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Anxiety and Epilepsy

Thu, 06/27/2013 - 15:22

Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Youth

My Daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 5 and has been on Keppra ever since . She is now 10 and for the last month or so has been experiencing panic attacks. does anyone have any information on anxiety or panic attacts being associated with epilepsy ?

Comments

Re: Anxiety and Epilepsy

Submitted by toddswed2169 on Thu, 2013-06-27 - 19:50

Hi,

I can add that yes, I believe anxiety can be part of Epilepsy. Also I do know it is a side effect from Keppra. I am taking that right now. And it is sometimes unbearable. I am 44 taking Keppra.

Hi,

I can add that yes, I believe anxiety can be part of Epilepsy. Also I do know it is a side effect from Keppra. I am taking that right now. And it is sometimes unbearable. I am 44 taking Keppra.

Re: Anxiety and Epilepsy

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Fri, 2013-06-28 - 02:03

Hi ShayLee124, It is often difficult to differentiate between temporal lobe epilepsies and other disorders involving the Limbic System. The differential for "Panic Disorder (panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, DSM-IV-TR #300.01, 300.21)" versus epilepsy, of: "Simple partial seizures may occasionally be characterized by a panic attack. Clues to this diagnosis include not only the occurrence, at other times, of other seizure types (e.g., grand mal or complex partial) but also the exquisitely paroxysmal nature of the ictal panic attack: whereas panic attacks in panic disorder take minutes to crescendo, the ictal anxiety peaks within seconds. An EEG may or may not be helpful in such cases, as it may be normal even while the patient is having the seizure,": (a ***.pdf page) http://www.brown.edu/Courses/BI_278/Other/Clerkship/Didactics/Readings/panic.pdf seems like a good guide when both "acute repetitive seizures" & "Nonconvulsive status epilepticus" are each totally excluded. and a slow downloading ***.pdf titled "Sudden Onset Panic: Epileptic Aura or Panic Disorder?" by Robin A. Hurley, M.D., Ronald Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., Katherine H. Taber, Ph.D.: http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/NP/3948/06JNP436.PDF (Non-***.pdf just as slow download through the fast http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17135371 for http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=102872 ) Seizures in the Limbic System are highly prone to kindling effects, which can quickly change the sensations experienced with the further kindled seizures, and the internal sensations can be extremely difficult to describe verbally. Tadzio

Re: Anxiety and Epilepsy

Submitted by shaylee124 on Fri, 2013-06-28 - 14:19

Thank everyone for the help, she does have a video EEG sceduled in a few months.

I will also take a look at the links provided .

Thank everyone for the help, she does have a video EEG sceduled in a few months.

I will also take a look at the links provided .

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