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.
Myoclonus - How severe?
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 09:37My wife has had epilepsy since she was five or six years old, and has been controlled, with exceptions by medication for years. She had tonic clonic seizures before, but this month she started getting myoclonic seizures. At first they were mildly annoying, and we went to her neurologist for it. He prescribed Lamictal, but a little over a week later she had what seemed like a very severe case of myoclonus. Each time she would jerk she would tense up, and could not breathe during each jerk (which would last about 10 seconds).
We went back to her neurologist and he had her stop the Lamictal, and start Keppra. At first it seemed like it was making a bit of a difference -- she felt less prone to the jerks, etc. But last night I woke up to a similar episode as the other morning, only each time she tensed up it was more like the wind would get knocked out of her. She's been conscious during each episode.
I've been trying to find information about this and it seems like myoclonic seizures aren't severe like this. Should we keep calling the neurologist every time this occurs? What are our options? Any other input?