New Person

[NicolaSim]

Hi my name is nicola I am 24 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 14, 2 years later I was seen by a new specialist who told me it was panic attacks not epilepsy. Since then I have tried various different medication none of which worked. To describe the episode I have it is like a de ja vu where my stomach turns and i feel hot and my heart beats faster I normally only get them about once every 3 months and they last for a day or 2 waking me up in the night when I am asleep.

I would love to hear of anyone in a similar situation.

I have just been prescribed Lyrica 70 in the morning and 70 at night, I dont take any other medication and everything I read tells me this should only be used as an add on to another meddication any ideas? Thanks Nicola x

 

[Bernard]

Hi Nicola, welcome to the forum. :hello:

Stacy has not described any seizures matching yours, but there are all kinds of seizures. Hopefully, you will find some info in these forums that will strike a chord with you.

 

[RobinN]

Hi Nicola - Welcome
Our only similarity is that my daughter at 14 was diagnosed with epilepsy after two Tonic Clonic seizures, and MRI and one EEG verified this. We then saw a new specialist at UCLA who diagnosed it as Non-epileptic. She continued to have seizures so we saw a third neurologist at USC that claims that she is definitely having seizure activity. She does not have any while asleep though to my knowledge.

I hope you find some good information here. I am going to suggest that you look at the diets that are being used as an alternative treatment. It should be the first prescription written .. In My Opinion

 

[Birdbomb]

Welcome nicola

I don't share your experiance. But I do know that many AED's are also used in the mental health field. These medications produce conditions useful to both mental/emotional disorders and epilepsy

 

[Yve]

Hi Nicola,

I'm definitely not an expert, especially as everyone's epilepsy is an individual thing, but I had panic attacks for two years and I've had seizures for the past 28 years, and the symptoms you describe sound like panic attacks to me. Some of my panic attacks used to last for hours, and I would break out in a cold sweat and my heart and mind would be racing at a million miles an hour, everything felt constricted and I felt like I was going to vomit. When I looked around, everything seemed familiar, but wrong. Out of step.

This is a table of symptoms for panic attacks:

DSM-IV Criteria for Panic Attack

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more)
of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
Feeling of choking
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or abdominal distress
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Fear of dying
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
Chills or hot flushes

DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. http://anxiety.psy.ohio-state.edu/pd-dsm-i.htm


However, simple partial seizures, which lyrica treats, does include the symptom of a feeling of deja-vu.

Simple partial seizure – Your child may experience movements such as jerking or stiffening, various sensations, peculiar memories such as a feeling of "deja-vu" or various emotions. Full consciousness is retained. http://www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/medical_services/neuro/epilepsy/conditions/epilepsy/signs.html

So my advice would be to research both and then talk to your doctor again armed with a bit more information, and see what he or she thinks.

cheers,
Yvette

 

[Zoe]

Hi Nicola,

Panic episodes can also be due to heart spells and may be a symptom of partial seizures, but may not be seizures. You may never have an answer, but don't let that worry you.
I had them for years too and they were from my seizures. Many of the treatments that help panic disorder can also help control seizures
There are a lot of things you can research and try to help yourself. Learning breathing control to relax yourself can help you learn to control those spells. Below is a link to holistic approaches to managing panic.
http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Anxiety/anx_panic_alternative_therapies.htm
You may also want to look at some nutritional approaches including inositol and b vitamins. Panic and seizures can also be symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
This site has a lot of information on magnesium:
http://www.mbschachter.com/importance_of_magnesium_to_human.htm
You will find tons of information if you do an internet search on treatments for panic disorder and causes of panic disorder. Welcome to this group. See you here again.

Zoe

 

[brain]

:hello: Nicola

Since you stated you were asleep, you
could be experiencing Nocturnal Seizures:

Nocturnal Seizures

And / Or Complex Partial Seizures:

Complex Partials

I have both Nocturnal & Complex Partials and yes, it
can and will wake you up in the middle of the night
right out of your sleep! And yes it can make you feel
and experience weird symptoms.



BUT also - it could be a side effect of a medication
as well - so keep that in mind.

TALK TO YOUR NEUROLOGIST!

And I experience the similar episode as you describe.
And I take Zonegran 400 mg / Klonopin 1.5 /
Folic Acid 2 mg daily.

And it controls mine, but I do have another issue,
which my Neurologist is currently looking into that
is needing to be dealt with which is another
avenue and a different area.