Sleep Deprivation - Can My Meds Stop It?

[Stinkpot]

Last year I started taking a wonderful drug called Depakote, and I haven't had a convulsion in almost a year.

But can this drug stop me from having a seizure if I'm sleep deprived? Before I started taking Depakote, I would always end up having a seizure if I didn't get at least 5 hours of sleep or 24 hours without sleep.

Well, I think I might have a seizure today, cause it's been almost 24 hours without sleep - why? Because of this stupid sun burn I got that's very itchy and makes my skin feel like it's crawling constantly. I scratch it and it really burns - it's still itchy and it's driving me insane. I've tried everything to relieve it, aloe, cortizone, powder - nothing works!

I usually go to sleep around 9-10 pm. It's 4:30 am right now, and I haven't been to bed yet, though I'm not really tired. I usually wake up at 5-7 am.

Anyways, do you think my Depakote can prevent a sleep-deprived seizure or will I have to face the consequenses?

 

[Nakamova]

Too hard to make the call Stinkpot -- everyone has a different seizure threshold. The meds raise that seizure threshold. For some people, it's raised high enough that the usual triggers have no effect. For others the threshold is raised enough to stop or reduce most seizures, but not necessarily all of them. I don't know what category you fall in, but I hope it's the former. Get some cortisone cream or something similar to stop the itch. Keeping cool might help too. And get some sleep!

 

[Stinkpot]

Thanks! Luckly I got really tired and went to sleep around 6:30 am - but woke up at 1:00 pm! Ehh. God, I hope this doesn't change my sleeping habit....
At least I'm seizure safe though.