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Could seizures be psychosomatic?

Thu, 04/26/2007 - 18:10
I have had epilepsy for eleven years now. God, it sounds like so long when I say that. Anyway as with most people's seizures my doctor can give me very few answers about the cause of my seizures. I sure get a lot of "I don't knows" though. My seizures started when I was fifteen. I continued to have them every six months (almost to teh day) and recently have started having them every six weeks (almost to the day). I have tonic clonic seizures. I lose consciousness and bite my tongue. I have never lost control of my bladder or bowels. My seizures last from 1-2 minutes. In June 2006 I changed my medicine from Tegretol to Lamictal because I was starting to have seizures more often and the doctor thought that the Tegretol might be losing its effectiveness after 10 years. In all of the 11 years the only time that I have had my seizures is in the morning after I wake up, and luckily I have always had them in my bed. Since starting the Lamictal a few changes have occurred, besides the frequency increasing. I am now remembering events immediately prior to the seizure, including my boyfriend trying to make me focus in order to try to stop the seizure. THis did not happen with the Tegretol. A couple of months ago I had a spell that he did succeed in snapping me out of so now he is determined to do it again. I was in bed and felt "funny." I started to twitch, but was still conscious. I actually had the thought that I was about to have a seizure. I focused on him waving his hands in front of me and did not end up having the seizure. I am wondering if it was him, or another type of seizure, such as a Myoclonic (limbs jerking after waking) or an abscence seizure. I have definitely never had that happen before though. In the seizures that have followed I remember what he does prior to the seizure, but have had the seizure anyway. He can tell when I am about to have one and that is when he tries to snap me out of it. Partly because of this new development I have been starting to question the specifics of my case. This has led me to wonder about the strict schedule that my seizures seem to keep. The whole every six months and now every six weeks thing is puzzling to me and my doctor. I am now wondering if I am some how causing these seizures to happen by expecting them. I know it sounds crazy, but seizures are such a mystery that I think anything might be possible, even psychsomatic seizures. My questions for you are: 1. Is it possible to cause seizures to happen by expecting them? Do I cause them because I "know" and expect to have one every six weeks (or six months in the past)? 2. Has anyone ever heard of specific morning seizures like mine?

Comments

I was really looking for this

Submitted by Samie on Fri, 2018-11-16 - 10:45
I was really looking for this type of answer thank you. My son started having seizures a year ago he started with having, as far as we know, with having tonic clonic ones. He still has them now they are mostly in his sleep when he does have them. Now he is having what sounds like focal aware seizures. We having been trying to figure out if he was acting or not because when he has them it is around the sametime in the morning we didn't know if he was trying to get out of school. So I was trying to figure out if anyone else had them around the sametime everytime they have one so thank you very much now I can feel more comfortable that he is not using his seizures as an excuse. I know you probably think that I am a horrible mother for even thinking that he was faking and I am. But he is a 13 year old boy that has a bad problem lying about things.  

I swear this describes me to

Submitted by Tyler968s on Thu, 2018-12-06 - 08:13
I swear this describes me to a tee. I'm so frustrated because it seems like no matter how hard I try I have one every six months. It's actually pretty eerie how close you can predict them. Another thing is all of my seizures are within the first 30 min to 1 hour of being awake. I'm on lamotrigine, carbamazepine, and divalproex. I'd really like feedback as well.

Re: Could seizures be psychosomatic?

Submitted by charlie1 on Mon, 2009-10-26 - 09:26

I know exactly what you are going through and I hope that what I write here will shed some light on what your going through.

I was diagnosed with Eplipisey 10 years ago when I was 19. The specialist did not tell me why or how I had Epilipsey, he just told me what I could not do anymore eg driving, swimming alone horse riding.. I started to notice that my seizures always happened in the morning but no one not even my GP could tell me why. Until I went to America on a working holiday and I had a seizure and ended up in the ER. The doctor asked me if I always had my seizures in the morning and so he took a blood test. It turned out my blood sugar level was very low, he said that this would effect my brain and so could cause my seizures. Most of my seizures happened in the morning after I had a few beers the night before or when I was tired or even if i was worried or stress about something.

 I spent the next few years reading books and searching on the internet for any answers. What I found was that your blood sugar level is at its lowest in the morning and drinking alchol the night before can lower it even more. Apprently Morning Seizures are the most common. Also i discovered through holistic research that your seizures are directly related to the effectivness of your pancrese. From the hours of 7am to 11am your pancrese is working its hardest however with eplipisey it lowers  the effictivness of the pancrease to send messages to your brain to stop the seizures. In this case as mine  slow release anti eplipicit drugs were recomended. Stress can also effect your pancrase. 

 I also notice that some nights before I have a seizure that I know myself that I am going to have a seizure in the morning and Iwake up and it happens.  I also sometimes sometimes have that jeerking movement in my limbs before I fall unconsious. I have never been able to stop my seizures like you so I think that it is great that you have some control.

 There are other factors that can bring on seizures, for example a fever. My last seizure was one year ago and even though I was on my meds and had been seizure free i still could not control it. At the time I was ill with a cold and I had a fever and it was only when I went to see my doctor that he told me that a fever can bring on a seizure.

 My advise to you is to 1st of all find a regular doctor that you trust and who is knoledgable with epilipsy. Then no matter what your reason for going to the doctor always visit that same doctor. In regards to your seizures in the morning i find that if you feel woosey in the morning, eat a square of chochlate or drink a high sugar drink before you get out of bed and dont attempt to get out of bed for at least 10 minutes. Take your meds at that same time every day. Also look into de-stress methods for relaxation. But most important understand that Eplipisey is not a life sentence, you can grow out of it and in fact after your last seizure your are considered to be non epilipitc unitl or unless you have another seizure. Epilipsey is a brain disorder and hense is all in the mine, dont let it control your life, take back your life!

I know exactly what you are going through and I hope that what I write here will shed some light on what your going through.

I was diagnosed with Eplipisey 10 years ago when I was 19. The specialist did not tell me why or how I had Epilipsey, he just told me what I could not do anymore eg driving, swimming alone horse riding.. I started to notice that my seizures always happened in the morning but no one not even my GP could tell me why. Until I went to America on a working holiday and I had a seizure and ended up in the ER. The doctor asked me if I always had my seizures in the morning and so he took a blood test. It turned out my blood sugar level was very low, he said that this would effect my brain and so could cause my seizures. Most of my seizures happened in the morning after I had a few beers the night before or when I was tired or even if i was worried or stress about something.

 I spent the next few years reading books and searching on the internet for any answers. What I found was that your blood sugar level is at its lowest in the morning and drinking alchol the night before can lower it even more. Apprently Morning Seizures are the most common. Also i discovered through holistic research that your seizures are directly related to the effectivness of your pancrese. From the hours of 7am to 11am your pancrese is working its hardest however with eplipisey it lowers  the effictivness of the pancrease to send messages to your brain to stop the seizures. In this case as mine  slow release anti eplipicit drugs were recomended. Stress can also effect your pancrase. 

 I also notice that some nights before I have a seizure that I know myself that I am going to have a seizure in the morning and Iwake up and it happens.  I also sometimes sometimes have that jeerking movement in my limbs before I fall unconsious. I have never been able to stop my seizures like you so I think that it is great that you have some control.

 There are other factors that can bring on seizures, for example a fever. My last seizure was one year ago and even though I was on my meds and had been seizure free i still could not control it. At the time I was ill with a cold and I had a fever and it was only when I went to see my doctor that he told me that a fever can bring on a seizure.

 My advise to you is to 1st of all find a regular doctor that you trust and who is knoledgable with epilipsy. Then no matter what your reason for going to the doctor always visit that same doctor. In regards to your seizures in the morning i find that if you feel woosey in the morning, eat a square of chochlate or drink a high sugar drink before you get out of bed and dont attempt to get out of bed for at least 10 minutes. Take your meds at that same time every day. Also look into de-stress methods for relaxation. But most important understand that Eplipisey is not a life sentence, you can grow out of it and in fact after your last seizure your are considered to be non epilipitc unitl or unless you have another seizure. Epilipsey is a brain disorder and hense is all in the mine, dont let it control your life, take back your life!

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