Hi everyone,
I'm a 35 year old guy from the east coast of Northern Ireland, UK. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 18, following a grand mal seizure I suffered while driving one night. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt; one minute I was driving, then I was in an ambulance. An EEG later suggested I had epilepsy, but this hadn't been my first encounter with seizures.
I had a convulsion when I was two, and then another when I was five. The latter paralysed me down my left side, leaving it deficient in pretty much every department- strength, sense of touch, co-ordination etc. Believe it or not, despite this, I play the drums! I had a CT scan, which apparently revealed a blood clot on my brain. Anyway, after my diagnosis at 18, I went on Epilim, which I hated, as it gave me headaches and made me jaundiced. I then went on Tegretol, which seemed ok at first, and after I had been seizure free for a year, I was allowed to drive again. One day about 18 months later, I ended up having a seizure in work, and I haven't driven since (14 years now).
My dose of Tegretol was increased, and then problems started. I began having absence seizures as well as grand mal. Spiffing, eh? I ended up going off work long term, and haven't worked in years now. I have tried Lamictal, Keppra, Topamax (Jesus...bloody awful), and I've been taking a massive dose of Neurontin (gabapentin) for about 8 years. I've been on Vimpat (lacosamide) for over a year as well, with 10mg of Frisium (clobazam). I've grown weary of Neurontin and my neurologist has agreed to allow me to withdraw it gradually, as any time I had a complaint, the automated response was to up my dose.
By the way, I found out a few years ago after an MRI scan that I have a very rare condition, known as Schizencephaly. There are two types- open lip and closed lip. I have closed lip, which is much the lesser of two evils, but it means I'm susceptible to seizures. There's no doubt that there are many on here who have things much worse than me, or have relatives with much worse than me, but I do really hate having this condition.
In addition to the meds, I take a few supplements, such as manganese, vitamin E, flaxseed oil, magnesium, Zinc, and B complex.
I'm a 35 year old guy from the east coast of Northern Ireland, UK. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 18, following a grand mal seizure I suffered while driving one night. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt; one minute I was driving, then I was in an ambulance. An EEG later suggested I had epilepsy, but this hadn't been my first encounter with seizures.
I had a convulsion when I was two, and then another when I was five. The latter paralysed me down my left side, leaving it deficient in pretty much every department- strength, sense of touch, co-ordination etc. Believe it or not, despite this, I play the drums! I had a CT scan, which apparently revealed a blood clot on my brain. Anyway, after my diagnosis at 18, I went on Epilim, which I hated, as it gave me headaches and made me jaundiced. I then went on Tegretol, which seemed ok at first, and after I had been seizure free for a year, I was allowed to drive again. One day about 18 months later, I ended up having a seizure in work, and I haven't driven since (14 years now).
My dose of Tegretol was increased, and then problems started. I began having absence seizures as well as grand mal. Spiffing, eh? I ended up going off work long term, and haven't worked in years now. I have tried Lamictal, Keppra, Topamax (Jesus...bloody awful), and I've been taking a massive dose of Neurontin (gabapentin) for about 8 years. I've been on Vimpat (lacosamide) for over a year as well, with 10mg of Frisium (clobazam). I've grown weary of Neurontin and my neurologist has agreed to allow me to withdraw it gradually, as any time I had a complaint, the automated response was to up my dose.
By the way, I found out a few years ago after an MRI scan that I have a very rare condition, known as Schizencephaly. There are two types- open lip and closed lip. I have closed lip, which is much the lesser of two evils, but it means I'm susceptible to seizures. There's no doubt that there are many on here who have things much worse than me, or have relatives with much worse than me, but I do really hate having this condition.
In addition to the meds, I take a few supplements, such as manganese, vitamin E, flaxseed oil, magnesium, Zinc, and B complex.
