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.

absance seizures and emotional changes in 6 year old

Tue, 07/03/2007 - 22:40
Hello, I didn't see another thread similar to this one, so here goes: My 6 year old son was diagnosed with absance seizures in January (we had noticed eye rolling that seemed to get "stuck" and asked the doctor at his 6 yr appt. and they sent him to get an EEG, now he sees a pediatric neurologist). There were several tiers of meds that he could go through..the first (sorry! I can't remember the name!) was supposed to prevent absance but not grand mal and of course, what did he have 2 of at school? So, now he's on Valproic Acid (I know that's the generic name, not sure what the brand name is!) and we haven't noticed any seizures at all. At first, we had grandparents and such telling us that they noticed he focused better on them when they were speaking to him (there was some concern about ADHD, but I didn't pursue it, wondering if it was just a young child's attention span!). He did not have any trouble in Kindergarten this year, and "graduated" on grade level for first grade. This summer, though, I've noticed a change in him. We had been trying to get him to stop sucking his thumb and he picked his "prizes" for going so many days without sucking his thumb, really into the whole program. Well, I've noticed in the past couple weeks, the focus is off, he's become more argumentative about things (although he is a sweet child and will apologize to me several hours later, we are pretty close!), and he's consistently sucking his thumb, not just when he's tired, which is when he would normally do it. I can't say that he's turned into a behavior problem or anything, just that he's not "right" and I think he feels it, too, when he apologizes to me of his own free will. No matter how much sleep he gets, he still tends to be whiny and very emotional. We had ended Kindergarten with him expressing his frustration better (asking for help, rather than crying about it), but now we're back to square one. There are times when this normally extroverted child seems very introverted and chooses to play alone, rather than be with friends. I've been over this with my husband and friends . . . is it because he's six or can it be something with his epilepsy or medication? Or just summer vacation? (I teach at the school he goes to, so while I don't normally see him during the day, he comes to me after school every day. Now that we're off for the summer, we're both home all the time). Is anyone else experiencing something similar? As a P.S., I did pursue getting him into "child study" so that his teachers will understand the need for repeated directions, etc. that may affect his learning. It's not exactly a 504 plan, but a "continued child study" where we meet if necessary.

Comments

Re: mood changes in 6-year old

Submitted by jimipasta on Thu, 2008-01-24 - 01:06

Hello. I just joined and I realised that I am a year behind everybody else with my comment.

My son turns 6 in a couple of months and have been on Zarontin for absent seizures for 7 months. I think that he might have had those seizures since he was about 2,5 years old, only that I thought that he was not paying attention. Not until I started working with people who suffered from petit mal seizures did I realise that he was seizuring and got him an appointment with a neurologist.

 After starting the medication I haven`t seen any seizures. I was (strongly) recommended to start my son on this medication before Kindergarten because it would benefit him in school, allow him to follow along in class better. What I am seeing now however, is that he is very moody, can`t handle disappoinments, hyper and unfocused, has problems following instructions etc. His teacher has commented that his attention span is very short compared to other baoys, and also alot more active, moving around constantly. He is not as tired as when he first started the medication but he is very often tired (he always falls asleep in the car but will bitterly fight having a nap at home), and when he is playing with his friends he seems sometimes to get overwhelmed and will just lie down quietly or refuse to talk to anyone. I feel like the medication, although apparently working for the seizures, is hurting him. The neurologist says that he probably suffers from adhd but that she can`t say for sure because what we see can be side-effects of the medication. But that we could try some medication for the (possible) adhd... I was hesitant to start him on the Zarontin to begin with, and I am not willing to start him on this road of medication after medication for side-effects of medications!

I`ve heard somewhere that omega 3 works for some people with seizures (and adhd). Has anyone here tried itÉ I would greatly appreciate any personal stories or links to reliable research.

 

Anna  jimipastaATyahoo.com

Hello. I just joined and I realised that I am a year behind everybody else with my comment.

My son turns 6 in a couple of months and have been on Zarontin for absent seizures for 7 months. I think that he might have had those seizures since he was about 2,5 years old, only that I thought that he was not paying attention. Not until I started working with people who suffered from petit mal seizures did I realise that he was seizuring and got him an appointment with a neurologist.

 After starting the medication I haven`t seen any seizures. I was (strongly) recommended to start my son on this medication before Kindergarten because it would benefit him in school, allow him to follow along in class better. What I am seeing now however, is that he is very moody, can`t handle disappoinments, hyper and unfocused, has problems following instructions etc. His teacher has commented that his attention span is very short compared to other baoys, and also alot more active, moving around constantly. He is not as tired as when he first started the medication but he is very often tired (he always falls asleep in the car but will bitterly fight having a nap at home), and when he is playing with his friends he seems sometimes to get overwhelmed and will just lie down quietly or refuse to talk to anyone. I feel like the medication, although apparently working for the seizures, is hurting him. The neurologist says that he probably suffers from adhd but that she can`t say for sure because what we see can be side-effects of the medication. But that we could try some medication for the (possible) adhd... I was hesitant to start him on the Zarontin to begin with, and I am not willing to start him on this road of medication after medication for side-effects of medications!

I`ve heard somewhere that omega 3 works for some people with seizures (and adhd). Has anyone here tried itÉ I would greatly appreciate any personal stories or links to reliable research.

 

Anna  jimipastaATyahoo.com

Re: mood changes in 6-year old

Submitted by scarfnoogan on Tue, 2008-10-14 - 19:54

my daughter haileys case is very simlar to yours she is also seven and i started noticing the seizures more once school had started she would walk into things and seem as though she couldnt hear me a certain points of the day she is also on zarontin a very high dose i think it has made the seizures subside but she still has a few daily but most of all i have notices the ever so characteristic mood changes the doctor said they would stop but i have yet to see any change in the 3 and a half years on the med nor has a doctor done follow up bloodwork or an eeg i am very concerned and havin issues getting someone to explain this very complex problem to me or to look after it as i see fit please someone help me i am a the end of my rope and want my daughter to have a normal life

 

my daughter haileys case is very simlar to yours she is also seven and i started noticing the seizures more once school had started she would walk into things and seem as though she couldnt hear me a certain points of the day she is also on zarontin a very high dose i think it has made the seizures subside but she still has a few daily but most of all i have notices the ever so characteristic mood changes the doctor said they would stop but i have yet to see any change in the 3 and a half years on the med nor has a doctor done follow up bloodwork or an eeg i am very concerned and havin issues getting someone to explain this very complex problem to me or to look after it as i see fit please someone help me i am a the end of my rope and want my daughter to have a normal life

 

Re: absance seizures and emotional changes in 6 year old

Submitted by laura_vermont on Wed, 2007-07-04 - 19:30
Hi, my daughter has mainly absence sz (she's had 2 TC); she was dx in February. We have noticed a new "oral fixation" in the past couple months - always chewing on something. We started encouraging gum chewing, not wonderful, but age appropriate & relatively socially acceptable. We also noticed personality change, but more that it was dulled, although she's been slightly moodier on the keppra. Honestly, we're more concerned with her cognitively. She is having a great deal of difficulty with memory and attention. She got through kindergarten - but only because she was ahead from a full time pre-k. We have a medical 504 plan which address seizure 1st aid and an educational 504 that will be reviewed in October as she will require an IEP unless we find a solution to her issues over the summer. We are having a 24hr eeg done next week & are going for a second opinion in 2 weeks. I wish I had the answers you're looking for... looks like E is diffent for everyone. Laura R. 6yo daughter w/ generalized E. Currently on Keppra. Failed Lamictal.

Sign Up for Emails

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