HELP!! Scared, don't know what to do!

[Literophile]

Literophile --how are you feeling today?

Just so you know, Lorazepam is often prescribed for seizure control, but not for long-term use. I'm on Lamictal for long-term seizure control, but my neurologist wrote me a scrip for a small amount of Lorazepam for when I was traveling outside the country -- for emergency use just in case I had a seizure, and wasn't near a hospital.

I'm feeling better. Had a close call earlier this morning and had three shock-like attacks in my sleep last night, but I called my pharmacist and then my doctor (who's going to call me back) and so I think things will get better.

Funny that you metioned that you felt cold the one I had before the last one on the 10th of January I mentioned that to my husband that I felt cold and right after that full blown gran mal like i usually have. As far as I know that is the only time i have been known to have an aura of any kind. Usually I have no warning just drop like a rock and hope i am in a safe place and don't hurt myself.

That's scary. Yeah, I live in the mountains where it's cold, but I wasn't cold, I was... minty? I felt weird, and it really scared me.

Literophile,

I'm so sorry you are going through all this. It's going to be okay. <<<<<BIG HUGS>>>>>

I agree about calling your pharmacist and voicing your concerns. Most pharmacists will call your doctor, explain the interactions, and work with your doctor to find an alternative. Mine is great about that. My doc often prescribes something that is related to a drug I'm allergic to, and has an X% chance of me going into analphylactic shock. So she calls my doc and they figure something else out for me. I find out when I go in to pick up my prescription...lol...

You have been unhappy with your doctor for a really long time. If for nothing other than inner peace (not to mention better care), maybe it's time to switch doctors?

(((hugs back))) Thank you.

I called the pharmacist and he told me I shouldn't D/C the Celexa right away because I'm already at therapeutic dosage (oops). But he seemed a bit confused (or I was) because he said maybe I should UP my dosage of CELEXA? I told him that's the drug that's giving me problems and he said that my two anti-depressants only precipitate seizures when I have something called... serotonin disorder? Something like that. *shrug* Not sure what that means, but my doctor should be calling me soon, so I'll talk to him about it.

Yeah, I have been really unhappy, but this IS a new doctor. I've seen two neurologists (who both said this was a psychological problem), a psychiatrist (who said this was "clearly attention-seeking") and a talk therapist (who said it was a classic case of hypochondriasis). I was getting tired of being told I was faking this, so I got a new psychiatrist (the guy who prescribed these meds) and a new therapist (who recommended me to my current psychiatrist).

I haven't gotten a new neurologist, but when I do, I'm not going to have my old records sent. I want him to do a full workup himself. *folds arms and nods firmly*:soap:

 

[Endless]

Good Plan, Literophile!

I found when your history follows you, it's hard to get the doc to do any original thinking. They are predisposed to think whatever the one before them thought.

The first neurologist I saw told me I just had menopause and had hysterical symptoms.

When I left I referred myself to a second neurologist. He sent for the first neurologist's records. When he came in the room he was chuckling under his breath, and then he gave me this look. But when he talked to me then he immediately referred me to an epi for evaluation.

When I saw my epi, he took me seriously, and diagnosed me with temporal lobe siezures. Over time he thought something else might be going on, in addition to epilepsy. So he sent me to a FOURTH neurologist - a headache specialist.

The headache specialist found the IIH (idiopathic intracranial hypertension) which can cause seizures, though aren't necessarily causing all of mine. And also starting mapping out the possible effects of the multiple TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), including headaches and seizures (though not necessarily causing all of mine).

Anyway, the better quality of doctors I got as I moved up the food chain, the more seriously they took me and my symptoms. The bad docs just laughed about it and said I was crazy because they were too dim to know the difference. It's how they hide their incompetence - they call their patients crazy. The good/smart docs know what the #*^$ is going on and they get to work and diagnose and fix the problem.

 

[Literophile]

Good Plan, Literophile!

I found when your history follows you, it's hard to get the doc to do any original thinking. They are predisposed to think whatever the one before them thought.

Yeah, I've found that out. *grumble*

Anyway, the better quality of doctors I got as I moved up the food chain, the more seriously they took me and my symptoms. The bad docs just laughed about it and said I was crazy because they were too dim to know the difference. It's how they hide their incompetence - they call their patients crazy. The good/smart docs know what the #*^$ is going on and they get to work and diagnose and fix the problem.

That's what I've been telling Rae, too. They just don't want to look incompetent, and by trying to cover their butts, they make themselves look incompetent. It's a never-ending cycle of incompetence.:soap:

 

[redskins18]

haya, looks like your goin through the same problems i have had. when my med got going i had nothin but problems. eplim made me sleep (all the time) keppra turned me into a monster. late at night here in england but just to say the people here know what there talking about so just lisen and try to be happy.... off to bed but may speak to u soon... where is my bed???