Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Does a seizure disorder = epilepsy?

Sat, 03/29/2008 - 00:15

Greetings, all!

Six weeks ago I was diagnosed with "idiopathic seizure disorder." At my follow up appointment today I asked my neuro for my diagonsis and he said the same thing. He doesn't seem to know what kind of seizures I am having. The EEG showed seizure activity in various parts of the brain. The only thing we seem to know for sure is that I am NOT having grand mal seizures.

So, does having a seizure disorder = epilepsy? Is there a magic moment when a seizure disorder converts to epilepsy? I am not eager for a label, but I just would like to know what to call the stuff happening to me. My seizures change and seem to cover both the complex and simple partial seizure arena.

I am currently on Keppra 3000 mg and Dilantin 300 mg a day and I still have seizures. I have started the long process of starting Lamictal and in 8 weeks he will start weaning me off the Dilantin.

Anyone else have a seizure disorder? Any advice to long and slow process of starting and weaning meds. The side effects of my Keppra/Dilantin cocktail is driving me crazy. I can't tell you how excited I am to add another med to the mix. (Can you hear my cyber-voice dripping with sarcasm?)

Any advice or comments welcome. I've been reading everything I can about seizures, but I can't seem to find myself in any article or textbook. If my EEG wasn't abnormal I would think it was all in my head. (pun intended)

Thanks in advance!!

~christy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Re: Does a seizure disorder = epilepsy?

Submitted by Jennifer_H on Mon, 2009-04-13 - 14:15
Yes it does epual epilepsy. Now I have had epilepsy for 9 years. I was first put on Tegretal it didn't work so they put me on both Tegretol and Depakote which didn't work either. So they said well let's try Lamictal 150 2x a day. And it has been working wonderfully. The only time I have an episode is if I don't have my medication for more than a day. Which rarely happens. But I would not switch to another medication. The only thing we can assume caused me to have seizures is when my family and I live in Aurora,Ill I had to go to the dentist to get a tooth pulled and something told me that something bad was going to happen. Well as my mom was writing out the check I passed out hitting the floor hard. My glasses flew to the other side of the room. They refused to let my mom use the phone to call 911, and my ex stepfather. It was the worse day ever. They didn't even apologize for their wrong doing. We think they gave me too much novacaine.I have learned to deal with what I have and accept it but I wish I didn't have it. Each seizure takes away my memory for a few days. I just hope none of my kids have to go through this. Just make sure you do your part in taking your meds when youre supposed to and do whatever the docs tell you to do. Eat healthy, eliminate caffiene, try not to get to stressed out and find a healthy way to deal with it. Its all easier said than done but it's the best thing to do to help control seizures. Also if you feel like you're going to have one lay down immediatley I made the mistake of walking to my friends car to lay down instead of laying down right where I was and I ended up falling to the floor face first and I ended up chipping my 2 front teeth. One if halfway gone the other is missing a corner. It's embarrassing to talk to people knowing theyre trying to figure out what happened to my teeth and then have to go and explain it to people is even worse.

Re: Does a seizure disorder = epilepsy?

Submitted by teener on Sat, 2009-04-18 - 08:28
I too expirience some temp. memory loss after a seizure for a day or two. It sucks. I have a very familiar story, and I have learned to lay down right away! Wher eyou were trying to get to the car, I was going upstairs to lay down on my bed...I didn't make it up the stairs :/. I didn't break anything that God, but I just was sore for a week. Eek!!

Re: Does a seizure disorder = epilepsy?

Submitted by teener on Sat, 2009-04-18 - 08:26
I have a seizure disorder, and I too was not given much information on the exact kind of seizures I have. I started with Topamx, which was horrible, and now I am on Tegretol and it seems to do the trick for me. I do know my seizures are mostly on the left side of my brain, thats it. If I tell someone, I say I have a seizure disorder, and I describe it as epilepsy.

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.