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Seizures while sleeping~

Tue, 01/25/2005 - 17:03
Hello everyone,
 
I am new to this site... It is late, but I thought I would throw this question out -
 
Anyone have grand mals only while sleeping?
 
My apologies if I'm not using the correct verbiage (grand mal, to me, meaning the 'generic' seizures 1 hears about mainly throughout life - full body convulsions lasting a couple of minutes, eyes rolling, etc.). 
 
This encompasses my seizure history, mainly.  Quick summary: If I have a petit mal, it starts in my right arm, electric feeling, tone in the ear, still have full control.  When sleeping, many times I wake up w/ what seems to have started as this right arm petit mal, but has 'spread' into my chest.  Most of the time I can wake myself up out of them...seems if my level of awake/self-awareness is high enough, I can stop a grand mal from happening.  However, there are times when I can not wake up enough.  I then lapse into a seizure, experiencing/remembering far too much (scary!), & then next thing I know I am waking up very groggy, & so on.
 
Some may see this as a blessing in disguise, as I have never had a grand mal when I've not been asleep first.  I suppose it is, but the experience is no less terrifying.
 
Thanks for the feedback,
 
Ache

Comments

Re: Seizures while sleeping~

Submitted by cubana on Tue, 2009-04-21 - 17:04
Ache, I understand you perfectly because I also went through a period when I began to have seizures while sleeping. My boyfriend was with me and told me what I was doing, my right arm would start shaking, my right leg too, most of the time I would wet the bed and would have a grand mal seizure. This scared the hell out of me because I had only had absence seizures up to that time and had never passed out. Sometimes I would wake up on the floor and would know I had had a seizure because I had bitten my tongue or wet my bed. I learned that I was going through menopause and many women with epilepsy begin to have grand mal seizures like mine when their bodies are going through menapuse. It has to do with the hormones getting all screwed up. I eventually grew out of it, the doctor put me on Topamax and Keppara and I've been seizure free for 4 years now. You don't mention your age, could you be starting to go through menapause? I have tried just about every neuroleptic out there and only Topamax and Keppra were able to do the trick, I developed epilepsy at 19 and I am now 59.

Re: Seizures while sleeping~

Submitted by lisamadisyn on Thu, 2009-04-23 - 22:32

My name is Lisa I am 28 I have had seizures for 15years and ONLY when I am asleep. Although, they do wake me up. I have never had one while I was awake.

My name is Lisa I am 28 I have had seizures for 15years and ONLY when I am asleep. Although, they do wake me up. I have never had one while I was awake.

Re: Seizures while sleeping~

Submitted by jingbenito on Fri, 2009-04-24 - 04:04

hi..i had seizure  the other night and it terrifies me alot.. it started when im 20 years old. my mother said when i was 3 years old i had a convulsion and the doctors suspected it to meningitis, only after 17 years that we found out that it was epilepsy... i am now 28 years old. running 29 on june... until now i dont have boyfriend because they suddenly dissappeared when they recognized that i have epilepsy. they thinking of their decendants... it hurts me alot to think of this but i know they have points... yesterday i went to a new doctor and he advice me to change my regular medication from trileptal to valparin... i'm worried but i'll try again... 5 years ago, i switched to a new doctor and advice me to change my medication from trileptal to dilantin... the trigger worsens so i went back to my original doctor... i'm just scared to suddenly change my medication again. what shall i do???

hi..i had seizure  the other night and it terrifies me alot.. it started when im 20 years old. my mother said when i was 3 years old i had a convulsion and the doctors suspected it to meningitis, only after 17 years that we found out that it was epilepsy... i am now 28 years old. running 29 on june... until now i dont have boyfriend because they suddenly dissappeared when they recognized that i have epilepsy. they thinking of their decendants... it hurts me alot to think of this but i know they have points... yesterday i went to a new doctor and he advice me to change my regular medication from trileptal to valparin... i'm worried but i'll try again... 5 years ago, i switched to a new doctor and advice me to change my medication from trileptal to dilantin... the trigger worsens so i went back to my original doctor... i'm just scared to suddenly change my medication again. what shall i do???

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