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New and My World is Spinning

Wed, 04/12/2017 - 15:55
Hello everyone. On march 31st I had my first seizure in my life at 22 years old. I've always been very healthy, ate well, went to the gym 1-2 times a day, I was happy, outgoing, and fun to be around. In just two weeks, I don't know what I'm the world happen. I had a seizure in my sleep and didn't regain complete consciousness until I was in the hospital about 30 minutes later. There was no warning. About four days later, I had another one also in my sleep, very minor and woke right up from it about 2 minutes later. The neurologist immediately tried me on Briviact, which I had a horrible reaction to, and then I discontinued it, felt great for two days, until they put me on a different medication lamictal. I had a slight allergic reaction to it. Both medications made me severely depressed to where I wanted to cry all the time, couldn't breathe, and easily agitated. I can barely work, I'm not fun or happy and can't concentrate most of the time. I don't know what to do or how to handle any of this, or if I even believe I am epileptic. Im scared to try any more medication because of the side effects I have gotten from those two. He prescribed me Trileptal (spelling?) to try tonight. I can't do this shitty anymore, and I don't want the people around me to deal with it either. Any words?

Comments

Anybody at any age can get

Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2017-04-12 - 19:12
Anybody at any age can get epilepsy. epilepsy does not discriminate. Anybody at any age can get epilepsy.You had 1 seizure and 4 days later you had another one. You were prescribed Briviact and yo had a reaction to.. You did not post what the reaction was or how many dosages you took. But you discontinued it. Did the neurologist know you did that? If not then that might have caused part of your problem when you started the second medication. That medication you had a allergic reaction to. Without saying what that reaction was..All of the things you posted that you have been having may be caused by you because this tells me something  I don't know what to do or how to handle any of this, or if I even believe I am epileptic. If you cough and the doctor tells you have a cold and prescribes medication do you take it and go about your business? If a different doctor tells you you need glasses and prescribes them do you put them on for an hour and take them off or do you wear them to see if are helping you see? If you have a hearing loss and are prescribed a hearing aid do you put it on and use it or take it off after a day because you do not want people to know you needed one and you didn't want to accept the fact that you have a hearing problem. All of the things I posted with other doctors you would do and wear them and use them. You would do that because those illnesses can be seen.. EPILEPSY is an invisible illness, Meaning people can't see it. You can't see it. There is a stigma about it and you want nothing to do with that stigma. All of the medications you posted and were to use are good. the first one is new which is  Briviact. It is made by UCB Pharma who also makes Keppra which I take now. Now understand that people will get some side effects and most will leave after your body gets used to the medication. Meaning while the therapeutic levels build in your body. It takes 3-4 weeks for that to happen. But most people do not get side effects. I have had one in the 50+ years I have been taking meds for epilepsy. I have only used 20-25 different medications or combinations of medications in that time period. That side effect was on one of the 2 I was taking when I first started taking meds. That side effect was actually because the dosage was too high. A week later I started it again at a lower dosage and it was increased several times over the years. I too it for 30+ years. Seizure medications build in your body to the therapeutic levels your neurologist wants. They want that level so it will stop  a seizure if you take a dose late or even forget one.In order to know a medication will work it takes time on it and seeing is the  seizures have stopped. Without taking the medication you will not know if it is working. If you don't start treatment (medications) then your seizures will increase in numbers and they will get stronger. For all you know those 2 seizures are the only ones you KNOW you had. There are many different types of seizures and some you may have had without knowing it.I know this might upset you but I also know that five days from one seizure to the next and then a couple of days where you didn't take meds and then 2 days you might have taken both dosages only comes up to about 10 days. Today is the 12th day after your first seizure. Denial is not helping you. This site has more information then you could know about. Crying does you no good, Being upset adds stress which can trigger a seizure. Wondering why will not help you. Questioning if you have it or not will not stop seizures if you do have epilepsy. Try accepting the fact that you had those seizures and medications can stop them and listen to the doctor. Take the meds for at least a week before thinking you have a side effect which generally are gone after 3 weeks. Count the days between seizures to see if they have decreased or they are stopped. Use this site and do use the help section and learn section. Just so you'll know that you might not know about some seizures you may have had I can have a seizure right in front of you and still be talking and you would know nothing about it. I can be working at my desk and have one and the person on the other end of the phone wouldn't know it. My PCP didn't know I had one at the last visit I had with him. Have you ever seen someone day dreaming??? That person could be in a absence seizure or a focal seizure.

Clearly just_joe knows alot

Submitted by SAL_58eea0d7cb775 on Wed, 2017-04-12 - 19:24
Clearly just_joe knows alot of information and hes not wrong its not the end of the world. I might not be as knowledgable may I suggest reading up and trying to understand I didn't know much either and am still learning but when i look at my understanding before I didn't really have any I had seen one seizure in a schoolmate and that was it. As for worrying about people and burdens ect you get over that edventually you will find with Dr's opinion ofcourse what works for you. My sister saw my first sezure i made some jokes to her about it she has become more comfortable, but like me she had little understanding. Like you mine started in adulthood..

Well maybe it is because when

Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2017-04-12 - 22:28
Well maybe it is because when I was diagnosed there were no devices, We researched at a library with real books that were outdated. It was 50+ years ago.Kind of like I told my brother if he saw me having a seizure in the bath tub to throw in some soap and a load of wash. He was around when I had some and I still remember he yelling Hey Mom hes having another spazz attack

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