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[GreenGreenish]

Hello, glad i found this forum and i can speak with other people in the same situation about epilepsy.

I'm female, 31years old.My seizures are tonico-clonic and happen only at night, during sleep. Took an MRI scan completly normal, night EEG normal , and daytime EEG modified.

I had my first seizure in the summer of 2016, when a friend of mine who was supposed to be at my place, noticed i wasn't responding when she was at the door.

When i finally woke up, i felt drowzy, i couldn't really recognise where i am, who i am and generally what's happening. I had also my tongue bitten. In like...10-15 minutes all came back to me , and i was back to normal.

Afterwards i had 3 more seizures , one of them was really strong, at a festival , at least that's what my boyfriend told me. and also i felt confused as heck when i woke up.

I have to admit i used to consume drugs , but i never overexagerrated , i was like...a moderate and somewhat responsible consumer meaning only at festivals not regurlarly, lsd ,mdma , speed(amphetamine). i've actually had a really short drug experience , i've taken these kind of drugs like...11 or 12 times in my life .
I've had also weird deja-vu experiences for like a week this summer , and also a sleepwalking experience. ( i actually woke up in the middle of the night , in my rent apartment-collegue 's bed , and then when i woke up in the morning i was dressed with her t-shirt).

I don't really feel very bad after my seizures except from that one from the festival, everytime i've had my tongue bitten or some sort of drowziness more or less.

I started my treatment almost 3 months ago, with Lamotrigine first 25 mg and now i'm on 75mg and going to 100mg and staying there.
I'm really a coffee lover so i can't surrender my caffeine at least in the morning. In rest, i don t do drugs anymore (sadly) , alcohol very rare and in low quantity , sleeping , taking my medicine regularly basically taking care of myself really good.

Now , after this whole little E story of myself i have several questions and i hope i'll get some help with them
I'm going to start my residency in Germany as a Psychiatrist . And after 3 months i will have to do night shifts ,3-4 per month. I really haven't told them i suffer from epilepsy , i'm scared this will affect my job.... How safe is it for me to do these nightshifts?
And i also posess a driverslicense...my doc told me that i SHOULDN'T drive and i SHOULDN'T do nightshifts. What does this even mean? :/
Am I allowed to drive ? At least in the daytime?
I haven't had any seizures after i started the medication.

 

[Topcat]

All I can do is say hi.
What does your doctor say?

And since you will be in Germany you need to follow GERMAN Law.
Maybe you should contact a lawyer who is conversant with that nation's laws.

 

[Porkette]

Hi GreenGreenish,

Welcome to CWE! I agree with Topcat you will need to follow the German laws. I've had E. for 45 yrs. and had 2 brain surgeries to reduce my seizures. I have both absence and complex partial seizure along with simple partial (aura) seizures. One thing my neuro told me to do is cut back on the caffeine so I limit myself to 3 cups of coffee a day or it will reverse my seizure meds.
I'm sorry you got into the wrong drugs over time I know that some drugs can cause epilepsy along with heavy drinking (alcoholic).
You may want to ask the neuro you see to do a sleep study on you it sounds like you may be having myoclonic seizures which are seizures that happen when you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. I had this problem until a sleep study along with a e.e.g and e.k.g. was done and my neuro saw I was having seizures in my sleep 1-2 hrs. before I woke up each day but once I went on vimpat those seizures stopped thank goodness.
Be sure and keep track of your seizures write down what time they happen on a calendar along with the type of seizure it is. Also write down when you start and stop your monthly cycle because often hormones changing will trigger seizures for some people.
Take my word everyone here is a great help and I've learned a lot. Here's wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[Music36]

I know it can be tough to accept having epilepsy and adjust, but you'll want to do what's best for your health and safety for yourself and others. I was a big partier when I was a teenager and into my early twenties not knowing I had epilepsy. I was born with it, but not correctly diagnosed until I had a tonic-clonic at age 21. I then found out from my parents I had a tonic-clonic the day I was born but the doctor thought I was fine. I had complex partials since I was a young child, but they were misdiagnosed as anxiety attacks b/c intense fear is my aura and a main symptom of my complex partials. Shortly after being diagnosed I realized I had to change my lifestyle-- no more partying and staying up all night. I am now 49. The last time I partied I was 22. Staying up late at night is a seizure trigger. Sleeping at night is what is best for our bodies. It's what is natural for our bodies. Alcohol and other drugs are seizure triggers for people with epilepsy. Stress is also a big trigger. Not being able to drive is one of the most difficult things about having seizures. But, I would never want to risk my own life or others. The law is different in different states. I don't know about other countries. In the U.S., you usually have to be seizure-free for a year or six months depending on the state. But, I have heard so many stories where people get their license back and then have another seizure and lose their license and it goes back and forth. It all depends on how well your seizures are controlled. I've also heard the stories of people having seizures while they were driving which can be tragic.

 

[Music36]

I also wanted to add that the amount of sleep we get is very important. Lack of sleep is a big seizure trigger. It's also important to find healthy ways to release stress (e.g., exercise, meditation, yoga, etc.). Personally, listening to music greatly helps me.

 

[N Sperlo]

Welcome to CWE. I'm on break at work, so I'll keep it short. Be careful with any drugs that are not prescribed. They can really effect the way our drugs work for us.

When I worked nights or changed shifts, I just made sure I had enough sleep add all was well. Most my seizures were in my sleep as well. I am controlled currently and I do drive.

Be careful.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Greengreenish, welcome to CWE!

Everyone reacts differently to seizure triggers. For instance, moderate intake of caffeine and alcohol are not problematic for me, though they can be for others. (Like you, I'm fortunate to have my seizures fully controlled by Lamotrigine). Fatigue is definitely a common trigger however, and shift work can be stressful even for people who don't have epilepsy, so it would be a good idea to proceed with caution until you know how your brain and body react. And I would imagine that your colleagues or bosses should be kept in the loop -- not only for legal reasons, but for the safety of both you and any patients you might be supervising during your residency. As suggested above, you should get up to speed on German laws regarding epilepsy both in terms of driving restrictions and terms of workplace disclosure laws.

Best of luck!
Nakamova

 

[GreenGreenish]

Thank you all for your kind replies . I got banned on this forum...probably because i spoke of drugs consume...but i find it really helpful when one is completely sincere , as i was with my doctor. And i'm pretty sure there are others suffering of some form of epilepsy, who consume or have consumed psychoactive drugs and are looking for an answer .
Ofcourse i stopped consuming all at once . I was not a heavydrinker or an extreme nightstander before my crises appeared. I try my best to have a normal program, at least 7-8 hours of sleep , eating well and everything. Thank you all again for the understanding I'm really thankful that i wasn't completely stigmatised by my way of life...that meant a lot .Thank you