What Just Happened

[msat1981]

Long story short I get some sort of dizzyness when I drive.
I can handle short drives. Highways are harder.
After the drive I'm shaky and somewhat dizzy.

Today I had to pull over on the highway because waves of
an ugly feeling passed through me. The kind you get when you
start to feel dizzy or just a weird warm feeling inside.
My left eye started twitch some and I started to feel super shaky
I pull over I am very shaky (left arm only) I happened to be on the
phone with a friend and i was still able to talk just fine I was conscience
and very aware of what was going on with me. I finally had to drive
a little bit to get to a parking lot and the dizzyness was coming back.

This was a severe incident and this dizzy/shaky (oh and I yawn a lot too??)
has become common when I drive even the short distances.
So seizure related or something way different? I'm stuck I'm scared I'm mad.

 

[valeriedl]

It's very possible that these could be seizures. How long has this been happening? Are you taking any meds?

It might be safer if you didn't drive, espically if you had to pull over and stop driving because you felt that you couldn't. I know that alot of times when I have a seizure I don't know that it is coming on and that I don't know that I've had one unless there is someone there with me to see it happen.

I don't, or maybe I should put it as can't, drive because of the epilepsy. I live in PA and here you have to go 6 months without having a seizure before they will let you drive. I feel it's safer that way. Sometimes I'll get blurred vision or just won't think right when I'll be in the car with someone, this happens other times too however. Recently I had double vision when my husband was driving the car and I thought he kept running off the road and almost running into the cars in the lane beside us. I could think straight the whole time, I just couldn't see right.

I'd stay away from driving for awhile if I were you, I know it's difficult not being able to drive but it's better than killing someone.

 

[msat1981]

This didn't start up till I started on generic keppra. A lot of the dizzyness (other than the expected kind) subsided once my dr told me to get off the med. I still had the bad side effects all of them are gone except for a lingering dizzyness. It acts up only when I drive. I was able to think clearly the whole time it seems completly physical. So this has been going on for about a month but today was the worst ever. Im just asking because my mind was clear and usually when people talk about any kind of seizure it seems like the thinking gets disturbed.
but yeah i am scared and i have to figure out something quick.

 

[RobinN]

One way to eliminate toxins from your system is to squeeze fresh lemon juice in clear drinking water. This helps to cleanse the liver pathways of toxins. Not sure it will help, but it sure can't hurt.

 

[msat1981]

I did try that too I'm back to normal except for that dizzyness. I was scared I was having a seizure but i had control of my arm as it was being all shaky and i didn't have the normal confusion or anything associated with them I'm not going to rule it out but I am taking in the advice I have received so far from everyone

 

[Endless]

Hi, Msat,

Only when you drive? Do you ever get sensory overload? Like when there is too much visual input or noise? Does it bug you to be in a big crowd with lots of movement and colors? Just curious, because being in a car is difficult for me, especially when there are a lot of cars whizzing past, or going really fast. It sometimes brings on an aura. It happens for me with audio stuff, too.

 

[msat1981]

yes! it isn't too bad when i'm in stop and go traffic but highway is hard. Its a feeling like i'm moving too fast. even a jog or a lot of walking brings it on noise i can handle and crowds was hard to handle when i was on the med but not anymore. if i'm in a car not driving i do way better it's when i have to look at the road and pay attention it starts to bother me.
see im having a hard time telling the difference if it is my brain misfiring or if it is something completely different? when i get shaky i still have control of my body and mind. the myoclonic jerks i occasionally get i'm used to how that feels and the two are completely different. i don't jerk at all when i get shaky.
i really think that the generic keppra altered something because i was never ever like this. i only went on something to control the mouth jerking and now my life is worse?!
the one actual seizure i had 6 years ago i remember after feeling sleepy and confused and all emotional. i didn't get like that today of course i was mad and scared but i always feel that dizziness now it's just driving that makes it intense.

 

[Endless]

Msat,

I don't know what causes my inability to handle fast movement, noise, visual confusion. I've recently realized that I've had it for a long time. Just in the past couple of years it's gotten a lot worse. In the last few months it's gotten really bad. Since I've been on medications for only about 7 months, I think mine is seizure-related, not from the meds.

I'm getting so that between not being able to handle being in fast moving vehicles, getting overloaded when in a crowd or around lots of noise, being so tired all the time... I rarely leave the house. But who cares. I need to sleep so much anyway. And home is the convenient place to do it. lol...

 

[Cint]

i really think that the generic keppra altered something because i was never ever like this. i only went on something to control the mouth jerking and now my life is worse?!

The generic meds can make a difference for some of us, so if you really notice a difference since starting the generic keppra, contact your dr. ASAP!
The short time I was on generic keppra, my seizures became more frequent.
My neurologist makes sure I get brand name only, NO generic for me!

 

[msat1981]

Endless
wow that sounds like a lot to have on your plate... Im kinda speechless there??

Cint
I've been off of them for a month and still have this lasting effect the neuro doesn't think
it is med related. But ugh when I do try another one for sure I am going to request name brand only.

 

[sandi]

not driving

I see more than just I have issues-truthfully It got so bad on the Lyrica - I wanted to jump out the car while moving I stayed at home rather than be on the roller coaster. I had a complete vision checked I can see just fine but even the movement of the Doctors hands around my eyes set me off. He did help some by telling me he thought I should see a neuro opthmalogist as he thought I have a subtle difference in the left- right sides of the brain(shifting) but without more testing he couldn't tell.
He told me it would cause a delay in passing the visual image from one hemisphere to the other and is common after brain injury.
The other drug Mirapex has helped this some.
Msat -If I add Antidepressants I can do some driving - but sitting on the side of the road shaking and yes some confusion is generally what has happened. So despite what they kept saying I went of the anti-deppresants and Lyrica and stopped driving voluntarily