What's the difference between JME and reactive seizures?

[m1987]

Just something I've been wondering while reading up about E. All of my seizures or myoclonic jerks (only just into double figures if you count both) have occurred during periods of sleep deprivation, but they have also occurred within 10-15 minutes of waking up every time (always if it's a disturbed wake up, like going to the bathroom in the middle of the night).

Anyway, I was just wondering if that could be classed as reactive seizures (reacting to sleep deprivation and waking during the wrong sleep pattern) or JME (due to it being just after waking up every time).

How often do people who have JME have TCs? I've had 5 over the last 4 months. And 3 cases of dealing with MJs.


At what stage do you say "Look, you're not having reactive seizures, you've got epilepsy"?

 

[AndrewIrish]

I have dozens and sometimes hundreds of myoclonic jerks per day but tonic clinics only rarely ( tc free for 4 months and counting...)I have JME but your 'jerks' seem to be relatively normal and sleep deprivation effects all types of E I think negatively. So I'd wager the jerks for you aren't too serious and a dx of reactive seizures is probably correct - by the way do you have action myoclonus?

 

[m1987]

Hey, sorry for the delay in the response. No, I don't have action myoclonus.

 

[kostareyna]

I have JME without tonic-clonics, the doctor claimes I passed out the first time it happend but since I remember most of it like it was yestorday and since I din't have grandmals for the last 10 years since it started even when I wasn't on medication for two years I would say I'm one of those that just don't have absence seizures or tonic clonic seizures, I do got myoclonus and photosensetive epilepsy that is related mostly to video games and bright lights but it doesn't effect me unless I play by myself, flashing lights won't have any effect if I'll keep my eyes open.

The only two things that put me in the category of JME are the myoclonic jerks and the fact I'm more prone to seizures when extremly tired or when I wake up in the morning, If I wake up in the middle of the night for a bathroom it never bothers me, also I can by pass it a little by not closing the eyes, no darkness=no jerks and feeling of doom.

I'm a really special case where depakote doesn't help and barely does anything, topamax and keppra do much more especially the keppra even in small dosages like 250mg. In addition with both keppra and topamax when taking them seperatly short time after consumption I become extremley sensetive to my triggers like darkness with topamax or computers with keppra, taking them togethor seems like a medicore solution.

as for the myoclonic jerks, they were on daily basis, but it was either a feeling or a jerk. since I started keppra and went down to a small dosage it became mostly a feeling or you could just call it an aura.In couple of rare cases I had rhytmic jerks for 2 seconds while doing something fast and in other times when I was sleep deprived and drunk I had many jerks that lasted for like 5 seconds in intervals of couple of seconds depending on eye closure and that lasted for like an hour.

I'm a special case and I think I deserve an article on PUBMED, I really wish someone could diagnose me correctly or at least help me understand what I'm dealling with excatly because I'm tired of epiliptologists claiming I have a normal case of JME just like anyone else since I obviously don't.

p.s= I don't think there is a difference between reactive seizures and JME because as far as research goes it's part of JME, sleep deprivation is a known trigger just like alcohol and sometimes flashing lights.