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Getting worse with age or meds?
Sun, 09/25/2016 - 12:01Doc put me on Lamictal a few months ago and we had upped it in August to 250mg. Since we upped it, it was great for a few weeks, no seizures or anything-only bad thing was short term memory was shot. So I asked her and she said that wasn't a side effect and I was on a baby dose. Ok fine. Last week I had a pretty severe seizure and last night. My doctor wants me to have a 3 day EEG but I'm concerned with the sporadic nature whether or not this would even be helpful. Plus I have an IUD that I had placed in early September, I asked my GYN if this will be helpful controlling hormone levels as like most women, seizure activity gets worse with periods. She said sadly, that even if I don't get a period the release of the hormones in the IUD may not mean hormones won't flux. So I went almost two months without a severe seizure. URGH! I was diagnosed this year even though I've been having these god awful seizures since I was a teen-so my question is since I went this long without medication if epilepsy is getting worse with age, or Lamictal isn't working or finally if it could be a combination? Between work, school and family being locked up in a hospital for three days isn't exactly something I can just 'do' and because I've been almost seizure free with the exception of the last two weeks-how successful it will even be to do. I will say since I've been on antiseizure medication seizures have been worse and more frequent but I'm not sure if this is because I'm older or the meds. Any insight?
A longer EEG can give the
Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2016-09-25 - 12:54
A longer EEG can give the neurologists more information to look at. They can determine more about the abnormalities. which means where the abnormalities are coming from which can help them determine the type of epilepsy you have. It can also help them with the type of seizures you may have. You have been having seizures since you were a teen.. You were diagnosed this year.. When I was younger I was having seizures I didn't know about. Absence and focal seizures. They got more frequent and stronger as time passed. It wasn't until I had the grand mal seizure and the testing done a year later that we knew I had been having seizures. So yes as time goes by without treatment seizures get more frequent and stronger. As for hormones Men have their own issues when we have changes too. Moving from a kid to a teen my medications had to be raised 3-4 times in a 8-9 month period of time. A weight change can affect meds too. The EEG can help and if you want the seizures controlled it is up to you to have the EEG and take the medications. The dosage you are on is a low dosage. I did use it years ago and it did work.I time off for the EEG can help and you can have friends and family be there with you or just take your devices with you