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Topiramate and Partial Complex Seizures HELP!
Fri, 09/20/2013 - 12:43I'm 20 years old and about 2 months ago I started Topiramate (50 mg at night) for nightmares relating to post-traumatic stress. I know you are thinking my post does not belong here but please read on. After a few weeks of taking this I began experiencing a strange and odd feeling. I would feel deja-vu and try to explain the feeling to my boyfriend then start rambling my sentence to my boyfriend. Then I would feel an "out of body" feeling and pins and needles. I always get a certain feeling that makes me just KNOW that the episode is going to for sure happen and that there is nothing I can possibly do to stop it. I also usually think I am going to die and get extremely fearful. My ears would ring and my head would feel tingly and then I would black out. My boyfriend says I would stares as if I was a deer in the headlights and I would push my fingers in his mouth. Other times (this experience has happened on about 11 different occasions) I would scratch at his hand, walk around in circles (he would ask me to sit down nicely and I would just ignore him and continue to walk around) grab at arm rests on chairs and need to lay down or sit as I felt I was going to fall. On one occasion I even started to scream because I thought I was going to die. My experience ends in coming to, confusion and either screaming for my mother or crying hysterically. Usually these experiences last 20-30 seconds but we have not been counting them because we thought I was overreacting but recently, I looked up partial complex seizures and saw all of my experiences were related to this. Can Topiramate cause this at such a low dose? Can Topiramate cause this at all? I had never experienced this before the medication. I am now waiting to have an EEG done to rule out epilepsy, as we do have a history of it in the family. Please help as I'm feeling very terrified and worried.
Comments
Re: Topiramate and Partial Complex Seizures HELP!
Submitted by sara_xx on Sun, 2013-09-22 - 07:22
Re: Topiramate and Partial Complex Seizures HELP!
Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2013-09-22 - 10:41
I think you said it right WEIRD. But there are many weird things in this world. Understand that a seizure is an electrical impulse going off wrong in the brain which causes a chain reaction. Think about your computer everything running fine but then you click on a gage and get an error saying page can not be found everything is electrical yet that impulse for the page didn't work. Another way would be setting up dominos syanding up all lined up in a pattern and tapping the first one which can knock all the dominos medications are designed to stop the chain reaction like putting your finger between 2 dominos which keep the rest of the dominos from falling. I know what many docs will say. I also know what doctors said years ago. I have been aware that an anticonvulsant can and have caused seizures which is why I put it in. I know the medication is good and has been working for many people and doctors want that to keep helping people. Have you asked the doctors " can an anticonvulsant cause a seizure" without naming the medication. You might be surprised with their response. Have you thought of going to the Topiramate web site and read all of th side effects. I haven't done that but if they list all of the side effects you mgiht see several things that might be some of the things you have been feeling. Or tried contacting hem and asking if ANYONE has ever had a seizure after taking it. Understandmost side effects are listed which are generally 5-8% but there might be some that were not listed because there was only one out of a thousnad people that happened to.
I hope you get your answer but also get the EEG becasue I also know that there have been many people who have never had a seizure not have one until they were adults.
Good Luck
Joe
I think you said it right WEIRD. But there are many weird things in this world. Understand that a seizure is an electrical impulse going off wrong in the brain which causes a chain reaction. Think about your computer everything running fine but then you click on a gage and get an error saying page can not be found everything is electrical yet that impulse for the page didn't work. Another way would be setting up dominos syanding up all lined up in a pattern and tapping the first one which can knock all the dominos medications are designed to stop the chain reaction like putting your finger between 2 dominos which keep the rest of the dominos from falling. I know what many docs will say. I also know what doctors said years ago. I have been aware that an anticonvulsant can and have caused seizures which is why I put it in. I know the medication is good and has been working for many people and doctors want that to keep helping people. Have you asked the doctors " can an anticonvulsant cause a seizure" without naming the medication. You might be surprised with their response. Have you thought of going to the Topiramate web site and read all of th side effects. I haven't done that but if they list all of the side effects you mgiht see several things that might be some of the things you have been feeling. Or tried contacting hem and asking if ANYONE has ever had a seizure after taking it. Understandmost side effects are listed which are generally 5-8% but there might be some that were not listed because there was only one out of a thousnad people that happened to.
I hope you get your answer but also get the EEG becasue I also know that there have been many people who have never had a seizure not have one until they were adults.
Good Luck
Joe
Re: Topiramate and Partial Complex Seizures HELP!
Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2013-09-21 - 15:18
Hi Sara
I read your post and can see where you might be wanting may different answers. I have been an epileptic for over 50 years. I also think that Topiramate can be a seizure medication. I also know that medications that can control seizures can also create them as some side effects can be an increase in seizures. Your post also states you have never had episodes like this which would lead me to believe it might be a side effect but I am no doctor. One of the main tests used in finding epilepsy is the EEG. If it is a short one it may come up normal. I have many that did. However if it is a long one then they will have more to look at and they might see abnormalities (seizure activity). If they say you have no abnormalities and you do not have epilepsy then you might check with the doctor that gave you the RX for topiramate and tell him what is happening because medications that treat seizures can cause them in other people. I do know that this is not the only medication for treatment of PTSD.
I hope this helps but to be on the safe side do have the EEG and even ask the person gicving you the EEG about Topiramate and if they can cause episodes like you had.
Good luck
Joe
Hi Sara
I read your post and can see where you might be wanting may different answers. I have been an epileptic for over 50 years. I also think that Topiramate can be a seizure medication. I also know that medications that can control seizures can also create them as some side effects can be an increase in seizures. Your post also states you have never had episodes like this which would lead me to believe it might be a side effect but I am no doctor. One of the main tests used in finding epilepsy is the EEG. If it is a short one it may come up normal. I have many that did. However if it is a long one then they will have more to look at and they might see abnormalities (seizure activity). If they say you have no abnormalities and you do not have epilepsy then you might check with the doctor that gave you the RX for topiramate and tell him what is happening because medications that treat seizures can cause them in other people. I do know that this is not the only medication for treatment of PTSD.
I hope this helps but to be on the safe side do have the EEG and even ask the person gicving you the EEG about Topiramate and if they can cause episodes like you had.
Good luck
Joe