Hi I'm a new member and I have a 13 year old with one if tobcall it epilepsy

[Frank1984]

Hello everyone. I have seen this forum and read everyone's post. I'm so worried about my daughter. She has had two seizures I hope the only two she'll ever get. But after the seizure she has this horrible headache that last for about a week and that's not over exaggerating. Does anyone k ow about this and what it could mean

 

[CQ:)]

Hi Frank
Welcome to the forum
Has your daughter seen a specialist for her seizures eg a neurologist?
Also what type of seizures does she have, tonic clonics where she convulses or focal seizures (also known as partials) where she may do odd things or space out.?

I’ve had epilepsy most of my life but had gaps between my seizures, I had tonic clonics as a baby/ toddler but partial seizures as an adult.
usually when I have a complex partial seizure where I’d lose awareness I would get a headache afterwards, sometimes straight after the seizure ended and sometimes not until hours after. I call it my post seizure headache, sometimes I can get rid of it with some strong pain killer or sleep it off or sometimes I still feel like rubbish the next day.
Last year they changed though as when I’d have a partial seizure I would get a headache but it would ease off by the time I went to bed then I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a pounding headache and vomiting. I’d also be out of action the next day with no energy just laying on the couch sleeping. When I asked my neuro he said it sounded like I was getting post seizure migraines in my sleep and the seizure recovery was taking longer then normal which isn’t out of the ordinary.

I have had a tonic clonics in my adult hood but not many but I noticed when I have I’ve taken a lot longer to recover from them then I do a partial.

 

[Nakamova]

Hey Frank,

It's not unusual to have a "hangover" after a seizure. For me, I've found that it can last just a few hours or it can last a few weeks.

Since your daughter doesn't have a lengthy seizure history, probably best to check in with her neurologist or regular GP. Some things to think about: Has she been eating, drinking and sleeping normally? (Dehydration and fatigue can prolong a headache). Does her headache respond to any over-the-counter pain relievers? (Sometimes trying a different one -- switching from ibuprofen to acetaminophen for example -- can help.) Is she on any medications? (Certain medications can contribute to dehydration).

Best of luck to you both,
Nak

 

[Porkette]

Hi Frank,
Just like your daughter when I was a kid after a seizure I would be exhausted and sleep for hrs. and I also would have bad headaches, this is all part of the seizures. My best advice to you is to get your daughter to see an Epileptologist which is a Dr. who specializes in epilepsy. Also have her cut back on the carbs and starch foods this will help reduce seizures. Do you know what type of seizure your daughter is having? I have absence, complex partial, simple partial also called aura seizures and I did have myoclonic seizures which happen when a person gets up in the morning or when they go to bed. Keep track of any possible seizures and write down what time they happen on a calendar along with the type of seizure she has by doing this the Dr. may see a pattern in the seizures and when they will happen or what days of the month they will happen. I found taking vitamin B12 once a day reduced my seizures along with putting coconut oil on my skin 1-2 times a day. The coconut oil builds up ketones in my body which in turn reduces the seizures. I wish you and your daughter the best of luck and May God Bless the Both of You!

Sue

 

[Frank1984]

Thanks everyone for replying. Her first seizure she did the whole tense up and wet herself it lasted for about 30 seconds. Sorry for choice of words I'm new to this. That was about 9 months ago. Last sunday nught i woke her up about 630 and she was just sitting there all spaced out with no reactions. I would call her she would just look at me but not talk she looked lost and just sitting there hunched over. This lasted about 30 min. She finally snapped back when iness trying to out on her shoes so I could carry her to the truck and take her to the ER. But tbh she had the flu the week before and was taking all sorts of meds like tamiflu, antibiotic, allergy meds and nausea med so I made the choice of her to stop taking her keppra 500mg. I didn't k ow if it would counter acts with the other meds. Now I know it does not. She has been to a Neuro and has had a EEG. It showed very little evidence of seizure activity he didn't k ow if it was or just the headache he was seeing . But her first one sjebwas on a school band trip. Had no sleep before took off 6 hour drive, stayed at 6 flags all day being 108 degrees and o ly had 1 bottle water all day amd didnt eat supper when was told too. The Neuro tbuks she could have had it being exhausted and dehydrated . This one recently she had or I think it was one this past Sunday sjebwas also dehydrated. And to make it even more weird after her first seizure 2 days later she started her very first 1 month girl thing. Today she told me her head doesn't hurt near ass bad as the past couple day.

 

[Nakamova]

so I made the choice of her to stop taking her keppra 500mg.

For future reference, it's very dangerous to stop a seizure med cold turkey -- stopping can actually cause a seizure.

There are some cold meds and antibiotics than can lower seizure threshold (i.e. make someone more vulnerable to seizures) so make sure to avoid those in the future if at all possible. A good reference can be found here: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/prof...rary/tables/drugs-may-lower-seizure-threshold and it's also a good idea to check with the pharmacist.

 

[valeriedl]

Three of my major seizure triggers are lack of sleep, stress and caffeine. I'm guessing she didn't get much sleep while she was on the trip. I know when I was younger all I drank were drinks will a lot of caffeine in them like Mountain Dew for example and could she possibly be drinking energy drinks. There have been a few times that being overly hot has caused a seizure for me. Once was when I was walking through the city with all black on, sweating to death and it was over 80 degrees that I had one.

I've always been on birth control since I've had epilepsy, the kid that you don't have a period, and I had a hysterectomy so I've never had a period but I know women on here have said that having your period can trigger seizures for them.

Did you take her off the keppra yourself or did you talk to the neuro about it first? You shouldn't do this all on your own. If a med isn't working or if she is having problems with it let the neuro know and he might change the dosage or even change the med completely. I'm not sure how long she was on the keppra but it usually takes a few weeks or so to find out if it will help, it's not a right away thing. It has taken me, and many others, trying several different meds before they could find the right ones that help.

 

[CQ:)]

But tbh she had the flu the week before and was taking all sorts of meds like tamiflu, antibiotic, allergy meds and nausea med so I made the choice of her to stop taking her keppra 500mg. I didn't k ow if it would counter acts with the other meds.

When I'm put on other meds (not related to epilepsy) or if I need to get cold meds I check with either my epilepsy nurse 1st or my pharmacist as to whether they are ok to take with the epilepsy meds.

I never mess with my meds and if I'm not happy with them I discuss it with my neuro 1st.

 

[Hobbes]

Keppra is probably the best medication choice in the interactions department, it doesn’t interact with most meds (unlike pretty much every other epilepsy med, but keppra should not be prescribed with drug relatives of keppra and the neurologist will not do that). You can look up drugs/food/other to avoid when taking seizure medications and skip the non seizure meds or request an alternative. But, double stressing, don’t stop/change epilepsy meds unless instructed by a neurologist.