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.

Fever and Dehydration trigger in adults

Thu, 12/08/2016 - 16:10
Hello all. I'm an otherwise healthy and active 43 year old male. In January 2014, I was extremely ill with what turned out to be a bad bacterial infection, and I suffered a seizure after suffering with fever and dehydration for a few days. I just collapsed in the morning, shortly after waking up. When I was younger (in elementary school), the same thing had happened to me twice, and both times I was running a fever. At that time, the neurologist performed a slew of tests on me, and they all came back normal. He didn't believe that he would ever see me again. Fast forward 30 years to 2014, and this happens one morning. I spent one year on medication (Keppra), and was weaned off in early 2015. I really didn't like the side effects of the medication, but I do understand the neurologist's point of view in keeping me on it. He told me that if I lived in a city and didn't drive a car, he wouldn't have me on medicine at all. Last Sunday, I suddenly became very ill (I caught something that my 14 year old son had), and I started running a fever, and I was unable to keep anything down. I was also dealing with a severe bout of diarrhea. Ran hot all night, and went back to sleep after my wife left for work at 8:30 am. I woke up at 1:30 pm, went downstairs (not feeling well), and that's the last thing that I remember before collapsing. My wife and kids found me on the floor at home, I got up, and seized again. The neurologist in the hospital attributed the seizure to fever and dehydration. Now, shame on me for not taking the illness seriously enough, drinking enough fluids, and taking enough fever reducer. But, it did come on rather quickly, and I was having a hard time keeping anything down. Does anyone out there know of another situation like this? This is literally the only time that this happens to me, when running a high enough fever. Otherwise, nothing else in my life has triggered a seizure. Alcohol, stress, lack of sleep. Literally, this is it. Fortunately, I don't get sick that frequently, but I think that I need to establish a protocol for myself when I start feeling sick with fever and/or diarrhea. One neurologist that I spoke with recently doubts that I need to be on medication regularly, but is anyone out there in a similar boat? Any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you!

Sign Up for Emails

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