Problems concentrating and exhaustion

[Kyla]

Things have just felt really weird lately and are changing every now and then. I'm being testing for simple/complex partial seizures during the day.

I'm starting to notice more problems in the morning. Waking up I feel the exact same way when going to bed, exhausted. Sometimes I feel even more tired. I try to adjust the time I go to bed so I have hours needed for sleep but that doesn't change anything.

And my concentration lately has been bad. Especially in class (mostly first class) I've noticed has been really affected. I can't pay attention and concentrate for beans lately!! Even after I tell myself "whoa, ok pay attention you're missing info!!!" I still just trail off right after. It's affecting my note taking. I don't even know what I'm thinking about when I trail off, I'm just not there. Some days if we're watching a video (which can be often) I'll even squeeze in sleep time on my desk . Luckily the videos are useless note taking wise.

My question for you is has your concentration decreased and exhaustion increase in account to your seizures? And any tips for trying keeping someone's attention? Thank you

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

Absolutely. I am way more tired, and feeling sick most of the time. And the reasoning is because of my lack of sleep. Increased seizures usually leave have domino effect. Causing me to have more and in turn less sleep.

I'm the exact same way. When I wake up I have seizures now, I don't even recall the auras anymore. The same feeling happens when I feel myself about to fall asleep.

Lets hope they figure out what the deal is my friend.

 

[Nakamova]

Have you had a sleep study done? You might be having seizures or other issues during the night that are messing with the quality of your sleep and making you feel lousy during the day.

Are you on any medications? Those can sometimes make you foggy and tired as well.

To wake me up and keep me focused during the day, I rely on:
-- A shower first thing in the day.
-- A little bit of coffee in the morning.
-- A fast walk in the middle of the day.
-- Happy perky music.

Hope you are able to get some answers soon, and are able to focus on your schoolwork.

 

[Fedup]

As Nakamova said you might want to bring this up with your doctor and neurologist it could be your medication.

 

[huskymom]

I have the same problem. While I do go to sleep early (9:30), I don't always sleep through the night. Either way, when I wake up, it is hard to stay awake. I get up at 5:30, shower, eat, dress and am out the door by 7. It will be up to 10 before I really start to feel all together with it. I know it is the increase in my medications, but it seems to be helping with the seizures, so it is a trade off. Regardless, I am loosing my job at the end of June, so maybe I will be able to sleep in more. Silver lining

 

[Kyla]

MuayThaiFighter- yeah I wake up feeling sick a lot and just tired. Thanks my friend and I hope you start feeling better as well.
Nakamova and Fedup- I would like to get a sleep study done and suggested it to my parents but they haven't said anything and I'm not old enough to book my own appointments. And I'm not on any medications at the moment
huskymom- Exactly. I wake up during the night sometimes. But other nights where I sleep good hours, I'm still exhausted when I wake up and takes me a long time to feel more awake if I do.

Thank you all for your responses. Good luck to everyone.

 

[JaneC]

Kyla, thanks for this thread, it prompted me to have a conversation with my daughter, who is always exhausted. She's 17 and can sleep seven hours at night and another four when she comes home from school or during the day. Her impaired concentration seems to be a side-effect of her epilepsy medication, rather than epilepsy itself, however.

The possibility that she has seizures during her sleep wasn't something I'd thought much about but she said both a friend and her boyfriend had told she "twitches" in her sleep. I don't know if this is E-related or not, or what to do about it but it's given me food for thought.

I hope you get things sorted out regards a diagnosis - and if you have to have a sleep study done, press the issue with your parents. It can't do any harm, after all x

 

[Kyla]

JaneC- I'm glad you talked to your daughter about it and could figure out some reasons why. I do the same thing, sleep for the night and sometimes when I come home from school. I tend to twitch in my sleep as well, it's something I'd like to bring up to my doctor and ask about. As should your daughter. I think a sleep study would be beneficial for her as well. thank you and good luck

 

[Mellismom]

I have experienced the exact same thing for 10 years, just couldn't keep listening at school even though I tried, missed a lot of important info and teachers telling me to listen next time when I ask about the things I missed, the others said I was always daydreaming. I feel like it isn't morning yet when someone wakes me up. Just feels like I could sleep for a hundred years and it wouldn't help. Have you also felt muscle weakness, head dropping, knees bending, or even falling?
I think it helps to get up and be active but every time I sit down I can get so tired I just want to sleep and I almost feel like falling asleep when in long conversations. I am a good listener and like to talk but I get so tired!
Beside the fallings (that I haven't experienced for a very long time now) I get nocturnal seizures - can also get them while napping or just while sitting down and being very tired - where I can't move. Have you felt that?
Do you recognize any of this then we might have the same ... whatever it is!

 

[Kyla]

Mellismom- There's been times where all of a sudden I've felt weakness. Thankfully I've been already sitting for most of these and they don't last long at all. There's also times where I get tired within seconds, sometimes I even just fall asleep within the next minutes (can be quite funny). Exactly, I try and get out and be active but it takes a lot out of me sometimes. I'm really a social person, and it can be hard to get me to stop talking (ha) but lately even talking sometimes takes a lot out of me. I've become very quiet and reserved. As of nocturnal seizures, it's all up in the air. There's been times where I twitch in my sleep of wake up to a jerk. I've posted a couple of threads linked to my night issues.

good luck to you Mellismom

 

[Mellismom]

It really sounds much the same then. Good luck to you too

 

[Cez]

wow, this is exactly how I feel, only its as if i havent had a good nights sleep in about 3 years! I feel permanently exhausted, just like a zombie and spend ages staring into space. Its a problem as its affecting my work. I had a sleep study done and I was diagnosed with Periodic Limb Movement disorder, basically I get no slow wave sleep as I get myclonic jerks just as i go out of REM sleep, which is why i never felt like I even slept even though I may have had 7 hrs.

They think its a side effect of my Lamictal, but all other AED's I've tried dont control my seizures so I'm stuck at the mo. I definitely think its worthwhile getting a sleep study as I had no idea that I was twitching so much at night. It may give some important insight as sleep disorders are very common with epilepsy.

On the hand all the medications suck, on Keppra I slept 16 hrs a time!!! Awful. Sorry to rant about myself ha ha needed to vent! My moneys probabaly on the meds especially the lack of concentration All the best :rock:

 

[Kyla]

Cez- I feel pretty much the same way waking up. Tired and feeling really spacey, and staring into space. It's come to a point where if I'm tired I'll try and fall asleep where ever. I'm glad you could get a sleep study done and they could find answers for you . I've heard a lot about anti-epileptic drugs causing night issues so as you said that could be causing your myclonic jerks at night. Is there any medication they can put you on for your myclonic jerks at night?

Good luck

 

[CBernieBlack]

Hey Kyla!
I feel the same way. The more I up my medication dosage, the more 'disconnected' I feel. I also find it more difficult to concentrate and focus on what needs to get done. It's like I know things need to get done, but I just am having a hard time to find the focus and drive to get it done. I'm working on that though.
One method is to get daily exercise of some kind and start a meditation practice.
I have noticed a tendency to get more overwhelmed while on medication. So I am starting to consciously say, "Whoa there Sparky...one thing at a time."
For me, when I get the 'spaced out' and 'disconnected' feelings, breathe and remember that I can tackle all of this if I take things slowly and just push through. It really helped when I was in the military and responding to search and rescue cases. =)

Thanks for starting this thread!

 

[Kyla]

CBernieBlack- Thanks for your reply. That's the weird thing, I'm not on any medication so it leaves me questioning so many things. Exactly, I know things need to get done but it's so hard sometimes to motivate myself to get it done.
Thanks for your suggestions. I will have to try them .

Good luck to you

 

[Cez]

Cez- I feel pretty much the same way waking up. Tired and feeling really spacey, and staring into space. It's come to a point where if I'm tired I'll try and fall asleep where ever. I'm glad you could get a sleep study done and they could find answers for you . I've heard a lot about anti-epileptic drugs causing night issues so as you said that could be causing your myclonic jerks at night. Is there any medication they can put you on for your myclonic jerks at night?

Good luck

Ha ha, my collegues always end up looking at me stangely as I'm staring at nothing like im catatonic! Fortunetly for me they are very good natured about it. As for meds, they wanted to put me on Clonazepam, which ive been on before. No way. I'd rather have sleep issues, its a horrible benzo that makes me feel like I've had 15 pints the next day, let us all know if you find a resolution

 

[Mellismom]

I do the staring into space, too. People look strangely at me sometimes. Been sleeping at school and on the bus. I don't take any meds so that can't be the cause.

 

[Sylvia]

I am on Lamictal and Klonopin. They increased my Lamictal after I started having seizures when I awoke every morning. They said I was having seizures in my sleep then waking up with them. Couldn't form words, concentrate and weakness all over. Say I have left frontal lobe partial seizures. I am so tired in the morning. Even though I don't wake up with the seizures now I still have break through ones if stressed. But the main thing is feeling tired in the morning. I have to nap a few hours after waking up. Seems to go away after I eat lunch. I am glad to see others who know what its like. I don't know what to do about it. The doctor doesn't want to change anything. I also take more lamictal and klonopin when I get up.

 

[Nakamova]

Maybe you could adjust your dosing so it leaves you less tired? I take 175mg Lamictal/day in 25mg increments, so I can take 4 pills in the morning and 3 at night -- it seems to help me with being less tired in the a.m.

 

[Nakamova]

You also mention that the fatigue goes away after lunch -- you might have blood sugar issues? You could try taking many small meals spaced out over the day to see if it helps.