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Mind pulses, head zaps?

Thu, 03/03/2005 - 07:47
Every few months, my husband has something happen where it's like he feels pulses in his head that interupt his concentration. they only last about 2 seconds but can happen every minute or two. This lasts about 5 days before it goes away. He has not had a major seizure for about 7 years, so he is very fortunate, but we're concerned about these "head zaps" and the doctor doesn't really seem to know what to tell him. He just increased his meds. Sometimes it happens when life is stressful and sometimes it just happens, so we don't know if it is really related to stress. Has anyone else ever had this happen?

Comments

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Mind pulses, head zaps?

Submitted by pongosmommy on Wed, 2005-02-23 - 16:22
Thank you Spiz,Yep Ear Zap is not at all pleasant. I thought it was because I kept changing altitudes(when I was working), but now that I am off I still have them, just not as often. Mine mostly hit me in the back of my head and on the top of my head. When it hits the back of my head I have a real hard time. That is why I enjoy the floating in water. Somehow it seems the pressure in my head and the pressure in the air is neutralized by the water. I don't like when it takes out my eyesight. Even if it is just for a few seconds at a time. Or just makes everything blurry, that is the buzz on the top/sides of my head. It's funny I always associated/blamed these episodes on other things. Or thought I was just weird for having them. I never even thought they could be seizures. Oh I feel so childish, 3 days of this. Here I am a grown woman raising 2 kids, I guess I will get out of my pity pool now.

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Submitted by js55 on Wed, 2005-02-23 - 19:01
I think I may have what everybody seems to be calling zaps, I call them Harry Potter pains.  Have your doctors diagnosed them as seizures?  They are very painful, but have never interrupted what I am doing.  Sometimes several a week, sometimes none for months.  They only last for seconds so I pretty much ignore them.  Should I be talking to my Dr?

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Mind pulses, head zaps?

Submitted by Zoofemme on Wed, 2005-02-23 - 23:28

Ha...I never even thought about these "zaps" being anything in and of themselves. always kind of chalked them up to being another side-effect to my meds more than likely.  Now I feel kind of "duh". 

I did try describing them to my neuro today...I likened it to an electric hum and then quick shock (I get them behind my eyes and in my ears...my H says I look like a dog with fleas shaking it's head all the time).  He decided to try switching me to Lamictal despite trileptal being somewhat successful at controlling my seizures (ok...I consider a seizure once a month or so as "control" compared to what I have had in the past).  He said my quality of life was suffering with all of the side effects and that was just as important as stopping the seizures, so time to try something new.  He cautioned me that it is a change that is going to take quite some time though and is keeping me on my current does of trileptal (1500 mg a day) while slowly introducing the lamictal in (25mg before bed to start) and then slowly weaning me off of the trileptal.

I truly hate having my meds messed with...that whole process of acclimating to something new is just yucky.  Will let ya'all know if it has any effect on the "zaps" or not.

Zoo

Ha...I never even thought about these "zaps" being anything in and of themselves. always kind of chalked them up to being another side-effect to my meds more than likely.  Now I feel kind of "duh". 

I did try describing them to my neuro today...I likened it to an electric hum and then quick shock (I get them behind my eyes and in my ears...my H says I look like a dog with fleas shaking it's head all the time).  He decided to try switching me to Lamictal despite trileptal being somewhat successful at controlling my seizures (ok...I consider a seizure once a month or so as "control" compared to what I have had in the past).  He said my quality of life was suffering with all of the side effects and that was just as important as stopping the seizures, so time to try something new.  He cautioned me that it is a change that is going to take quite some time though and is keeping me on my current does of trileptal (1500 mg a day) while slowly introducing the lamictal in (25mg before bed to start) and then slowly weaning me off of the trileptal.

I truly hate having my meds messed with...that whole process of acclimating to something new is just yucky.  Will let ya'all know if it has any effect on the "zaps" or not.

Zoo

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