I had a car accident at 17 that damaged my frontal lobe. I just found out 2 yrs ago that I was having partial complex seizures the whole time. Doctors assumed it was mental illness. I have them in my sleep I am unaware though. I have been told. The problem is before medication I would just get overwhelmed and then my seizure result was an extreme amount of anger in one moment or complete grief. Since starting Depakote I have only had one. I told my girlfriend I felt weird to hug me. A second later I said ok I am fine she calls 9-11. I got mad but I didnt know I held unto her for almost 2 minutes shaking While she tried to hold me up. The last 2 days my Depakote seems it isn't working My Doctor is out of town I was told double my Depakote night dose. I know it may sound silly but I am really scared now these seizures are intense. For hours I feel so sick inside and I know if I could just get it over with ill feel better. Yesterday it was ok I had my 2 seizures right after my aura. Today my aura keeps coming till its so intense I am going to have one. Then nothing I feel ok almost a little better. Then it builds again and same thing. Is there any way for my to settle this down or just make my seizure come on so its over and done with? Like I said this is my first time actually feeling all of this. Maybe because its pushing through the Depakote.
New anyone have any good ideas for me?
- Thread starter Joshua
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Zolt
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Hey Joshua, Welcome to CWE.
Sorry to hear about your seizure issues. Not sure i can help, but you mention you get auras, well i also do get an aura right before my seizures. My doc prescribe Ativan as an emergency pill I need to take when i feel an aura coming on. Sometimes i get aura that turn out to be duds, but i always have my Ativan there ready to take when i get to the point where i knew for sure its happening.
Did you go to the hospital when your GF called 911? If not, maybe go to the ER care center, they should be able to prescribe something other than Depakote, who knows maybe it's Depakote that is not agreeing with you anymore.
Zolt
Sorry to hear about your seizure issues. Not sure i can help, but you mention you get auras, well i also do get an aura right before my seizures. My doc prescribe Ativan as an emergency pill I need to take when i feel an aura coming on. Sometimes i get aura that turn out to be duds, but i always have my Ativan there ready to take when i get to the point where i knew for sure its happening.
Did you go to the hospital when your GF called 911? If not, maybe go to the ER care center, they should be able to prescribe something other than Depakote, who knows maybe it's Depakote that is not agreeing with you anymore.
Zolt
Yeah I did then for it. Ativan wouldnot be a bad idea for the way that makes you feel leading up to it. My neurologist is against any Benzos. I can always get them from an alternative doctor and just explain how I feel. I will have to give that a try if increasing my Depakote does not work that well. Thanks.
Endless
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It's worth some thought about getting all your meds from the same doctor. Then they are aware of everything going on with you and can treat the complete person. If you're unhappy with a neurologist or his treatment then maybe it's time to find a new one.
I understand this ISN'T what you are doing, but some people, in order to get specific meds when they are denied them, "Doctor Shop." That's going to different doctors to get a drug, or get more of the same drug. Same with getting it filled at different pharmacies so it doesn't raise a red flag to have different doctors prescribing the same thing. Or a questionable mix of drugs from different doctors. I don't think your prescription ideas fit those categories but I wanted to post this as a general fyi for anybody whose reading it.
I'm just so sorry you are going through all that. It sounds really scary, for both you and your girlfriend. I hope your neuro gets it figured out very soon.
I understand this ISN'T what you are doing, but some people, in order to get specific meds when they are denied them, "Doctor Shop." That's going to different doctors to get a drug, or get more of the same drug. Same with getting it filled at different pharmacies so it doesn't raise a red flag to have different doctors prescribing the same thing. Or a questionable mix of drugs from different doctors. I don't think your prescription ideas fit those categories but I wanted to post this as a general fyi for anybody whose reading it.
I'm just so sorry you are going through all that. It sounds really scary, for both you and your girlfriend. I hope your neuro gets it figured out very soon.
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If you feel an aura coming on you could try sitting down and relaxing. If you get worked up and stressed out about a seizure coming on it might make the seizure worse? I know stress is a huge seizure trigger for me and usually the more stressed out the worse the seizure is. This is just a thought, I don't know if it would work or not. With me I just have to let the seizure come on. If I feel an aura sometimes I'll go into a full blown seizure and sometimes I won't. A good bit of time I don't have an aura and I don't know that I've had a seizure till it's over.
When I'm having problems with seizures I really don't like to get 'over the phone' help from anyone but my neurologist, that's easier said than done however. It seems they don't know me as well as my neuro so they are doing what they think is right, which may not be what my neuro thinks should be done. I've had MANY problems with his nurse practitioner in the past and told the office that if I ever had to deal with her again then I was finding a new neuro. I haven't dealt with her since.
I try to go to the same drs for everything. I use the same primary care physician and any sort of specialist (neurologist, gynecologist and things like that). This way they know of my history and have records of what's going on with me and what I'm taking.
If I go to any other specialist I let him know of ALLof the meds that I'm on so they can make sure they will be ok to take with my epilepsy meds. If they aren't sure of it then I will call my neuro and ask him before I start taking them.
When I see ANY dr I always take a list of ALL the meds I'm on, epilepsy related or not. When I see my neurologist I let him know of all of the meds that I'm on or were on since my last visit even if I was only on them for a few weeks and no longer taking them. He may see that while I was on a certain med, and I was having more seizures while on it, then it may be related.
Unfortunately sometimes you don't know how your body is going to react to some meds, even if the drs and your neuro say it's ok to take, until you take them. I found this out when I had to take steroids for a problem that I was having. I began having seizures like crazy while I was on them and that's when my neuro saw that it was probably from them.
I always (and my husband) use the same pharmacy too because they have records of the meds that we're taking. They have told us a few times that we probably shouldn't be taking a med that was prescribed because of one of the meds that we were on and to check it out with the dr before we start taking them. Even today when my husband was prescribed a med the pharmacist told us that he shouldn't be taking that med if he was still taking another med that he had been prescribed, which he isn't taking any more however. We've been going there for so long now it's almost like we're family with them!
When I'm having problems with seizures I really don't like to get 'over the phone' help from anyone but my neurologist, that's easier said than done however. It seems they don't know me as well as my neuro so they are doing what they think is right, which may not be what my neuro thinks should be done. I've had MANY problems with his nurse practitioner in the past and told the office that if I ever had to deal with her again then I was finding a new neuro. I haven't dealt with her since.
I try to go to the same drs for everything. I use the same primary care physician and any sort of specialist (neurologist, gynecologist and things like that). This way they know of my history and have records of what's going on with me and what I'm taking.
If I go to any other specialist I let him know of ALLof the meds that I'm on so they can make sure they will be ok to take with my epilepsy meds. If they aren't sure of it then I will call my neuro and ask him before I start taking them.
When I see ANY dr I always take a list of ALL the meds I'm on, epilepsy related or not. When I see my neurologist I let him know of all of the meds that I'm on or were on since my last visit even if I was only on them for a few weeks and no longer taking them. He may see that while I was on a certain med, and I was having more seizures while on it, then it may be related.
Unfortunately sometimes you don't know how your body is going to react to some meds, even if the drs and your neuro say it's ok to take, until you take them. I found this out when I had to take steroids for a problem that I was having. I began having seizures like crazy while I was on them and that's when my neuro saw that it was probably from them.
I always (and my husband) use the same pharmacy too because they have records of the meds that we're taking. They have told us a few times that we probably shouldn't be taking a med that was prescribed because of one of the meds that we were on and to check it out with the dr before we start taking them. Even today when my husband was prescribed a med the pharmacist told us that he shouldn't be taking that med if he was still taking another med that he had been prescribed, which he isn't taking any more however. We've been going there for so long now it's almost like we're family with them!