Simple Partial Seizures

[seekup]

I'm really looking for some advice as I feel very out of my depth.

I'm 33 and in college. My 20s were spent in a dead end job, drinking almost every night. Because of this, I got pancreatitis. This was a huge wake-up call, and I got my life in order and went back to college. I have now gone four years without a drink.

Towards the end of my drinking days, usually while hungover, I would get these funny spells that would last a minute or two and disappear. After I quit completely these went away and I didn't have any repeats of these symptoms until just a few months ago (so four years or so between).

I had no clue what these attacks were until just a few weeks ago. As they started again out of the blue I went to see a neurologist. My MRI came back absolutely fine, but my EEG did not. Spikes occasionally instead of a smooth sine wave.

My neurologist said they were likely Simple Partial Seizures that only are affecting my sensory and psychic areas rather than motor and autonomic. She mentioned Irritable Brain Syndrome and prescribed Depakote 250mg / day before bed.

Currently, it is usually weeks or longer between these SPSs, and I certainly think nicotine, caffeine, diet and stress can be managed better. I'm a piano performance major as well, so just a little bit of stress.

I'm really hesitant to start a drug with the list of side-effects that Depakote has. Any pill that can *cause* a seizure by missing a dose scares me pretty badly. With the mostly benign nature of my SPS and relatively long periods in between it seems to me starting this medication could be a bad idea.

Anyway, am I thinking logically about this, or do I need to remove my head from my behind and start taking the Depakote? *sigh*

Thank you!

 

[Nakamova]

Hi seekup, welcome to CWE!

I can understand your reluctance to take medication if your seizures don't involve loss of consciousness or impaired awareness. The biggest risk of leaving your seizures untreated is that they may progress in duration, frequency or kind. So...

Step #1: Keep a journal where you note down your symptoms and monitor and changes. And familiarize yourself with all the different kinds of partial seizures in case you are experiencing symptoms without knowing it. See http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-seizures/simple-partial-seizures and http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-seizures/complex-partial-seizures

Step #2: Take a close look at any lifestyle factors that may play a triggering role. All sorts of physical, physiological, emotional and environmental stressors (including fatigue and stimulants like caffeine and nicotine) can potentially trigger seizures, so consider whether you are able to modify your behavior in order to protect your brain. Good information about this proactive approach can be found here: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/

Step #3: Consider non-medication based treatments. Some people have found that certain diets have led to better seizure control. The diets are referenced in the "proactive" link in Step #2, and you can also read about them in the Diets Forum: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f39/

Hope this helps!

Best,
Nakamova

 

[Nakamova]

One more thing: Depakote (also known as Valproic acid) has been known to cause or worsen pancreatitis. So it might be the wrong medication for you for that reason alone. Is your neurologist aware of your health history?

 

[seekup]

Thank you for the information and your reply!

I *did* tell my neurologist about the pancreatitis. That possibility bothered me as well but she made no mention of it. The pancreatitis also keeps me from the keto diet (or whichever is the high fat one).

 

[Nakamova]

Hmm, I would worry about your neuro not mentioning the pancreatitis risk with the Depakote. Definitely bring it up if you decide to try medication. There are other anti-seizure meds that would be less risky.

The pancreatitis may make the dietary approach less viable for you. However it can still help to look for your diet for clues to potential triggers. For instance, chronic pancreatitis reduces your body's ability to absorb magnesium from dietary sources, and can trigger a magnesium deficiency. Low magnesium can over time lead to low calcium and potassium levels. Imbalance in all three electrolytes can in turn play a triggering role in seizures. You might benefit from a magnesium supplement -- Check with your doctor to see if a supplement would make sense and be safe for you. Your doc could also test for a magnesium deficiency, though most basic blood tests won't register a deficiency until it gets to acute levels.