ER and they stuck me in the hospital with a heart monitor on, an IV of potassium going, and some of the best hospital food I've ever had.

Other than that, nope. No problems other than that from the Epilepsy.

 

[Cint]

I've had epilepsy since I was 23 years and after I was married and had two children, I've had hormonal problems, severe depression, later diagnosed as bipolar disorder which led to dr. prescribing a drug that brought on Type 1 Diabetes. Now take insulin shots along with anti-seizure meds and anti-depressant medicine.

 

[Jfpinell]

I don't know if it's the Lamictal or the seizures, but my immune system isn't working like it used to. I catch everything, and some things I get really BAD. I also have acid reflux that the strongest of the acid blockers aren't curing. I chock that one up to either Lamictal or Diamox.

As I said in another thread, vitamin C and garlic works everytime I get sick from anything.
As for the acid blockers curing anything? They won't. Taking them can actually make the problem worse eventually because it messes up the signals between your brain and tummy. In essence, your tummy says: "Well, if you don't want me making enough acid, fine." Either your're not producing enough acid (yes, I know it seems backwards but there's a reason I say that) or you don't have enough of the right digestive enzymes (very possible due, no surprise, to the drugs). If you think about it, if you don't have enough acid for the amount of food being eaten (or eat too many processed foods which are harder to digest) it can't be broken down to the point where it can go on it's way. So the partially digested food just sits there waiting. There's only 1 way it can go...bringing with it some of the acid that's still mixed with it. I compare it to filling your radiator up only part way, then go driving around town. Obviously your engine is going to over heat. So, is the solution to drain the hot liquid out and fill it up part way with cold again over and over? Or is it better to fill it up all the way so it has enough to do its job properly? My trick is mix about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a bit of yogurt. For me, it's always stopped the heartburn within a minute or 2.
Did you ever notice that many people who take rolaids, etc. have to keep taking them throughout the day? Your tummy is saying "Hey, I'm trying to digest here and you keep drying up the acid I'm trying to make! ...GRRR!" When you take 1 of those tums or whatever, it doesn't neutralize the "excess" acid, but ALL of it (the pill doesn't know when to stop or exactly how much "excess" it has to deal with). Then your tummy starts up its acid pumps again and you start getting the SAME PROBLEM AGAIN until it has enough to do it's job. So you get heartburn again, take another pill...... round and round it goes.

 

[dzivko]

interestingly, I was diagnosed with epilepsy about 2 months before I was diagnosed with colitis. Also have cardiomyopathy, serious heart problem.

 

[Endless]

The folks who take rolaids and tums all day do so because they are calcium-based. My doc had told me years ago that Calcium-based acid reducers work for about a couple hours max, and that calcium-based antacids can actually INCREASE stomach acid. That other types of antacids, like zantac, are better.

I searched around on the web and found an explanation of why:

Despite the development of potent medications for the treatment of GERD, antacids remain a mainstay of treatment. Antacids neutralize the acid in the stomach so that there is no acid to reflux. The problem with antacids is that their action is brief. They are emptied from the empty stomach quickly, in less than an hour, and the acid then re-accumulates. The best way to take antacids, therefore, is approximately one hour after meals, which is just before the symptoms of reflux begin after a meal. Since the food from meals slows the emptying from the stomach, an antacid taken after a meal stays in the stomach longer and is effective longer. For the same reason, a second dose of antacids approximately two hours after a meal takes advantage of the continuing post-meal slower emptying of the stomach and replenishes the acid-neutralizing capacity within the stomach.

Antacids may be aluminum, magnesium, or calcium based. Calcium-based antacids (usually calcium carbonate), unlike other antacids, stimulate the release of gastrin from the stomach and duodenum. Gastrin is the hormone that is primarily responsible for the stimulation of acid secretion by the stomach. Therefore, the secretion of acid rebounds after the direct acid-neutralizing effect of the calcium carbonate is exhausted. The rebound is due to the release of gastrin, which results in an overproduction of acid. Theoretically at least, this increased acid is not good for GERD.

Acid rebound, however, has not been shown to be clinically important. That is, treatment with calcium carbonate has not been shown to be less effective or safe than treatment with antacids not containing calcium carbonate. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of acid rebound is theoretically harmful. In practice, therefore, calcium-containing antacids such as Tums and Rolaids are not recommended. The occasional use of these calcium carbonate-containing antacids, however, is not believed to be harmful. The advantages of calcium carbonate-containing antacids are their low cost , the calcium they add to the diet, and their convenience as compared to liquids.

http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroesophageal_reflux_disease_gerd/page6.htm

As for the Diamox, it's eating my stomach from the inside out.

 

[marlena23]

is everyone with stomach problems on lamictal?

I was diagnosed in 2009 but was told I probably had petit mals my whole life. Since being diagnosed with epilepsy I had a lot of stomach problems. Since November I lost 40 lbs which I'm not sad about but it definitely wasn't healthy. My doctor thought I had gallstones only to find out its fibromyalgia with IBS.
I wonder if the lamictal can cause problems with your stomach. When my son was hospitalized earlier this year I went two days without my meds. Not good, I know but I was more concerned with my son at the time but I did notice my fibro symptoms were better OFF the lamictal. Including the IBS. I also notice I choke easily.:/

 

[Jfpinell]

1 of the biggest things that most people don't understand about these "calcium rich" antacids (and this is yet another thing that pours in cash for Big Pharma), is that not only is the calcium of such low quality with all the other ingredients in that stuff, but more interestingly, calcium has to be in an acidic environment to be able to be utilized. So what's wrong with that picture? ....When you swallow those things they neutralize the acid. There have been X-rays taken of people that have swallowed antacids, and hours later, they're still sitting waiting to be digested! That's 1 of the biggest schemes they have going for them!

 

[Jfpinell]

Quote [Antacids may be aluminum, magnesium, or calcium based. ]

This should be a red flag! Aluminum is VERY dangerous -especially to the nervous system! (Just what we need, right?) Have you ever wondered why alzheimers (spelling?) and many other such problems that involve the brain are on the rise? Aluminum cans were unheard of years ago (How many of us here remember when soda and beer came in glass bottles that you could take in for deposit?) It doesn't take a genius to conclude that after some time of sitting in a can, the product is going to have aluminum leach into it. (I've been told that if you put a penny in a glass of coke overnight, it'll do some strange things to the copper) We are ingesting this stuff daily. Even flouride (that we're all told is the best thing since sliced bread) is, believe it or not, made from a waste by product of aluminum manufacturing! Many deodorants are made with aluminum in them. ....And we wonder why we're sick today!

 

[Cordero]

I've always had to deal with my seizure meds causing constipation. Eventually something's going to burst in there. I totally sympathize with you. If you had to deal with constipation or diarrhea at all your doctors are retarded if they think that it's not related to the meds or the seizures. It's terrible how when the medication commercials come on t.v. and they cure one problem but then have a list of all these other things it may cause. Crazy

 

[epileric]

This should be a red flag! Aluminum is VERY dangerous -especially to the nervous system! (Just what we need, right?) Have you ever wondered why alzheimers (spelling?) and many other such problems that involve the brain are on the rise? Aluminum cans were unheard of years ago (How many of us here remember when soda and beer came in glass bottles that you could take in for deposit?) It doesn't take a genius to conclude that after some time of sitting in a can, the product is going to have aluminum leach into it. (I've been told that if you put a penny in a glass of coke overnight, it'll do some strange things to the copper) We are ingesting this stuff daily.

That has been disproven, even the Alzheimer's societies reject the theory that aluminum causes it.

Aluminum

One of the most publicized and controversial theories concerns aluminum, which became a suspect in Alzheimer's disease when researchers found traces of this metal in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Many studies since then have either not been able to confirm this finding or have had questionable results.

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/controversial-claims-risk-factors

3 – Drinking from aluminum cans or eating meals cooked in aluminum pots and pans can cause Alzheimer’s disease

Myth! Research, testing and debate has proven inconclusive on this subject and experts don’t believe aluminum intake or exposure to be a risk factor behind Alzheimer’s disease based on this. Although further research is being carried out. Human contact with aluminum whether via the environment or through such things as cans of Cola or cooking utensils made from the material is unavoidable. However our intake of aluminum is very low due to the insoluble forms it often comes in. It is believed that the average human intake of aluminum is anywhere between 30 and 50 mg per day which is very low and not considered harmful at all. Testing on rats which share most of our genetic makeup believe it or not has shown that exposure to greater intakes of aluminum, double the average, didn’t effect the cortex (thinking) area or the hippocampus (memory) area of the brain significantly enough to cause alarm.

http://www.memorystudy.org/alzheimers_myths.htm

Even flouride (that we're all told is the best thing since sliced bread) is, believe it or not, made from a waste by product of aluminum manufacturing!

Actually fluoride comes from the basic element fluorine The type of fluoride used in drinking water is called hexafluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride#Organic_synthesis I would honestly suggest you start reading science based websites/books rather than joe mercola

 

[mspang]

Thanks to all who have replied and to the few who do have more than one prob, I feel for ya. I was once in your shoes, but now i've been fixed to only have one prob again. Its nice to no longer have Ulcerative Colitis and be able to go to the bathroom normally again!

 

[gigi]

yep, the jury is in - meds do a number on the gut. I have been on one med for E. since 1969. I have a few minor issues, but mostly doin' alright at the ripe old age of almost 54. I have been a health nut off and on since I can remember. Hormones, and dehydration have been seizure triggers for me. I stay away from any meds for my gut, sticking with diet and exercise as my defense. After my one hospitalization in 03' after they pumped bunches of meds into me, I was introduced to I.B.S. Thank modern technology for the internet, and I was able to figure out my gut issues were related to major meds. - huh no thanks to the docs.-they were more interested in getting paid and prescribing MORE medication to fix what other medication had done to me. Insane!

 

[msuder0583]

ever since i was diagnosed with epilepsy it has caused a few things with me. could be a side effects of the meds. i dunno. but it gave me depression and social phobia which i now take meds for

 

[petero]

a heck of a scar on the bridge of my nose is a visible health issue - this is from many years ago, technically before I was diagnosed or had my first observed tonic-clonic, but in retrospect the time frame was relevant to my then later first obs.TC to myself consider it also a seizure

aside from types of Rx effects I am assuming you mean

 

[mspang]

Thanks again to all who've replied!

 

[mel239]

Ive suffered extreme sleep issues-up for days or wake up every hour or constant sleep-never normal.I have also had reflux and indigestion always been blamed on pregnancies-had enough of them LOL! But I have kept a bottle of mylanta and swig it continuously--its not too bad anymore but for years I would go through a bottle a week.Ive taken nexium with no relief and I took some samples of some new scrip couple years ago that was FANTASTIC but my insurance wouldnt cover it.Has gotten better as I get better seizure control

 

[petero]

Ive suffered extreme sleep issues-up for days or wake up every hour or constant sleep-never normal.I have also had reflux and indigestion always been blamed on pregnancies-had enough of them LOL! But I have kept a bottle of mylanta and swig it continuously--its not too bad anymore but for years I would go through a bottle a week.Ive taken nexium with no relief and I took some samples of some new scrip couple years ago that was FANTASTIC but my insurance wouldnt cover it.Has gotten better as I get better seizure control

I have read that some stomach aids can mess with liver metabolism which can affect some epilepsy med absorption, just to let you know~...