Is wandering off part of epilepsy? My cousins mom told her that her taking off is part of her epilepsy. I don't think it is but I need to hear it from others. I asked her if she was aware of what she was doing and of course the answer was yes. I'm not talking about trying to get up during a seizure. This is more like leaving to take a walk.
Wandering off?
- Thread starter bunchiema
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If someone has complex partial seizures (where there's only partial awareness/consciousness), then they might "wander off" during the seizure, kind of along the lines of sleepwalking. But other than that, no, folks with epilepsy don't wander off.
Rae1889
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If she means wandering off as in running away from situations or leaving to go shopping without telling anyone, then No, that is no part of epilepsy. that is simply someones choice
If she meant slowly wandering like sleep walking, unresponsive to someone calling their name or walking in circles, this is called a complex partial and is a type of seizure like Nakamova mentioned.
If she meant slowly wandering like sleep walking, unresponsive to someone calling their name or walking in circles, this is called a complex partial and is a type of seizure like Nakamova mentioned.
Hand of Blood
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i do this all the time i know im doing it but cant stop it! when im in the house i walk towards the stiars or away from anyone whos near me! its hard to explain but it just happens and im sure its dangerous
I get this before i go into my tonic clonic! so yes it can happen it may not be in books or internet but i defo get it!
I get this before i go into my tonic clonic! so yes it can happen it may not be in books or internet but i defo get it!
huskymom
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I know some people run. When I was just in the hospital, they asked me if I was a "runner". I guess during seizures sometimes people will just bolt. If you are a "runner" then you get a "sitter". Pretty funny really if you got a look at the "sitters". Those folks would not be able to stop a feather 
Hi, all I am too new to the site to post a link, but if you google "Behavioral Manifestations of Frontal Lobe Seizures" by Silvana Riggio you will find a terrific article she presented for grand rounds at Mt. Sinai in New York. This very behavior is outlined in her article.
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So, if I'd come across this forum a couple of weeks ago I'd have said the same as most, that no most people don't wander after a seizure.
However, yesterday I experienced post-Ictal wandering for the first time (post-seizure wandering). It's worth noting that I also had a tonic-clonic seizure, but still left my flat afterwards, in just shorts a t-shirt and no shoes. I didn't even take my keys with me just my phone.
I then out of habit walked to work which fortunately is close to home and people were there at the time to help me.
So, while before I didn't know this; I've come to learn that actually while post-ictal wandering is rare, it is something that can and does happen.
It can even be the case that people will leave where they are and urinate in the street, having no recollection of what's going on.
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I don't know if you'd consider this 'wondering off' but at times I might go to a different room or walk around the house during a seizure. Just recently I had a seizure while I was sleeping in my bed and woke up the next morning on the couch in another room with a blanket on me. The door is open all the time but we keep a baby gate across it that's shut so the cat's can't get out. I'd opened the baby gate and shut it after I'd got into the room.
I don't think that I've ever left the house during one. I'm glad there were people there to help you.
I don't think that I've ever left the house during one. I'm glad there were people there to help you.
Hello. I've had epilepsy since childhood, undiagnosed until I was 14, after I had some grand mal seizures. That's when I found out that the "weird feelings" I complained of were simple partial seizures. About 26 years ago, I began having complex partial seizures--Those have been a REAL problem for me. A person CAN "wander" &/or do many strange things during those. I've severely burned myself MANY times during some & even changed my clothes during others!
suebear
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That sounds a bit off to me as I've never heard of the relation between walking away and epileptic seizures in all my years of having seizures since birth. I would be highly concerned personally and bring this up to a medical neurologist that could further research to see if there is some type of linkage taking place or if there might be something else taking place on the neurological end. That is my thought. I hope that a discovery is made soon!
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Having done some research on this myself I can confirm there are links between between epilepsy and post-ictal wandering (post-ictal being after the seizure itself).
This is something I'd never experienced myself until a couple of weeks back, where sure enough after my seizure I left my house, shutting the door behind me, but I didn't take any keys, nor did I put any socks or shoes on; before I then proceeded to walk to my place of work nearby.
The theory behind why this happens is that quite often people post-seizure need the toilet and in the post-ictal phase where the person isn't lucid (actually consciously aware), that they're trying to find the toilet.
Again it's a fairly rare thing, so much so that despite multiple people in my family having epilepsy, I'd never heard of it until I researched it myself.