Doctors forced me out of my mom which gave me seizures as a baby. 3 weeks in the hospital and finally I was sent home. 15 years later I caught a seizure in my sleep. I was put on a few different meds then landed on keppra which almost made me manic. Got off keppra using CBD oil and lived well. Seizures kept coming in and out. Finally I connected with a holistic practitioner that I met at a vegetarian restaurant. Tapping into a circadian rhythm takes a lot of self-discipline which is hard. Then again, life is hard. Gotta keep going because this seizure I just caught on 4/24/2023 was not sweet.
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Hi SalimataB,
Just like you I've had seizures in my sleep and then my Dr. put me on vimpat and all of those seizures stopped but I still have
the absence and complex partial seizures once in awhile. Tell your Dr. to do a DNA test on you and that will show the best seizure
med for you with the least side effect or it will show if you are drug resistant. All the Dr. has to do is take some blood and get some
salvia from the inside of your mouth, that will be sent to the lab where they will be able to see the amount of enyzmes in your liver
along with your body chemistry and by looking at this the Dr. will be able to find the best med for you. One thing I learned is to
stay away from nutra sweet (ex. diet soda) that causes more electrical activity in the brain and it can trigger seizures for some people.
Wishing You the best of luck and May God Bless You,
Sue
Just like you I've had seizures in my sleep and then my Dr. put me on vimpat and all of those seizures stopped but I still have
the absence and complex partial seizures once in awhile. Tell your Dr. to do a DNA test on you and that will show the best seizure
med for you with the least side effect or it will show if you are drug resistant. All the Dr. has to do is take some blood and get some
salvia from the inside of your mouth, that will be sent to the lab where they will be able to see the amount of enyzmes in your liver
along with your body chemistry and by looking at this the Dr. will be able to find the best med for you. One thing I learned is to
stay away from nutra sweet (ex. diet soda) that causes more electrical activity in the brain and it can trigger seizures for some people.
Wishing You the best of luck and May God Bless You,
Sue
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Hi SalimataB, welcome to CWE.
Over the decades, my wife has tried just about everything to control seizures - from just about every med on the market to diets, EEG neurofeedback, CBD oil (briefly) and acupressure. It's quite a rollercoaster trying to find the right solution for both seizure control and quality of life.
Over the decades, my wife has tried just about everything to control seizures - from just about every med on the market to diets, EEG neurofeedback, CBD oil (briefly) and acupressure. It's quite a rollercoaster trying to find the right solution for both seizure control and quality of life.
Hello. I, too, have tried everything out there for simple & complex partial seizures. What I wouldn't be allergic to works for a while, then it's almost like my brain becomes "immune" them, & the breakthroughs begin again. A few weeks ago, I spent 4 days in Northwestern Memorial Hospital, for a VEEG. I had 4 or 5 complex partials while there, but none of them while the technicians were in my room with me. In mid-May I have to go back for a PET Scan & a Functional MRI.
I'm sorry to hear this.
Seizures are one of those funky things. I knew someone that had one out of nowhere at 17 and then many years later in their later 20s, they had become more frequent.
Holistic stuff, if it fully works, is a dream. That'd be amazing. Diet changes and certain herbs have been known to help people. For some, it's their world and does everything 100% for them. For others, the cause may be a bit deeper and holistic doesn't always work.
I'm a "natural way" type of nerd so it pains me to take Keppra each day. I don't react badly to Keppra and don't have the mood issues people tend to do. There are days where I might be more easily overwhelmed or anxious, but I can usually offset that better by a good night's sleep and a good diet.
I do add CBD oil in there on top of it for if I'm seriously feeling weird. Sometimes it helps, other times it doesn't. I've had some close calls with seizures, where the auras were so strong, I know I was starting to have one and chewed on an incredibly low THC, high CBD strain for a good 5 minutes and came out of it. I'd be tired, but more functional than if I had a benzo. I do have a benzodiazepine in case it gets to that point because it'd be better than being in the hospital here, and I'm thankful I haven't had to use it. Although, even if a seizure is coming on - I usually won't take it because I hate how it makes me feel. >_<
Many people don't know the cause of their seizures, but if a cause is found and it can be addressed then that can sometimes be great news because it means you may be able to get rid of seizures for good.
I hope things get better for you!
Seizures are one of those funky things. I knew someone that had one out of nowhere at 17 and then many years later in their later 20s, they had become more frequent.
Holistic stuff, if it fully works, is a dream. That'd be amazing. Diet changes and certain herbs have been known to help people. For some, it's their world and does everything 100% for them. For others, the cause may be a bit deeper and holistic doesn't always work.
I'm a "natural way" type of nerd so it pains me to take Keppra each day. I don't react badly to Keppra and don't have the mood issues people tend to do. There are days where I might be more easily overwhelmed or anxious, but I can usually offset that better by a good night's sleep and a good diet.
I do add CBD oil in there on top of it for if I'm seriously feeling weird. Sometimes it helps, other times it doesn't. I've had some close calls with seizures, where the auras were so strong, I know I was starting to have one and chewed on an incredibly low THC, high CBD strain for a good 5 minutes and came out of it. I'd be tired, but more functional than if I had a benzo. I do have a benzodiazepine in case it gets to that point because it'd be better than being in the hospital here, and I'm thankful I haven't had to use it. Although, even if a seizure is coming on - I usually won't take it because I hate how it makes me feel. >_<
Many people don't know the cause of their seizures, but if a cause is found and it can be addressed then that can sometimes be great news because it means you may be able to get rid of seizures for good.
I hope things get better for you!
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I have a feeling that in the future, treatments will be highly individualized, just as the experiences/causes of epilepsy are. I’m all for holistic and mind-body approaches where relevant. I’m a big believer in the placebo effect -- even if you know something it is a placebo it can help -- but placebos only go so far in treating certain things.
But if there is something that "won't hurt to try", I will consider it. I liked the idea of neurofeedback, for instance, but for someone like me whose seizures are currently well-controlled by meds it’s tough to evaluate any alternative modes.
But if there is something that "won't hurt to try", I will consider it. I liked the idea of neurofeedback, for instance, but for someone like me whose seizures are currently well-controlled by meds it’s tough to evaluate any alternative modes.
I'm sure that some of the seizures--the simple partials, especially, are related to my being a forceps delivery. I have scar tissue in the area of my brain that some of the neurologists I've seen say is where those seizures originate.